PROXIMITY SENSOR-BASED INTERACTIONS

• US 20170212600A1
• Filed: 04/10/2017
• Published: 07/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Beckman, Brian, Koukoumidis, Emmanouil, Kumar, Sumit, Aisopos, Konstantinos
• Granted Patent: US 10,642,366 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 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;

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 one or more operations associated with the first sequence by the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, 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 computing device, turning on the computing device, turning off the computing device, opening an application, and putting the computing device in airplane mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first sequence of input values further comprises receiving the first sequence of input values from the first proximity sensor and a second proximity sensor.

4. The method of claim 3, 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.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating the first sequence with the one or more operations by the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a selection of the one or more operations from a user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the second sequence of input values further comprises receiving the second sequence of input values from the first proximity sensor and a second proximity sensor.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a velocity based on the distance.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising limiting the number of input values in the first sequence and in the second sequence to a number of distance changes or a length of time.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording a sequence of distance changes.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording a sequence of velocity changes.

12. A system comprising:

at least one computing device; and

an input sequence engine adapted to;

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

receive a second sequence of input values from the first proximity sensor;

determine that the second sequence matches the first sequence; and

in response to the determination, perform one or more operations associated with the first sequence.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein receiving the first sequence of input values further comprises receiving the first sequence of input values from the first proximity sensor and a second proximity sensor.

14. The system of claim 13, 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.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the input sequence engine is further adapted to associate the first sequence with the one or more operations by the computing device.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the input sequence engine is further adapted to receive a selection of the one or more operations from a user.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein receiving the second sequence of input values further comprises receiving the second sequence of input values from the first proximity sensor and a second proximity sensor.

18. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device, a first sequence of input values from a first proximity sensor and a second proximity sensor;

receiving, at the computing device, a second sequence of input values from the first proximity sensor and the second proximity sensor;

performing an operation, by the computing device, when the second sequence of input values matches the first sequence of input values,

wherein each input value in the first sequence of input values represents a distance or a velocity between a first object and the first proximity sensor or between a second object and the second proximity sensor.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising limiting the number of input values in the first sequence and in the second sequence to a number of distance changes or a length of time.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising associating the first sequence with a plurality of operations by the computing device, wherein the operation is comprised within the plurality of operations.