Portable Digital Media Device With a Force Sensor

• US 20080319561A1
• Filed: 10/06/2006
• Published: 12/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Creative Technology Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Creative Technology Ltd.
• Inventors: Sim, Wong Hoo, Lim, Hong Chiang
• Granted Patent: US 8,489,213 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/17 Counting, e.g. counting periodical movements, revolutions or cycles, or including further data processing to determine distances or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/34 Angular speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/51 Force
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0686 Timers, rhythm indicators or pacing apparatus using electric or electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• 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 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors

Abstract

There is provided a portable digital media device, including: a storage device; a force sensor coupled to the storage device; a display; and a controller coupled to both the storage device and the display, wherein the display shows information. The device may also be used as a cursor control and input device when connected to a computer. Other applications of the device are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A portable digital media device, including:

a storage device;

a display;

a controller coupled to both the storage device and the display; and

a force sensor coupled to the controller;

wherein the display shows information.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the storage device is selected from the group consisting of:

flash memory and hard disk drive.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the force sensor is incorporated in the storage device.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the force sensor is connected externally to the storage device.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the force sensor is able to detect acceleration in one or more axes selected from the group consisting of:

x, y and z.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display shows information that relates to at least one of movement of the digital device, movement of the storage device, impact on the digital device, and impact on the storage device.

5. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

10. A method for protecting data stored in a storage device of a portable digital media device caused by an impact force, the method comprising:

continuously logging data obtained by a force sensor in the device; and

a controller in the device cutting power to the storage device at an instance when a decreasing acceleration in at least one of axes x, y and z is recorded over a duration of time,

wherein the times, and incidence of the cutting of power to the storage device are stored in the digital device.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein data from the force sensor is logged over a predetermined period and data from an earlier predetermined period is overwritten by data from a present period.

11. (canceled)

13. A method to count a number of steps a moving user takes using a portable digital media device, including:

continuously logging data obtained by a force sensor in the device;

triggering a step-counting mode in the device;

a controller in the device monitoring for a pre-determined time where spikes are regularly detected in an axis selected from the group comprising;

x, y, and z;

the controller tagging that axis as the designated axis; and

increasing a step count by one whenever a spike in the designated axis is obtained from the force sensor.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13, further including the controller in the portable digital media device selecting a song from a storage device in the media device with a beat frequency that matches the detected spike frequency for the user.

16. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the moving user may be engaged in an activity selected from the group comprising:

walking, jogging and running.

17. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the step-counting mode is triggered by invoking a control on the media device.

19. The method as recited in claim 13 further comprising

determining a near-instantaneous speed of a moving user by inputting a distance covered by a step to the controller;

and the controller calculating the near-instantaneous speed of the user.

14. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

20. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

22. (canceled)

23. (canceled)

24. A portable digital media device, including:

a storage device;

a display;

a controller coupled to both the storage device and the display; and

a force sensor coupled to the controller;

wherein the portable digital media device is a cursor control and input device when connected to a computer.

25. The portable digital media device as claimed in claim 24, wherein the connection to the computer is selected from a group comprising:

via a wire and wirelessly.

26. The portable digital media device as claimed in claim 25, wherein the wirelessly protocol used is selected from the group comprising:

Bluetooth, UWB, RF and IR.

27. The portable digital media device as claimed in claim 25, wherein the connection via a wire to the computer is for at least one of the charging of a power source of the portable digital media device and downloading content into the portable digital media device.

29. The portable digital media device as claimed in claim 24, wherein a cursor on a display of the computer moves at a rate corresponding with the accelerations detected by the force sensor.

30. The portable digital media device as claimed in claim 24, wherein controls on the media device is used to select options on a display of the computer.

31. The portable digital media device as claimed in claim 24, wherein the cursor control is based on a coordinate system.

28. (canceled)

32. (canceled)

33. (canceled)

34. (canceled)