APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING FEEDBACK FOR THREE-DIMENSIONAL TOUCHSCREEN

• US 20090058829A1
• Filed: 08/29/2008
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jung, Deok Hwa, KIM, Young Hwan
• Granted Patent: US 8,432,365 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for providing various feedbacks for a proximity based systems or a 3D touchscreen. According to the embodiments, a field (or a recognition region) above a 3D touchscreen may be divided into a predetermined number of levels of sub fields and a configuration of a feedback provider or a feedback changed according to the change of the level in which an object such as a finger may be changed.

Claims

1. A method for providing feedback for a three-dimensional touchscreen, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting an object in a recognition region of the three-dimensional touchscreen;

calculating a distance between the object and the three-dimensional touchscreen; and

providing a feedback according to the calculated distance.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the feedback includes at least one of sound, vibration and visual feedback.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the step of providing the feedback, intensity of sound or vibration is increased or decreased according to the distance between the object and the three-dimensional touchscreen to provide the feedback.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the step of providing the feedback, vibrations or sound having different frequencies is provided as the feedback according to the distance between the object and the three-dimensional touchscreen.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the step of providing the feedback, a configuration of a graphic object corresponding to a position of the object is changed according to the distance between the object and the three-dimensional touchscreen.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in the step of providing the feedback, brightness of a predetermined number of light emitting devices in an array of the light emitting devices disposed around the three-dimensional touchscreen is changed according to the distance between the object and the three-dimensional touchscreen.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of providing the feedback includes the steps of:

displaying a pointer at a position dependent on a two dimensional coordinate of the object; and

changing a size of the pointer step by step according to the distance between the object and the three-dimensional touchscreen.

8. A method for feedback for a three-dimensional touchscreen, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting an object in a recognition region of the three-dimensional touchscreen;

detecting a two dimensional coordinate of the object with respect to the three-dimensional touchscreen; and

providing feedback according to the detected two dimensional coordinate.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein, in the step of providing the feedback, a configuration of a graphic object on the three-dimensional touchscreen corresponding to the object is changed.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the step of providing the feedback includes the steps of:

displaying a pointer at a predetermined position on the three-dimensional touchscreen corresponding to the object; and

changing and displaying a position of the pointer as the object moves in parallel to the three-dimensional touchscreen.

11. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein, in the step of providing the feedback, vibration is provided corresponding to a two dimensional position of the object as the object moves in parallel to the three-dimensional touchscreen.

12. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the step of providing the feedback includes the steps of:

calculating a distance with respect to a pair of stereo speakers; and

changing an output ratio of the stereo speakers as the object moves in parallel to the three-dimensional touchscreen.

13. A three-dimensional touchscreen apparatus comprising:

a three-dimensional touchscreen detecting a two dimensional position and a distance of an object in a recognition region;

a feedback provider providing feedback corresponding to a coordinate of the object entering the recognition region of the three-dimensional touchscreen;

a memory storing feedback information corresponding to the coordinate of the object; and

a controller calculating the two dimensional position of the object detected by the three-dimensional touchscreen and a distance from the three-dimensional touchscreen, and controlling the feedback provider to provide feedback corresponding to the two dimensional position or the distance.

14. The three-dimensional touchscreen apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the feedback provider provides the feedback by using one of sound, vibration and visual feedback.

15. The three-dimensional touchscreen apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the feedback provider increases or decreases the intensity of sound or vibration according to a distance between the object and the three-dimensional touchscreen to provide the feedback.

16. The three-dimensional touchscreen apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the feedback provider provides the feedback by using vibrations or sound having different frequencies according to a distance between the object and the three-dimensional touchscreen.

17. A method for selecting menus comprising the steps of:

displaying a menu window if an object enters a first region of a recognition region of a three-dimensional touchscreen;

detecting horizontal movement of the object with respect to the three-dimensional touchscreen to search for a menu if the object enters a second region of the recognition region of the three-dimensional touchscreen; and

executing a menu corresponding to a part at which the object makes contact with the three-dimensional touchscreen.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the second region refers to a predetermined space formed above the surface of the touchscreen, and the first region refers to a predetermined space formed above the second region.

19. A mobile terminal comprising:

a wireless communication unit performing wireless communication relative to a wireless communication system or another terminal;

a three-dimensional touchscreen receiving input data for operation control from a user and detecting a two dimensional position and a distance of an object in a recognition region;

a feedback provider providing feedback corresponding to a coordinate of the object entering the recognition region of the three-dimensional touchscreen;

a memory storing feedback information corresponding to the coordinate of the object; and

a controller calculating the two dimensional position of the object, which is detected by the three-dimensional touchscreen, and a distance from the three-dimensional touchscreen, and controlling the feedback provider to provide feedback corresponding to the two dimensional position or the distance.

20. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 19, wherein the feedback provider provides the feedback by using one of sound, vibration and visual feedback.