METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING USER INTERFACE USING ACOUSTIC SIGNAL, AND DEVICE INCLUDING USER INTERFACE

• US 20110191680A1
• Filed: 02/02/2011
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Ho Sub, Choi, Hyun Jin, Lee, Sun Jae, CHAE, Seung Chul, Chang, Kyung Ah
• Granted Patent: US 9,857,920 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0436 in which generating transducers and detecting transducers are attached to a single acoustic waves transmission substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/26 Recognition of special voice characteristics, e.g. for use in lie detectors; Recognition of animal voices

Abstract

A user interface using an acoustic signal is provided. A device with the user interface includes a sensor to acquire a surface acoustic signal generated outside of the device, and at least one processor. The processor classifies patterns of the surface acoustic signal by analyzing features of the surface acoustic signal, and identifies a user'"'"'s input signal corresponding to the surface acoustic signal based on the pattern of the surface acoustic signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus to provide a user interface of a device, comprising:

a surface acoustic signal acquisition unit to acquire a surface acoustic signal generated from a medium disposed outside of the device;

a pattern recognition unit to recognize a pattern of the surface acoustic signal by analyzing features of the surface acoustic signal; and

a user input identification unit to identify a user'"'"'s input signal based on the pattern of the surface acoustic signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the medium is provided to the user through an object contacting the device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the surface acoustic signal acquisition unit comprises:

a medium contactor to receive the surface acoustic signal by contacting the object; and

an acoustic sensor to convert the surface acoustic signal to a digital signal.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the medium is provided to the user through an external casing of the device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pattern recognition unit comprises:

a feature extractor to extract a time-domain feature and/or a frequency-domain feature; and

a pattern analyzer to analyze the pattern of the surface acoustic signal based on the time-domain feature and/or the frequency-domain feature.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the time-domain feature comprises an amplitude of the surface acoustic signal, a distribution of a zero-crossing, an amount of energy, a length of the surface acoustic signal, or a shape of the surface acoustic signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pattern recognition unit determines a type of the medium using a test signal, and recognizes the pattern of the surface acoustic signal based on the type of the medium.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pattern recognition unit estimates a tool generating the surface acoustic signal based on frequency-domain features of the surface acoustic signal, and recognizes the pattern of the surface acoustic signal based on the tool.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user input identification unit classifies minimal meaningful units matching the pattern of the surface acoustic signal and identifies the user'"'"'s input signal based on the minimal meaningful units.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user input identification unit identifies the user'"'"'s input signal by receiving a plurality of patterns sequentially from the pattern recognition unit and by combining minimal meaningful units corresponding to the plurality of patterns.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pattern comprises information corresponding to a direction of the surface acoustic signal, and

the user input identification unit identifies the user'"'"'s input signal based on the information corresponding to the surface acoustic signal direction.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a pattern model storage unit to store pattern models of the surface acoustic signal, classified according to a type of the medium and/or an input tool.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user'"'"'s input signal comprises a character, a figure, a dragging, a touch event, or any combination thereof, which are input through the medium.

14. A method of providing a user interface of a device, the method comprising:

acquiring a surface acoustic signal;

extracting a time-domain feature and/or a frequency-domain feature of the surface acoustic signal;

analyzing a pattern of the surface acoustic signal based on the time-domain feature and/or the frequency-domain feature; and

identifying a user'"'"'s input signal based on the pattern of the surface acoustic signal.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the analyzing of the pattern of the surface acoustic signal comprises:

determining a type of a medium by using a test signal;

estimating a type of a tool that generated the surface acoustic signal based on frequency-domain features of the surface acoustic signal; and

recognizing a pattern of the surface acoustic signal based on the type of the medium and/or the tool that generated the surface acoustic signal.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the identifying comprises:

receiving a plurality of patterns sequentially; and

identifying the user'"'"'s input signal by combining minimal meaningful units corresponding to the patterns.

17. A method of providing a user interface of a device, the method comprising:

performing an external input mode that receives a user'"'"'s input signal from a medium disposed outside of the device;

recognizing a pattern of a surface acoustic signal corresponding to the medium by analyzing features of the surface acoustic signal in response to the surface acoustic signal being received from the medium; and

identifying a user'"'"'s input signal based on the pattern of the surface acoustic signal.

18. A method of providing a user interface of a device, the method comprising:

performing an external input mode that receives a user'"'"'s input signal from a medium disposed outside of the device;

determining a direction of a surface acoustic signal in response to the surface acoustic signal being received from the medium; and

performing a function of the device corresponding to the direction of the surface acoustic signal.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the direction of the surface acoustic signal is determined by a shape of a waveform of the surface acoustic signal, a time difference between a first surface acoustic signal received by a first acoustic sensor and a second surface acoustic signal received by a second acoustic sensor, variation of sizes of the first surface acoustic signal and the second surface acoustic signal, or any combination thereof.

20. A device provided with a user interface, comprising:

a sensor to acquire a surface acoustic signal generated outside of the device; and

at least one processor configured to classify a pattern of the surface acoustic signal by analyzing features of the surface acoustic signal and to identify a user'"'"'s input signal corresponding to the surface acoustic signal based on the pattern of the surface acoustic signal.

21. A method of providing a user interface of a device, the method comprising:

acquiring an acoustic signal generated by a user from outside of the device;

analyzing the acquired acoustic signal; and

identifying the user'"'"'s input signal based on the analyzed acoustic signal.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the acoustic signal is generated by contact between a medium and the user'"'"'s hand.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the acoustic signal is generated by contact between a medium and a tool being used by the user.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the acoustic signal is acquired in a state in which the device is in contact with a medium contacted by the user.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the acoustic signal is a surface acoustic signal.