US 12,008,195 B2
Method and apparatus for sensing utilizing tiles
Kenneth Perlin, New York, NY (US); Charles Hendee, Brooklyn, NY (US); Alex Grau, Astoria, NY (US); and Gerald Seidman, New York, NY (US)
Assigned to New York University, New York, NY (US); and Tactonic Technologies, LLC, New York, NY (US)
Filed by Kenneth Perlin, New York, NY (US); Charles Hendee, Brooklyn, NY (US); Alex Grau, Astoria, NY (US); and Gerald Seidman, New York, NY (US)
Filed on Apr. 15, 2016, as Appl. No. 15/130,224.
Application 15/130,224 is a division of application No. 13/317,131, filed on Oct. 11, 2011, granted, now 9,317,154.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/572,938, filed on Jul. 25, 2011.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/572,642, filed on Jul. 19, 2011.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/462,789, filed on Feb. 8, 2011.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/404,897, filed on Oct. 12, 2010.
Prior Publication US 2016/0283008 A1, Sep. 29, 2016
Int. Cl. G06F 3/041 (2006.01); G06F 3/00 (2006.01); G06F 3/01 (2006.01); G06F 3/03 (2006.01); G06F 3/045 (2006.01); G06F 3/047 (2006.01)
CPC G06F 3/04166 (2019.05) [G06F 3/005 (2013.01); G06F 3/011 (2013.01); G06F 3/0304 (2013.01); G06F 3/04144 (2019.05); G06F 3/045 (2013.01); G06F 3/047 (2013.01); G06F 2203/04101 (2013.01); G06F 2203/04103 (2013.01); G06F 2203/04104 (2013.01); G06F 2203/04105 (2013.01); G06F 2203/04106 (2013.01); G06F 2203/04112 (2013.01); G06F 2203/04113 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for sensing a foot of a user comprising:
a range imaging camera;
a computer; and two or more individual sensing tiles formed of layers in communication with the computer that form a sensor surface, using protrusions under the surface and bridging plates that extend between tiles and contact adjacent tiles with no protrusions on corners of the bridging plates where the protrusions transmit forces only to specific locations, that detects force applied to the surface by the foot on the surface, and provides a signal corresponding to the force to the computer which produces from the signal a time varying continuous image of force applied to the surface, where the surface is contiguous, and detected force can be sensed in a manner that is geometrically continuous and seamless on a surface, the computer using the camera to reject unwanted input from the image of force, the protrusions integrated into one layer of the layers and the protrusions and one layer are a single mechanical component, each sensing tile supporting a weight of the user on the user's foot, the protrusions are in contact with a plurality of intersections of a grid of wires of another layer of the layers, and the protrusions focus an imparted force of the foot directly onto the intersections.