Electronic device input control system and method

• US 20080266328A1
• Filed: 04/30/2007
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fong, Chee Keat
• Granted Patent: US 8,390,649 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/684
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• 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: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042

Abstract

An electronic device comprises an input translation module configured to translate relative motion of the electronic device into input to an application executing on the electronic device, the application causing image content to be displayed on a display screen of the electronic device, and an input control interface configured to indicate at least one component of the relative motion relative to a reference point.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

an input translation module configured to translate relative motion of the electronic device into input to an application executing on the electronic device, the application causing image content to be displayed on a display screen of the electronic device; and

an input control interface configured to indicate at least one component of the relative motion relative to a reference point.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one component comprises a directional component.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one component comprises an acceleration component.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the input control interface is configured to display the at least one component on a display screen of the electronic device.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one component is configured to control a scrolling/panning speed associated with image content displayed on a display screen of the electronic device.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the input control interface is configured to enable a user to control the at least one component based on an amount of relative motion introduced by the user.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the relative motion is detected based on a plurality of image frames captured by a camera of the electronic device.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the input translation module is configured to cease image frame acquisition by the camera in response to detecting decreased activity associated with the application.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the input control interface is configured to display a control vector for indicating the at least one component.

10. An electronic device, comprising:

a display screen for displaying image content thereon; and

an input control interface displayable on the display screen, the input control interface configured to indicate a variable length vector indicating at least one component of an input to an application executing on the electronic device.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the input is based on an amount of relative motion of the electronic device.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the at least one component comprises a directional component.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the at least one component comprises an acceleration component.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein the at least one component is configured to control a scrolling/panning speed associated with image content displayed on the display screen.

15. The device of claim 10, wherein the input control interface is configured to enable a user to control the at least one component based on an amount of relative motion introduced by the user.

16. An input control method for an electronic device, comprising:

detecting relative motion of the electronic device;

translating the relative motion into input to an application executing on the electronic device, the application causing image content to be displayed on a display screen of the electronic device; and

generating an input control interface indicating at least one component of the input based on an amount of relative motion of the electronic device relative to a reference point.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein indicting the at least one component comprises indicating a directional component of the input.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein indicting the at least one component comprises indicating an acceleration component of the input.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising controlling a scrolling/panning speed associated with image content displayed on a display screen of the electronic device based on the at least one component.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising enabling a user to control the at least one component based on an amount of relative motion introduced by the user.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising displaying a control vector for indicating the at least one component.

22. An input control method for an electronic device, comprising:

vectorally displaying at least one component of an input to an application executing on the electronic device, the input based on relative motion of the electronic device.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising enabling a user to control the at least one component based on an amount of relative motion introduced by the user.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising vectorally displaying a directional component of the input.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising vectorally displaying an acceleration component of the input

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising controlling a scrolling/panning speed associated with image content displayed on a display screen of the electronic device based on the at least one component.