Touchless control of a control device
AssigneeSony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB
InventorsPeter Joseph Ina, William O. Camp, Jr.
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Abstract
A method and a system are provided for controlling a controller without physically touching the controller. A hand or other object interacts with a field surrounding the controller, altering the field. A change in characteristic of the altered field causes a corresponding movement of the controller that, in turn, corresponds to an amount of change in a parameter of a target device being controlled by the controller. The parameter of the target device is controlled by the controller while a user has no physical contact with the controller.
Claims25
A method, comprising:
- generating a field proximate a remote controller, wherein the remote controller includes a housing having a curved support surface;
- altering the field in the absence of contact with the controller;
- determining a change in characteristic of the altered field;
- and
- using a motive device to move a weight within the housing along a linear track, in response to the change, to cause the curved support surface to roll on a surface supporting the remote controller.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a remote controller for remotely controlling a target electrical device, the remote controller embodied in a housing having a predefined structural configuration, the remote controller responsive to a spatial orientation of the housing to adjust a parameter of the target electrical device, the housing further comprising:
- a processor;
- a field sensor having an output coupled to an input of the processor;
- and
- a motive device mechanically coupled to the housing structure and electrically coupled to an output of the processor for moving a weight within the housing along a linear track to adjust the spatial orientation of the housing;
- wherein the processor output is generated in accordance with the input received from the field sensor.
A method, comprising:
- generating a field proximate a remote controller;
- altering the field in the absence of contact with the controller;
- determining a change in a characteristic of the altered field;
- and
- moving the controller in response to the change,
- wherein generating the field comprises generating first and second non-overlapping fields,
- wherein altering the field comprises selectively altering one or the other of the first and second fields, and
- wherein moving the controller in response to the change comprises moving the controller in a first direction responsive to altering the first field and moving the controller in a second direction responsive to altering the second field.
An apparatus comprising:
- a remote controller for an electrical device, the remote controller embodied in a housing having a predefined structural configuration, the remote controller responsive to the spatial orientation of the housing to adjust a parameter of the electrical device, the housing further comprising:
- a processor;
- a field sensor having an output coupled to an input of the processor;
- and
- a motive device mechanically coupled to the housing structure and electrically coupled to an output of the processor for adjusting the spatial orientation of the housing structure,
- wherein an output of the processor is generated in accordance with the input received from the field sensor,
- wherein the housing further comprises a field generator configured to generate a field proximate and external to the housing,
- wherein the motive device comprises a motor and a counterbalance mechanism, and
- wherein the motive device is responsive to the processor output to pivot the housing about an axis by an amount related to a change in magnitude of a component of the field.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.