METHOD AND DEVICE FOR SENSING ROTATION OF WHEEL IN PORTABLE TERMINAL

• US 20080122809A1
• Filed: 06/28/2007
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Hak Hyeon
• Granted Patent: US 9,110,520 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/184
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/2451 Incremental encoders G01D5/2454 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

A method of sensing the rotation of a wheel in a portable terminal is provided. The method includes producing at least one interrupt through any one of a plurality of sensors provided in the wheel according to the rotation of the wheel, confirming an interrupt value of the produced interrupt, and a status value of a sensor which did not produce the interrupt among the plurality of sensors, and determining that the wheel is rotated in a direction corresponding to the interrupt value and the status value.

Claims

1. A method of sensing a rotation of a wheel in a portable terminal, the method comprising:

producing at least one interrupt through any one of a plurality of sensors provided in the wheel according to the rotation of the wheel;

confirming an interrupt value of the produced interrupt and a status value of a sensor which does not produce the interrupt among the plurality of sensors; and

determining that the wheel is rotated in a direction corresponding to the interrupt value and the status value.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising counting a number of interrupts produced according to the rotation of the wheel.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising determining that the wheel is rotated by an angle corresponding to the number of produced interrupts.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising determining that the wheel is rotated by an angle corresponding to the number of produced interrupts.

5. A device for sensing a rotation of a wheel in a portable terminal, the device comprising:

a plurality of sensors, wherein each sensor produces at least one of an interrupt value and a status value according to the rotation of the wheel;

a memory unit for storing at least one mapping table which correlates the interrupt values and the status values of the sensors to the rotation of the wheel; and

a control unit for confirming an interrupt value of the produced interrupt and a status value of a sensor which does not produce the interrupt among the plurality of sensors, and for determining that the wheel is rotated in a direction corresponding to the interrupt value and the status value with reference to the at least one mapping table.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the control unit controls in such a manner that the number of interrupts produced according to the rotation of the wheel is counted.

7. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the control unit determines that the wheel is rotated by an angle corresponding to the number of produced interrupts.

8. A device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the control unit determines that the wheel is rotated by an angle corresponding to the number of produced interrupts.

9. A portable terminal comprises:

a wireless transmitting/receiving unit;

an audio processing unit;

a wheel;

a memory unit for storing at least one mapping table which correlates interrupt values and status values of a plurality of sensors according to rotation of the wheel;

a control unit for confirming an interrupt value of the produced interrupt and a status value of a sensor which does not produce the interrupt among the plurality of sensors, and for determining that the wheel is rotated in a direction corresponding to the interrupt value and the status value with reference to the at least one mapping table; and

a display unit for outputting various pieces of display information generated by the portable terminal.