Methods and devices for indentifying users based on tremor

Abstract

Systems and methods according to the present invention address these needs and others by providing a handheld device, e.g., a 3D pointing device, which uses hand tremor as an input. One or more sensors within the handheld device detect a user's hand tremor and identify the user based on the detected tremor.

1 . A method for processing sample data from at least one motion sensor in a handheld device comprising the steps of:
 (a) determining that said handheld device is in a stable state, wherein a user is holding said handheld device without intentionally introducing movement thereto; and   (b) processing sample data from said at least one motion sensor in response to said determining step.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said step of processing further comprises the step of:
 (c) using said sample data to identify a user based upon tremor data analysis.   
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said step of processing includes linear filtering. 
   
   
       4 . A method for processing sample data from at least one motion sensor in a handheld device comprising the steps of:
 (a) determining that said handheld device is in an active state, wherein a user is holding said handheld device and is intentionally introducing movement thereto; and   (b) processing sample data from said at least one motion sensor in response to said determining step into first data associated with said intentional movement and second data associated with unintentional movement.   
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising the step of:
 (c) using said second data associated with said unintentional movement to identify a user based upon tremor data analysis.   
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said processing step includes one or more of: linear filtering, Kalman filtering, Kalman smoothing, state-space estimation, Expectation-Maximization, or other model-based techniques for separating said first data and said second data.