Digital data entry glove interface device

A method of translating discrete character specifying positions of a user's hand into electrical signals representing said specified characters, said method comprising the steps of:

• (1) associating the phallanges of said hand with contact sensors adapted so that a different pair of said contact sensors contact each other as said user's hand assumes said different character specifying positions,
• (2) associating at least one joint of said hand with a flex sensor for detecting the flexing of the associated joint as the hand assumes certain ones of said character specifying positions,
• (3) associating additional sensors with respect to said hand for detecting hand movements as said user's hand assumes said different character specifying positions,
• (4) combinationally actuating said sensors as said user's hand assumes different character specifying positions,
• (5) generating under control of said actuated sensors electrical signals representing said specified characters, and
• (6) applying said generated signals to a data utilization device.

A man-machine interface for translating discrete character specifying positions of a hand into electrical signals representing said characters comprising:

• flex sensor means positioned with respect to said hand for generating said electrical signals in response to the flexing of the digit joints on the phallanges,
• contact sensor means positioned with respect to said hand for generating said electrical signals in response to the contact between selected ones of the digits or between selected ones of the digits and the metacarpus,
• a first tilt sensor means positioned with respect to said hand for generating said electrical signals in response to the movement of said hand through a horizontal plane of reference as said hand assumes different ones of said character specifying positions,
• a second tilt sensor means positioned with respect to said hand for generating said electrical signals in response to the movement of said hand through a gravitational vector as said hand assumes different ones of said character specifying positions,
• a first inertial sensor means positioned with respect to said hand for generating said electrical signals in response to the twisting of said hand or wrist or arm as said hand assumes different ones of said character specifying positions,
• a second inertial sensor means positioned with respect to said hand for generating said electrical signals in response to the flexing of said hand or wrist as said hand assumes different ones of said character specifying positions, and
• means responsive to said electrical signals from said sensors as said hand assumes said different character specifying positions for applying output signals identifying said specified characters to a data utilization device.

A man-machine interface for translating discrete character specifying positions of a hand into electrical signals representing said characters comprising:

• a first flex sensor means positioned between the distal and middle phalanx portion of the phallanges for generating said electrical signals in response to the flexing of the distal phallange joints,
• a second flex sensor means positioned between the middle and proximal phalanx portion of the phallanges for generating said electrical signals in response to the flexing of the middle phallange joints,
• a third flex sensor means positioned between the proximal phalanx and the metacarpus portion of said hand for generating said electrical signals in response to the flexing of the proximal phallanges joint,
• a first contact sensor means positioned with respect to the tip of the distal portion of the first and third and fifth phallanges for generating said electrical signals in response to the contact between selected ones of the phallanges or between selected ones of the phallanges and the metacarpus,
• a second contact sensor means positioned with respect to the distal portion of the second and third and fourth and fifth phallanges for generating said electrical signals in response to the contact between selected ones of the phallanges or between selected ones of the phallanges and the metacarpus,
• a third contact sensor means positioned with respect to the middle portion of the second and third and fourth and fifth phallanges for generating electrical signals in response to the contact between selected ones of the phallanges or between selected ones of the phallanges and the metacarpus,
• a fourth contact sensor means positioned with respect to the proximal portion of the second and third and fourth and fifth phallanges for generating electrical signals in response to the contact between selected ones of the phallanges or between selected ones of the phallanges and the metacarpus,
• a first tilt sensor means positioned with respect to the distal portion of the first phallange for generating electrical signals in response to movement of said hand through the horizontal plane of reference as said hand assumes different ones of said different character specifying positions,
• a second tilt sensor means positioned with respect to the metacarpus portion of said hand for generating electrical signals in response to the movement of said hand through the gravitational vector as said hand assumes different ones of said different character specifying positions,
• a clock sensor means positioned with respect to the back portion of the metacarpus of said hand for generating electrical signals in response to the twisting motion of said hand or wrist or arm as said hand assumes different ones of said different character specifying positions,
• a mode sensor means positioned with respect to the back portion of the metacarpus of said hand for generating said electrical signals in response to the flexing motion of said hand or wrist as said hand assumes said different character specifying positions,
• means responsive to said electrical signals from said sensors as said hand assumes said different character specifying positions for applying output signals identifying said specified characters to a data utilization device.