ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20150241958A1
• Filed: 10/16/2014
• Published: 08/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Inventors: Chang, Hao-Ting, Li, Bo-Fu
• Application Number:
  US14/515,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20150241958A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• 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 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions

Abstract

An electronic device and a control method thereof are provided. The method includes: controlling the electronic device by using first configuration information; determining whether at least one external object independent of the electronic device is existed in response to a trigger event; obtaining distance information of the external object when the external object is determined to be existed; determining whether the distance information is in conformed with a threshold condition; and switching to control the electronic device by using second configuration information when the distance information is determined to be conformed with the threshold condition.

Claims

1. A control method of an electronic device comprising:

controlling the electronic device by using first configuration information;

determining whether at least one external object independent of the electronic device is existed in response to a trigger event;

obtaining distance information of the at least one external object when the at least one external object is determined to be existed;

determining whether the distance information is conformed with a threshold condition; and

switching to control the electronic device by using second configuration information when the distance information is determined to be conformed with the threshold condition.

2. The control method of an electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein after the step of controlling the electronic device by using the first configuration information, the method further comprises:

determining whether an operation command is received by the electronic device within a preset time range; and

generating the trigger event if the electronic device does not receive the operation command within the preset time range.

3. The control method of an electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the at least one external object independent of the electronic device is existed comprises:

determining whether at least one object to be detected is existed in front of a screen of the electronic device by less than a preset distance apart; and

determining that the at least one external object independent of the electronic device is existed when the at least one object to be detected is existed in front of the screen by less than the preset distance apart, and setting the at least one object to be detected as the at least one external object.

4. The control method of an electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the distance information of the at least one external object comprises at least one of information of a distance between the at least one external object and the electronic device, information of an distance change between the at least one external object and the electronic device, information of an acceleration of the at least one external object in relative to the electronic device, and information of an acceleration change of the at least one external object in relative to the electronic device.

5. The control method of an electronic device as recited in claim 4, wherein when an amount of the at least one external object is greater than one, the distance between the at least one external object and the electronic device comprises an average value of the distance between each of the external objects and the electronic device, the distance change between the at least one external object and the electronic device comprises an average value of the distance change between each of the external objects and the electronic device, the acceleration of the at least one external object in relative to the electronic device comprises an average value of the acceleration of each of the external objects in relative to the electronic device, and the acceleration change of the at least one external object in relative to the electronic device comprises an average value of the acceleration change of each of the external objects in relative to the electronic device.

6. The control method of an electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the distance information is conformed with the threshold condition comprises at least one of the following steps:

determining whether a distance between the at least one external object and the electronic device is conformed with a distance threshold condition, determining whether a distance change between the at least one external object and the electronic device is conformed with a distance change threshold condition, determining whether an acceleration of the at least one external object in relative to the electronic device is conformed with an acceleration threshold condition, and determining whether an acceleration change of the at least one external object in relative to the electronic device is conformed with an acceleration change threshold condition.

7. The control method of an electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of controlling the electronic device by using the first configuration information comprises:

showing a user interface on a screen of the electronic device, and showing at least one object on the user interface via a first mode, and

when the distance information is determined to be conformed with the threshold condition, the step of switching to control the electronic device by using the second configuration information comprises;

switching to show the at least one object on the user interface via a second mode.

8. The control method of an electronic device as recited in claim 7, wherein the step of switching to show the at least one object on the user interface via the second mode comprises at least one of the following steps:

switching an arrangement of the at least one object on the user interface, switching an amount of the at least one object shown on the user interface, switching from displaying first information of the at least one object to displaying second information of the at least one object, and switching from displaying a first object in the at least one object to displaying a second object in the at least one object.

9. The control method of an electronic device as recited in claim 7, wherein the step of switching to show the at least one object on the user interface via the second mode comprises:

showing at least one functional option, wherein each of the at least one functional option is related to one of the at least one object, and

the method further comprises;

receiving an operation corresponded to one of the at least one functional option; and

executing an application function corresponded to one of the at least one object according to the operation.

10. The control method of an electronic device as recited in claim 7, wherein the step of switching to show the at least one object on the user interface via the second mode comprises:

obtaining at least one target object in the at least one object that is conformed with a target condition; and

showing the at least one target object on the user interface via the second mode.

11. An electronic device comprising:

a sensor;

a storage circuit configured to store first configuration information and second configuration information; and

a processing circuit coupled to the sensor and the storage circuit, wherein the processing circuit is configured to execute the following operations;

controlling the electronic device by using the first configuration information;

determining whether at least one external object independent of the electronic device is existed in response to a trigger event through using the sensor;

obtaining distance information of the at least one external object through using the sensor when the at least one external object is determined to be existed;

determining whether the distance information is conformed with a threshold condition; and

switching to control the electronic device by using the second configuration information when the distance information is determined to be conformed with the threshold condition.

12. The electronic device as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

an input/output device coupled to the processing circuit,

wherein after the operation of controlling the electronic device by using the first configuration information, the processing circuit is further configured to execute the following operations;

determining whether an operation command is received by the electronic device through the input/output device within a preset time range; and

generating the trigger event if the electronic device does not receive the operation command within the preset time range.

13. The electronic device as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

a screen coupled to the processing circuit,

wherein the operation of the processing circuit in determining whether the at least one external object independent of the electronic device is existed through using the sensor comprises;

determining whether at least one object to be detected is existed in front of a screen of the electronic device by less than a preset distance apart through using the sensor; and

determining that the at least one external object independent of the electronic device is existed when the at least one object to be detected is determined to be existed in front of the screen by less than the preset distance apart, and setting the at least one object to be detected as the at least one external object.

14. The electronic device as recited in claim 11, wherein the distance information of the at least one external object comprises at least one of information of a distance between the at least one external object and the electronic device, information of an distance change between the at least one external object and the electronic device, information of an acceleration of the at least one external object in relative to the electronic device, and information of an acceleration change of the at least one external object in relative to the electronic device.

15. The electronic device as recited in claim 14, wherein when an amount of the at least one external object is greater than one, the distance between the at least one external object and the electronic device comprises an average value of distances between each of the external objects and the electronic device, the distance change between the at least one external object and the electronic device comprises an average value of the distance changes between each of the external objects and the electronic device, the acceleration of the at least one external object in relative to the electronic device comprises an average value of the accelerations of each of the external objects in relative to the electronic device, and the acceleration change of the at least one external object in relative to the electronic device comprises an average value of the acceleration changes of each of the external objects in relative to the electronic device.

16. The electronic device as recited in claim 11, wherein the operation of the processing circuit in determining whether the distance information is conformed with the threshold condition comprises at least one of the following operation:

determining whether a distance between the at least one external object and the electronic device is conformed with a distance threshold condition, determining whether a distance change between the at least one external object and the electronic device is conformed with a distance change threshold condition, determining whether an acceleration of the at least one external object in relative to the electronic device is conformed with an acceleration threshold condition, and determining whether an acceleration change of the at least one external object in relative to the electronic device is conformed with an acceleration change threshold condition.

17. The electronic device as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

a screen coupled to the processing circuit,

wherein the operation of the processing circuit in controlling the electronic device by using the first configuration information comprises;

showing a user interface on the screen, and showing at least one object on the user interface via a first mode, and

when the distance information is determined to be conformed with the threshold condition, the operation of the processing circuit in switching to control the electronic device by using the second configuration information comprises;

switching to show the at least one object on the user interface via a second mode.

18. The electronic device as recited in claim 17, wherein the operation of the processing circuit in switching to show the at least one object on the user interface via the second mode comprises at least one of the following operations:

switching an arrangement of the at least one object on the user interface, switching an amount of the at least one object shown on the user interface, switching from displaying a first information of the at least one object to displaying a second information of the at least one object, and switching from displaying a first object in the at least one object to displaying a second object in the at least one object.

19. The electronic device as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

an input/output device coupled to the processing circuit,

wherein the operation of the processing circuit in switching to show the at least one object on the user interface via the second mode comprises;

showing at least one functional option, wherein each of the at least one functional option is related to one of the at least one object, and

the processing circuit is further configured to use the input/output device to receive an operation corresponded to one of the at least one functional option, and execute an application function corresponded to one of the at least one object according to the operation.

20. The electronic device as recited in claim 17, wherein the operation of the processing circuit in switching to show the at least one object on the user interface via the second mode comprises

obtaining at least one target object in the at least one object that is conformed with a target condition;

and

showing the at least one target object on the user interface via the second mode.