APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR RECOGNIZING PROXIMITY MOTION USING SENSORS

• US 20140340343A1
• Filed: 07/30/2014
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Han, Seung Ju, Park, Joon Ah, Ryu, Hyun Surk, Park, Du Sik, Lee, Ki Myung
• Granted Patent: US 10,394,434 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An interfacing apparatus may sense an input object and move at least one interface object displayed on a display toward the sensed input object.

Claims

1. An interfacing apparatus comprising:

a display to display at least one interface object;

a sensor to sense an input object; and

an interface controller to move the at least one interface object to an inside of an interface area of the input object.

2. The interfacing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor measures a proximity between the input object and a reference surface of the interfacing apparatus, and

the interface controller moves the at least one interface object inside the interface area of the input object when the proximity is less than a predetermined distance.

3. The interfacing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a signal processor to extract a position of a portion of the input object,

wherein the interface controller calculates the interface area of the input object based on the extracted position of the portion of the input object.

4. The interfacing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the portion of the input object comprises at least one of:

a tip area of the input object; and

an intersection area between the input object and a boundary of the display.

5. The interfacing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interface controller extracts an interface object controllable by the input object from the at least one interface object, and moves the extracted interface object to the inside of the interface area of the input object.

6. The interfacing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interface controller moves the at least one interface object to the inside of the interface area of the input object while maintaining a sequence determined based on an x-coordinate of the at least one interface object.

7. The interfacing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interface controller moves the at least one interface object to the inside of the interface area of the input object while maintaining a sequence determined based on a y-coordinate of the at least one interface object.

8. The interfacing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interface controller moves the at least one interface object to the inside of the interface area of the input object while maintaining a sequence determined based on a combination of an x-coordinate and a y-coordinate of the at least one interface object.

9. The interfacing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor senses whether the input object is in contact with a reference surface of the interfacing apparatus, and

the interface controller selects an interface object corresponding to a location at which the input object is in contact with the reference surface.

10. An interfacing method comprising:

displaying at least one interface object;

sensing an input object; and

moving the at least one interface object to an inside of an interface area of the input object.

11. The interfacing method of claim 10, wherein the sensing comprises measuring a proximity between the input object and a reference surface of an interfacing apparatus, and

the moving comprises moving the at least one interface object to the inside of the interface area of the input object when the proximity is less than a predetermined distance.

12. The interfacing method of claim 10, further comprising:

extracting a position of a portion of the input object; and

calculating the interface area of the input object based on the extracted position of the portion of the input object.

13. The interfacing method of claim 12, wherein the portion of the input object comprises at least one of:

a tip area of the input object; and

an intersection area between the input object and a boundary of the display.

14. The interfacing method of claim 10, wherein the moving comprises:

extracting an interface object controllable by the input object from the at least one interface object; and

moving the extracted interface object to the inside of the interface area of the input object.

15. The interfacing method of claim 10, wherein the moving comprises moving the at least one interface object to the inside of the interface area of the input object while maintaining a sequence determined based on an x-coordinate of the at least one interface object.

16. The interfacing method of claim 10, wherein the moving comprises moving the at least one interface object to the inside of the interface area of the input object while maintaining a sequence determined based on a y-coordinate of the at least one interface object.

17. The interfacing method of claim 10, wherein the moving comprises moving the at least one interface object to the inside of the interface area of the input object while maintaining a sequence determined based on a combination of an x-coordinate and a y-coordinate of the at least one interface object.

18. The interfacing method of claim 10, further comprising:

sensing whether the input object is in contact with a reference surface of an interfacing apparatus; and

selecting an interface object corresponding to a location at which the input object is in contact with the reference surface.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a program for instructing a computer to perform the method of claim 10.

20. An apparatus for recognizing a proximity motion using sensors, the apparatus comprising:

a first sensor to sense a first input region at a distance closer than a predetermined distance from a reference surface for recognizing a proximate motion;

a second sensor to sense a second input region at a distance farther than the predetermined distance from the reference surface;

an information transfer controller to transfer information related to a transition of an input object, between the first sensor and the second sensor, when the transition occurs between the first input region and the second input region;

a display to display a proximity motion interface; and

an interface controller to control the proximity motion interface for at least one icon to be disposed in an area being indicated by a first input object, when the first input object is sensed in the first input region.