Mobile device with wide-angle optics and a radiation sensor

• US 20050208978A1
• Filed: 03/04/2005
• Published: 09/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Myorigo LLC
• Inventors: Pylkko, Heikki
• Granted Patent: US 7,567,818 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2747 Scrolling on a display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264

Abstract

The invention comprises a mobile device controlled by moving it, for example, by tilting. The mobile device is equipped with wide-angle optics and with a radiation sensor detecting either visible light or infrared radiation. The wide-angle optics may be directed towards the user, whereupon the radiation sensor receives useful images through the wide-angle optics. The images include contrast or thermal differences which it make possible to determine in which way the user has moved the mobile device. In more detail, a tilt angle or a corresponding change can be calculated and then, on the basis of the change, the content shown on a display of the mobile device is altered. The content is, for example, a menu or a web page.

Claims

1. A mobile device equipped with at least a memory, a processor, and a display for showing content,

characterized in that the mobile device includes wide-angle optics and a radiation sensor for detecting positions of the mobile device, the mobile device (601) being adapted to:

receive at least two images through the wide-angle lens (501) and the navigation chip (502) to be stored as sets of luminosity values in the memory (604), wherein a first image indicates a first position of the mobile device at a first point in time and a second image indicates a second position of the mobile device at a second point in time,

determine a change between said first position and said second position of the mobile device by applying a motion detection method to the first image and the second image, and

alter the content shown on the display in accordance with said change.

2. The mobile device as in claim 1, characterized in that the mobile device is further adapted to:

determine another change between the first position and second position of the mobile device by applying the motion detection method and

alter the content shown on the display in accordance with the other change.

3. The mobile device as in claim 1, characterized in that when said change between the first position and the second position meets a first predefined criterion of a certain point in time and when said other change between the first position and the second position meets a second predefined criterion within a predetermined time period starting from the certain point in time, the mobile device is further adapted to:

perform a predetermined operation on the display of the mobile device.

4. The mobile device as in claim 3, characterized in that in the predefined operation is one of the following operations:

to zoom in the content shown on the display, to zoom out the content shown on the display.

5. The mobile device as in claim 3, characterized in that the predefined operation to be performed on the display is one of the following operations:

to move a cursor, to close a menu, to open a menu, to select a menu option.

6. The mobile device as in claim 1, characterized in that the motion detection method comprises the steps of superimposing the first image and the second image, calculating a best-fit offset between the first image and the second image, and calculating said change on the basis of the best-fit offset.

7. The mobile device as in claim 1, characterized in that the mobile device is one of the following devices:

a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a digital camera, a music player, a game device.