TWI836229B - Teeth-operated mouth mouse and uses thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed herein are teeth-operated mouth mouses and methods of using the same. In some embodiments, the teeth-operated mouth mouse includes a mounting conforming to a row of upper teeth in the oral cavity of a user; and a plurality of sensors independently disposed at a position corresponding to an individual tooth along the mounting and wirelessly coupled to the computer for transmitting and receiving signals therebetween; wherein, each of the plurality sensors is capable of performing at least one teeth-activating task selected from the group consisting of “moving to the right”, “moving to the left”, “moving forward”, “moving backward”, and “enter”. Also provided herein are methods of operating a computer with the aid of the disclosed teeth-operated mouth mouse. The method includes selectively clicking one of the plurality of sensors respectively disposed on the mounting by the lower teeth once or twice to instruct the single or double-clicked sensor to perform one of the teeth-activating tasks associated therewith.

Description

Tooth-operated oral mouse and method of use

The present invention relates to two new tooth-operated oral mouse designs, each of which is suitable for installation in the oral cavity of an individual (e.g., a healthy or disabled subject) to assist the individual in controlling an electronic system (e.g., a computer) while minimizing the risk of contact infection.

A variety of input devices have been developed to help people with disabilities control electronic systems such as computers, tablets, etc. Examples of such devices include eye-tracking systems, head-controlled mice, and mouth-controlled joysticks. Eye-tracking systems control electronic systems by tracking the direction of an individual's pupils. Head-controlled mouse devices move a cursor on a computer screen by tracking the movement of an individual's head. Oral joysticks allow individuals to use their mouth or tongue to operate electronic systems such as electric wheelchairs. However, these devices may be too expensive (e.g., eye-tracking systems) or too bulky (e.g., head-controlled mice) to be useful, or may cause discomfort to the user (e.g., in individuals with poor muscle tone or muscle spasms). Excessive fatigue.

In addition, at any time, people can accumulate bacteria on their hands from various sources, such as direct contact with other people or contaminated surfaces (such as tables, elevator handles, food, etc.). People can easily become infected by touching their eyes, nose, mouth or food if they don't wash their hands frequently and in the correct way after contact. In addition, failure to wash hands can make individuals become vectors and spread germs to others through direct contact with others or by touching surfaces that others touch (e.g. door handles, faucets, counters, etc.). Infectious diseases are often spread from one person to another due to insufficient hand hygiene, especially in this era of the coronavirus pandemic. The infection spreads easily from one person to another.

Therefore, there is a need in the art for an input device for controlling electronic systems that is reasonably priced, easy to carry, and easy for the disabled to use, and that can significantly reduce fatigue, complexity of operation, and the risk of contact infection during use.

This summary is intended to provide a simplified summary of the disclosure to provide the reader with a basic understanding of the disclosure. This summary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements of the embodiments of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention.

The present invention is called a "mouth mouse". In order to overcome the shortcomings of other input device technologies and background technologies, the present invention provides an affordable portable device that controls a computer system through tooth manipulation.

The purpose of this disclosure is to provide an oral mouse suitable for installation in the user's mouth and operated through teeth, thereby allowing the user to remotely operate the computer by selectively clicking on the oral mouse through his/her teeth.

A first aspect of the present disclosure provides a tooth-operated oral mouse, which includes: a mounting member that is matched with a row of upper teeth in the user's mouth; and a plurality of sensors, each sensor is respectively disposed on the at a location corresponding to a single tooth on the mounting piece, and is wirelessly connected to a computer to send and receive signals between the sensors and the computer; wherein each sensor in the plurality of sensors is capable of performing at least one tooth activation task , which is selected from the group consisting of Move Right, Move Left, Move Forward, Move Backward, and Enter.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, two sensors disposed at positions corresponding to the center tooth on the mounting member are disposed at positions corresponding to the upper and lower regions of the center tooth on the mounting member, respectively. Preferably, the sensor disposed at the upper region of the mounting member corresponding to the center tooth can perform two tooth activation tasks of "moving forward" and "entering"; and the sensor disposed at the lower region of the mounting member corresponding to the center tooth can perform two tooth activation tasks of "moving backward" and "entering".

The sensor set on the mounting piece corresponding to the tooth position on the left side of the central tooth can complete the two tooth activation tasks of "moving to the left" and "entering"; while the sensor set on the mounting piece corresponding to the tooth position on the right side of the central tooth can complete the tasks of "moving to the left" and "entering". Able to complete two teeth-activated tasks: "move to the right" and "enter".

According to other embodiments of the present invention, the tooth-controlled oral mouse includes four sensors, two of which are arranged at positions on the mounting member corresponding to two adjacent teeth in the center, and the other two sensors are arranged at positions on the mounting member corresponding to the left and right teeth of the two adjacent teeth in the center. In addition, each of the two sensors arranged at positions on the mounting member corresponding to two adjacent teeth in the center can perform two tooth activation tasks, respectively selected from the group consisting of "moving forward", "moving backward" and "entering", provided that when one sensor performs the "moving forward" task, the other sensor performs the "moving backward" task, and both sensors can perform the "entering" task. The sensor located on the left side of the mounting part corresponding to the two adjacent teeth in the center can complete the two tooth activation tasks of "moving to the left" and "entering", while the sensor located on the right side of the mounting part corresponding to the two adjacent teeth in the center can complete the two tooth activation tasks of "moving to the right" and "entering".

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, an alternative form of tooth-operated oral mouse is provided. In this alternative form, a tooth-operated oral mouse includes first, second and third mounting members, wherein the first mounting member is shaped to fit two adjacent upper teeth in the user's mouth, and the second and third mounting members are The third mounting part is respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the first mounting part and each conforms to the shape of an upper tooth in the user's mouth; and the first, second, third and fourth sensors are respectively arranged on the first , on the second and third mountings and wirelessly connected to the computer to send and receive signals between the sensor and the computer; Wherein, each of the first, second, third and fourth sensors can perform at least one tooth activation task, which is selected from the group consisting of "move to the right", "move to the left", "move forward", In the group consisting of "move back" and "enter".

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first sensor and the second sensor are disposed on the first mounting member, and each of the first sensor and the second sensor is capable of performing two tooth activation tasks, one selected from each direction. In the group consisting of "move forward", "move backward" and "enter"; the third sensor is set on the second mounting piece and can perform two tooth activation tasks of "move left" and "enter"; the fourth sensor is set On the third mounting piece, two tooth activation tasks of "moving to the right" and "entering" can be performed.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a method of operating a computer with the aid of any tooth-operated oral mouse described herein is provided. The method includes selectively clicking one of the sensors disposed on the mounting member by the lower teeth once or twice to instruct the single-clicked or double-clicked sensor to perform one of the tooth activation tasks associated therewith.

After reading the implementation method below, a person with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs should be able to easily understand the basic spirit and other invention purposes of the present invention, as well as the technical means and implementation methods adopted by the present invention.

100, 200: Teeth-controlled oral mouse

102, 202, 202a, 202b, 202c: Teeth

103, 203a, 203b, 203c: Mounting parts

105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 205a, 205b, 205c, 205d: sensor

In order to make the above and other objects, features, advantages and embodiments of the present invention more obvious and understandable, they are only used for illustration and therefore do not limit the content of the present disclosure. The description of the attached drawings is as follows: Figure 1A is based on the present invention. An environmental schematic diagram of an oral mouse controlled by teeth 100 is shown in one embodiment; Figure 1B is a schematic environmental diagram of another embodiment of the oral mouse 100 controlled by teeth according to Figure 1A; Figure 2A is a schematic diagram of an environment according to the present invention. The embodiment shows a schematic diagram of the environment of the tooth-controlled oral mouse 200; and Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of the environment of another embodiment of the tooth-controlled oral mouse 200 of Figure 2A.

In accordance with common practice, the various features and components in the figures are not drawn to scale but are drawn in a manner designed to best represent the specific features and components relevant to the present invention. In addition, the same or similar reference symbols are used to refer to similar elements/components in different drawings.

In order to make the description of the disclosure more detailed and complete, the following provides an illustrative description of the implementation and specific embodiments of the present invention; however, this is not the only form of implementing or using the specific embodiments of the present invention. The implementation covers the features of multiple specific embodiments and the method steps and their sequence for constructing and operating these specific embodiments. However, other specific embodiments can also be used to achieve the same or equal functions and step sequences.

1. Teeth-controlled oral mouse

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of the environment of a tooth-controlled oral mouse 100 mounted on a row of teeth 102 of a user for operating a computer. The tooth-controlled oral mouse 100 usually includes at least one mounting member 103, and multiple sensors 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d disposed at different positions of the mounting member 103, which are used to send and receive instructions to and from the computer. Usually, the operation form of the mounting member 103 is similar to a dental brace, and the shape is consistent with the shape of the user's row of teeth 102. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A, the mounting member 103 conforms to the shape of a row of nine upper teeth, but the number of teeth that the mounting member 103 can cover can be adjusted according to the needs of the user.

Since the oral mouse 100 of the present disclosure is designed for users who cannot move or speak, multiple sensors 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d (eg, transceivers) are provided in a manner that allows the user to easily and simply Operated through the teeth, selective clicks with the lower teeth activate specific sensors mounted on specific teeth. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1A, four sensors 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d are independently provided along the mounting member 103 at positions corresponding to a single tooth on the mounting member. Among the four sensors, two sensors 105a and 105b are respectively set at the front center tooth at the center of the mounting member 103; the other two sensors 105c and 105d are respectively set at the teeth on the left and right sides of the front center tooth, that is, , close to the left and right ends of the mounting member 103. It is noted that each sensor 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d is preferably pressure actuated and coupled with the necessary electronic circuitry so that it can be actuated by teeth and wirelessly coupled to a computer to perform the sensing operation. Send and receive signals between the device and computer. Non-limiting examples of sensors include single surface sensing devices, which include two-dimensional arrays of microsensors, such as pressure sensors and other types of individual sensing devices (eg, transceivers).

In order to operate a computer with the present tooth-controlled oral mouse 100, the user needs to click the selected sensor once or twice with his/her lower teeth to execute a task selected from the group consisting of "move right", "move left", "move forward", "move backward" and "enter". Except for the "enter" task, the remaining instructions are performed by the user's lower teeth clicking the selected sensor once, thereby allowing the instructions associated therewith (for example: "move right", "move left", "move forward" or "move backward") to be wirelessly transmitted to the corresponding receiver in the computer, so that the computer operates according to the transmitted instructions. As for the "enter" task, it is executed by the user's lower teeth clicking the selected sensor twice.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A , two sensors 105a and 105b are disposed on the mounting member 103 at positions corresponding to the center tooth, and are located in the upper and lower regions of the center tooth, respectively. Preferably, the sensor 105a disposed in the upper region corresponding to the center tooth can perform two tooth activation tasks, namely, "advance" and "entry", while the sensor 105b disposed in the lower region of the center tooth can perform two tooth activation tasks, namely, "move backward" and "entry". Furthermore, the sensor 105c disposed on the mounting member 103 at the tooth position corresponding to the left side of the center tooth can perform two tooth activation tasks of "moving to the left" and "entering"; while the sensor 105d disposed on the mounting member 103 at the tooth position corresponding to the right side of the center tooth can perform two tooth activation tasks of "moving to the right" and "entering".

Alternatively or optionally, the two sensors 105a, 105b can be arranged at two adjacent teeth in front of the center of the mounting member 103, rather than being arranged at the same teeth but different areas. As for the sensors 105c, 105d, they can be arranged at the tooth positions on the left and right sides of the two adjacent teeth in front of the mounting member 103. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1B, the mounting member 103 spans eight upper teeth. The sensors 105a, 105b are respectively arranged at the positions corresponding to the two adjacent teeth in the center of the mounting member 103, and the sensor 105a can perform the tasks of "moving forward" and "entering", and the sensor 105b is used to perform the tasks of "moving backward" and "entering". Sensors 105c and 105d are respectively arranged on the left and right tooth positions corresponding to the two adjacent teeth in front of the mounting member 103. Sensor 105c is used to perform the tasks of "moving to the left" and "entering", while sensor 105d is used to perform the tasks of "moving to the right" and "entering".

2. Alternatives to tooth-controlled oral mice

In the embodiment described in the first part of this article, the oral mouse 100 includes a mounting member 103 that spans a row of upper teeth, and four sensors that are respectively arranged at different positions of the mounting member 103. The oral mouse embodiment in this alternative differs from the embodiment in Part 1 in that, instead of having only one mounting member that spans a row of upper teeth, multiple mounting members are used.

First, refer to FIG. 2A, which is a schematic diagram of the environment of the tooth-controlled oral mouse 200 of this embodiment. The oral mouse 200 at least includes first, second and third mounting parts 203a, 203b, 203c independently mounted on teeth 202a, 202b, 202c; four sensors 205a, 205b, 205c, 205d are respectively arranged on the first, second and third mounting parts 203a, 203b, 203c. It should be noted that in this embodiment, each mounting member is mounted on a single tooth. Specifically, mounting member 203a is mounted on the front center tooth 202a, and mounting members 203b and 203c are mounted on the left and right side teeth 202b and 202c corresponding to the front center tooth 202a.

Further, similar to the arrangement of the sensors shown in Figure 1A, in this embodiment, two sensors 205a and 205b are respectively arranged in the upper and lower areas of the mounting member 203a, while the other two sensors 205c and 205d are arranged respectively. On the mountings 203b, 203c on the teeth 202b, 202c.

Now refer to Figure 2B, which depicts an alternative configuration of the mounting member 203a of the tooth-controlled oral mouse 200 of Figure 2A. It should be noted that in this embodiment, the mounting member 203a is not mounted on a single tooth, the size of the mounting member 203a is larger than the size of the mounting member 203a in Figure 2A, and spans the first two adjacent teeth 202a, 202b (not visible in Figure 2B), thereby allowing two sensors 205a, 205b to be set on the mounting member 203a at positions corresponding to two adjacent teeth; and sensors 205c, 205d are set in a manner similar to that described in Figure 2A.

Each of the sensors 205a, 205b, 205c, 205d of the embodiment depicted in Figure 2A or 2B may perform the same functions as the sensors 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d described in Part 1 of this document. Specifically, the sensor 205a can perform the tasks of "moving forward" and "entering" when activated by a click of the user's lower teeth; similarly, the sensor 205b can perform the tasks of "moving backward" and "entering". The sensor 205c The tasks of "moving to the left" and "entering" can be performed, and the sensor 205d is capable of performing the tasks of "moving to the right" and "entering". Additionally, with the exception of the "Enter" task, any of the above tasks are initiated by tapping the selected sensor once with the user's lower teeth to allow commands associated with it (e.g. "move right", "move left" , "Move forward" and "Move backward") are wirelessly transmitted to the corresponding receiver in the computer, allowing the computer to operate according to the transmitted instructions. As for the "enter" task, it is performed by clicking the selected sensor twice with the user's lower teeth.

Although the above embodiments disclose specific embodiments of the present invention, they are not intended to limit the present invention. Those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs can make various changes and modifications without violating the principles and spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be based on the scope defined in the attached patent application.

100: Teeth-controlled oral mouse

102:Teeth

103: Installation parts

105a, 105b, 105c, 105d: sensor

Claims (12)

A tooth-controlled oral mouse installed in the user's oral cavity for controlling a computer, including: a mounting member that is matched with a row of upper teeth in the user's oral cavity; and at least four pressure sensors, each pressure sensor They are respectively arranged on the mounting member at positions corresponding to a single tooth, and are wirelessly connected to the computer to send and receive signals between the pressure sensors and the computer; wherein, the pressure sensors perform "move to the right" respectively. The tooth activation tasks of "move left", "move forward" and "move backward", and each of the sensors can perform the tooth activation task of "enter", wherein the oral mouse does not have a palate contact part, and the oral cavity The mouse is not operated by the tongue. A tooth-controlled oral mouse as described in claim 1, wherein the tooth-controlled oral mouse includes four pressure sensors, two of which are arranged at positions corresponding to the center tooth on the mounting member or at positions corresponding to two adjacent center teeth on the mounting member, and the other two pressure sensors are arranged at positions corresponding to two teeth on the left and right sides of the center tooth on the mounting member. The tooth-operated oral mouse according to claim 2, wherein the two pressure sensors are respectively disposed on the mounting member at positions corresponding to the central teeth, and the other two pressure sensors are respectively disposed on the mounting member corresponding to the center teeth. at the upper and lower parts of the teeth. The tooth-controlled oral mouse as described in claim 3, wherein the pressure sensor disposed in the upper region of the mounting part corresponding to the center tooth can perform two tooth-activated tasks of "moving forward" and "entering", and the pressure sensor disposed in the lower region of the mounting part corresponding to the center tooth can perform two tooth-activated tasks of "moving backward" and "entering". The tooth-controlled oral mouse as described in claim 2, wherein two pressure sensors disposed at the positions of two adjacent teeth corresponding to the center on the mounting part can respectively perform two tooth activation tasks, which are selected from the group consisting of "moving forward", "moving backward" and "entering"; provided that when one of the pressure sensors performs the "moving forward" task, the other pressure sensor will perform the "moving backward" task, and both pressure sensors can perform the "entering" task. The tooth-controlled oral mouse as described in claim 5, wherein the pressure sensor provided on the mounting member at the tooth position corresponding to the left side of the central tooth can perform two tooth activation tasks of "moving to the left" and "entering"; and The pressure sensor provided on the mounting piece at the tooth position corresponding to the right side of the central tooth can complete the tasks of "moving to the right" and "entering" the teeth. A method of controlling a computer by using a tooth-operated oral mouse as described in any one of claims 3 to 6, including: the following teeth selectively click on one of a plurality of pressure sensors provided on the mounting member The pressure sensor is clicked once or twice to instruct the clicked or double-clicked pressure sensor to perform one of the tooth activation tasks associated with it. A method as described in claim 7, wherein the method includes clicking a pressure sensor on the mounting member corresponding to an upper area of the center tooth once to perform a "move forward" tooth activation task or twice to perform a "go in" tooth activation task. A method as described in claim 7, wherein the method includes clicking a pressure sensor on the mounting member corresponding to the lower area of the center tooth once to perform a "move back" tooth activation task or twice to perform an "enter" tooth activation task. A method as described in claim 7, wherein the method includes clicking a pressure sensor at a tooth position on the mounting member corresponding to the left side of the center tooth once to perform a "move left" tooth activation task or twice to perform a "enter" tooth activation task. A method as described in claim 7, wherein the method includes clicking a pressure sensor at a tooth position on the mounting member corresponding to the right side of the center tooth once to perform a "move right" tooth activation task or twice to perform a "enter" tooth activation task. The method of claim 7, wherein the method includes clicking one of the two pressure sensors at the position of the mounting member corresponding to the two central adjacent teeth to perform two tooth activation tasks, respectively. From the group consisting of "move forward", "move backward" and "enter", the premise is that when one pressure sensor performs the task of "move forward", the other pressure sensor will perform the task of "move backward", and both Each pressure sensor can perform the "entry" task.

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