KR100803200B1 - Information input apparatus and method using joint angle of body - Google Patents

Abstract

An information input apparatus and method using a joint angle of a body are disclosed. The apparatus is characterized in that it detects the joint angles of the user's body that vary when selecting at least one of the plurality of pieces of information and determines at least one piece of information selected by the user from the detected joint angles. Therefore, it is possible to quickly and conveniently input the information selected in a planar or spatially manner by using the joint angle of the finger.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information input apparatus and method using a joint angle of a body,

1 is a view for explaining an information input apparatus and method using a joint angle of a finger according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a finger for explaining the angle of the joint sensed by the sensing unit. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an information input method using a joint angle of a finger according to the present invention.

4 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the information input apparatus according to the present invention for performing the information input method shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an appearance of an embodiment of the first sensing device of FIG. 4 according to the present invention.

6 is an equivalent circuit diagram of the first sensing unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a view for explaining an appearance of another embodiment of the first sensing device shown in FIG. 4 according to the present invention.

8 (a), (b) and (c) are views for explaining the appearance of another embodiment of the first sensing device shown in FIG. 4 according to the present invention.                 

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of another embodiment of the first sensing device of FIG. 4 according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a view for explaining the appearance of another embodiment of the first sensing device of FIG. 4 according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating operation 44 of FIG. 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the information selector shown in FIG. 4 according to the present invention which performs step 44A shown in FIG.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining another embodiment of the present invention in operation 44 shown in FIG. 3. FIG.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the information selector shown in FIG. 4 according to the present invention performing step 44B shown in FIG.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information input apparatus for inputting information from outside such as a personal computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA) or a cellular phone, The present invention relates to an information input device and a method for inputting information.

One of the conventional information input devices is a QWERTY keyboard most familiar to people at present. However, in recent years, a virtual keyboard that is virtually displayed in software is used in consideration of convenience and portability of a user, instead of a query keyboard. Here, the virtual keyboard is disclosed in Utility Model Application No. 1996-033413, titled " Computer System with Virtual Keyboard "dated Jul. 15, 1998. In the disclosed utility model, a mouse or a touch pad is used to select a key on a virtual keyboard that is displayed on a pop-up display on a monitor. Therefore, when keys are to be selected over a long period of time, there are problems in that the process of inputting keys by the user is very cumbersome and tiresome, and also the time for selecting keys is lengthened.

In order to solve such a problem, another conventional information input device inputs information from an external user in a plan view using a glove having a plurality of two-axis acceleration sensors attached thereto. That is, when a two-axis acceleration sensor is attached to the fingertip and a finger is moved on the plane, an acceleration signal due to the motion of the finger is output. At this time, if the acceleration signals of the two axes detected by the respective fingers are integrated twice, the position information of the finger can be grasped on the plane. At this time, the position information of the detected finger is compared with the key position on the virtual keyboard to select information to be input by the user. However, in such a conventional information input apparatus, there is a problem that an error occurs in the acceleration signal outputted from the acceleration sensor due to the influence of the error and gravity acceleration of the acceleration sensor. That is, the positional information of the finger obtained by integrating the acceleration signal having the error twice is not accurate and can diverge, and it is difficult to secure the reliability of the selected input information. Moreover, such a conventional information input apparatus can input information only in a plane, and has a limitation that information can not be input spatially.

Another conventional information input device capable of spatially inputting information to overcome these limitations is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,414,537 entitled " Digital Data Entry Glove Interface Device ". The disclosed conventional information input apparatus uses a glove having a sensor for detecting the contact between the fingers, a sensor for detecting the change of the hand joint, and a sensor for sensing the movement of the hand in order to recognize the spatially selected information. At this time, the shape of the hand spatially formed by the user is detected from the contact between the fingers sensed by the sensors attached to the glove, the change of the hand joint, and the motion of the hand, , And recognizes the information selected by the user using the checked result. However, these conventional information input devices require the user to select information in a hand shape of a predefined type just as when hydrating. Therefore, there is a problem that the user has to spend a lot of time and effort in order to learn input information selection method.

An object of the present invention is to provide an information input device using a joint angle of a body that can input information selected in a planar or spatially manner quickly and conveniently using a joint angle of the body.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information input method performed by an information input apparatus using the joint angles of the body.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information input apparatus using a joint angle of a human body, the apparatus comprising: a joint angle detecting unit that detects a joint angle of a user's body that varies when selecting at least one of a plurality of pieces of information, It is desirable to determine at least one piece of information selected.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of inputting information using a joint angle of a human body, the method comprising: obtaining a joint angle of a user's body that varies when selecting at least one of a plurality of pieces of information; It is desirable to determine at least one piece of information selected.

Hereinafter, a method and apparatus for inputting information using the joint angles of the body according to the present invention will be described as follows.

An apparatus and method for inputting information using a joint angle of a human body according to the present invention is characterized in that when a user bends a joint of the body in order to select at least one of a plurality of pieces of information, And determines at least one piece of information selected by the user from the joint angles. At this time, a plurality of pieces of information can be displayed on the information screen displayed to the user. Accordingly, the user can select at least one of the information displayed on the information screen by bending the body.

According to the present invention, a body including a joint that is bent to select information may be any portion including a joint in the body, such as a finger, a toe, an arm, a leg, or a neck. This is because, if the user who wants to select information is a disabled person who can not use his / her hands and feet, he / she can move the joints of other parts of the body having joints besides the hands and feet so that the disabled can also select the desired information.

Hereinafter, in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, it is assumed that the user's body is a finger, and that a plurality of pieces of information are displayed on a displayed information screen, a method of inputting information using a joint angle of a body according to the present invention, The configuration and operation of the information input apparatus using the joint angles of the body according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a view for explaining an apparatus and method for inputting information using a joint angle of a finger according to the present invention, and includes a monitor 10 and a sensing unit 20. FIG.

Fig. 2 shows a finger 22 for explaining the joint angle? Sensed by the sensing unit 20. Fig.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the user views the information screen displayed on the monitor 10 and bends the finger 22 in the downward direction 32 or the upward direction 32 to select information to be input among a plurality of pieces of information . At this time, the information input device according to the present invention senses the bending of the finger 22 using the sensing unit 20, detects the joint angle? Of the finger 22 from the sensed result, By using the angle [theta], information that the user desires to input is selected. Here, the information screen may be displayed in software to display a plurality of pieces of information, may be expressed in the form of a virtual keyboard 12, a virtual mouse 16, or a virtual remote controller 18 It is possible. If the information screen is expressed in the form of a virtual keyboard 12, the information selected by the user corresponds to the key data. In addition, according to the present invention, the information screen may have a predetermined pattern previously created by the user for entertainment, medical diagnosis, virtual reality, or the like.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a method of inputting information using a joint angle of a finger according to the present invention, which includes steps (steps 40 and 42) of calculating necessary information from movement of a finger or a hand, And selecting information that exists in the one-dimensional position that has been found (operation 44).

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the information input apparatus according to the present invention for performing the information input method shown in FIG. 3, and includes a sensing unit 20A, an analog to digital converter (ADC) 62, a signal processing unit 64, an interface unit 66, and an information selecting unit 68.

The sensing unit 20A shown in FIG. 4 is an embodiment of the sensing unit 20 shown in FIG. 1 and includes at least one of the second to sixth sensing units 82, 84, 86, 88, and 90, And a first sensing unit 80. Here, each of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth sensing devices 80, 82, 84, 86, 88 and 90 is attached to a member .

First, the first sensing unit 80 senses the bending of the finger 22 when the user bends the at least one finger 22 to select desired information from the information existing on the information screen while viewing the information screen, And outputs the sensed result (operation 40). Here, the sensed result output from the first sensing device 80 may be analog or digital depending on the manner in which the first sensing device 80 is implemented. If the sensed result output from the first sensing unit 80 is of an analog type, the ADC 62 may be additionally provided between the sensing unit 20A and the signal processing unit 64 as shown in FIG. . The ADC 62 converts at least one sensed result output from the sensing unit 20A into a digital form and outputs the converted result to the signal processing unit 64. [ For example, the ADC 62 may perform pulse width modulation (PWM) of an analog voltage output from the sensing unit 20A and output the result of the pulse width modulation to the signal processing unit 64 .

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of each of the preferred embodiments of the first sensing device 80 according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

5 is a view for explaining the appearance of an embodiment of the present invention of the first sensing device 80 shown in Fig. 4, in which the glove 90 put on the finger 22 and the glove 90 And a first sensing unit 100.

5, the first sensing device 100 is provided over one node and the other node of the finger 22 and varies the resistance according to the angle? That the finger 22 is bent upward or downward, And a variable resistor that outputs a sensed result having a level corresponding to the resistance of the resistor. Here, one node and the other node of the finger 22 may be the third node 106 and the second node 102 from the end of the finger 22 as shown in Fig. 5, It may be the third node 106 and the first node 104 from the end of the finger 22. [

To this end, the first sensing device 100 may be embodied as a first fixed member 94, a first flow member 92, and a central axis 96. The first fixing member 94 is attached to one node of the finger 22 and the first flow member 92 is attached to the other node of the finger and the first fixing member 94 and the first flow member 92 are connected to each other by a central shaft 96 to perform an interlocking motion. Here, when the finger 22 is bent in the downward or upward direction 86, the first fixing member 94 does not move but the first flow member 96 can see the movement. Accordingly, as the first flow member 92 moves, the first sensing unit 100 varies the resistance as follows.

Fig. 6 is an equivalent circuit diagram of the first sensing device 100 shown in Fig. 5 and is composed of resistors R1 and R2.

6, in a state in which the finger 22 is not bent and straightened, the resistors Rl and R2 maintain the same value, and as the finger 22 is bent downward, The value and the value of the resistance R2 are different from each other. Therefore, as the finger 22 is bent, the voltage value output through the output terminal OUT2 fluctuates. As a result, it can be seen that the first sensing device 100 shown in FIG. 5 outputs a voltage having a variable level as a result of sensing as the finger 22 is bent.

7 is a view for explaining the appearance of another embodiment of the present invention of the first sensing device 80 shown in Fig. 4, in which the glove 118 put on the finger 22 and the glove 118 attached to the glove 118 And a first sensing unit 140.

7, the first sensing unit 140 is provided over one of the nodes and the other node of the finger 22 and varies the capacitance according to the bent angle? Of the finger 22, A trimmer capacitor that outputs a sensed result having a level corresponding to the capacitance. Here, the one node and the other node of the finger 22 may be the third node 110 and the second node 112 from the end of the finger 22, respectively, as shown in FIG. 7, The third node 110 and the first node 114 from the end of the finger 22 may be respectively.

For this, the first sensing device 140 may be implemented with a second fixing member 122 and a second flow member 120. The second fastening member 122 is attached to one of the fingers 22 and has a non-conductor 124 and a conductor 126, and the second flow member 120 is attached to the other fingertip of the finger 22 An insulator 128 and a conductor 130. Here, as the finger 22 is bent, that is, the finger 22 moves in the up or down direction 116, the second fixing member 122 does not move, but the second flow member 120 moves Able to know. The area of the conductor 126 of the second fixing member 122 and the conductor 130 of the second flow member 120 facing each other is changed as the finger 22 is bent. The capacitance changes due to the change. At this time, the first sensing unit 140 outputs a voltage of an analog type having a variable level corresponding to the amount of change of the capacitance as a result of sensing.

8 (a), 8 (b) and 8 (c) are views for explaining the appearance of another embodiment of the first sensing device 80 shown in FIG. 4 according to the present invention, And a first sensing unit 160 attached to the gloves 162 and the gloves 162.                     

Referring to FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C, the first sensing unit 160 may be provided on one of the nodes of the finger 22, and may sense the bent angle of the finger 22 And an inertial sensor for outputting the sensed result. Here, the inertial sensor 160 may be attached to the third node 170 from the end of the finger 22 as shown in Fig. 8 (a), and may be attached to the finger 22, as shown in Fig. 8 (b) May be attached to the second node 172 from the end and may be attached to the first node 174 from the end of the finger 22 as shown in Figure 8 (c). For this purpose, the inertial sensor 160 may be implemented with a gyro sensor (not shown) and an acceleration sensor (not shown). If the inertial sensor 160 is implemented as a gyro sensor, the inertial sensor 160 detects a varying angular velocity as the finger 22 is flexed in the up or down direction 164, As a result of sensing. However, when the inertial sensor 160 is implemented as an acceleration sensor, the inertial sensor 160 detects a variable acceleration as the finger 22 is flexed in the up or down direction 164, And outputs the sensed result as a digital or analog voltage.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of another embodiment of the first sensing device 80 of FIG. 4 according to the present invention. The sensing device 80 includes a light emitting portion 190, a rotating disk 192, and a light receiving portion 194.

9, the rotary disk 192 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise 198 relative to the central axis 200 when the fingers 22 are bent and has a plurality of grooves 196 formed outside thereof . The light emitting unit 190 irradiates light to the groove 196 of the rotary disc 192. The light receiving unit 194 receives the light passing through the groove 196 and converts the received light into an electrical signal And outputs the converted electric signal through the output terminal OUT3 as a sensed result. For example, when the user who selects information bends the finger 22, the rotary disk 192 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise 198, and the light receiving unit 194 rotates the rotary disk 192 And outputs an electric signal of a digital form having a different number of pulses generated per time through the output terminal OUT3. Therefore, in this case, the ADC 62 shown in Fig. 4 is not necessary. It can be seen that the first sensing unit shown in FIG. 9 is the same as the construction and operation of a rotary encoder.

FIG. 10 is a view for explaining an appearance of another embodiment of the present invention of the first sensing device 80 shown in FIG. 4, in which the glove 210 and the glove 210, which are put on the finger 22, And a first sensing unit 230.

Referring to FIG. 10, the first sensing unit 230 includes a magnet 214 and a magnetic flux direction measuring unit 212. Here, the magnet 214 is provided at one node of the finger 22, and the magnetic flux direction measuring unit 212 is positioned in the direction in which the magnetic flux generated from the magnet 214 flows in the other node of the finger 22 Measures the direction in which the magnetic flux flows, and outputs the measured direction as a sensed result. Here, one of the nodes of the finger 22 corresponds to the outer node of the finger 22, and the other node of the finger 22 corresponds to the inner node of the finger 22. Because the output of the magnetic flux direction measuring unit 212 may be connected to the ADC 62 by wire, it is preferable that the output of the magnetic flux direction measuring unit 212 is provided at the inner movable node and the magnet 214 is preferably provided at the moving outer node. 10, the outer node of the finger 22 corresponds to the second node 222 from the end of the finger 22, and the inner node of the finger 22 corresponds to the end of the finger 22 The outer node of the finger 22 corresponds to the first node 224 from the end of the finger 22 and the finger 22 may correspond to the third node 220 from the finger 22, May correspond to the third node 220 from the end of the finger 22. At this time, the magnetic flux direction measuring unit 212 detects the direction of the variable magnetic flux as the finger 22 is bent in the upward or downward direction 226, and outputs the detected direction as the sensed result of the analog form . For this purpose, the magnetic flux direction measuring unit 212 may be implemented with a giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensor (not shown).

The above-described first sensing device 80 and its embodiments may be attached to any node in at least one of the fingers of the right hand and / or the left hand. However, as described above. Preferably, the first sensing device 80 and its embodiments are provided at a portion where the angle of bending of the finger 22 is maximum when the user bends the finger 22 to select information.

The sensing unit 20A shown in FIG. 4 can sense not only the bending of the finger 22 but also other movements of the hand or the finger 22 as follows (Step 40). To this end, the second sensing unit 82 senses the upward or downward movement of the finger 22 and outputs the sensed result. The third sensing unit 84 senses the upward or downward movement of the hand and outputs the sensed result. The fourth sensing unit 86 senses the movement of the hand in the left (or left) or right (or right) direction, and outputs the sensed result. The fifth sensing device 88 senses the movement of the finger 22 in the left or right direction and outputs the sensed result. The sixth sensing unit 90 senses the movement of the third joint 24 from the end of the finger 22 and outputs the sensed result. The sixth sensing unit 90 senses the movement of the third joint 24 from the end of the finger 22, May be provided in the second node 28 or the third node 30. Here, the second, fifth and / or sixth sensing units 82, 88 and / or 90 may be provided in any one of the at least one finger 22 of the right and / or left hand, And / or the fourth sensing device 84 and / or 86 may be provided in the hand and / or palm of the right hand and / or the left hand. However, it is preferable that each of the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth sensing units 82, 84, 86, 88, and 90 is provided in a varying node where the movement of the hand or finger is maximized.

According to the present invention, each of the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth sensing units 82, 84, 86, 88 and 90 shown in Fig. 4 may be implemented as an inertial sensor. For example, an inertial sensor (not shown) that implements a second, fifth, or sixth sensing device 82, 88, or 90 may be attached to the finger 22 to move the finger up, down, left, Respectively, and outputs the sensed result. An inertial sensor (not shown), which implements the third or fourth sensing device 84 or 86, is attached to the hand and senses the up, down, left, and right movement of the hand, respectively, and outputs the sensed result. Here, the inertial sensor implementing each of the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth sensing units 82, 84, 86, 88 and 90 may be a gyro sensor (not shown) or an acceleration sensor (not shown) . ≪ / RTI > If the inertial sensor is implemented as a gyro sensor, the inertial sensor outputs an analog type of voltage having a level corresponding to the angular speed varying with the movement of the hand or the finger, as a result of sensing. However, when the inertial sensor is implemented as an acceleration sensor, the inertial sensor outputs a digital or analog type of voltage having a level corresponding to the acceleration that varies depending on the movement of the hand or the finger, as a result of sensing.

The sensed results output from the second, third, fourth and fifth sensing units 82, 84, 86 and 88 are used to recognize information selected by the user on the information screen. However, the sensed result output from the sixth sensor 90 is used to determine whether the user wants to input the information selected in the information screen.

After step 40, the signal processing unit 64 calculates the bent angle? Of the finger 22 from the sensed result input from the first sensing unit 80 (step 42). If the first sensing unit 80 is implemented as shown in FIGS. 5, 7, 8A, 8B or 9C, the signal processing unit 64 may include a variable resistance value, (Theta) of the finger 22 from a voltage in the digital form having a level corresponding to the measured capacitance, the variable angular velocity, or the acceleration. 9, the signal processing unit 64 counts the number of pulses per unit time of the electric signal input from the light receiving unit 194, and counts the number of pulses per unit time of the electric signal inputted from the light receiving unit 194. In the case where the first sensing unit 80 is implemented as shown in FIG. 9, From the result, the bent angle? Of the finger 22 is calculated. 10, the signal processing unit 64 calculates the angle from the direction input from the magnetic flux direction measuring unit 212. The first sensing unit 80 may be configured as shown in FIG.

In addition to calculating the angle as described above, after step 40, the signal processing unit 64 may calculate necessary information, that is, various displacements, from the result of sensing the movement of the hand and / or the finger 22 (Step 42). The signal processor 64 calculates the degree of movement of the finger 22 in the upward or downward direction as a first displacement from the sensed result at the second sensing device 82, The degree of the movement in the upward or downward direction of the hand is calculated as the second displacement from the sensed result and the degree of the movement in the right or left direction of the hand is calculated as the third displacement from the result sensed by the fourth sensing device 86 The degree of movement of the finger 22 in the right or left direction is calculated as the fourth displacement from the result sensed by the fifth sensing device 88 and the finger 22 ) Of the third joint 24 is calculated as the fifth displacement.

At this time, when the ADC 62 is provided, the signal processing unit 64 calculates the angle and / or the corresponding displacement from the sensed result of the digital form input from the ADC 62, but the ADC 62 is provided And calculates an angle and / or a corresponding displacement from the sensed result input from the sensing unit 20A. An interface unit 66 selectively provided between the signal processing unit 64 and the information selecting unit 68 shown in Fig. 4 converts the angle and / or various displacements inputted from the signal processing unit 64 into a transmission form And transmits the converted angle and various displacements to the information selecting unit 68 by wire or wirelessly.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the sensing unit 20A is constituted only by the first sensing unit 80, after the operation 42, the information selecting unit 68 selects the angle &thetas; Dimensional position in the information screen, determines information existing in the determined one-dimensional position as information selected by the user, and outputs the determined information through the output terminal OUT1 (operation 44). Here, the one-dimensional position can be a position in the horizontal direction or a position in the vertical direction on the information screen.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, when the sensing unit 20A additionally includes the second sensing unit 82 and / or the third sensing unit 84 as well as the first sensing unit 80, After the step, the information selecting unit 68 determines a one-dimensional position of the information screen from the first and / or second displacements and angles, determines information existing in the determined one-dimensional position as information selected by the user, And outputs the determined information through the output terminal OUT1 (operation 44).

Hereinafter, referring to the drawings attached to the configuration and operation of the embodiment of the information selector 68 according to the present invention for carrying out the preferred embodiment 44A and the embodiment 44A of the present invention, The following explains as follows.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining an embodiment 44A according to the present invention for step 44 shown in FIG. 3, in which a first one of the first angular ranges is located at a one-dimensional position (Steps 250 to 254).

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment 68A of the information selector 68 shown in FIG. 4, which performs step 44A shown in FIG. 11 according to the present invention. The first angle range determining unit 270, A first location mapping unit 272, and an information recognition unit 274.

After operation 42, the first angular range corresponding to the predetermined first angular ranges of the first predetermined number is selected (operation 250). Here, the first predetermined number indicates the number of one-dimensional positions, and indicates the number of information existing in the horizontal or vertical direction on the information screen.

First, if the signal processing unit 64 has calculated only the angle, the first angle range determination unit 270 determines that the angle inputted from the signal processing unit 64 through the input terminal IN1 and the first predetermined number And outputs the selected first angular range to the first position mapping unit 272. The first angular range of the first angular range is determined based on the comparison result. For example, assuming that the angle can be calculated between 0 and 90 degrees, the first predetermined number is '3', and the first angular ranges are 0 to 30 degrees, 30 to 60 degrees and 60 to 90 degrees, The one-angle range determining unit 270 determines in which of the first three angular ranges the angle calculated by the signal processing unit 64 belongs (operation 250).

If the signal processing unit 64 has calculated the angle and the first and / or second displacement, the first angular range determination unit 270 receives the input terminal IN1 from the signal processing unit 64 And the first and / or second displacements are input through the first and / or second displacements, and the corresponding first angular range to which the result of adding the angles and the angles corresponding to the first and / or second displacements belongs is selected.

After operation 250, a one-dimensional position to be mapped with the selected first angle range is found (operation 252). In order to do this, the first position mapping unit 272 searches a one-dimensional position mapped with the first angle range input from the first angle range determination unit 270, and searches the one- (274).

After step 252, the information mapped to the searched one-dimensional position is searched and the searched information is recognized as information selected by the user (step 254). To this end, the information recognition unit 274 searches information mapped to the one-dimensional position input from the first position matching unit 272, recognizes the retrieved information as information selected by the user, OUT4. To this end, the information recognition unit 274 includes a storage unit (not shown) for previously storing information existing in one-dimensional positions or coordinate values of the information, and a storage unit And a reading unit (not shown) for reading information stored in the storage unit and coordinate values with an address as an address.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, when the sensing unit 20A additionally includes not only the first sensing device 80 but also the fourth and / or fifth sensing devices 86 and / or 88, After step 42, the information selecting unit 68 determines a two-dimensional position in the information screen from the third and / or fourth displacements and angles, and determines information existing in the determined two-dimensional position as information selected by the user (Step 44). Here, the two-dimensional position means a position in the horizontal and vertical directions on the information screen. For example, when the information screen is the virtual keyboard 12 as shown in FIG. 1, the two-dimensional position means coordinates of a row and a column in which a corresponding key is located.

Hereinafter, referring to the drawings attached to the construction and operation of the embodiment of the information selector 68 according to the present invention for carrying out the other preferred embodiment 44B and the embodiment 44B according to the present invention, The following explains as follows.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart for explaining another embodiment 44B of the present invention according to the forty-fourth step shown in FIG. 3, wherein the first angular range and the second angular range Searching for one-dimensional positions from the corresponding second angle range (steps 290 and 292), and finding information using the two-dimensional position found from the one-dimensional positions (step 294).

14 is a block diagram of an embodiment 68B of the present invention of the information selector 68 shown in Fig. 4, which performs step 44B shown in Fig. 13, in which the first and second angular range determiners 270 and 310, first and second position mapping units 272 and 312, and an information recognizing unit 314.

After step 42, the first angular range is selected from among the first angular ranges of the first predetermined number, and the corresponding second angular range is selected from the second predetermined angular ranges of the second predetermined number Step 290). Here, the second predetermined number represents the number of one-dimensional positions that can be mapped to the second angular ranges. If the first predetermined number indicates the number of information existing in the horizontal direction on the information screen, the second predetermined number indicates the number of information existing in the vertical direction on the information screen. If the first predetermined number is present in the vertical direction on the information screen The second predetermined number indicates the number of pieces of information existing in the horizontal direction on the information screen.

In step 290, the process of selecting the corresponding first angular range is the same as that of step 250, and thus will be omitted. That is, the corresponding first angular range is selected in the first angular range determining portion 270 shown in Fig. 14, which is the same as the first angular range determining portion 270 shown in Fig. At this time, in order to select the corresponding second angular range, the second angular range determination unit 310 determines whether or not the second predetermined angular ranges of the second predetermined angular ranges are inputted from the signal processing unit 64 through the input terminal IN2 3 and / or the fourth displacement, and selects the second angular range to which the third and / or fourth displacement belongs in response to the compared result, and selects the selected second angular range to the second position mapping unit 312, . For example, when the third and / or fourth displacements are calculated, the second angular range determining unit 310 determines the corresponding second angular range belonging to the third and / or fourth displacements calculated in the signal processing unit 64 as And a second predetermined number of second angular ranges.

After step 290, a one-dimensional position mapped with the selected first angular range is searched for and a one-dimensional position mapped with the selected second angular range is found (operation 292). In order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, it is assumed that the one-dimensional position mapped to the first angular range is a position in the horizontal direction in the information screen, and the one-dimensional position mapped to the second angular range is a position in the vertical direction in the information screen do. At this time, in order to perform operation 290, the first position mapping unit 272 finds a position in the horizontal direction which is a one-dimensional position mapped to the first angle range in the same manner as in operation 252, The controller 312 searches for a position in a vertical direction that is a one-dimensional position that is mapped to the second angular range input from the second angular range determination unit 310 and outputs the detected vertical position to the information recognition unit 314 Output. For example, the first or second position mapping unit 272 or 312 may include a storage unit (not shown) for previously storing the position of the first or second predetermined number of the first or second angular ranges, A first or second angular range input from the first or second angular range determination unit 270 or 310 is used as an address to read a one-dimensional position in the horizontal or vertical direction stored in the storage unit, (Not shown).

After step 292, two-dimensional positions, i.e., horizontal and vertical coordinate values, from two one-dimensional positions, e.g., horizontal and vertical directions, are sought, information matching the two-dimensional position is searched, And recognizes it as information selected by the user (Step 294). For this purpose, the information recognizing unit 314 recognizes the horizontal position, which is a one-dimensional position input from the first position matching unit 272, and the horizontal position, which is a one-dimensional position input from the second position mapping unit 312, Information corresponding to the horizontal and vertical coordinate values, which are two-dimensional positions determined from the position, and recognizes the retrieved information as information selected by the user, and outputs the recognized information through the output terminal OUT5. For example, the information recognizing unit 314 may include a storage unit (not shown) for previously storing information in two-dimensional positions, and a storage unit (not shown) input from the first position mapping unit 272 and the second position mapping unit 312 (Not shown) for reading the information stored in the storage unit by addressing the two-dimensional positions obtained from the one-dimensional positions.

Here, when the sensing unit 20A is provided with not only the first sensing unit 80 but also the second to sixth sensing units 80 to 90 on the right hand and the left, respectively, the information selecting unit 68 selects a plurality of information Can be selected at the same time.

The information input apparatus and method according to the present invention for determining the information selected by the user among the information displayed on the information screen have been described. At this time, the information input apparatus and method according to the present invention can determine information to be input as selected information as follows.

In general, a user who is familiar with a keyboard, a mouse or the like performs a click operation to determine already-selected information as information to be input, and when the user performs a click operation, the third joint 24 of the hand shown in Fig. 2 is moved . Accordingly, the information input apparatus and method according to the present invention sense the motion of the third joint 24 through the sixth sensor 90 to determine whether the selected information is information to be input by the user. As a result, the information input apparatus according to the present invention shown in FIG. 4 may include a sixth sensing unit 90 in the sensing unit 20A to determine whether the selected information is information that the user desires to input.

At this time, in order to check whether the user has an intention to decide the information to be input as the information to be input, that is, to check whether the motion of the third joint 24 corresponds to the click operation, Analyzes the fifth displacement calculated by the processing section 64, and determines the selected information as information to be input in response to the analyzed result.

Each of the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth sensing units 82, 84, 86, 88 and 90 described above may be selectively arranged according to the application of the information input apparatus and method according to the present invention . For example, when the information input apparatus and method according to the present invention are used to input information called key data using a virtual keyboard type information screen, the sensing unit 20A includes first, fourth, and sixth sensing units 80, 86 and 90 may be provided or first, third, fourth and sixth sensing devices 80, 84, 86 and 90 may be provided.

For example, to select a desired key on the information screen in the form of a virtual keyboard 12, the user may move his or her hand to the right or left to select the column and bend the finger 22 upward or downward to move the desired key And tries to determine the key data corresponding to the selected key as input information by clicking the selected key. The sensing unit 20A is provided with a fourth sensing unit 86 for sensing the movement of the right or left hand of the hand on the back of the hand or the palm of the hand and a first sensing unit (80) is provided between the third node and the second node at the ends of each of the four fingers of the cognition, stop, ring finger, and possession of the left hand and / or the right hand and a sixth sensing device (90) Is provided on each finger. Therefore, a user who is accustomed to the conventional QWERTY keyboard can use the information input device and method according to the present invention to view desired information on the information screen displayed on the virtual keyboard 12, Or in a planar manner, such as a personal computer.

In addition, the information input apparatus and method according to the present invention may be applied to a hand held size apparatus including a personal computer, a PDA or a cellular phone, a wireless portable apparatus, a virtual music playing apparatus, a computer game machine, A joystick for entertainment, a remote controller or the like, which is used for inputting information in a device or the like.

As described above, the information input apparatus and method using the joint angles of the body according to the present invention can quickly and conveniently input information selected in a planar or spatially using the joint angles of the fingers. For example, The user who is accustomed to the conventional QWERTY keyboard has the effect of promptly and conveniently inputting the desired information to the personal computer as if using the QWERTY keyboard while viewing the information screen displayed on the virtual keyboard 12 .

Claims (41)

delete delete delete A first sensing unit sensing a bending of the body joint and outputting a sensed result; A signal processing unit for calculating a bent angle of the body joint from the sensed result input from the first sensing unit; And Dimensional position on the information screen displayed to the user from the angle input from the signal processing unit and determining the information existing in the determined one-dimensional position as the information selected by the user An information input device using the joint angles of the body. 5. The method of claim 4, Wherein the body corresponds to the finger of the user, Wherein the information input device further comprises a second sensing device sensing a movement of the finger in an upward or downward direction and outputting a sensed result, Wherein the signal processing unit calculates a degree of the movement from the sensed result input from the second sensing unit as a first displacement, Wherein the information selecting unit determines the one-dimensional position from the first displacement and the angle. 5. The method of claim 4, Wherein the body corresponds to the finger of the user, The information input device may further include a third sensing unit sensing a movement of the at least one hand in the upward or downward direction and outputting a sensed result, Wherein the signal processing unit calculates the degree of the motion as a second displacement from the sensed result input from the third sensing unit, Wherein the information selecting unit determines the one-dimensional position from the second displacement and the angle. 5. The method of claim 4, Wherein the body corresponds to the finger of the user, Wherein the information input device further comprises a fourth sensing device sensing a movement of at least one hand in a left or right direction and outputting a sensed result, Wherein the signal processing unit calculates the degree of the motion from the sensed result input from the fourth sensing unit as a third displacement, Wherein the information selection unit determines a two-dimensional position in the information screen from the third displacement and the angle, and determines information existing at the determined two-dimensional position as the selected information. . 5. The method of claim 4, Wherein the body corresponds to the finger of the user, Wherein the information input device further comprises a fifth sensing device for sensing movement of the finger in a left or right direction and outputting a sensed result, Wherein the signal processing unit calculates the degree of the movement from the sensed result input from the fifth sensing unit as a fourth displacement, Wherein the information selecting unit determines a two-dimensional position in the information screen from the fourth displacement and the angle, and determines information existing at the determined two-dimensional position as the selected information. . 9. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 8, Wherein the body corresponds to the finger of the user, The information input device determining the selected information as information to be input, Further comprising a sixth sensing unit sensing the motion of the third joint from the fingertip and outputting a sensed result, Wherein the signal processing unit calculates the degree of movement of the joint from the sensed result input from the sixth sensing unit as a fifth displacement, The information selection section analyzes the fifth displacement to check whether the user intends to determine the selection information as the input information and determines the selected information as the information to be input in response to the checked result An information input device using the joint angle of the body. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the sixth sensor is provided at a first node, a second node, or a third node of the finger. 9. The information input apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 8, An analog / digital converter for converting the sensed result input from the first, second, third, fourth or fifth sensing unit into a digital form and outputting the converted result to the signal processing unit Further, Wherein the signal processing unit calculates the angle or the degree of motion from the converted result input from the analog / digital converter. 9. The information input apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 8, And an interface unit provided between the signal processing unit and the information selection unit for inputting the angle or degree of motion and outputting the angle or the degree of motion to the information selection unit by wire or wireless. Device. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first sensing unit A variable resistance which is provided over one of the nodes of the body joint and varies the resistance according to the angle at which the body joint is bent and outputs the sensed result having the level corresponding to the variable resistance to the signal processor; And a resistance is provided on the basis of the joint angles of the body. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first sensing unit And a control unit for controlling the capacitance of the body joint according to the angles of the bending of the body joint, which are provided over one of the nodes and the other node of the body joint, and outputs the sensed result having the level corresponding to the variable capacitance to the signal processor And a capacitor is provided on a surface of the body. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first sensing unit And an inertial sensor provided at one or the other of the body joints for sensing an angle at which the body joint is bent and outputting the sensed result. 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the second sensing device And an inertia sensor attached to the finger for sensing the movement of the finger and outputting the sensed result. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the third sensing device And an inertial sensor attached to the hand for sensing the motion of the hand and outputting the sensed result. 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the fourth sensing unit And an inertial sensor attached to the hand for sensing the motion of the hand and outputting the sensed result. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the fifth sensing unit And an inertia sensor attached to the finger for sensing the movement of the finger and outputting the sensed result. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the sixth sensing device And an inertia sensor attached to the finger for sensing the movement of the finger and outputting the sensed result. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first sensing unit A rotating disk rotating when the body joint is bent and providing a plurality of grooves on the outer side; A light emitting portion for emitting light to the groove; And And a light receiving unit that receives light passing through the groove, converts the received light into an electrical signal, and outputs the converted electrical signal as the sensed result, Wherein the signal processing unit counts the number of pulses per unit time of the electrical signal input from the light receiving unit and calculates the angle from the counted result. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first sensing unit A magnet provided on one side of the body joint; And And a magnetic flux direction measuring unit provided at a second node of the body joint in a direction in which a magnetic flux generated from the magnet flows to measure the direction and output the measured direction as the sensed result, Wherein the signal processing unit calculates the angle from the direction input from the magnetic flux direction measuring unit. 23. The method according to claim 22, wherein one of the nodes of the body joint corresponds to an outer node of the body joint, and the other node of the body joint corresponds to an inner node of the body joint. . The information input apparatus of claim 4, wherein the information screen corresponds to a virtual keyboard displayed in a virtual manner by software, and the information corresponds to key data. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the information screen corresponds to a virtual mouse displayed as a virtual software. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the information screen corresponds to a virtual remote controller that is virtually displayed in software. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the information selecting unit A first angular range of the first predetermined number of angles input from the signal processing unit is compared with the first angular ranges of the first predetermined number in response to the compared result, A first angular range determination unit for outputting a first angular range; A first position mapping unit for searching the one-dimensional position mapped with the first angle range input from the first angle range determination unit and outputting the searched one-dimensional position; And And an information recognizing unit for searching information mapped to the one-dimensional position input from the first position matching unit and recognizing the searched information as information selected by the user, Wherein the first predetermined number represents the number of the one-dimensional positions. 28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the information selector A second angular range of the third displacement inputted from the signal processing unit is compared with a predetermined second angular range of the second predetermined number and the second angular range to which the third displacement belongs is selected in response to the compared result, A second angular range determination unit for outputting a second angular range; And Further comprising a second position mapping unit for searching a one-dimensional position mapped with the second angle range input from the second angle range determination unit and outputting the searched one-dimensional position, Wherein the information recognizing unit searches the one-dimensional position input from the first position matching unit and information matched with the two-dimensional position corresponding to the one-dimensional position input from the second position mapping unit, Wherein the second positional mapping unit recognizes the information as information selected by the user and the second predetermined number indicates the number of the one-dimensional positions that can be mapped by the second positional mapping unit. Device. 5. The method of claim 4, Wherein the body corresponds to the finger of the user, Wherein the angle is an angle formed by a second node and a third node from an end of the finger. 9. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 8, Wherein the body corresponds to the finger of the user, Wherein the information input device further comprises a glove-shaped member which is put on the hand and the finger. (a) sensing the bending of the body joint; (b) obtaining a bent angle of the body joint from a result sensed in step (a); And (c) determining a one-dimensional position in the information screen displayed to the user from the angle, and determining information present in the determined one-dimensional position as information selected by the user A method of inputting information using a joint angle of a joint. 32. The method of claim 31, Wherein the body corresponds to the finger of the user, The information input method (d) sensing movement of the finger in the upward or downward direction, and proceeding to step (b) The step (b) may further include calculating a degree of the motion as a first displacement from a result sensed in the step (d) Wherein the step (c) comprises the step of determining the one-dimensional position from the first displacement and the angle. 32. The method of claim 31, Wherein the body corresponds to the finger of the user, The information input method (e) sensing upward or downward movement of at least one hand, and proceeding to step (b) The step (b) may further include calculating a degree of the movement as a second displacement from a result sensed in the step (e) Wherein the step (c) determines the one-dimensional position from the second displacement and the angle. 32. The method of claim 31, Wherein the body corresponds to the finger of the user, The information input method (f) sensing movement of at least one hand in the left or right direction, and proceeding to step (b) The step (b) may further include calculating a degree of the movement as a third displacement from a result sensed in the step (f) Wherein the step (c) determines a two-dimensional position in the information screen from the third displacement and the angle, and determines information existing in the determined two-dimensional position as the selected information. Information input method using joint angles. 32. The method of claim 31, Wherein the body corresponds to the finger of the user, The information input method (g) sensing the movement of the finger in the left or right direction, In the step (b), the degree of the motion is calculated as a fourth displacement from the result sensed in the step (g) Wherein the step (c) determines a two-dimensional position in the information screen from the fourth displacement and the angle, and determines information existing in the determined two-dimensional position as the selected information. Information input method using joint angles. 36. The method according to any one of claims 31 to 35, Wherein the body corresponds to the finger of the user, And the selected information is determined as information to be input, (h) sensing movement of the third joint from the fingertip, and proceeding to step (b) In the step (b), the degree of movement of the joint is calculated as a fifth displacement from the result sensed in step (h) Wherein the step (c) comprises the step of checking whether the user intends to determine the selected information as the information to be input using the fifth displacement, and determining the selected information as the information to be input according to the result of the inspection A method of inputting information using the joint angles of the body. 34. The method according to any one of claims 31 to 33, wherein step (c) (c11) selecting, among the first predetermined angular ranges of the first predetermined number, the first angular range to which the angle calculated in the step (b) belongs; (c12) finding the one-dimensional position to be mapped with the selected first angle range; And (c13) searching for the information mapped with the one-dimensional position searched, and recognizing the searched information as information selected by the user, Wherein the first predetermined number represents the number of the one-dimensional positions. The method as claimed in claim 37, wherein the step (c11) comprises: calculating a first angle range to which a result of adding the angle calculated in the step (b) and the angle corresponding to the first displacement among the first angle ranges And then proceeds to the step (c12). The method as claimed in claim 38, wherein, in the step (c11), the first angular range to which the result of adding the angles corresponding to the second displacement to the sum result belongs is selected, and the step (c12) Information input method using joint angle of body. 36. The method of claim 34 or 35, wherein step (c) (c21) selecting the first angular range to which the angle calculated in the step (b) belongs from the first predetermined angular ranges of the first predetermined number, and Selecting the second angular range to which the third displacement calculated in the step (b) belongs; (c22) searching the one-dimensional position mapped with the selected first angle range and finding a one-dimensional position mapped with the selected second angle range; And (c23) obtaining the two-dimensional position from the two one-dimensional positions, searching for information matched with the two-dimensional position, and recognizing the searched information as information selected by the user, Wherein the second predetermined number represents the number of the one-dimensional positions that can be mapped to the second angular range. The method of claim 40, wherein the step (c21) comprises: selecting the second angular range to which the result of summing the third displacement and the fourth displacement calculated in the step (b) among the second angular ranges belongs A method of inputting information using the joint angles of the body.

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