Velocity field interaction for free space gesture interface and control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12436622-B2
Application number	US-202418883875-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2024
Priority date	Oct 16, 2013
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

The technology disclosed relates to automatically interpreting motion of a control object in a three dimensional (3D) sensor space by sensing a movement of the control object in the (3D) sensor space, interpreting movement of the control object, and presenting the interpreted movement as a path on a display. The path may be displayed once the speed of the movement exceeds a pre-determined threshold measured in cm per second. Once the path is displayed, the technology duplicates a display object that intersects the path on the display. In some implementations, the control object may be a device, a hand, or a portion of a hand (such as a finger).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manipulating one or more objects depicted in a display based on interpreting a movement of a control object, the method including:
sensing a movement of the control object through a 3D sensor space using a 3D sensor;
interpreting, by a computing device, the movement of the control object through the 3D sensor space and comparing the movement of the control object to a control plane defined as tangential to a surface of the control object;
determining by a computing device whether the control object engages a virtual control based on a location of the control object;
sensing a movement of a sub-object of the control object through the 3D sensor space using the 3D sensor;
processing the interpreted movement of the sub-object of the control object; and
interpreting by the computing device a direction of the movement of the sub-object as a gesture controlling the virtual control.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the sub-object is a portion of the control object.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the control object is a hand and the sub-object is a finger of the hand.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the control object is a hand and the sub-object of the control object are one of:
a finger, a palm, or a back of the hand.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the virtual control is pre-selected before the movement is sensed.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the movement is interpreted and presented as a path on the display when a speed of the movement exceeds a pre-determined threshold.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein
the pre-determined threshold is 20 cm per second.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein
the pre-determined threshold is 30 cm per second.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein
the pre-determined threshold is 40 cm per second.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the control object is a hand, and the movement is a gesture of the hand.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the 3D sensor comprises one or more cameras that capture images of the 3D sensor space.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein
the 3D sensor space is illuminated by one or more infrared LEDs, and the cameras are sensitive to infrared light.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the 3D sensor space is provided with ultrasound waves from sonic sources.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein
the 3D sensor comprises one or more sonic sensors that capture sonic shadows or deflections in the 3D sensor space of the ultrasound waves.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having computer instructions recorded thereon, the computer instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
sensing a movement of the control object through a 3D sensor space using a 3D sensor;
interpreting, by a computing device, the movement of the control object through the 3D sensor space and comparing the movement of the control object to a control plane defined as tangential to a surface of the control object;
determining by a computing device whether the control object engages a virtual control based on a location of the control object;
sensing a movement of a sub-object of the control object through the 3D sensor space using the 3D sensor;
processing the interpreted movement of the sub-object of the control object; and
interpreting by the computing device a direction of the movement of the sub-object as a gesture controlling the virtual control.

16. A system comprising a memory storing computer instructions and one or more processors, the computer instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
sensing a movement of the control object through a 3D sensor space using a 3D sensor;
interpreting, by a computing device, the movement of the control object through the 3D sensor space and comparing the movement of the control object to a control plane defined as tangential to a surface of the control object;
determining by a computing device whether the control object engages a virtual control based on a location of the control object;
sensing a movement of a sub-object of the control object through the 3D sensor space using the 3D sensor;
processing the interpreted movement of the sub-object of the control object; and
interpreting by the computing device a direction of the movement of the sub-object as a gesture controlling the virtual control.

Assignees

• Ultrahaptics Ip Two Ltd

Inventors

• Cohen Isaac
• Holz David S
• Sills Maxwell

Classifications

• G06V40/28

  Recognition of hand or arm movements, e.g. recognition of deaf sign language (static hand signs G06V40/113) · CPC title

• G06F3/04842

  Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F3/04847

  Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials · CPC title

• G06F3/0485

  Scrolling or panning · CPC title

• G06F3/0483

  Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor · CPC title