PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD FOR SELECTING MENU ITEMS

• US 20100037184A1
• Filed: 12/11/2008
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Chi Mei Communication Systems Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Chi Mei Communication Systems Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sie, Yun-Long
• Application Number:
  US12/332,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20100037184A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/863
• 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 1/1694 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 3/0346 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

A portable electronic device includes a motion detection module and a storage system. The motion detection module is configured for determining a direction of movement of the portable electronic device when orientation of the portable electronic device has been changed. The motion detection module is further configured for generating an input signal associated with the movement and providing the input signal to an application of the portable electronic device to initiate an operation performed by the application, wherein the input signal includes menu position information of a menu item of the application. The motion detection module is further configured for selecting a desired menu item according to the menu position. The storage system is used for storing the application and movement data of the portable electronic device.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device comprising:

a motion detection module configured for determining a direction of movement of the portable electronic device when orientation of the portable electronic device has been changed, generating an input signal associated with the movement, providing the input signal to an application of the portable electronic device to initiate an operation performed by the application, wherein the input signal comprises menu position information of a menu item of the application, and selecting a desired menu item according to the menu position; and

a storage system for storing the application and movement data of the portable electronic device.

2. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the motion detection module comprises:

at least two accelerometers having a first and second accelerometer for detecting an acceleration and a direction of the acceleration of a first point at a top edge of the portable electronic device and a second point at a bottom edge of the portable electronic device respectively;

a calculation module configured for calculating a rotation angle for rotating the portable electronic device when a menu display key of the portable electronic device is pressed according to the accelerations of the first point and second point;

a controlling module configured for controlling the portable electronic device to rotate in a rotation direction while pressing the menu display key, controlling the menu items of the portable electronic device to rotate the rotation angle against the rotation direction, and determining if a desired menu item of the menu items has been selected during the rotation of the portable electronic device.

3. The portable electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the first accelerometer is located at the top edge of the portable electronic device, and the second accelerometer is located at the bottom edge of the portable electronic device.

4. The portable electronic device according to claim 2, wherein a front face of the portable electronic device is set as an XY coordinate plane, a line formed by connecting the first point and the second point is set as the Y-axis of the XY coordinate plane, and a point centered at or near the bottom edge of the portable electronic device is set as the origin “

O”

of the XY coordinate plane.

5. The portable electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the calculation module is further configured for calculating a rotation path of the first point, the rotation path being equal to a half of a product of the acceleration of the first point and a square of the acceleration duration.

6. The portable electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the calculating module is further configured for calculating the rotation angle as follows:

r₁=r*(A/(A+A₁)), and θ

=360*(D/(2*π

*r₁)), wherein;

“

r₁”

represents a distance between the origin and the first point, “

r”

represents a distance between the first point and the second point, “

A”

represents the acceleration of the first point, “

A₁”

represents the acceleration of the second point, “

D”

represents the rotation path, and “

0”

represents the rotation angle.

7. A method for providing an input to an application of a portable electronic device, the method comprising:

determining a direction of movement of the portable electronic device, wherein the determining direction of movement comprises detecting an acceleration and a direction of the acceleration of the portable electronic device using at least two accelerometers when orientation of the portable electronic device has been changed;

generating an input signal associated with the movement, wherein the input signal comprises menu position information associated with a menu item of the application;

providing the input signal to the application to initiate an operation performed by the application;

selecting a desired menu item according to the menu position.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the movement of the portable electronic device comprises:

gesturing the portable electronic device left or right.

9. A method for selecting menu items in a graphical user interface of a portable electronic device, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a pressed indication that a menu display key of the portable electronic device has been pressed;

(b) receiving a rotating indication that the portable electronic device has been rotated while the menu display key has been pressed;

(c) storing movement data of the portable electronic device in response to the portable electronic device being rotated;

(d) calculating a rotation angle of the portable electronic device according to the movement data;

(e) controlling all of the menu items to rotate the rotation angle against a rotation direction of the portable electronic device;

(f) receiving a determined indication to determine if a desired menu item has been selected during the rotation of the portable electronic device; and

(g) triggering the desired menu item in response to the menu display key being released if the desired menu item has been selected, or returning to block (b) if the desired menu item has not been selected.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the block (d) comprises:

detecting an acceleration of a first point at a top edge of the portable electronic device; and

detecting an acceleration of a second point at a bottom edge of the portable electronic device.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the block (d) further comprises:

calculating a rotation path of the first point, wherein the length of the rotation path is equal to a half of a product of the acceleration of the first point and a square of an acceleration duration.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the block (d) further comprises:

calculating the rotation angle as follows;

r₁=r*(A/(A+A₁)), and θ

=360*(D/(2*π

*r₁)), wherein;

“

r₁”

represents a distance between a rotation center and the first point, “

r”

represents a distance between the first point and the second point, “

A”

represents the acceleration of the first point, “

A₁”

represents the acceleration of the second point, “

D”

represents the length of the rotation path, and “

θ

”

represents the rotation angle.

13. A storage system medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a portable electronic device, causing the portable electronic device to perform a method for selecting menu items of the portable electronic device, the method comprising:

(a) receiving indication that a menu display key of the portable electronic device has been pressed;

(b) receiving a rotating indication that the portable electronic device has been rotated while the menu display key has been pressed;

(c) storing movement data of the portable electronic device in response to the portable electronic device being rotated;

(d) calculating a rotation angle of the portable electronic device according to the movement data;

(e) controlling all of the menu items to rotate the rotation angle against a rotation direction of the portable electronic device;

(f) receiving a determined indication to determine if a desired menu item has been selected during the rotation of the portable electronic device; and

(g) triggering the desired menu item in response to the menu display key being released if the desired menu item has been selected, or returning to block (b) if the desired menu item has not been selected.

14. The medium according to claim 13, wherein the block (d) comprises:

detecting an acceleration of a first point at a top edge of the portable electronic device; and

detecting an acceleration of a second point at a bottom edge of the portable electronic device.

15. The medium according to claim 14, wherein the block (d) further comprises:

calculating a rotation path of the first point, wherein a length of the rotation path being equal to a half of a product of the acceleration of the first point and a square of an acceleration duration.

16. The medium according to claim 15, wherein the block (d) further comprises:

calculating the rotation angle as follows;

r₁=r*(A/(A+A₁)), and θ

=360*(D/(2*π

*r₁)), wherein;

“

r₁”

represents a distance between a rotation center and the first point, and “

r”

represents a distance between the first point and the second point, “

A”

represents the acceleration of the first point, “

A₁”

represents the acceleration of the second point, “

D”

represents the length of the rotation path, and “

0”

represents the rotation angle.