Input device and input method

• US 20100141611A1
• Filed: 05/07/2009
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Joon Ah, Lee, Hyun Jeong, Han, Seung Ju, Chang, Wook
• Granted Patent: US 9,058,091 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Provided is an input device that may sense a first contact occurring along a planar coordinate axis among three-dimensional (3D) spatial coordinate axes to generate first contact information, to sense a second contact occurring along a vertical coordinate axis among the 3D spatial coordinate axes to generate second contact information, to analyze contact information including at least one of the first contact information and the second contact information to generate an input signal to control a predetermined display device, and to transmit the generated input signal to the display device. The display device may control an object that is displayed on the display device, based on the input signal.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

a first contact sensor to sense a first contact occurring along a planar coordinate axis among three-dimensional (3D) spatial coordinate axes and to generate first contact information;

a second contact sensor to sense a second contact occurring along a vertical coordinate axis among the 3D spatial coordinate axes and to generate second contact information; and

an input signal generator to analyze contact information including at least one of the first contact information and the second contact information, and to generate an input signal to control a predetermined display device.

2. The input device of claim 1, further comprising:

a transmitter to transmit the generated input signal to the display device.

3. The input device of claim 2, wherein the transmitted input signal controls an object that is displayed on the display device.

4. The input device of claim 3, wherein:

the input signal generator further comprises a motion information generator to generate motion information associated with a motion of the object from the contact information, by referring to a table including at least one predetermined motion information, and

the input signal comprises the motion information.

5. The input device of claim 4, wherein the motion information generator estimates the motion of the object by tracking at least one location of a location of the first contact and a location of the second contact at predetermined time intervals based on the contact information, and generates the motion information from the estimated motion of the object, by referring to the table.

6. The input device of claim 1, further comprising:

a validity decision unit to determine whether the first contact information and the second contact information are valid contact information.

7. An input method comprising:

sensing a first contact occurring along a planar coordinate axis among 3D spatial coordinate axes to generate first contact information;

sensing a second contact occurring along a vertical coordinate axis among the 3D spatial coordinate axes to generate second contact information; and

analyzing contact information including at least one of the first contact information and the second contact information to generate an input signal to control a predetermined display device,

wherein the method is performed by using at least one processor.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting the generated input signal to the display device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the transmitted input signal controls an object that is displayed on the display device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the generating of the input signal further comprises generating motion information associated with a motion of the object from the contact information, by referring to a table including at least one predetermined motion information, and

the input signal comprises the motion information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the generating of the motion information comprises estimating the motion of the object by tracking at least one location of a location of the first contact and a location of the second contact at predetermined time intervals based on the contact information, and generating the motion information from the estimated motion of the object, by referring to the table.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether the first contact information and the second contact information are valid contact information.

13. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for implementing the method of claim 7.