DETECTING GESTURES ON THE SIDE OF A COMPUTING DEVICE

• US 20150145805A1
• Filed: 09/12/2013
• Published: 05/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Min Liu
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Liu, Min
• Granted Patent: US 9,244,578 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1692 the I/O peripheral being a secondary touch screen used as control interface, e.g. virtual buttons or sliders
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- 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 without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04182 Filtering of noise external to the device and not generated by digitiser components
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04184 Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Embodiments of apparatus and methods for detecting gestures are described. In embodiments, an apparatus may include a transmitter-receiver electrode arrangement to generate an electric field projecting beyond a side of a computing device, so that changes to the electric field caused by user gestures on or near the outer surface of the side may be sensed. The transmitter-receiver electrode arrangement may include at least a transmitter and a receiver that are different, but complementary in geometry and disposition, disposed relative to an inner surface of the side of the computing device. Moreover, a capacitive sensor may be disposed in the computing device to output electrical signals indicative of changes to the electric field sensed. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a transmitter-receiver electrode arrangement to generate an electric field, wherein the transmitter-receiver electrode arrangement includes at least a pair of transmitter and receiver electrodes that are different, but complementary, in geometry and disposition, disposed relative to an inner surface of a side of a computing device, to enable the electric field to project beyond the side, and changes to the electric field caused by user gestures on or near an outer surface of the side be sensed; and

a capacitive sensor disposed in the computing device, coupled with the transmitter-receiver electrode arrangement, to output electrical signals indicative of changes to the electric field sensed.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter-receiver electrode arrangement comprises:

a transmitter electrode having an elongated body, disposed in parallel and adjacent to the inner surface of the side; and

a first receiver electrode and a second receiver electrode respectively disposed adjacent to a first end and a second end of the transmitter electrode to output first and second signals, corresponding to respective changes to the electric field near the first end and the second end of the transmitter electrode.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the transmitter electrode comprises an elongated wire, disposed substantially in parallel and adjacent to the inner surface of the side.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each of the first and second receiver electrodes has a body that is substantially planar, and is disposed substantially in parallel to a back side of the computing device, and further inward from the inner surface of the side than the transmitter electrode.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of filters operatively coupled with the capacitive sensor to filter out from the signals output by the capacitive sensor, a selected one of power supply noise, radio frequency noise, sensor measurement noise, out-of-range noise, jitter noise, or common mode noise, to output a filtered version of the signals output by the capacitive sensor.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of filters comprises:

a noise filter operatively coupled with the capacitive sensor to filter out from the signals output by the capacitive sensor, a selected one of the power supply noise, the radio frequency noise, or the sensor measurement noise.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of filters comprises:

a range filter operatively coupled with the capacitive sensor to filter out from the signals output by the capacitive sensor, the out-of-range noise.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of filters comprises:

a jitter filter operatively coupled with the capacitive sensor to filter out from the signals output by the capacitive sensor, the jitter noise.

9. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of filters comprises:

a common mode filter operatively coupled with the capacitive sensor to filter out from the signals output by the capacitive sensor, the common mode noise.

10. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a gesture detector operatively coupled with at least a final one of the plurality of filters to receive the filtered version of the signals output by the capacitive sensor, and to determine the user gestures, based at least in part on the filtered version of the signals.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the gesture detector is to determine a selected one of a direction of a finger sliding gesture, a distance of a finger sliding gesture, a velocity of a finger sliding gesture, a location of a finger tapping gesture, or a count of a finger tapping gesture.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter-receiver electrode arrangement is to enable the electric filed to project beyond a metal band disposed on the side of the computing device, and changes to the electric field caused by user gestures on or near an outer surface of the metal band be sensed.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the apparatus is the computing device, and the computing device is a smartphone or a computing tablet.

14-25. -25. (canceled)

26. At least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium having a plurality of instructions configured to enable an apparatus for detecting gestures on a side of a computing device, in response to execution of the plurality of instructions by the apparatus, to:

receive signals reflective of changes to an electric field projected beyond a side of the computing device, caused by user gestures on or near an outer surface of the side;

filter out noises from the signals output by the capacitive sensor to output a filtered version of the signals; and

determine a user gesture, based at least in part on the filtered version of the signals.

27. The storage medium of claim 26, the instructions configured to further cause the computing device to:

generate and project the electric field beyond the side, with a transmitter-receiver electrode arrangement disposed on an inner surface of the side;

sense, with the transmitter-receiver electrode arrangement and a capacitive sensor, changes to the electric field caused by user gestures on or near the outer surface of the side; and

output, with the capacitive sensor, the signals reflective of the changes to the electric field sensed.

28. The storage medium of claim 26, wherein filter comprises filter out from the signals output by the capacitive sensor, a selected one of power supply noise, radio frequency noise, and sensor measurement noise.

29. The storage medium of claim 26, wherein filter comprises filter out from the signals output by the capacitive sensor, out-of-range noise.

30. The storage medium of claim 26, wherein filter comprises filter out from the signals output by the capacitive sensor, jitter noise.

31. The storage medium of claim 26, wherein filter comprises filter out from the signals output by the capacitive sensor, common mode noise.

32. The storage medium of claim 26, wherein determine comprises determine a gesture of finger sliding, and a direction or a distance of the gesture of finger sliding.

33. The storage medium of claim 26, wherein determine comprises determine a gesture of finger tapping, and a location or a frequency of the gesture of finger tapping.

34. The storage medium of claim 26, wherein receive comprises receive signals reflective of changes to the electric field projected beyond a metal band on the side of the computing device, caused by user gestures on or near an outer surface of the metal band.

35. A method, comprising:

receiving a filtered version of signals reflective of changes to an electric field projected beyond a side of the computing device, caused by user gestures on or near an outer surface of the side, wherein the filtered version of signals has at least a selected one of the power supply noise, the radio frequency noise, or the sensor measurement noise filtered; and

determining a user gesture, based at least in part on the filtered version of the signals.

36. The method according to claim 35, determining comprises determining a gesture of finger sliding, and a direction or a distance of the gesture of finger sliding.

37. The method according to claim 35, determining comprises determining a gesture of finger tapping, and a location or a frequency of the gesture of finger tapping.