Gesture-based user-interface with user-feedback

Control software on a computer-readable medium configured for use on a system with a contactless user-interface, wherein:

• the contactless user-interface is configured for a user's controlling a functionality of the system through contactless interaction with the contactless user-interface;
• the contactless user-interface has a detector sub-system and a user feedback sub-system;
• the control software has first instructions for implementing operation of the contactless user-interface in an alert mode;
• the control software has second instructions for implementing operation of the contactless user-interface in a control mode;
• the first instructions comprise third instructions for controlling the user-feedback sub-system to provide an acknowledgement to the user, in response to the detector sub-system having detected a presence of the user within a pre-determined alert range;
• the first instructions comprise fourth instructions for causing the contactless user-interface to transition from the alert mode to the control mode in response to the detector sub-system detecting a pre-determined initialization gesture made by the user within the pre-determined alert range;
• and
• the second instructions comprise fifth instructions for controlling the functionality in response to the detector subsystem detecting a pre-determined control gesture of the user carried out within the pre-determined alert range, wherein:
• the system has an additional user-interface;
• the additional user-interface is configured for the user's controlling an additional functionality of the system through physical contact with the additional user-interface;
• the second instructions comprise tenth instructions for inactivating the user controlling the functionality via the contactless user-interface upon the detector sub-system detecting the user approaching the additional user-interface in a pre-determined manner.

A method of enabling a user to control a functionality of a system through contactless interaction with the system, wherein:

• the method has an alert mode process and a control mode process
• the method comprises:
• in the alert mode process, providing an acknowledgement to the user, in response to detecting a presence of the user within a pre-determined alert range;
• transitioning from the alert mode process to the control mode process in response to detecting a pre-determined initialization gesture made by the user within the pre-determined alert range;
• and
• in the control mode process, controlling the functionality in response to detecting a pre-determined control gesture of the user carried out within the pre-determined alert range, wherein:
• the system has an additional user-interface;
• the additional user-interface is configured for the user's controlling an additional functionality of the system through physical contact with the additional user-interface;
• the method comprises inactivating the controlling of the functionality through the contactless interaction upon detecting the user approaching the additional user-interface in a pre-determined manner.

A user-interface for use in a system, wherein the user-interface comprises a contactless user-interface configured for a user's controlling a functionality of the system through contactless interaction with the contactless user-interface, wherein:

• the contactless user-interface has a detector sub-system and a user-feedback sub-system;
• the contactless user-interface is configured for operating in one of:
• an alert mode and a control mode;
• in the alert mode, the contactless user-interface is configured for controlling the user-feedback sub-system to provide an acknowledgement to the user, in response to the detector sub-system having detected a presence of the user within a pre-determined alert range;
• the contactless user-interface is configured for transitioning from the alert mode to the control mode in response to the detector sub-system detecting a pre-determined initialization gesture made by the user within the pre-determined alert range;
• and
• in the control mode, the contactless user-interface is configured for controlling the functionality in response to the detector subsystem detecting a pre-determined control gesture of the user carried out within the pre-determined alert range, wherein:
• the user-interface has an additional user-interface;
• the additional user-interface is configured for the user's controlling an additional functionality of the system through physical contact with the additional user-interface;
• the detector sub-system is operative to inactivate the user controlling the functionality via the contactless user-interface upon detecting the user approaching the additional user-interface in a pre-determined manner.