KR101469129B1 - USB hub having noncontact operating apparatus with recognition of gesture - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a USB hub having a non-contact gesture control device with low consumption power, fast algorithm for recognition, low manufacturing cost, and simple operation recognition process, comprising: a light emitting part capable of emitting light; A plurality of optical sensors arrayed in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, the light emitting unit being used as a light source to receive light reflected by a user's motion, and an optical system for the user's motion A light receiving sensor unit capable of converting a signal into an electric signal; A microcontroller for receiving the electrical signal to calculate spatial coordinates for the user's motion, determining a gesture motion for the user motion using the spatial coordinates, and generating a pre-set control signal corresponding to the gesture motion, Unit (MCU); And a communication unit for transmitting the control signal to the computer device. The present invention also provides a USB hub having the non-contact gesture operating device.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a USB hub having a non-contact gesture control device,

The present invention relates to a non-contact gesture manipulation device, and more particularly, to a non-contact gesture manipulation device capable of providing a new and various interface to a user through a simple motion recognition process.

According to the rapid change of IT technology, there are many control methods through motion recognition that can be conveniently used in various situations. Motion recognition is implemented using an image sensor (camera). In order to recognize the operation with the image sensor, since power must be always connected, much power is wasted unnecessarily. In addition, since the image sensor requires a series of processes for extracting a plurality of images and performing image processing in the motion recognition process, the burden on the processor is large, and the device implementation and processing algorithm are complicated. Therefore, in order to implement the motion recognition with the image sensor, the manufacturing cost is also increased.

Patent Publication No. 10-2013-0025540 (March 3, 2013)

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems and it is an object of the present invention to provide a USB hub having a noncontact gesture operating device with low consumption power, fast algorithm for recognition of motion, low manufacturing cost, And to provide the above-mentioned objects. However, these problems are exemplary and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

A USB hub having a non-contact gesture operating device according to one aspect of the present invention can be provided. Wherein the USB hub having the non-contact gesture manipulation device comprises: a light emitting portion capable of emitting light; A plurality of optical sensors arrayed in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, the light emitting unit being used as a light source to receive light reflected by a user's motion, and an optical system for the user's motion A light receiving sensor unit capable of converting a signal into an electric signal; A microcontroller for receiving the electrical signal to calculate spatial coordinates for the user's motion, determining a gesture motion for the user motion using the spatial coordinates, and generating a pre-set control signal corresponding to the gesture motion, Unit (MCU); And a communication unit for transmitting the control signal to the computer. Furthermore, the communication unit may further include a multi-USB port capable of connecting the external device and the computer.

In the USB hub having the non-contact gesture control device, the light receiving sensor unit includes a first light receiving sensor unit including a plurality of photodiodes arranged in a horizontal array; And a second light receiving sensor part composed of a plurality of photodiodes arrayed in a vertical array, wherein the optical signal for the user motion includes an optical signal for a horizontal component of a user motion detected by the first light receiving sensor part ; An optical signal for a vertical component of the user motion detected by the second light receiving sensor unit; And an optical signal for a height component of a user motion detected by the first light receiving sensor unit and the second light receiving sensor unit.

 In the USB hub having the non-contact gesture control device, the computer device may include any one of a computer, a notebook, a tablet PC, a tablet mobile communication device, a smart phone, a game device, and a virtual experience device.

In the USB hub having the non-contact gesture operating device, the control signal may include a signal capable of controlling hardware constituting the computer or software installed in the computer.

In the USB hub having the non-contact gesture control device, the light emitting portion includes an infrared light emitting diode (IRED), and the optical sensor may include a photodiode.

In the USB hub having the non-contact gesture operating device, the light emitting unit and the light receiving sensor unit may constitute a motion sensor module.

In the USB hub having the non-contact gesture control device, the light emitting portion and the light receiving sensor portion may be disposed apart from each other without being modularized.

The USB hub having the non-contact gesture operating device may further include a circuit element for preventing a bias voltage and an overcurrent.

According to an embodiment of the present invention as described above, it is possible to provide a USB hub having a noncontact gesture manipulation device having a low consumed power, a fast algorithm for recognizing motion, a low manufacturing cost, and a simple operation recognition process have. Of course, the scope of the present invention is not limited by these effects.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration including a USB hub having a non-contact gesture operating device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a perspective view illustrating a USB hub having a non-contact gesture manipulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a plan view illustrating a motion sensor module in a USB hub having a non-contact gesture manipulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4A is a diagram illustrating a concept of detecting an optical signal for a horizontal component of a user's motion in a USB hub having a non-contact gesture manipulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4B is a diagram illustrating a concept of detecting an optical signal for a vertical component of a user motion in a light receiving sensor unit in a USB hub having a non-contact gesture operating device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4C is a diagram illustrating a concept that a motion sensor module detects an optical signal for a user's height motion in a USB hub having a non-contact gesture manipulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a graph showing an optical signal received by a USB hub having a non-contact gesture manipulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration including a USB hub having a non-contact gesture operating device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments of the present invention are described in order to more fully explain the present invention to those skilled in the art, and the following embodiments may be modified into various other forms, It is not limited to the embodiment. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be more thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art. Also, for convenience and clarity of description, elements shown in the figures may be exaggerated or at least partially exaggerated without being mutually proportional in size.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include singular forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, the term " comprise "when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, elements and / , Operation, absence, presence of elements and / or groups. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed items.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings schematically showing ideal embodiments of the present invention. In the figures, for example, variations in the shape shown may be expected, depending on manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention should not be construed as limited to the particular shapes of the regions shown herein, but should include, for example, changes in shape resulting from manufacturing.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration including a USB hub having a non-contact gesture manipulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a USB hub having a non-contact gesture manipulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a motion sensor module in a USB hub having a non-contact gesture manipulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.

1 to 3, a USB hub 1 having a non-contact gesture control device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a light emitting portion 10 and a light receiving sensor portion 20, And a motion sensor module 30 capable of converting a signal into an electric signal. In addition, the USB hub 1 having the non-contact gesture manipulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention receives the electric signal and calculates the spatial coordinates of the user's motion, (MCU) 40 for determining a gesture operation and generating a predetermined control signal corresponding to the gesture operation.

Here, the user motion refers to a finger movement, a hand gesture, an arm movement, a head movement, a facial movement, a shoulder movement, a body movement, a leg movement and a finger movement of a user located within a predetermined distance from a USB hub 1 having a noncontact gesture manipulation device And a motion. Further, the user motion may include movement of the above-mentioned user's body, as well as movement of tools, devices, instruments and / or devices that can be varied by the user. For example, when the user wears a ring on which the light provided by the light emitting portion 10 can be reflected or a ring capable of emitting light on its own, the user's motion means movement of the ring .

The light receiving sensor unit 20 receives the light reflected by the user's motion using the light emitting unit 10 as a light source. The light emitting unit 10 may be a light emitting device such as a light emitting diode (LED) capable of emitting light, and the light emitting unit 10 may include an infrared light emitting diode (IRED) . The light receiving sensor unit 20 may include a plurality of light sensors arrayed in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction. The optical sensor may be a light receiving element capable of receiving light and outputting an optical signal and an electrical signal converted from the optical signal, and may include, for example, a photodiode. The light emitting portion 10 may be configured to emit light only when necessary according to the user's selection. This is to prevent unnecessary consumption of electric power by continuously emitting light even when the user is not using the idle period.

Meanwhile, the optical signal refers to all signals related to light in a broad sense, and refers to optical signals that can be converted into various electrical signals capable of measuring voltage, current, and power in a narrow sense. Further, according to the technical idea of the present invention, the optical signal for the user's motion is not a signal realized by extracting a plurality of images and performing image processing on the user's motion, Or a signal having information on the intensity of light and / or the angle of light.

The USB hub 1 having the non-contact gesture manipulation apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention transmits the control signal generated in the micro control unit 40 to the computer device (not shown) separate from the USB hub 1 having the non-contact gesture manipulation apparatus 120 via a network. Further, the communication unit 50 may transmit / receive information data to / from the computer 120. [ The computing device 120 may include any one of a personal computer, a server computer, a super computer, a notebook PC, a tablet PC, a tablet mobile communication device, a smart phone, a mobile phone, a game device, and a virtual experience device. The control signal transmitted to the computer 120 by the communication unit 50 is a signal for controlling the software installed in the at least one hardware or the computing device 120 constituting the computer 120, . ≪ / RTI > On the other hand, in the USB hub 1 having the non-contact gesture control device, the communication unit 50 connects the computer 120 and an external device (e.g., a printer, a scanner, a multifunctional device, or a digital camera) And a plurality of USB ports 56 capable of receiving and sending data to and from the USB port. The multi-USB port 56 may further include a circuit element for preventing a bias voltage and an overcurrent.

The communication unit 50 may be configured to support a wired cable 112 connecting the USB hub 1 having the non-contact gesture operating device and the computer 120, for example. The wired cable 112 may include, for example, a USB cable or an extension cable. The wired cable 112 can connect the communication unit 50 of the USB hub 1 having the non-contact gesture operating device with the USB port 124 of the computer 120. [ The USB cable may include standard USB cable, mini USB cable, micro USB cable, etc. depending on the size of the terminal. The USB hub 1 having a non-contact gesture manipulation device may further include a connection port unit (not shown) for connecting an external power supply unit to receive power. For example, the power source unit may be understood as a computer 120 or a separate charger.

Meanwhile, the communication unit 50 may further include a wireless communication unit (not shown). The wireless communication unit can use, for example, Bluetooth communication or Zigbee communication. The communication method applied to the wireless communication unit is not limited to the Bluetooth method or the Zigbee method. For example, various communication methods such as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), NFC (Near Field Communication), resonance induction, Can be applied. For the Bluetooth communication or the ZigBee communication, setting is required between the USB hub 1 having the non-contact gesture operating device and the computer 120. Accordingly, the computing device 120 may include a module for supporting Bluetooth communication or ZigBee communication. If the computing device 120 does not have such a module, a dongle, which is a separate repeater, may be additionally provided to the computing device 120. The dongle may include, for example, a USB dongle that can be connected to the USB port of the computer 120, but is not limited to the form connected to the computer 120.

Hereinafter, the concept that the light emitting portion 10 and the light receiving sensor portion 20 detect an optical signal corresponding to the user's motion will be described. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a concept of detecting an optical signal for a horizontal component and a vertical component of a user's motion in a light receiving sensor unit in a USB hub having a non-contact gesture operating device according to an embodiment of the present invention, 4c is a diagram illustrating a concept that the motion sensor module detects an optical signal for a user's height motion in a USB hub having a non-contact gesture manipulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a graph showing an optical signal received by a USB hub having a non-contact gesture operating device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 5, the light receiving sensor unit 20 includes a plurality of light sensors 25 (light receiving units), each of which receives light reflected by a user's motion using the light emitting unit 10 as a light source, ). The light receiving sensor unit 20 includes a first light receiving sensor unit 20a and a photodiode 25 that are arrayed in the vertical axis (y axis), for example, in which the first light receiving sensor unit 20a in which the photodiodes 25 are arrayed in the horizontal axis And a second light receiving sensor unit 20b.

4A, in the first light receiving sensor unit 20a, horizontal motions (motions in the ± x axis directions) of the user S, that is, motions in the x-axis direction, of the user S by the plurality of photodiodes 25 arrayed in the horizontal axis, (S) The optical signal for the horizontal component (the component in the x axis direction) of the motion is detected. The light provided by the light emitting portion 10 is reflected by the lateral motion of the user S and is reflected by the specified one photodiode 25 in the first light receiving sensor portion 20a, The intensity of the optical signal received in the photodiode 25 varies with time as shown in Fig. Therefore, when both the intensity and the angle of the optical signal detected in each of the plurality of arrayed photodiodes 25 are collected, the movement distance, speed, acceleration, Time information and vector information can be grasped.

4B, in the second light receiving sensor unit 20b, the vertical motion (motion in the y axis direction) of the user S, that is, the motion of the user S in the y axis direction, by the plurality of photodiodes 25 arrayed in the vertical axis, (S) Detects an optical signal for a vertical component (a component in the y axis direction) of the motion. The light provided by the light emitting portion 10 is reflected by the longitudinal motion of the user S so that the specified one of the photodiodes 25 is reflected on the basis of one arbitrarily specified photodiode 25 in the second light receiving sensor portion 20b, The intensity of the optical signal received in the photodiode 25 of FIG. 5 changes with time as shown in FIG. Accordingly, when both the intensity and the angle of the optical signal detected in each of the arrayed photodiodes 25 are summed up, the moving distance, speed, acceleration, Time information and vector information can be grasped.

4C, in the light receiving sensor unit 20 including the first light receiving sensor unit 20a and the second light receiving sensor unit 20b, a plurality of photodiodes 25 arrayed in a horizontal axis and / or a vertical axis (The component in the z axis direction) of the user S, that is, the height motion of the user S (the motion in the z axis direction), i.e., the height component of the user S motion (the component in the z axis direction). The light provided by the light emitting portion 10 is reflected by the height direction motion of the user S to be detected by the photodiode 25 of the specified one in the light receiving sensor portion 20, The intensity of the optical signal received in the diode 25 varies with time as shown in Fig. Therefore, when both the intensity and the angle of the optical signal detected in each of the arrayed photodiodes 25 are summed up, it is possible to calculate the moving distance, speed, acceleration, Time information and vector information can be grasped.

The optical signal (or the electrical signal converted from the optical signal) for motion in any direction of the user S in space is integrated with the optical signal (or the electrical signal converted from the optical signal) derived in each of Figs. 4A to 4C . The integrated optical signal (or the electrical signal converted from the optical signal) reflects the time information and the vector information such as the moving distance, velocity, acceleration, start and end points of motion of the user S in an arbitrary direction . Therefore, the motion sensor module 30 including the light emitting unit 10 and the light receiving sensor unit 20 can use the angle and the intensity of the light reflected and received by the object without using the image sensor (camera) Thereby accurately detecting the locus motion of the user S motion in the space.

3 and 4A to 4B, in order to detect an optical signal for the horizontal motion and longitudinal component of the user S and an electric signal obtained by converting the optical signal, a plurality of photodiodes 25 are arrayed in a horizontal direction The light receiving sensor unit 20 is described in which the first light receiving sensor unit 20a arranged and the second light receiving sensor unit 20b arrayed in the vertical axis are described. However, in the modified embodiment of the present invention, the first light-receiving sensor portion 20a and the second light-receiving sensor portion 20b may be disposed adjacent to each other instead of being separately arranged and spaced apart from each other. Further, They may be arranged in a mixed manner.

The micro control unit 40 can receive precise coordinate data by receiving an information data of the user's motion detected by the motion sensor module 30 and implementing the spatial position coordinates of the corresponding position. Furthermore, the micro control unit 40 receives the electric signal, which is detected by the motion sensor module 30 and has been converted into an optical signal, to calculate the spatial coordinates for the user's motion, Determines a gesture operation, and generates a predetermined control signal corresponding to the gesture operation.

The micro control unit 40 determines the gesture operation for the user's motion using the calculated spatial coordinates for the user's motion, and performs a gesture operation and a corresponding control corresponding to the gesture operation And a database portion for storing the signals, respectively. In addition, the micro control unit 40 may include a comparison determination unit for determining the gesture operation for the user's motion using the spatial coordinates of the user's motion.

For example, when the gesture operation forms a circle in the clockwise direction, the micro control unit 40 controls at least one hardware or computing device 120, which constitutes the computing device 120, Which is set to a control signal that increases the sound volume of the software installed in the computer. Such a database part can be configured so that the user can arbitrarily set it. In addition, the micro control unit 40 can calculate the movement distance, velocity, acceleration, and curvature of the user's actual motion with respect to the horizontal component, the vertical component, and the height component, even if the shape formed by the user's actual motion in the space does not exactly coincide with the start point and the end point The motion of the user may include a comparison determination unit that can determine the motion of the user by a gesture operation that forms a circle in a clockwise direction, considering time information and vector information such as a start point and an end point of the motion. The comparing and determining unit may include an algorithm that calculates an error between the user motion and the gesture operation and classifies the user motion into a gesture operation stored in the database unit within a predetermined error range.

Meanwhile, the USB hub 1 having the non-contact gesture manipulation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include an LED display unit 70 so that the user can easily recognize the determined gesture operation. For example, when the determined gesture operation is an operation of horizontally moving straight from left to right, a figure of the right arrow may be displayed on the LED display unit 70.

6 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration including a USB hub having a non-contact gesture operating device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

6, in the USB hub 1 having the non-contact gesture manipulation apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, the light emitting unit 10 and the light receiving sensor unit 20 are connected to the motion sensor module 30 Can be arranged apart from each other without constructing a module such as a module. Since the light emitting portion 10 and the light receiving sensor portion 20 do not constitute a module, the light emitting portion 10 and the light receiving sensor portion 20 can be freely arranged in the USB hub 1 having the non-contact gesture operating device So that an advantageous effect of increasing the degree of freedom of placement can be expected. 2, which illustrates a non-contact gesture control apparatus for a USB hub according to an embodiment of the present invention, a motion sensor module 30 having a light emitting unit 10 and a light receiving sensor unit 20 is connected to a USB hub A plurality of light emitting portions 10 are arranged on the rim of the upper surface 1s of the USB hub 1 and a plurality of light emitting portions 10 are arranged on the upper surface 1s of the USB hub 1, The light receiving sensor unit 20 may be disposed at the center of the upper surface 1s of the light receiving unit 1. [ Alternatively, the light emitting portion 10 is disposed at the center of the upper surface 1s of the USB hub 1, and a plurality of the light receiving sensor portions 20 are disposed at the edge of the upper surface 1s of the USB hub 1 . Explanation of the rest of the configuration has been already described with reference to Fig. 1, and thus will not be described here.

The USB hub having the non-contact gesture manipulation apparatus according to the embodiments of the present invention is a USB hub having a non-contact gesture manipulation apparatus using a light emitting unit and a light receiving sensor unit. The USB hub detects the user's operation So that it can be applied to various fields. In order to realize this, for example, a motion sensor module using an infrared light emitting diode and a photodiode; A micro control unit for detecting motion recognition, analyzing the measured data, and processing correct operation information; And a wired / wireless communication unit for connection with a computer such as a PC. Accordingly, the USB hub having the non-contact gesture manipulation apparatus according to the embodiments of the present invention can control a computing device such as a PC and related software through operation recognition. The USB hub having the non-contact gesture control device according to the embodiments of the present invention improves the problems of the conventional image sensor (camera) method and provides a new and various interface to the user through the low-power and low- And it is expected to have a ripple effect by applying it to the overall industry as well as its role as a PC peripheral device.

Conventionally, the non-contact gesture motion recognition method is implemented by a camera module method. The camera module method is a method of capturing the movement of a user with a CMOS camera and recognizing an image captured by the sensor IC. It takes a relatively long time to detect and detect the movement of an image captured by a CMOS camera to a sensor IC, and the recognition sensitivity is much lower. In addition, since the recognition sensitivity is greatly reduced, there is a disadvantage that it is very difficult to simultaneously process various operations. Furthermore, since the camera module must be operated in order to recognize the operation, there is a disadvantage that the power consumption is large. On the other hand, since the camera module is used, the manufacturing cost is very high. On the other hand, in the embodiments of the present invention, since the operation recognition is performed by using the infrared light emitting diode (IRED), the photodiode, and the micro control unit, Can be solved.

On the other hand, in the non-contact gesture motion recognition method, most of the sensors are located at the upper portion of the computer, so that when the user attempts to play games and web surfing, the palm covers most of the screen and is inconvenient to use. On the other hand, in the embodiments of the present invention, since the USB hub having the non-contact gesture control device is provided separately from the computer device, it is advantageous to provide a convenient interface to the user.

While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the true scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical idea of the appended claims.

1: USB hub with non-contact gesture control device
10:
20: Light receiving sensor unit
30: Motion sensor module
40: Micro control unit
50:
56: Multi USB port
120: computing device

Claims (8)

A light emitting portion capable of emitting light;
A plurality of optical sensors arrayed in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, the light emitting unit being used as a light source to receive light reflected by a user's motion, and an optical system for the user's motion A light receiving sensor unit capable of converting a signal into an electric signal;
A microcontroller for receiving the electrical signal to calculate spatial coordinates for the user's motion, determining a gesture motion for the user motion using the spatial coordinates, and generating a pre-set control signal corresponding to the gesture motion, Unit (MCU); And
And a communication unit for transmitting the control signal to the computer,
The communication unit may further include a multi-USB port capable of connecting the external device and the computer device,
The light receiving sensor unit includes a first light receiving sensor unit including a plurality of photodiodes arranged in a horizontal array; And a second light receiving sensor unit including a plurality of photodiodes arrayed vertically,
Wherein the first light-receiving sensor unit and the second light-receiving sensor unit are not arranged in a mixed manner but are separately arranged while being separated from each other,
Wherein the optical signal for the user motion is an optical signal for a horizontal component of the user motion detected by the first light receiving sensor unit; An optical signal for a vertical component of the user motion detected by the second light receiving sensor unit; And an optical signal for a height component of a user motion detected by the first light receiving sensor unit and the second light receiving sensor unit are integrated,
Wherein the optical signal for the height component includes an intensity of an optical signal detected at each of the plurality of photodiodes included in the first light receiving sensor unit and each of the plurality of photodiodes included in the second light receiving sensor unit, Contact gesture manipulation device. delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the computer device comprises a computer, a notebook, a tablet PC, a tablet mobile communication device, a smart phone, a game device, and a virtual experience device. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control signal includes a signal capable of controlling hardware constituting the computer device or software installed in the computer device. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the light emitting unit includes an infrared light emitting diode (IRED). The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the light emitting unit and the light receiving sensor unit constitute a motion sensor module. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the light emitting unit and the light receiving sensor unit are not modularized and are disposed apart from each other. The method according to claim 1,
A USB hub having a non-contact gesture manipulation device, further comprising circuit elements for preventing bias voltage and overcurrent.

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