Portable device with action shortcut function

• US 20050234676A1
• Filed: 03/30/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Innovations Ltd Hong Kong (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Shibayama, Hiroaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,299,149 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/141
• 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 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion

Abstract

A portable information device has an action recognizing function. An action detector precisely detects a single 3-dimensional movement of the device. A plurality of reference action patterns each linked to predetermined functions are registered in an action shortcut table. An action comparator compares the input action with the registered reference action patterns to activate a corresponding function.

Claims

1. A portable device having an action recognizing function, comprising:

an action detector for detecting a single 3-dimensional movement of the portable device;

a memory for storing a plurality of reference action patterns each representing a plurality of predetermined single 3-dimensional movements of the portable device; and

an action recognizer for recognizing an input single 3-dimensional movement of the portable device as one of the plurality of reference action patterns.

2. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the portable device has a plurality of predetermined functions, each of which is linked to a different one of the plurality of reference action patterns,

the portable device further comprising a shortcut activator for activating a predetermined function linked to a reference action pattern that substantially matches the input single 3-dimensional movement of the portable device.

3. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the action recognizer comprises:

a reference action pattern manager for managing the plurality of reference action patterns stored in the memory such that the plurality of reference action patterns are registered, maintained or updated based on an input single 3-dimensional movement of the portable device; and

an action comparator for comparing the input single 3-dimensional movement of the portable device with the plurality of reference action patterns to determine a reference action pattern that substantially matches the input single 3-dimensional movement of the portable device.

4. The portable device according to claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of reference action patterns stored in the memory comprises a plurality of sets of sampled data, each of which contains an angle acceleration vector, a roll angle, a pitch angle, and a bearing of the portable device.

5. The portable device according to claim 4, wherein each of the sets of sampled data includes error parameters representing individual characteristics of actions.

6. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the action detector detects a single 3-dimensional movement of the portable device with respect to an absolute compass bearing.

7. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the action detector detects a single 3-dimensional movement of the portable device without an absolute compass bearing.

8. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the action detector comprises:

a tilt detector for detecting a tilt of the portable device;

an acceleration detector for detecting an acceleration working on the portable device;

a magnetic compass detector for detecting a magnetic force working on the portable device; and

a state calculator for calculating the single 3-dimensional movement of the portable device based on the tilt, the acceleration and the magnetic force.

9. The portable device according to claim 8, wherein the state calculator calculates a reference direction from the tilt, the acceleration and the magnetic force to determine the single 3-dimensional movement of the portable device at predetermined sampling intervals.

10. The portable device according to claim 9, wherein each sampled data contains an angle acceleration vector, a roll angle, a pitch angle, and a magnetic bearing of the portable device.

11. The portable device according to claim 10, wherein each of the angle acceleration vector, the roll angle, the pitch angle and the magnetic bearing is attached with an error parameter representing individual characteristics of action.

12. An action shortcut method in a portable device having a plurality of predetermined functions, comprising:

storing a plurality of reference action patterns in a memory, wherein the reference action patterns each represent a plurality of predetermined single 3-dimensional movements of the portable device;

detecting a single 3-dimensional movement of the portable device; and

recognizing an input single 3-dimensional movement of the portable device as one of the plurality of reference action patterns to determine which predetermined function is activated.

13. The action shortcut method according to claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of predetermined functions is linked to a different one of the plurality of reference action patterns, the method further comprising:

activating a predetermined function linked to a reference action pattern that substantially matches the input single 3-dimensional movement of the portable device.

14. The action shortcut method according to claim 12, wherein the recognizing step comprises:

managing the plurality of reference action patterns stored in the memory such that the plurality of reference action patterns are registered, maintained or updated based on an input single 3-dimensional movement of the portable device; and

comparing the input single 3-dimensional movement of the portable device with the plurality of reference action patterns to determine a reference action pattern that substantially matches the input single 3-dimensional movement of the portable device.

15. The action shortcut method according to claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of reference action patterns stored in the memory comprises a plurality of sets of sampled data, each of which contains an angle acceleration vector, a roll angle, a pitch angle, and a bearing of the portable device.

16. The action shortcut method according to claim 15, wherein each of the sets of sampled data includes error parameters representing individual characteristics of actions.

17. A portable device having an action recognizing function, comprising:

action detecting means for detecting a single 3-dimensional movement of the portable device;

memory means for storing a plurality of reference action patterns each representing a plurality of predetermined single 3-dimensional movements of the portable device; and

action recognizing means for recognizing an input single 3-dimensional movement of the portable device as one of the plurality of reference action patterns.

18. A program product comprising a computer-readable program for instructing a computer to perform an action shortcut in a portable device having a plurality of predetermined functions, the computer-readable program comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of reference action patterns in a memory, wherein the reference action patterns each represent a plurality of predetermined single 3-dimensional movements of the portable device;

detecting a single 3-dimensional movement of the portable device; and

recognizing an input single 3-dimensional movement of the portable device as one of the plurality of reference action patterns to determine which predetermined function is activated.