Sensing apparatus

• US 10,193,549 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2015
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Gong, Nan-Wei, Rick, Tobias, Yoganandan, Arun Rakesh, Holtzman, Henry, Chung, Jae Woo, Akiyoshi, Kumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Faragalla, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shah, Sujit
• Application Number:
  US14/983,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20170187377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• 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 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/955 using a capacitive detector
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96015 Constructional details for touch switches for capacitive touch switches see H03K2217/9607
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/028 Bending or folding regions of flexible printed circuits H05K1/0283 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/189 characterised by the use of a flexible or folded printed circuit H05K3/326 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/053 Tails
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10151 Sensor

Abstract

In one aspect, a modular sensing apparatus will be described. The modular sensing apparatus includes a flexible substrate and multiple sensors. The flexible substrate is reconfigurable into different shapes that conform to differently shaped structures. The multiple sensors are positioned on the substrate. Various embodiments relate to software, devices and/or systems that involve or communicate with the modular sensing apparatus.

Claims

1. A modular sensing apparatus comprising:

a flexible substrate configurable into different shapes that conform to differently-shaped three-dimensional structures, wherein the flexible substrate is arranged to fold to cover a plurality of surfaces that form a corner of a device; and

a plurality of sensors positioned on the flexible substrate with the plurality of sensors arranged on the flexible substrate to detect touchless motion-based commands in a region that overlies said sensors when the flexible substrate is positioned on at least two of said differently-shaped three-dimensional structures.

2. The modular sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexible substrate is further arranged to form a substantially flat, coplanar structure, and wherein the plurality of sensors are further arranged to detect the touchless motion-based commands over at least two different surfaces of the plurality of surfaces.

3. The modular sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the modular sensing apparatus is reconfigurable into one of a curved shape, or a cylindrical shape.

4. The modular sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensors are capacitive sensors.

5. The modular sensing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexible substrate includes a plurality of plates that are coupled to one another.

6. The modular sensing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the plurality of plates are coupled by one or more connecting mechanisms.

7. The modular sensing apparatus of claim 6, wherein at least one of the plurality of sensors is disposed on each one of the plurality of plates.

8. The modular sensing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the one or more connecting mechanisms includes one of:

a hinge, a seam, a folding line, or a cutting line.

9. The modular sensing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the modular sensing apparatus is arranged to be reconfigured into at least a first or a second configuration;

in the first configuration, the plurality of plates and the flexible substrate help form a substantially coplanar surface; and

in the second configuration, the modular sensing apparatus is arranged to conform to a corner of a device.

10. The modular sensing apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

a control system that is arranged to;

detect whether the apparatus is in the first configuration or the second configuration;

select an operation from a plurality of possible operations based at least in part on the detected configuration; and

perform the selected operation.

11. The modular sensing apparatus of claim 9, wherein:

when the control system detects that the modular sensing apparatus is in the first configuration, the modular sensing apparatus is arranged to function as one of a mouse, remote control, or a trackpad used to control a device; and

when the control system detects that the modular sensing apparatus is in the second configuration, the modular sensing apparatus is arranged to detect motion over the corner and transmit, to a device data indicating the motion.

12. The modular sensing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a network interface that is arranged to receive signals from one or more other modular sensing apparatuses; and

a control system that is arranged to determine, based on the received signals, a location of the modular sensing apparatus.

13. The modular sensing apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the modular sensing apparatus is arranged to form a top surface, a front surface, a back surface and a side surface to cover a corner of a device, the top surface being arranged substantially perpendicular to the front, back and side surfaces wherein the front and back surfaces are arranged substantially parallel to one another; and

each one of the front, side, top and back surfaces comprises at least one of the sensors.

14. A system, comprising:

a modular sensing apparatus including;

a flexible substrate configurable into different shapes that conform to differently-shaped three-dimensional structures, wherein the flexible substrate is arranged to fold to cover a plurality of surfaces that form a corner of a device, and

a plurality of sensors positioned on the flexible substrate with the plurality of sensors arranged on the flexible substrate to detect touchless motion-based commands in a region that overlies said sensors when the flexible substrate is positioned on at least two of said differently-shaped three-dimensional structures, wherein the modular sensing apparatus is a first modular sensing apparatus that is positioned on the device; and

a second modular sensing apparatus disposed on the device, wherein the first and second modular sensing apparatuses are coupled to one another through a network.

15. A device comprising:

at least two adjacent surfaces that help form a corner of the device;

at least one processor;

memory circuitry including a non-transitory computer readable storage medium that is arranged to store instructions wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the device to;

obtain sensor data from a plurality of sensors wherein at least one of the sensors is positioned over each of the adjacent surfaces that form the corner of the device, wherein the plurality of sensors are positioned on a flexible substrate of a modular sensing apparatus that is configurable into different shapes and that folds in order to conform to the at least two adjacent surfaces;

based on the sensor data, determine a touchless motion that extends over the at least two adjacent surfaces including at least two surfaces of a front surface, a rear surface or a side surface; and

based on the determined motion, perform an operation.

16. The device of claim 15, further comprising:

a display screen wherein one of the adjacent surfaces that helps form the corner of the device is a bezel of a display screen.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further causes the device to:

receive a wireless signal from one or more of the plurality of sensors disposed on the at least two adjacent surfaces; and

determine a location based on the wireless signal.

18. A method for operating a modular sensing apparatus, the method comprising:

obtaining sensor data from a plurality of sensors positioned over a plurality of adjacent surfaces of a device, wherein a modular sensing apparatus having a flexible substrate that is configurable into different shapes and that folds in order to conform to at least two of the adjacent surfaces of the device, and wherein the plurality of sensors are positioned on the flexible substrate of the modular sensing apparatus;

based on the sensor data received from the plurality of sensors, determining a continuous touchless motion that extends over the plurality of adjacent surfaces including at least two surfaces of a front surface, a rear surface or a side surface; and

transmitting data to the device that causes the device to perform an operation that is based at least in part on the motion.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein:

the device includes a display panel and a display screen that is displaying media content; and

the transmitted data causes the device to adjust the displayed media content.