MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS TERMINAL HAVING KEY INPUT ERROR PREVENTION FUNCTION AND METHOD THEREOF

• US 20070287494A1
• Filed: 03/26/2007
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: You, Hyaung-Sic, Lee, Jin-Won
• Granted Patent: US 7,535,459 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/23 Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof by improving visibility H04M1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A mobile communications terminal and a method for preventing an input error of a key input unit are provided. The mobile communications terminal includes a touch sensor unit for sensing a key that is input by touching a keypad region in order to output a key input signal corresponding to the key and a controller adapted to determine a key input according to either a priority between multiple keys from which key signals are received or whether a received key signal was generated inadvertently.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a key input in a mobile communication terminal comprising a plurality of touch keys, the method comprising:

detecting an input signal corresponding to two or more of the plurality of touch keys; and

determining one of the two or more touch keys as the key input according to a priority of the two or more touch keys.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining one of the two or more touch keys as the key input comprises:

determining a pre-assigned priority of each of the two or more touch keys; and

determining the touch key of the two or more touch keys that has the highest priority as the key input.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the pre-assigned priority of each of the two or more touch keys is derived from statistical analysis.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the pre-assigned priority of each of the two or more touch keys is determined according to a position of the plurality of touch keys on a keypad of the mobile communication terminal.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of touch keys are arranged on the keypad in at least two rows and the priority of each of plurality of touch keys is pre-assigned such that a first touch key in an uppermost row has higher priority than a second touch key in a lower row if the first and second touch keys are located in different rows.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of touch keys are arranged on the keypad in at least two columns and the priority of each of the plurality of touch keys is pre-assigned such that a directional navigation touch key has higher priority than a non-directional navigation touch key if the directional navigation touch key and non-directional navigation touch key are located in the same row.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining one of the two or more touch keys as the key input comprises:

measuring a time for the input signal corresponding to each of the two or more touch keys to reach a reference level; and

determining the touch key of the two or more touch keys having the shortest measured time as the key input.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining one of the two or more touch keys as the key input further comprises:

determining that the level of the input signal corresponding to at least one of the two or more touch keys varies within a predetermined range; and

measuring the time for the average level of the input signal corresponding to the at least one of the two or more touch keys to reach the reference level.

9. A method for detecting a key input in a mobile communication terminal comprising a plurality of touch keys, the method comprising:

determining that a task is currently being performed;

identifying at least a first of the plurality of touch keys that is not related to the task currently being performed and at least a second of the plurality of touch keys that is related to the task currently being performed;

adjusting a sensitivity level associated with the identified first touch key to be lower than a sensitivity level associated with the second touch key;

detecting an input signal corresponding to one of the plurality of touch keys; and

determining whether the touch key corresponding to the detected input signal is a key input according to a sensitivity level associated with the touch key.

10. The method according to claim 9g wherein determining whether the touch key corresponding to the detected input signal is a key input comprises:

measuring a period of time that the input signal is continuously maintained above a threshold level corresponding to the touch key; and

determining the touch key corresponding to the detected input signal as a key input only if the measured period of time exceeds a period of time corresponding to the sensitivity level associated with the touch key.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein adjusting the sensitivity level associated with the identified first touch key comprises adjusting a time threshold corresponding to the identified first touch key such that the time threshold is greater than a time threshold corresponding to the identified second touch key.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein adjusting the sensitivity level associated with the identified first touch key comprises adjusting a level threshold corresponding to the identified first touch key such that the level threshold is greater than a level threshold corresponding to the identified second touch key.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein measuring the period of time the input signal is continuously maintained above the threshold level comprises:

determining that the level of the input signal varies within a predetermined range; and

measuring a period of time that the average input signal level is continuously maintained above the threshold level.

14. A method for detecting a key input in a mobile communication terminal comprising a plurality of touch keys, the method comprising:

detecting an input signal corresponding to one of the plurality of touch keys;

measuring a time for the detected input signal to reach a threshold level;

calculating a gradient for the detected input signal using the measured time; and

determining the touch key corresponding to the detected input signal as a key input only if the calculated gradient is greater than a predetermined gradient.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein calculating the gradient comprises dividing the reference level by the measured time.

16. A mobile communications terminal, comprising:

a key pad having a plurality of touch keys located thereon; and

a controller adapted to detect an input signal corresponding to two or more of the plurality of touch keys and determine one of the two or more touch keys as a key input according to a priority of the two or more touch keys.

17. The mobile communication terminal of claim 16, wherein the plurality of touch keys are arranged on the keypad in at least two rows.

18. The mobile communication terminal of claim 17, wherein a priority of each of the plurality of touch keys is determined according to a location of each of the plurality of touch keys on the keypad.

19. The mobile communication terminal of claim 18, wherein the determined priority is derived from statistical analysis.

20. The mobile communication terminal of claim 18, further comprising a memory adapted to store the determined priority of each of the plurality of touch keys.

21. The mobile communication terminal of claim 17, wherein the controller is further adapted to:

determine a pre-assigned priority of each of the two or more touch keys; and

determine the touch key of the two or more that has the highest priority as the key input.

22. The mobile communication terminal of claim 21, wherein the pre-assigned priority of each of the two or more touch keys is derived from statistical analysis.

24. The mobile communication terminal of claim 21, wherein the plurality of touch keys are arranged on the keypad in at least two rows and the priority of each of plurality of touch keys is pre-assigned such that a first touch key in an uppermost row has higher priority than a second touch key in a lower row if the first and second touch keys are located in different rows.

25. The mobile communication terminal of claim 24, wherein the plurality of touch keys are arranged on the keypad in at least two columns and the priority of each of the plurality of touch keys is pre-assigned such that a directional navigation touch key has higher priority than a non-directional navigation touch key if the directional navigation touch key and non-directional navigation touch key are located in the same row.

26. The mobile communication terminal of claim 16, wherein the controller is further adapted to:

measure a time for the input signal corresponding to each of the two or more touch keys to reach a reference level; and

determine the touch key of the two or more touch keys having the shortest measured time to reach the reference level as the key input.

27. The mobile communication terminal of claim 26, wherein the controller is further adapted to:

determine that the level of the input signal corresponding to at least one of the two or more touch keys varies within a predetermined range; and

measure the time for the average level of the input signal corresponding to the at least one of the two or more touch keys to reach the reference level.

28. The mobile communication terminal of claim 16, wherein the controller is further adapted to:

determine that a task is currently being performed;

identify at least a first of the plurality of touch keys that is not related to the task currently being performed and at least a second of the plurality of touch keys that is related to the task currently being performed;

adjust a sensitivity level associated with the identified first touch key to be lower than a sensitivity level associated with the second touch key;

detect an input signal corresponding to one of the plurality of touch keys;

determine whether the touch key corresponding to the detected input signal is a key input according to a sensitivity level associated with the touch key.

29. The mobile communication terminal of claim 28, wherein the controller is further adapted to:

measure a period of time that the input signal is continuously maintained above a threshold level corresponding to the touch key; and

determine the touch key corresponding to the detected input signal as a key input only if the measured period of time exceeds a period of time corresponding to the sensitivity level associated with the touch key.

30. The mobile communication terminal of claim 29, wherein the controller is further adapted to:

adjust a time threshold corresponding to the identified first touch key such that the time threshold is greater than a time threshold corresponding to the identified second touch key

31. The mobile communication terminal of claim 29, wherein the controller is further adapted to:

adjust a level threshold corresponding to the identified first touch key such that the level threshold is greater than a level threshold corresponding to the identified second touch key.

32. The mobile communication terminal of claim 29, wherein the controller is further adapted to:

determine that the level of the input signal varies within a predetermined range; and

measure a period of time that the average input signal level is continuously maintained above the threshold level.

33. The mobile communication terminal of claim 16, wherein the controller is further adapted to:

detect an input signal corresponding to one of the plurality of touch keys;

measure a time for the detected input signal to reach a threshold level;

calculate a gradient for the detected input signal using the measured time; and

determine the touch key corresponding to the detected input signal as a key input only if the calculated gradient is greater than a predetermined gradient.

34. The mobile communication terminal of claim 16, wherein the controller is further adapted to calculate the gradient by dividing the reference level by the measured time.

23. The mobile communication terminal of claim 211 wherein the pre-assigned priority of each of the two or more touch keys is determined according to a position of the plurality of touch keys on the keypad.