Wearable electronic device using a touch input and a hovering input and controlling method thereof

• US 10,114,501 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2016
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yoon, Kang-jin, Kim, Sung-chan, Kim, Yang-wook, Koh, Jun-ho, Moon, Bo-seok
• Primary Examiner(s): Landis, Lisa
• Application Number:
  US15/222,303
• Publication Number:
  US 20170269765A1
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/08 Touch switches specially adapted for time-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A method of an electronic device including a touch panel for determining a control command is provided. The method includes the operations of receiving at least one touch input, receiving a hovering input, determining the control command corresponding to a combination of the at least one touch input and the received hovering input, and controlling the electronic device according to the determined control command.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a wearable electronic device including a touch panel, the method comprising:

receiving, at the wearable electronic device, at least one first touch input via a front portion of the touch panel;

receiving, at the wearable electronic device, at least one second touch input via an edge portion of the touch panel;

receiving, at the wearable electronic device, a hovering input touching a body part of a user around the wearable electronic device;

determining a control command corresponding to a combination of the at least one first touch input, the at least one second touch input, and the hovering input received at the wearable electronic device; and

controlling the wearable electronic device according to the determined control command.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the receiving of the hovering input comprises receiving the hovering input via at least one of a sensor, a camera, or a touch panel located on one side of the wearable electronic device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one first touch input and the hovering input are generated from different regions provided in and around the wearable electronic device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the hovering input comprises receiving a hovering input of a consecutive gesture type.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining of the control command comprises determining a control command corresponding to a gesture of the hovering input.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a first control command corresponding to the at least one first touch input and the at least one second touch input, based on the at least one first touch input and the at least one second touch input; and

changing the first control command to a second control command in response to the hovering input.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program, which, when executed by a computer, performs the method of claim 1.

7. A wearable electronic device for determining a control command, the wearable electronic device comprising:

a touch panel configured to receive a first touch input via a front portion of the touch panel and a second touch input via an edge portion of the touch panel; and

a processor configured to;

receive a hovering input touching a body part of a user around the wearable electronic device, and

determine a control command corresponding to a combination of the at least one first touch input, the at least one second touch input, and the hovering input.

8. The wearable electronic device of claim 7, further comprising at least one of a sensor, a camera, and a touch panel located on one side of the wearable electronic device,

wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive the hovering input via at least one of the sensor, the camera, and the touch panel located on the one side of the wearable electronic device.

9. The wearable electronic device of claim 7, wherein the at least one touch input via the front portion of the touch panel and the hovering input are generated from different regions provided in and around the wearable electronic device.

10. The wearable electronic device of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a hovering input of a consecutive gesture type.

11. The wearable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a control command corresponding to a gesture of the hovering input.

12. The wearable electronic device of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a first control command corresponding to the at least one first touch input and the at least one second touch input, and

change the first control command to a second control command in response to the hovering input.