ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20140267100A1
• Filed: 01/10/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: SOHN, Youngho, LIM, Yeongkyu, SONG, Hyewon
• Granted Patent: US 9,430,082 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1636 Sensing arrangement for detection of a tap gesture on the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers

Abstract

An electronic device and a method of controlling the same, where the electronic device includes a touchscreen, a sensing unit configured to sense a touch pattern applied to the touchscreen, a memory configured to store a function corresponding to the touch pattern, and a controller configured to sense a touch pattern of a touch input through the sensing unit upon reception of the touch input through the touchscreen and to execute a function corresponding to the sensed touch pattern, stored in the memory, wherein the sensing unit recognizes the touch pattern based on vibration generated when the touch input is received through the touchscreen. Accordingly, touch patterns can be discriminated based on portions of a finger, which come into contact with the touchscreen to apply the touch patterns, and different functions respectively corresponding to the touch patterns can be executed.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a touchscreen;

a sensing unit;

a memory; and

a controller operatively connected to the touchscreen, the sensing unit and the memory, the controller configured to

sense, via the sensing unit, a touch pattern of a touch input applied to the touchscreen,

recognize the touch pattern based on a vibration generated when the touch input is applied to the touchscreen, and

execute a function stored in the memory and corresponding to the recognized touch pattern.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to recognize the touch pattern based on at least one of a magnitude of the vibration, a resonant frequency of the vibration, an area of the touch input, or a pressure of the touch input.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the sensing unit includes at least one of an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, or a touch sensor.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the touch pattern includes at least one of a touch pattern input using a fingertip, a touch pattern input using a fingernail, or a touch pattern input using a knuckle of a bent finger.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the function corresponding to the recognized touch pattern includes at least one of a function of executing a predetermined application, a function of displaying a menu window, or a function of selecting a menu.

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

a microphone,

wherein the controller is configured to sense the touch pattern when the touch input is received during an operation of the microphone.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to recognize the touch pattern is one of a touch pattern input using a fingertip, a touch pattern input using a fingernail, or a touch pattern input using a knuckle of a bent finger based on a corresponding vibration generated when the touch input is a touch input using the fingertip, a vibration generated when the touch input is a touch input using the fingernail, or a vibration generated when the touch input is a touch input using the knuckle of the bent finger.

8. A method of controlling an electronic device that includes a touchscreen, a sensing unit, a processor and a memory, the method comprising:

sensing, by the electronic device, a touch pattern of a touch input applied to the touchscreen,

recognizing, by the electronic device, the touch pattern based on a vibration generated when the touch input is applied to the touchscreen, and

executing, by the electronic device, a function stored in the memory and corresponding to the recognized touch pattern.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

recognizing the touch pattern is one of a touch pattern input using a fingertip, a touch pattern input using a fingernail, or a touch pattern input using a knuckle of a bent finger based on a corresponding vibration generated when the touch input is a touch input using the fingertip, a vibration generated when the touch input is a touch input using the fingernail or a vibration generated when the touch input is a touch input using the knuckle of the bent finger.