PROXIMITY SENSOR-BASED INTERACTIONS

• US 20150253858A1
• Filed: 03/04/2014
• Published: 09/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Koukoumidis, Emmanouil, Beckman, Brian, Kumar, Sumit, Aisopos, Konstantinos
• Granted Patent: US 9,652,044 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/21 characterised by their sensors, purposes or types
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/10 characterized by input arrangements for converting player-generated signals into game device control signals
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• 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 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 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/955 using a capacitive detector

Abstract

An application programming interface is provided that allows applications to request and receive distance measurements from multiple proximity sensors arranged on a computing device such as a smart phone or tablet. Users can input ranges of values to the applications by moving objects such as hands and fingers towards and away one or more of the multiple proximity sensors. Applications can use the ranges of values provided by the proximity sensors to allow for more nuanced and precise user interfaces than what is typically available using the binary output associated with a capacitive display. The values provided by the proximity sensors can be combined with values from one or more other sensors such as accelerometers to provide additional user interface options.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first value from a first proximity sensor by an application of a computing device, wherein the first value represents a first distance between a first object and the first proximity sensor;

receiving a second value from a second proximity sensor by the application of the computing device, wherein the second value represents a second distance between a second object and the second proximity sensor; and

performing one or more operations based on both the first value and the second value by the application of the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a third value from a sensor other than the first proximity sensor or the second proximity sensor, and performing the one or more operations based on the first value, the second value, and the third value.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the sensor comprises one or more of an accelerometer, global positioning system, a gyroscope, and a capacitive display.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is a videogame application, a mapping application, a security application, or an authentication application.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a first velocity of the first object based on the first value and a previously received value from the first proximity sensor, and determining a second velocity of the second object based on the second value and a previously received value from the second proximity sensor.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising performing one or more operations based on one or more of the first and second velocities by the application.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the application is a videogame application, and performing one or more operations based on one or more of the first and second velocities comprises adjusting the velocity of a character based on one or more of the first and second velocities.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and the second proximity sensors are selected from a plurality of proximity sensors associated with the computing device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and the second proximity sensors are selected based on an orientation of the computing device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is one or more of a laptop, smart phone, tablet, portable media player, or videogame device.

11. A method comprising:

receiving a first sequence of input values from a first proximity sensor by a computing device, wherein each input value in the first sequence of input values represents a distance between a first object and the first proximity sensor;

associating the first sequence with one or more operations by the computing device;

receiving a second sequence of input values from the first proximity sensor by the computing device;

determining that the second sequence matches the first sequence by the computing device; and

in response to the determination, performing the one or more operations associated with the first sequence by the computing device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more operations comprise one or more of opening a contact, sending a message to a contact, calling a contact, unlocking the computed device, turning on the computing device, turning off the computing device, opening an application, turning or turning of Wi-Fi, and putting the computing device in airplane mode.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the first sequence of input values from the first proximity sensor further comprises receiving the first sequence of input values from the first proximity sensor and a second proximity sensor, and further wherein each input value in the first sequence of input values represents either a distance between the first object and the first proximity sensor or a distance between a second object and the second proximity sensor.

14. A system comprising:

at least one computing device;

a plurality of proximity sensors; and

an application adapted to;

select a first proximity sensor and a second proximity sensor from the plurality of proximity sensors;

receive a first value from the first proximity sensor, wherein the first value represents either a first distance between a first object and the first proximity sensor or a first velocity of the first object;

receive a second value from the second proximity sensor, wherein the second value represents either a second distance between a second object and the second proximity sensor or a second velocity of the second object; and

perform one or more operations based on either the first value and the second value, or the first velocity and the second velocity.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the system further comprises a sensor other than the plurality of proximity sensors, and the application is further adapted to receive a third value from a sensor other than the other than the plurality of proximity sensor, and perform the one or more operations based on the first value, the second value, and the third value.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the sensor comprises one or more of an accelerometer, global positioning system, a gyroscope, and a capacitive display.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the application is a videogame application, a mapping application, a security application, or an authentication application.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the first and the second proximity sensors are selected based on an orientation of the computing device.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the computing device is one or more of a laptop, smart phone, tablet, personal media player, or videogame system.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the first and the second proximity sensors are selected based on user input.