Digit movement detection based on capacitive imaging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12018940-B2
Application number	US-202318217036-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2023
Priority date	Aug 8, 2019
Publication date	Jun 25, 2024
Grant date	Jun 25, 2024

Abstract

A capacitive imaging glove includes electrodes implemented throughout the capacitive imaging glove and drive-sense circuits (DSCs) such that a DSC receives a reference signal generates a signal based thereon. The DSC provides the signal to a first electrode via a single line and simultaneously senses it. Note the signal is coupled from the first electrode to the second electrode via a gap therebetween. The DSC generates a digital signal representative of the electrical characteristic of the first electrode. Processing module(s), when enabled, is/are configured to execute operational instructions (e.g., stored in and/or retrieved from memory) to generate the reference signal, process the digital signal to determine the electrical characteristic of the first electrode, and process the electrical characteristic of the first electrode to determine a distance between the first electrode and the second electrode, and generate capacitive image data representative of a shape of the capacitive imaging glove.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A capacitive imaging glove operative to perform digit movement detection comprising:
a first electrode;
a second electrode;
a drive-sense circuit (DSC), wherein when enabled, the DSC configured to:
provide a signal to the first electrode and simultaneously to sense the signal, wherein sensing of the signal includes detection of an electrical characteristic of the first electrode, wherein the electrical characteristic of the first electrode is based on the signal coupled from the first electrode to the second electrode via a gap between the first electrode and the second electrode within a digit of the capacitive imaging glove such that movement of the digit of the capacitive imaging glove changes a distance between the first electrode and the second electrode; and
generate a digital signal representative of the electrical characteristic of the first electrode;

memory that stores operational instructions; and
one or more processing modules operably coupled to the DSC and the memory, wherein, the one or more processing modules, when enabled, is configured to execute the operational instructions to:
process the digital signal representative of the electrical characteristic of the first electrode to determine the electrical characteristic of the first electrode;
process the electrical characteristic of the first electrode to determine change of the distance between the first electrode and the second electrode that is based on movement of the digit of the capacitive imaging glove; and
generate capacitive image data representative of the movement of the digit of the capacitive imaging glove based on the change of the distance between the first electrode and the second electrode.

2. The capacitive imaging glove of claim 1 , wherein, the one or more processing modules, when enabled, is further configured to execute the operational instructions to:
process the digital signal representative of the electrical characteristic of the first electrode to determine a capacitance associated with the distance between the first electrode and the second electrode including a change of the capacitance that is based on movement of the digit of the capacitive imaging glove; and
calculate the distance between the first electrode and the second electrode based on the capacitance associated with the distance between the first electrode and the second electrode.

3. The capacitive imaging glove of claim 1 , wherein the electrical characteristic of the first electrode corresponds to at least one of an impedance, a capacitive reactance, or a capacitance of the first electrode.

4. The capacitive imaging glove of claim 1 , wherein, when enabled, the DSC is further configured to:
receive a reference signal;
generate the signal based on the reference signal; and
provide the signal to the first electrode via a single line and simultaneously to sense the signal via the single line.

5. The capacitive imaging glove of claim 4 , wherein, the one or more processing modules, when enabled, is further configured to execute the operational instructions to:
generate the reference signal; and
provide the reference signal to the DSC to be used by the DSC to generate the signal.

6. The capacitive imaging glove of claim 1 further comprising:
another DSC, when enabled, the another DSC configured to:
provide another signal to the second electrode and simultaneously to sense the another signal, wherein sensing of the another signal includes detection of another electrical characteristic of the second electrode, and wherein the another electrical characteristic of the second electrode is based on the signal coupled from the second electrode to the first electrode via the gap between the first electrode and the second electrode within the digit of the capacitive imaging glove; and
generate another digital signal representative of the another electrical characteristic of the second electrode.

7. The capacitive imaging glove of claim 6 , wherein, the one or more processing modules, when enabled, is further configured to execute the operational instructions to:
process the another digital signal representative of the another electrical characteristic of the second electrode to determine the another electrical characteristic of the second electrode;
process the another electrical characteristic of the second electrode to determine the change of the distance between the first electrode and the second electrode that is based on movement of the digit of the capacitive imaging glove; and
generate other capacitive image data representative of the movement of the digit of the capacitive imaging glove based on the change of the distance between the first electrode and the second electrode.

8. The capacitive imaging glove of claim 6 , wherein, when enabled, the another DSC is further configured to:
receive another reference signal;
generate the another signal based on the another reference signal; and
provide the another signal to the second electrode via another single line and simultaneously to sense the another signal via the another single line.

9. The capacitive imaging glove of claim 6 , wherein:
signal includes a first one or more characteristics including a first frequency; and
the another signal includes a second one or more characteristics including a second frequency that is different than the first frequency.

10. The capacitive imaging glove of claim 1 further comprising:
a plurality of drive-sense circuits (DSCs) including the DSC; and
a plurality of electrodes implemented throughout the capacitive imaging glove including the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein:
the DSC of the plurality of DSC operably coupled to the first electrode via a single line.

11. The capacitive imaging glove of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first electrode or the second electrode has a shape of a square, a rectangle, a circle, an oval, a diamond, a triangle, an arc, or a hexagon.

12. The capacitive imaging glove of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first electrode of the second electrode is implemented to curve around a portion of the digit of the capacitive imaging glove.

13. The capacitive imaging glove of claim 1 , wherein the DSC further comprises:
a power source circuit operably coupled to the first electrode via a single line, wherein, when enabled, the power source circuit is configured to provide the signal that includes an alternating current (AC) component via the single line coupling to the first electrode; and
a power source change detection circuit operably coupled to the power source circuit, wherein, when enabled, the power source change detection circuit is configured to:
detect an effect on the signal that is based on the electrical characteristic of the first electrode; and
generate the digital signal representative of the electrical characteristic of the first electrode.

14. The capacitive imaging glove of claim 13 further comprising:
the power source circuit including a power source to source at least one of a voltage or a current to the first electrode via the single line; and
the power source change detection circuit including:
a power source reference circuit configured to provide at least one of a voltage reference or a current reference based on a reference signal; and
a comparator configured to compare the at least one of the voltage or the current provided to the first electrode via the single line to the at least one of the voltage reference or the current reference in accordance with producing the signal.

15. A capacitive imaging glove operative to perf

Assignees

• Sigmasense Llc

Inventors

• Gray Patrick Troy
• Morrison Gerald Dale
• Van Ostrand Daniel Keith
• Seger Jr Richard Stuart
• Short Shayne X
• Markison Timothy W

Classifications

• G01P15/18

  in two or more dimensions · CPC title

• A41D19/0024

  with accessories · CPC title

• G06F3/017

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title

• G06F3/014 Primary

  Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves · CPC title

• G01B7/287 Primary

  using a plurality of fixed, simultaneously operating transducers (G01B7/293 takes precedence) · CPC title