FIELD OF THE TECHNOLOGY

The embodiments disclosed herein relate to computer input devices in general and more particularly but not limited to input devices for virtual reality and/or augmented/mixed reality applications implemented using computing devices, such as mobile phones, smart watches, similar mobile devices, and/or other devices.

BACKGROUND

U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014/0028547 discloses a user control device having a combined inertial sensor to detect the movements of the device for pointing and selecting within a real or virtual three-dimensional space.

U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2015/0277559 discloses a finger-ring-mounted touchscreen having a wireless transceiver that wirelessly transmits commands generated from events on the touchscreen.

U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2015/0358543 discloses a motion capture device that has a plurality of inertial measurement units to measure the motion parameters of fingers and a palm of a user.

U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2007/0050597 discloses a game controller having an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor. U.S. Pat. No. D772,986 discloses the ornamental design for a wireless game controller.

Chinese Pat. App. Pub. No. 103226398 discloses data gloves that use micro-inertial sensor network technologies, where each micro-inertial sensor is an attitude and heading reference system, having a tri-axial micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) micro-gyroscope, a tri-axial micro-acceleration sensor and a tri-axial geomagnetic sensor which are packaged in a circuit board. U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014/0313022 and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2012/0025945 disclose other data gloves.

The disclosures of the above discussed patent documents are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

SUMMARY

The various embodiments of the present disclosure involve determining a position of the forearm, and the orientation of the hand, an orientation of the upper arm. Without limiting the scope of the present embodiments as expressed by the claims that follow, the following examples are provided. While the specification may refer to “an embodiment” it should be clear that the examples can be used in any combination.

In one example, a system is disclosed that includes a first sensor module having an inertial measurement unit and configured to be attached to a forearm of a user and to generate first motion data identifying an orientation of the forearm. The system includes the forearm that can be connected between a hand of the user and an upper arm of the user. The system also includes a second sensor module having an inertial measurement unit and configured to be attached to the hand of the user and to generate second motion data identifying an orientation of the hand. The first sensor module and the second sensor module are configured to determine an elevation of a wrist of the user connecting the forearm and the hand. The system includes a computing device communicatively coupled to the first sensor module and the second sensor module through communication links, the computing device configured to calculate, based on the orientation of the forearm, a position of the forearm, and the orientation of the hand, an orientation of the upper arm.

In another example, a method of determining, by a computing device communicatively coupled to a first sensor module and a second sensor module, an orientation of the upper arm based on the orientation of the forearm, a position of the forearm, and the orientation of the hand. The method includes identifying an orientation of a forearm, by a first sensor module configured to be attached to the forearm of a user and to generate first motion data with the forearm connected between a hand of the user and an upper arm of the user. The method includes identifying an orientation of the hand by a second sensor module configured to be attached to the hand of the user and to generate second motion data. The method includes determining an elevation of a wrist of the user using the first sensor module and the second sensor module with the wrist connecting the forearm and the hand. The method includes determining, by a computing device communicatively coupled to the first sensor module and the second sensor module, an orientation of the upper arm based on the orientation of the forearm, a position of the forearm, and the orientation of the hand.

