Canadian Patents Database

Claims page

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Patent Document Number: 2530987

(54) English Title: HOLOGRAPHIC HUMAN-MACHINE INTERFACES

(54) French Title: INTERFACES HOMME-MACHINE HOLOGRAPHIQUES

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Claims:

Note: Claims are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.


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CLAIMS:
1. An apparatus allowing an operator to control an electronic or electro-
mechanical device of the type conventionally controlled by a tangible control
mechanism having one or more customarily touch-activated tangible input
objects,
physical contact with which produces a response by the electronic or electro-
mechanical device, said apparatus allowing such control without the operator
physically touching any solid object and comprising:
hologram means for generating a holographic image of a tangible input object
of the tangible control mechanism for the electronic or electro-mechanical
device;
illumination means for illuminating said hologram means to produce the
holographic image;
actuation detection means for detecting selection by the operator of the
holographic image, generated by said hologram means, of the tangible input
object; and
signal generation means for receiving the detection of said actuation
detection
means and providing an input signal to the electronic or electro-mechanical
device
thereby to produce the response,
wherein said hologram means is affixed to at least one of a transparent
material
and a translucent material, and
the actuation detection means comprises emission/detection means for
producing and receiving electromagnetic radiation, said emission/detection
means
being positioned on a side of said hologram means opposite the operator and
being
positioned to transmit and receive electromagnetic radiation toward the
holographic
image and through said material to which said hologram means is affixed.

2. The apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein said at least one of said
transparent material and said translucent material is selected from glass,
acrylic, and
plastic.

3. The apparatus according to Claim 1, further comprising at least one mirror
so as
to alter said illumination means light path to position one or more
holographic image on
an edge of a screen that is employed to present information to the operator.

4. An apparatus for allowing an operator to control a plurality of electronic
or
electro-mechanical devices of the type conventionally controlled by a separate
tangible


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control mechanism having a plurality of customarily touch-activated tangible
input
objects, physical contact with which produces a response by at least one of
the
electronic or electro-mechanical devices, the apparatus allowing such control
without
the operator physically touching any solid object and comprising:
a hologram unit adapted to generate a plurality of holographic images, each
comprising the tangible input objects of the tangible control mechanism for a
corresponding one of the plurality of the electronic or electro-mechanical
devices;
an illuminator adapted to illuminate said hologram unit to produce the
plurality
of holographic images;
an actuation detector adapted to detect selection by the operator of each of
the
plurality of holographic images of the tangible input devices; and
a signal generator adapted to receive the detection of said actuation detector
and
provide an input signal to the devices thereby producing the response,
wherein said actuation detector and said signal generator are configured to
independently produce a response by each electronic or electro-mechanical
device upon
detection of selection of each independent one of said holographic images, and
the actuation detector comprises an emitter/detector that produces and
receives
electromagnetic radiation, said emitter/detector being positioned on a side of
said
hologram unit opposite the operator and being positioned to transmit and
receive
electromagnetic radiation toward the holographic images and through said
hologram
unit.

5. A control arrangement apparatus for allowing an operator to control an
electronic or electro-mechanical device of the type conventionally controlled
by a
tangible control mechanism having a plurality of customarily touch-activated
tangible
input objects positioned on a plurality of portions thereof, physical contact
with which
produces a response by the device, said control arrangement allowing such
control
without an operator physically touching any solid object and comprising:
a composite hologram for generating a holographic image of the plurality of
tangible input objects of the tangible control mechanism for the device, with
the
generated holographic image for producing a response by the device
corresponding to
that produced conventionally by the plurality of tangible input objects of the
tangible
control mechanism, said composite hologram comprising a plurality of holograms

positioned side-by-side along one axis such that each of the holographic
images


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produced thereby represents a different portion of the tangible control
mechanism, such
that each of the holographic images can be separately viewed from a different
angle
relative to said one axis;
an actuation detector for detecting selection by the operator of the
holographic
image of each of the tangible input devices; and
a signal generator for receiving the detection of said actuation detector and
providing an input signal to the device thereby to produce the response,
wherein the actuation detector detects the selection using electromagnetic
radiation that passes through the composite hologram.

6. The control arrangement apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein said
composite hologram consists of a plurality of holograms positioned side-by-
side along
a second axis generally perpendicular to said one axis such that each of the
holographic
images represents a different portion of the tangible input objects, such that
each of the
holographic images presented by said composite hologram can be separately
viewed
from a different angle relative to said second axis.

7. The apparatus as in Claim 1, wherein said hologram means generates a
plurality
of holographic images, each of one of a plurality of tangible input objects,
and wherein
said actuation detection means is capable of detecting which of said plurality
of
holographic images is selected by the operator.

8. The apparatus as in Claim 1, further comprising at least one mirror
interposed
between said hologram means and said illumination means so as to shorten the
physical
distance between said hologram means and said illumination means and
nevertheless
produce the holographic image.

9. The apparatus as in Claim 1, wherein said hologram means includes a lens
with
convergent properties.

10. The apparatus as in Claim 1, further comprising at least one lens
interposed
between said hologram means and said illumination means so as to shorten the
physical
distance between said hologram means and said illumination means and
nevertheless
produce the holographic image.


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11. The apparatus as in Claim 1, wherein said signal generation means also
generates at least one of an audible signal and a visible signal to indicate
to the operator
that the actuation detection means has detected selection of the holographic
image by
the operator.

12. The apparatus as in Claim 1, wherein said illumination means comprises a
reconstructing light source located at the edge of the material to which said
hologram
means is affixed.

13. The apparatus as in Claim 4 or 5, further comprising at least one mirror
interposed between said hologram unit and said illuminator so as to shorten
the
physical distance between said hologram unit and said illuminator and
nevertheless
produce the holographic image.

14. The apparatus as in Claim 4 or 5, wherein said hologram unit includes a
lens
with convergent properties.

15. The apparatus as in Claim 4 or 5, further comprising at least one lens
interposed
between said hologram unit and said illuminator so as to shorten the physical
distance
between said hologram unit and said illuminator and nevertheless produce the
holographic image.

16. The apparatus as in Claim 4 or 5, wherein said signal generator also
generates at
least one of an audible signal and a visible signal to indicate to the
operator that the
actuation detector has detected selection of the holographic image by the
operator.

17. The apparatus as in Claim 4 or 5, wherein said illuminator comprises a
reconstructing light source located at the edge of a material to which said
hologram unit
is affixed.