Gesture control using biopotential wristband

Inventors

McLaurin, Tristan • Wang, Tanya • Cipoletta, David • Ang, Dexter

Assignees

Pison Technology Inc

Abstract

Systems and methods for gesture control are described. In some embodiments, a system may include a wearable device configured to be worn on a wrist of a user. The wearable device may include a hub and a wristband. The hub may include a plurality of hub electrodes and a biopotential microchip. The wristband may include one or more wristband electrodes and one or more wristband conductors, which may electrically connecting the one or more wristband electrodes to the electrical port of a sealed housing of the hub, which may in turn electrically connect the one or more wristband electrodes to inputs of the biopotential microchip.

Core Innovation

The disclosed invention relates to a wrist-worn gesture-control wearable device that encircles a user’s wrist using a hub and a wristband. The hub includes a sealed housing, a plurality of hub electrodes, and a biopotential microchip having analog inputs and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) configured to receive signals from the analog inputs, together with an accelerometer and a gyroscope. The device obtains biopotential data from signals received by both the hub electrodes and the wristband electrodes, while also obtaining wrist location data from the accelerometer and the gyroscope outputs.

The hub sealed housing includes an electrical port electrically connected to at least a first analog input of the biopotential microchip. The wristband includes one or more wristband conductors that electrically connect one or more wristband electrodes to the electrical port of the hub sealed housing, and the hub electrodes are electrically connected via conductors within the hub to one or more additional analog inputs. The system digitizes and processes the biopotential data using the ADCs, and transmits the biopotential data together with the wrist location data to a classifier to generate a gesture output indicating a gesture performed by the user.

In further disclosed embodiments, the invention addresses electrode placement and robustness across wrist sizes by using electrode geometry and wristband structure. The hub electrodes can be configured in a curved layout in relation to the forearm length direction, and the wristband can be adjustable to multiple length states to correspond to wrist-worn circumference while maintaining a constant electrode position relative to the hub. Signal routing and reconfiguration are supported by an electrical port connection to a sealed housing, and additional signal-path switching can be implemented using multiplexer/switches to route signals between a biopotential microchip and an ECG microchip, including connection states for electrodes.

Claims Coverage

The document provides three independent claims covering a wrist-worn gesture-control system. Across the independent claims, the inventive features are centered on a hub-with-sealed-housing biopotential microchip (including ADCs and motion sensors), wrist-encircling electrodes with electrical port routing, and transmitting biopotential (and optionally wrist location) data to a classifier for gesture output.

Across the independent claims, the core claim coverage is for a wrist-worn wearable device with hub and wristband electrodes, where a biopotential microchip with ADCs digitizes biopotential signals and motion sensors provide wrist location data (in two independent claims). The digitized biopotential (and optionally wrist location) data are transmitted to a classifier configured to generate a gesture output indicating a gesture performed by the user.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications