POINTING DEVICE WITH IMPROVED CURSOR CONTROL IN-AIR AND ALLOWING MULTIPLE MODES OF OPERATIONS

• US 20090295713A1
• Filed: 05/30/2008
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Logitech Europe S A (Logitech International SA)
• Original Assignee: Logitech Europe S A (Logitech International SA)
• Inventors: Dizac, Greg, Vanrell, David Tarongi, Piot, Julien, Egloff, Olivier
• Application Number:
  US12/130,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20090295713A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• 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 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

Cursor resolution of a device is based upon a user'"'"'s gripping (or squeezing) of the device in one embodiment, in accordance with a user'"'"'s natural usage patterns. In one aspect, a device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention offers multiple modes of operation depending on its orientation (e.g., which side of the device is facing upward). A device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention can be used as a mouse, a presentation device, a keyboard for text entry, and so on. In one aspect of the present invention, circular gesture based controls are implemented, specifically for repetitive type functions.

Claims

1. A method for improved input function control using an in-air input device for controlling an input function on a display, the method comprising:

measuring a displacement of the in-air input device;

measuring an amount of pressure applied to the in-air input device by a user;

using the displacement of the input device to control an amount of the input function on the display; and

scaling the amount of the input function by a scaling factor based upon the measured amount of pressure.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said input function is one of a cursor, scrolling, volume control, channel control and zoom.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of measuring the amount of pressure applied to the in-air input device by a user comprises measuring pressure exerted by the user'"'"'s hand on a trigger handle in the in-air pointing device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of scaling comprises:

responsive to the pressure being less than a first threshold, using a first scaling factor of zero;

responsive to the pressure being greater than the first threshold and less than a second threshold, using a scaling factor of one; and

responsive to pressure being greater than the second threshold and less than a third threshold, using a scaling factor decreasing with an increasing measured pressure;

wherein the first threshold is less than the second threshold, the second threshold is less than the third threshold.

5. An in-air input device for controlling an input function on a display, comprising:

a displacement sensor for measuring a displacement of the in-air input device;

a pressure sensor for measuring an amount of pressure applied to the in-air input device by a user;

a controller which receives the displacement of the input device and uses it to control an amount of the input function on the display; and

said controller scaling the amount of the input function by a scaling factor based upon the measured amount of pressure.

6. An input device operational in multiple modes, the input device comprising:

a housing having a first surface and a second surface;

a first input element on said first surface of the input device, the first input element being used to operate the input device in a first mode; and

a second input element on the second surface of the input device, the second input element being used to operate the input device in a second mode.

7. The input device of claim 6 wherein said first surface is a top surface and said second surface is a bottom surface.

8. The input device of claim 6, wherein the first and second input elements are touch zones.

9. The input device of claim 6, wherein the first input element is visible only when the input device is in the first mode and the second input element is visible only when the input device is in the second mode.

10. The input device of claim 6, wherein the input device is in the first mode in response to a determination that the first surface is facing up.

11. The input device of claim 6, further comprising:

an inclinometer for determining the orientation of the device.

12. The input device of claim 6, wherein the input device is in the second mode in response to a determination that the second surface is facing up.

13. The input device of claim 6 configured to work in air.

14. The input device of claim 13, further comprising:

a trigger handle for scaling a measured angular displacement of the input device for improved cursor control.

15. The input device of claim 6, wherein the first mode is a mouse mode.

16. The input device of claim 6, wherein the second mode is a keyboard mode.

17. The input device of claim 6, wherein the second mode is a presentation device mode.

18. A method for operating an input device in multiple modes, comprising:

orienting the input device with a first surface facing upward;

operating a first input element on said first surface of the input device, the first input element being used to operate the input device in a first mode;

orienting the input device with a second surface facing upward; and

operating a second input element on a the second surface of the input device,

the second input element being used to operate the input device in a second mode.

19. A method for user interface control in an in-air device, comprising:

measuring the number of circular rotations of the in-air device;

based upon the measured circular rotations, implementing a function in an application.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein each circular rotation corresponds to four ratchet counts.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein a change in a radius of a circular rotation does not affect the number of circular rotations measured.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of measuring the number of circular rotations comprises:

considering the movement of the input device as a phasor with a variable modulus; and

extracting phase information from the phasor.

20. The method of step 19 wherein the step of implementing the function comprises:

transmitting a number of ratchet counts to a host which are proportional to the measured number of circular rotations.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein each circular rotation corresponds to one ratchet count.