MULTI-DIMENSIONAL SCROLL WHEEL

• US 20090141046A1
• Filed: 09/05/2008
• Published: 06/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Mucignat, Andrea, Lyon, Benjamin, Bokma, Louis, Kocalar, Erturk, Fisher, Joseph, Rothkopf, Fletcher, Rathnam, Lakshman
• Granted Patent: US 8,416,198 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/661
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A multi-dimensional scroll wheel is disclosed. Scroll wheel circuitry is provided to detect input gestures that traverse the center of the scroll wheel and to detect multi-touch input. The scroll wheel can include a first plurality of sensor elements arranged in a first closed loop and a second plurality of sensor elements arranged in a second closed loop, the first and second closed loops being concentrically arranged about the center of the scroll wheel.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

a first plurality of circumferentially arranged sensor elements, the first plurality of sensor elements being concentrically arranged relative to a first point, and

a controller configured to detect a gesture traversing the first plurality of sensor elements and the first point.

2. The input device of claim 1, further comprising a second plurality of circumferentially arranged sensor elements, the second plurality of sensor elements being concentrically arranged relative to a first point, wherein the controller is configured to detect a gesture traversing the first plurality of sensor elements, the second plurality of sensor elements and the first point.

3. The input device of claim 1, wherein a user interface application is configured to be executed in response to the detection of the gesture.

4. The input device of claim 1, wherein the gesture comprises a linear motion.

5. The input device of claim 1, wherein the gesture comprises a linear motion and a user interface application is configured to change a display of content in response to the detection of the gesture.

6. The input device of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of sensor elements comprise capacitive sensor elements.

7. The input device of claim 5, wherein the first plurality of sensor elements are concentrically arranged relative to one or more capacitive sensor elements.

8. The input device of claim 5, wherein the first plurality of sensor elements are concentrically arranged relative to a trackpad.

9. The input device of claim 5, wherein the first plurality of sensor elements are concentrically arranged relative to a mechanical push button.

10. A method comprising:

positioning a plurality of circumferentially arranged sensor elements in an outer region of a surface,

positioning one or more sensor elements in an inner region of the surface, the inner region located inside the outer region, and

detecting a simultaneous presence of two or more objects on the surface.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

executing a user interface application in response to the simultaneous detection of the objects.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the simultaneous detection comprises:

sensing a first object in the outer region, and

sensing a second object in the outer region.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the simultaneous detection comprises:

sensing a first object in the inner region, and

sensing a second object in the outer region.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the simultaneous detection comprises:

detecting a pinching gesture by two objects.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the simultaneous detection comprises:

detecting a presence of a first of two objects in the inner region, and

detecting a rotation of a second of the two objects in the outer region.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the user interface application is a zoom-in or a zoom-out operation.

17. A method comprising:

positioning a first plurality of sensor elements relative to a device surface so that at least a portion of the first plurality of sensor elements is located a first distance from a first point,

positioning a second plurality of sensor elements relative to the device surface so that at least a portion of the second plurality of sensor elements is located a second distance from the first point,

detecting an output from at least one of the first plurality of sensor elements and an output from at least one of the second plurality of sensor elements, and

determining a position relative to the first point based on the detected output.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the determined position is an angular position.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the determined position is a radial position.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein at least one of the sensor elements comprises a capacitive sensor element

21. The method of claim 17 wherein each sensor element in the first plurality of sensor elements has a similar shape.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein each sensor element in the second plurality of sensor elements has a similar shape.

23. The method of claim 17 wherein each sensor element in the first plurality of sensor elements and each sensor element in the second plurality of sensor elements has a similar area.

24. The method of claim 17 wherein at least one of the first and second plurality of sensor elements is positioned on a sensing area associated with the device surface.

25. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of detecting an output from at least one of the first plurality of sensor elements and an output from at least one of the second plurality of sensor elements comprises detecting an output from at least one but less than all of the first plurality of sensor elements and an output from at least one but less than all of the second plurality of sensor elements.

26. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of determining an angular position relative to the first point based on the detected output comprises determining an angular position of a centroid relative to the first point based on the detected output.

27. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of determining a radial position relative to the first point based on the detected output comprises determining a radial position of a centroid relative to the first point based on the detected output.

28. A device comprising:

a first plurality of circumferentially arranged sensor elements,

a second plurality of circumferentially arranged sensor elements, the first and second plurality of sensor elements being concentrically arranged relative to a first point,

a controller configured to detect a first output from at least one of the first plurality of sensor elements, a second output from at least one of the second plurality of sensor elements, a third output from the first plurality of sensor elements and a fourth output from the second plurality of sensor elements, the controller being configured to enable determination of an angular position relative to the first point based on at least the first and second detected outputs and to enable determination of a radial position relative to the first point based on at least the third and fourth detected outputs.