Touchpad-enabled remote controller and user interaction methods

Abstract

The hand held case of the remote control unit includes at least one touchpad, and other sensors, such as acceleration sensors, case perimeter sensors, pressure sensors, RF signal sensors. These sensors provide a rich array of sensory inputs that are classified by a pattern recognizer to generate control commands for both the consumer electronic equipment and the remote control unit itself. A power management system to conserve unit battery power is also responsive to the pattern recognizer to allow intelligent power management control. The control system uses the display of the consumer electronic equipment to provide instructions to the user, and the behavior of the remote control system uses what is displayed on the display as context information for pattern recognition.

1 . A remote control system for consumer electronic equipment having a display screen, comprising:
 a control circuit coupled to said consumer electronic equipment for controlling operation thereof;   a remote control unit having a handheld case and plurality of sensors disposed within said case, including:
 (a) at least one touchpad responsive to manipulation by a user's fingers; and 
 (b) at least one additional sensor selected from the group consisting of:
 (1) acceleration sensors responsive to movement of the remote control unit; 
 (2) case perimeter sensors that discriminates which parts of the case are in contact with the user's body; 
 (3) pressure sensors responsive to pressing forces upon a predetermined region of the touchpad; and 
 (4) RF signal sensors responsive to radio frequency signals transmitted from said control circuit; 
 
   said remote control unit being configured to produce a sensory input message containing information extracted from said plurality of sensors;   a pattern recognizer receptive of said sensory input message;   said pattern recognizer being configured to classify the received sensory input message according to a predetermined recognition scheme to generate message meaning data;   said pattern recognizer being further configured to classify the received sensory input message based on context information extracted from knowledge of what is being displayed on the display screen of the electronic equipment;   control logic responsive to said message meaning data to generate at least one command that is communicated to said control circuit.   
     
     
         2 . The remote control system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein said at least one additional sensor comprises at least one acceleration sensor and at least one case perimeter sensor.   
     
     
         3 . The remote control system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein said pattern recognizer includes a trained model operable to classify the received sensory input message.   
     
     
         4 . The remote control system of  claim 3 ,
 wherein said trained model is adaptable based on interaction with the user.   
     
     
         5 . The remote control system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein said remote control unit includes power management system and wherein said control logic generates at least one command that is communicated to said power management system to alter power management system behavior based on sensory input messages said sensory input message.   
     
     
         6 . The remote control system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein said remote control unit includes power management system and wherein said control logic generates at least one command that is communicated to said power management system to alter power management system behavior based on said message meaning data.   
     
     
         7 . The remote control system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein said control circuit includes memory for storing control system operation information and wherein said control circuit selectively provides said operation information to the consumer electronic equipment for presentation to the user.   
     
     
         8 . The remote control system of  claim 7 ,
 wherein said control circuit provides said control system operation information to the consumer electronic equipment in accordance with said at least one command.   
     
     
         9 . The remote control system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein said control circuit includes memory for storing control system operation information that is integrated with different message meaning data; and   wherein said control circuit selectively provides said operation information to the consumer electronic equipment in accordance with the message meaning data generated by said pattern recognizer.   
     
     
         10 . The remote control system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein said at least one additional sensor is an RF signal sensor responsive to radio frequency signals transmitted from said control circuit and wherein said control circuit is configured to send a find-me message that causes the remote control unit to perform an attention attracting operation useful in assisting the user to find the remote control unit when it has become misplaced.   
     
     
         11 . The remote control system of  claim 1 , further comprising two touchpads disposed in side-by-side relationship each being separately responsive to manipulation by the user's fingers. 
     
     
         12 . The remote control system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein said touchpad is divided into plural separate regions of interaction, such that each region of interaction is interpreted to have a different meaning by said pattern recognizer.   
     
     
         13 . The remote system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein said at least one additional sensor comprises a case orientation sensor capable of differentiating between portrait orientation and landscape orientation.   
     
     
         14 . The remote control system of  claim 1 ,
 wherein said touchpad is divided into plural separate regions of interaction, such that each region of interaction is interpreted to have a different meaning by said pattern recognizer,   wherein said at least one additional sensor comprises a case orientation sensor capable of differentiating between portrait orientation and landscape orientation; and   wherein said regions of interaction are remapped onto different locations within the touchpad based on case orientation.   
     
     
         15 . The remote control system of  claim 14 ,
 wherein said at least one additional sensor further comprises the at least one acceleration sensor and at least one of the case perimeter sensors,   said pattern recognizer redefines a zone of interaction, by interpreting how the user is holding said remote control unit based on information extracted from said at least one additional sensor.   
     
     
         16 . The remote control system of  claim 15 ,
 wherein said pattern recognizer interprets whether the user is holding said remote control unit with one hand or with two hands.   
     
     
         17 . A remote control system for consumer electronic equipment having a display screen, comprising:
 a control circuit coupled to said consumer electronic equipment for controlling operation thereof;   a remote control unit having a handheld case and plurality of sensors disposed within said case, including:   (a) at least one touchpad responsive to manipulation by a user's fingers;   (b) at least acceleration sensor responsive to movement of the remote control unit;   (c) a case perimeter sensor that discriminates which parts of the case are in contact with the user's body;   (d) at least one pressure sensor responsive to radio frequency signals transmitted from said control circuit;   said remote control unit being configured to produce a sensory input message containing information extracted from said plurality of sensors;   a pattern recognizer receptive of said sensory input message;   said pattern recognizer including a trained model adaptable through interaction with the user and configured to classify the received sensory input message according to a predetermined recognition scheme to generate message meaning data;   said pattern recognizer being further configured to classify the received sensory input message based on context information extracted from knowledge of what is being displayed on the display screen of the electronic equipment;   control logic responsive to said message meaning data to generate at least one command that is communicated to said control circuit;   wherein said remote control unit includes power management system and wherein said control logic generates at least one command that is communicated to said power management system to alter power management system behavior based on said message meaning data; an   wherein said control circuit having memory for storing control system operation information and wherein said control circuit selectively provides said operation information to the consumer electronic equipment for presentation to the user wherein said control circuit selectively provides said operation information to the consumer electronic equipment in accordance with the message meaning data generated by said pattern recognizer.   
     
     
         18 . The remote control system of  claim 17 ,
 wherein said power management system performs:   placing of said plurality of sensors included in said remote control unit, into a sleep mode;   detecting movement of said remote control unit by waking said acceleration sensor up in the sleep mode;   determining whether or not said remote control unit is held by the user, by waking said case perimeter sensor up when the movement of said remote control unit is detected; and   releasing the sleep mode when the detecting detects that said remote control unit is held by the user.   
     
     
         19 . The remote control system of  claim 18 , wherein said power management system releases the sleep mode, by waking said at least one touchpad up and then waking said RF signal sensor up, when the detecting detects that said remote control unit is held by the user. 
     
     
         20 . A method of controlling consumer electronic equipment comprising;
 providing a remote control unit having at least one touchpad;   sensing manipulation by a user of said at least one touchpad;   sensing physical movement of said remote control unit;   classifying said sensed manipulation and said sensed physical movement by pattern recognition;   sending at least one control command to the consumer electronic equipment based on the results of said classifying step.   
     
     
         21 . A remote control system for consumer electronic equipment having a display screen, comprising:
 a control circuit coupled to said consumer electronic equipment for controlling operation thereof;   a remote control unit having a handheld case and plurality of sensors disposed within said case, including:   (a) at least one touchpad responsive to manipulation by a user's fingers; and   (b) at least one additional sensor selected from the group consisting of:
 (1) acceleration sensors responsive to movement of the remote control unit; 
 (2) case perimeter sensors that discriminates which parts of the case are in contact with the user's body; 
   said remote control unit being configured to produce a sensory input message containing information extracted from said plurality of sensors;   a pattern recognizer receptive of said sensory input message;   said pattern recognizer being configured to classify the received sensory input message according to a predetermined recognition scheme to generate message meaning data;   control logic responsive to said message meaning data to generate at least one command that is communicated to said control circuit,   wherein said at least one additional sensor further comprises the at least one acceleration sensor and at least one of the case perimeter sensors,   said pattern recognizer redefines a zone of interaction, by interpreting how the user is holding said remote control unit based on information extracted from said at least one additional sensor;   wherein said remote control unit includes power management system and wherein said control logic generates at least one command that is communicated to said power management system to alter power management system behavior on said message meaning date; and   wherein said power management system performs:   placing of said plurality of sensors included in said remote control unit, into a sleep mode;   detecting movement of said remote control unit by waking said acceleration sensor up in the sleep mode;   determining whether or not said remote control unit is held by the user, by waking said case perimeter sensor up when the movement of said remote control unit is detected; and   releasing the sleep mode when the detecting detects that said remote control unit is held by the user.   
     
     
         22 . The remote control system of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 (3) pressure sensors responsive to pressing forces upon a predetermined region of the touchpad; and   (4) RF signal sensors responsive to radio frequency signals transmitted from said control circuit; said pattern recognizer being further configured to classify the received sensory input message based on context information extracted from knowledge of what is being displayed on the display screen of the electronic equipment.