ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND UNLOCKING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20120026080A1
• Filed: 08/27/2010
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2010
• 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: HUANG, PO-TAI, YU, CHAO-YUN, KAO, MING-WEI, CHANG, CHIA-YUAN, CHANG, FA-HSIANG
• Application Number:
  US12/869,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20120026080A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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 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 3/0346 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

Abstract

An electronic device and a method enables an unlock operation of the electronic device. When the electronic device in a lock state is moved for the unlock operation, the electronic device receives a three-axis acceleration vector of the electronic device from an accelerometer. The electronic device analyzes three movement directions of the electronic device along three coordinate axes. The electronic device determines whether the analyzed three movement directions are the same as three predetermined movement directions along the three coordinate axes. If the analyzed three movement directions are the same as the three predetermined movement directions along the three coordinate axes, the electronic device is changed from the lock state to an unlock state.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising an accelerometer, a display unit, a storage unit and a processor, the electronic device further comprising:

a receiving module to receive a three-axis acceleration vector of the electronic device from the accelerometer;

an analysis module to analyze three movement directions of the electronic device along three coordinate axes according to the three-axis acceleration vector;

a determination module to determine whether the analyzed three movement directions are the same as three predetermined movement directions along the three coordinate axes; and

an unlocking module to unlock the electronic device from a lock state upon determining that the analyzed three movement directions are the same as the three predetermined movement directions.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a setup module to set the three predetermined movement directions of the electronic device along the three coordinate axes to unlock the electronic device.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the setup module saves the three predetermined movement directions of the electronic device along the three coordinate axes in the storage unit.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the display unit outputs a message when the electronic device is unlocked.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the unlocking module unlocks the electronic device from the lock state by unlocking the display unit of the electronic device.

6. A method for unlocking an electronic device, the electronic device comprising an accelerometer, a display unit, a storage unit and a processor, the method comprising:

moving the electronic device;

receiving a three-axis acceleration vector of the electronic device from the accelerometer;

analyzing three movement directions of the electronic device along three coordinate axes;

determining whether the analyzed three movement directions are the same as three predetermined movement directions along the three coordinate axes; and

unlocking the electronic device from a lock state upon detection that the analyzed three movement directions are the same as the three predetermined movement directions.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

setting the three predetermined movement directions of the electronic device along the three coordinate axes for unlocking the electronic device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein setting the three predetermined movement directions comprises:

moving the electronic device in one direction;

receiving a three-axis acceleration vector of the electronic device by the accelerometer; and

saving the three-axis acceleration vector in the storage unit.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

outputting a message to the display unit when the electronic device is unlocked.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein unlocking the electronic device is implemented by unlocking the display unit of the electronic device.

11. A storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform a method of unlocking an electronic device, the electronic device comprising an accelerometer, a display unit, a storage unit and a processor, the method comprising:

moving the electronic device;

receiving a three-axis acceleration vector of the electronic device from the accelerometer;

analyzing three movement directions of the electronic device along three coordinate axes;

determining whether the analyzed three movement directions are the same as three predetermined movement directions along the three coordinate axes; and

unlocking the electronic device from a lock state upon detection that the analyzed three movement directions are the same as the three predetermined movement directions.

12. The storage medium of claim 11, the method further comprising:

setting the three predetermined movement directions of the electronic device along the three coordinate axes for unlocking the electronic device.

13. The storage medium of claim 12, wherein setting the three predetermined movement directions comprises:

moving the electronic device in one direction;

receiving a three-axis acceleration vector of the electronic device by the accelerometer; and

saving the three-axis acceleration vector in the storage unit.

14. The storage medium of claim 11, the method further comprising:

outputting a message to the display unit when the electronic device is unlocked.

15. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein unlocking the electronic device is implemented by unlocking the display unit of the electronic device.