USER CONTROL OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES

• US 20130155031A1
• Filed: 06/29/2011
• Published: 06/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Elliptic Laboratories AS
• Original Assignee: Elliptic Laboratories AS
• Inventors: Dahl, Tobias, Shabtai, Elad
• Application Number:
  US13/806,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20130155031A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/177
• 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 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves

Abstract

An electronic device (2; 26) comprises a first input means adapted to detect that a first digit of a user'"'"'s hand (6; 28) is in contact with the device and a second input means adapted to detect movement of a second digit 30 of the user'"'"'s hand which is not in contact with the device. The device is configured to respond to detection of the movement by the second input means while the contact is detected by the first input means or within a predetermined mined time thereafter.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a first input means adapted to detect that a first digit of a user'"'"'s hand is in contact with the device; and

a second input means adapted to detect movement of a second digit of the user'"'"'s hand which is not in contact with the device, wherein the device is configured to respond to detection of said movement by said second input means while said contact is detected by said first input means or within a predetermined time thereafter.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 comprising an acoustic transmitting means and acoustic receiving means and being arranged to detect the motion of the second digit by receipt by the receiving means of an acoustic signal transmitted by the transmitting means and reflected from the second digit.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said acoustic signal is ultrasonic and said transmitting means and/or said receiving means is also used by the device for transmission/reception of audible signals.

4. A device as claimed in claim 2 or 3 configured only to transmit the signal when the contact is detected by the first input means.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4 configured to transmit until the first input means no longer detects contact by the first digit.

6. A device as claimed in any of claims 2 to 5 configured only to process signals received by the receiving means when the contact is detected by the first input means.

7. A device as claimed in any of claims 2 to 6 wherein said transmitting means is arranged to transmit chirps.

8. A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the detections by the first and second input means are simultaneous.

9. A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the first input means comprises a physical or virtual button which detects pressure or touch from a user'"'"'s finger in a single place.

10. A device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9 wherein the first input means comprises a touch-pad or touch-screen which is able to detect the location of the user'"'"'s touch.

11. A device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first input means comprises a touch-screen comprising an integrated display screen.

12. A device as claimed in any preceding claim configured to respond differently to a given movement of the second digit depending on the nature of the contact by the first digit.

13. A device as claimed in any preceding claim arranged to detect motion of the second digit comprising a rotary motion of the second digit around the first digit.

14. A device as claimed in any preceding claim arranged to detect a movement of the second digit in the direction towards or away from the first digit.

15. A device as claimed in any preceding claim comprising a touch-pad or touch-screen which is able to detect the location of a user'"'"'s touch, wherein the second input means is configured to detect movement of the second digit within a region of based on said location.

16. A device as claimed in claim 15 wherein the second input means comprises means for analysing impulse responses, and arranged to analyse only impulse response taps corresponding to part of each timeframe corresponding to a time of flight for echoes from a spatial region near to the detected touch location.

17. An electronic device comprising:

a first input means adapted to detect that at least part of a user'"'"'s hand is in contact with the device; and

a second input means adapted to detect movement of at least part of a user'"'"'s hand which is not in contact with the device, wherein the device is configured to respond to detection of said movement by said second input means differently depending on whether said contact with the device is detected by said first input means before said movement is detected.

18. A device as claimed in claim 17 comprising an acoustic transmitting means and acoustic receiving means and being arranged to detect the motion of the second digit by receipt by the receiving means of an acoustic signal transmitted by the transmitting means and reflected from the second digit.

19. A device as claimed in claim 18 wherein said acoustic signal is ultrasonic and said transmitting means and/or said receiving means is also used by the device for transmission/reception of audible signals.

20. A device as claimed in claim 18 or 19 comprising a single channel for detecting motion of said second digit.

21. A device as claimed in any of claims 18 to 20 wherein said transmitting means is arranged to transmit chirps.

22. A device as claimed in any of claims 17 to 21 wherein the detections by the first and second input means are simultaneous.

23. A device as claimed in any of claims 17 to 22 wherein the first input means comprises a physical or virtual button which detects pressure or touch from a user'"'"'s finger in a single place.

24. A device as claimed in any of claims 17 to 22 wherein the first input means comprises a touch-pad or touch-screen which is able to detect the location of the user'"'"'s touch.

25. A device as claimed in claim 24, wherein the first input means comprises a touch-screen comprising an integrated display screen.

26. A device as claimed in any of claims 17 to 25 arranged to detect motion of the second digit comprising a rotary motion of the second digit around the first digit.

27. A device as claimed in any of claims 17 to 26 arranged to detect a movement of the second digit in the direction towards or away from the first digit.

28. A device as claimed in any of claims 17 to 27 comprising a touch-pad or touch-screen which is able to detect the location of a user'"'"'s touch, wherein the second input means is configured to detect movement of the second digit within a region of based on said location.

29. A device as claimed in claim 28 wherein the second input means comprises means for analysing impulse responses, and arranged to analyse only impulse response taps corresponding to part of each timeframe corresponding to a time of flight for echoes from a spatial region near to the detected touch location.

30. A method of operating an electronic device comprising detecting that a first digit of a user'"'"'s hand is in contact with the device using a first input means;

detecting movement of a second digit of the user'"'"'s hand which is not in contact with the device using a second input means, and responding to detection of said movement by said second input means while said contact is detected by said first input means or within a predetermined time thereafter.

31. A method as claimed in claim 30 comprising detecting motion of the second digit by receiving at an acoustic receiving means an acoustic signal transmitted by an acoustic transmitting means and reflected from the second digit.

32. A method as claimed in claim 31 wherein said acoustic signal is ultrasonic the method further comprising using said transmitting means and/or said receiving means for transmission/reception of audible signals.

33. A method as claimed in claim 31 or 32 comprising transmitting the signal when the contact is detected by the first input means.

34. A method as claimed in claim 33 comprising transmitting until the first input means no longer detects contact by the first digit.

35. A method as claimed in any of claims 31 to 34 comprising only processing signals received by the receiving means when the contact is detected by the first input means.

36. A method as claimed in any of claims 31 to 35 comprising transmitting chirps.

37. A method as claimed in any of claims 30 to 36 comprising detecting using the first and second input means simultaneously.

38. A method as claimed in any of claims 30 to 37 wherein the first input means comprises a touch-pad or touch-screen the method comprising detecting the location of the user'"'"'s touch.

39. A method as claimed in claim 38 wherein the first input means comprises a touch-screen comprising an integrated display screen.

40. A method as claimed in any of claims 30 to 39 comprising responding differently to a given movement of the second digit depending on the nature of the contact by the first digit.

41. A method as claimed in any of claims 30 to 40 comprising detecting motion of the second digit comprising a rotary motion of the second digit around the first digit.

42. A method as claimed in any of claims 30 to 41 comprising detecting a movement of the second digit in the direction towards or away from the first digit.

43. A method as claimed in any of claims 30 to 42 wherein the device comprises a touch-pad or touch-screen the method comprising detecting the location of a user'"'"'s touch on the touch-pad or touch-screen, and the second input means detecting movement of the second digit within a region based on said location.

44. A method as claimed in claim 43 comprising analysing only impulse response taps corresponding to part of each timeframe corresponding to a time of flight for echoes from a spatial region near to the detected touch location.

46. Software as claimed in claim 45 adapted to carry out a method as claimed in any of claims 31 to 44.

45. Computer software, preferably on a carrier or other computer readable medium, which is adapted, when run on suitable data processing means, to:

receive a first signal from a first input means of an electronic device indicating a detection that a first digit of a user'"'"'s hand is in contact with the device;

receive a first signal from a second input means of the electronic device indicating a detection of a movement of a second digit of a user'"'"'s hand which is not in contact with the device; and

provide a response in the event that said movement of the user'"'"'s second digit is detected while said contact by the first digit is detected or within a predetermined time thereafter.