Hands-free signaling systems and related methods

Abstract

A hands-free signaler can include a gesture-detection sensor configured to detect a change in state associated with movement of a portion of a user's body other than one or both of his hands. A controller can be configured to assess whether a change in state detected by the gesture-detection sensor resulted from an intentional or an unintentional gesture by the user. The signaler can have an illuminable indicator. The controller can be further configured to selectively activate the illuminable indicator in a manner corresponding to a detected change of state assessed by the controller to have resulted from a respective intentional gesture.

1 .- 16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . A hands-free signaler, comprising:
 a sensor configured to detect a given state from among two or more possible states, wherein a first possible state corresponds to a class of intentional gestures, and a second possible state corresponds to a class of unintentional gestures of a user;   a controller configured to assess whether the given state detected by the sensor corresponds to the class of intentional gestures or the class of unintentional gestures; and   an indicator activatable by the controller, wherein the controller is further configured to selectively activate or selectively deactivate the indicator in a first manner corresponding to an intentional gesture and in a second manner corresponding to an unintentional gesture.   
     
     
         18 . A hands-free signaler according to  claim 17 , wherein the class of intentional gestures includes a tilted user's head in a selected orientation for a duration longer than a predefined threshold. 
     
     
         19 . A hands-free signaler according to  claim 18 , wherein the class of unintentional gestures includes a tilted user's head for a duration shorter than the predefined threshold. 
     
     
         20 . A hands-free signaler according to  claim 18 , wherein the selected orientation comprises a forward orientation, a backward orientation, a side orientation, an alternating forward-backward orientation, and/or an alternating side-to-side orientation. 
     
     
         21 . A hands-free signaler according to  claim 17 , wherein the class of unintentional gestures includes an acceleration of user's head along or generally parallel to an axis extending between the user's head and trunk exceeding a predetermined threshold. 
     
     
         22 . A hands-free signaler according to  claim 17 , wherein the class of unintentional gestures includes an acceleration of user's head along an axis, wherein a magnitude of the acceleration exceeds a predefined magnitude threshold, and a duration of the acceleration is shorten than a predefined duration threshold. 
     
     
         23 . A hands-free signaler according to  claim 17 , wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer configured to measure an acceleration and the state comprises a magnitude and/or direction of the acceleration. 
     
     
         24 . A hands-free signaler according to  claim 17 , wherein the sensor is further configured to detect a user characteristic the user can voluntarily adjust in correspondence with the user's intention. 
     
     
         25 . A hands-free signaler according to  claim 24 , wherein the user characteristic comprises a selected one of a user's head position, a user's head orientation, a user's facial expression, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         26 . A hands-free signaler according to  claim 17 , wherein the indicator is configured to emit one or more of light, sound, and a control signal suitable to influence operation of another device. 
     
     
         27 . A hands-free signaler according to  claim 17 , wherein the controller is configured to interpret a user's intention within the class of intentional gestures based in part on the given state and to selectively activate or to selectively deactivate the indicator in correspondence with the interpreted intention. 
     
     
         28 . A device, comprising:
 a sensor configured to detect a user's gesture;   a controller configured to interpret the sensor-detected gesture as being an intentional gesture or an unintentional gesture; and   an indicator controllable by the controller, wherein the controller is further configured to selectively activate or selectively deactivate the indicator in a first manner corresponding to the intentional gesture or in a second manner corresponding to the unintentional gesture.   
     
     
         29 . A device according to  claim 28 , wherein the controller is further configured to interpret the sensor-detected gesture as being one of a plurality of intentional gestures or one of a plurality of unintentional gestures, and to selectively activate or to selectively deactivate the indicator in a respective manner corresponding to each of the intentional gestures. 
     
     
         30 . A device according to  claim 28 , wherein the plurality of intentional gestures includes a tilted user's head in a selected orientation for a duration longer than a predefined threshold. 
     
     
         31 . A device according to  claim 29 , wherein the plurality of unintentional gestures includes a tilted user's head in the selected orientation for a duration shorter than the predefined threshold. 
     
     
         32 . A device according to  claim 29 , wherein the selected orientation comprises a forward orientation, a backward orientation, a side orientation, an alternating forward-backward orientation, and/or an alternating side-to-side orientation. 
     
     
         33 . A device according to  claim 28 , wherein the plurality of unintentional gestures includes an acceleration of user's head along or generally parallel to an axis extending between the user's head and trunk exceeding a predetermined threshold. 
     
     
         34 . A device according to  claim 28 , wherein the plurality of unintentional gestures includes an acceleration of user's head along an axis, wherein a magnitude of the acceleration exceeds a predefined magnitude threshold, and a duration of the acceleration is shorten than a predefined duration threshold. 
     
     
         35 . A device according to  claim 28 , wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer configured to measure a magnitude and/or direction of a user's acceleration. 
     
     
         36 . A device according to  claim 28 , wherein the sensor is configured to detect a user characteristic the user can voluntarily adjust in correspondence with the user's intention. 
     
     
         37 . A device according to  claim 36 , wherein the user characteristic comprises a selected one of a user's head position, a user's head orientation, a user's facial expression, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         38 . A device according to  claim 28 , wherein the indicator is configured to emit one or more of light, sound, and a control signal suitable to influence operation of another device.