DEDICATED USER INTERFACE CONTROLLER FOR FEEDBACK RESPONSES

• US 20120249461A1
• Filed: 03/28/2012
• Published: 10/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: FLANAGAN, Adrian, Murphy, Mark J., CONWAY, Mel J., PRATT, Susan Michelle, FEEN, Kenneth M.
• Application Number:
  US13/433,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20120249461A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a user interface processing system for a device that may include at least one sensor, at least one output device, and a controller. The controller may include a memory, which may store instructional information, and a processor. The processor may be configured to receive sensor data from the at least one sensor and to interpret sensor data according to the instructional information. The processor may also generate a user interface feedback command and transmit the command to the at least one output device. Furthermore, the processor may report the sensor data to a host system of the device. By processing the sensor data and generating a corresponding feedback response, for example a haptic response, without the need for host system processing, the user interface controller may decrease latency in providing the feedback response to the user.

Claims

1. A user interface processing system for a device, comprising:

at least one sensor;

at least one output device; and

a

a controller, including

a memory to store instructional information, and

a processor to receive sensor data from the at least one sensor, interpret the sensor data according to the instructional information, generate a user interface feedback command, transmit the command to the at least one output device, and to report the sensor data to a host system of the device.

2. The user interface processing system of claim 1, wherein the instructional information includes gesture definitions and a UI map, and wherein to interpret the sensor data includes calculating a user interaction from the sensor data based on the UI map and calculating a gesture from the sensor data based on the gesture definitions.

3. The user interface processing system of claim 2, wherein to report the sensor data includes transmitting the calculated user interaction and calculated gesture to the host system.

4. The user interface processing system of claim 2, wherein the UI map includes an active area and a deadzone where the user interface feedback command is generated if the user interaction is with the active element and no user interface feedback command is generated if the user interaction is with the deadzone.

5. The user interface processing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is a touch screen sensor.

6. The user interface processing system of claim 5, further comprising an input device coupled to the touch screen sensor.

7. The user interface processing system of claim 5, wherein the touch screen sensor is a proximity sensor.

8. The user interface processing system of claim 5, wherein the touch screen sensor is a force sensor.

9. The user interface processing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is an environmental sensor.

10. The user interface processing system of claim 9, wherein the environmental sensor is an ambient light sensor.

11. The user interface processing system of claim 9, wherein the environmental sensor is a digital compass sensor.

12. The user interface processing system of claim 9, wherein the environmental sensor is an accelerometer or gyroscope.

13. The user interface processing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one output device is a haptics driver.

14. A display controller for a device, comprising:

an interface;

a memory storing data processing instructions; and

a processor configured to;

receiving a sensor input from the interface;

processing the sensor input based on the stored data processing instructions;

generating a user interface output command;

transmitting the user interface output command to an effect generating device; and

transmitting the processed sensor input data to a host system of the device.

15. The display controller of claim 14, wherein the serial interface includes a plurality of I2C connectors that are configured to be read in parallel.

16. A method of generating user interface effects, comprising:

receiving at least one sensor input;

processing the at least one sensor input;

generating a user interface effect based on the processed at least one sensor input and stored instructions; and

reporting the processed at least one sensor input to a host processor.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one sensor input includes a user interaction sensor input and an environmental sensor input.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the processing includes separately processing the user interaction sensor input based on location coordinates and a user interface map received from the host processor, and the environmental sensor input.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprises processing a gesture based on the at least one sensor input.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the user interface effect is a haptics effect.

21. A method of operating a user interface system in an electronic device, comprising:

placing a user interface controller in sleep mode;

after a predetermined time, waking the user interface controller from sleep mode;

checking a user interface sensor input trigger,

if triggered, reading an environmental sensor input, generating a user interface effect output, and reporting to a host system of the electronic device;

if not triggered, returning to sleep mode unless the environmental sensor input is triggered.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprises if the environmental sensor input is triggered, generating a user interface effect output and reporting to the host system.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the user interface effect command is a haptics effect.

24. A haptics driver, comprising:

an input interface for connection to a touch screen sensor;

an output interface for connection to a haptic device;

a host device interface for connection to a host device;

a memory for storage of;

a UI map representing displayable user interface element(s) associated with the touch screen sensor,

a response pattern(s) associated with the user interface elements, the user interface element(s) and response pattern(s) to be received via the host device interface and stored in the memory; and

a processor to interpret sensor input data received at the input interface, identify whether a user interface element is indicated by the sensor input data and, when a user interface element is so indicated, output an associated response pattern to the output interface.

25. The haptic driver of claim 24, further comprising, when a user interface element is so indicated, outputting data identifying the indicated user interface element via the host interface.