Portable electronic device with mouse-like capabilities

• US 6,977,645 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2001
• Issued: 12/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Elan Microelectronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Brosnan, Michael John
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Henry N.
• Application Number:
  US09/811,001
• Publication Number:
  US 20020130835A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,740 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/158, 345/160, 345/163, 345/165, 345/166, 345/173, 345175-176, 345810-811, 345817-823, 345/831, 345/845, 2502081-2083, 250/566, 382188-189, 382/313
• US Class Current: 345/166
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2747 Scrolling on a display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

A portable electronic device includes a menu display having a plurality of menu items, and a menu item pointer movable by a user to highlight particular menu items. The portable electronic device includes a motion sensor for sensing relative movement between the portable electronic device and an imaging surface. The motion sensor is configured to generate a first set of movement data indicating a first relative movement between the portable electronic device and the imaging surface. The motion sensor is configured to generate a second set of movement data indicating a second relative movement between the portable electronic device and the imaging surface. A controller is configured to move the menu item pointer based on the first set of movement data to highlight a first menu item. The controller is configured to select the first menu item based on the second set of movement data.

Claims

1. A method of controlling menu item selection in a portable electronic device, the portable electronic device including a menu display having a plurality of menu items and a menu item pointer movable by a user to highlight particular menu items, the method comprising:

sensing two-dimensional relative movement between the portable electronic device and an imaging surface with a motion detection device;

generating a first set of movement data with the motion detection device indicating an amount and direction of a first relative movement between the portable electronic device and the imaging surface;

moving the menu item pointer based on the first set of movement data to highlight a first menu item;

generating a second set of movement data with the motion detection device indicating an amount and direction of a second relative movement between the portable electronic device and the imaging surface; and

selecting the first menu item based on the second set of movement data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of movement data indicates movement in a first direction, and the second set of movement data indicates movement in a second direction, the second direction being substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

3. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

directing light onto the imaging surface, thereby generating reflected images;

focusing the reflected images onto an array of photo detectors;

generating digital representations of the reflected images based on outputs of the photo detectors; and

correlating at least one version of a first one of the digital representations with at least one version of a second one of the digital representations.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is one of a cellular telephone, personal digital assistant, digital camera, pager, portable music player, and portable game device.

5. A portable electronic device comprising:

a menu display having a plurality of menu items and a menu item pointer movable by a user to highlight particular menu items;

a motion detection device for sensing relative movement between the portable electronic device and an imaging surface, the motion detection device configured to generate a first set of movement data indicating an amount and direction of a first relative movement between the portable electronic device and the imaging surface, and configured to generate a second set of movement data indicating an amount and direction of a second relative movement between the portable electronic device and the imaging surface; and

a controller configured to move the menu item pointer based on the first set of movement data to highlight a first menu item, the controller configured to select the first menu item based on the second set of movement data.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the first set of movement data indicates movement in a first direction, and the second set of movement data indicates movement in a second direction, the second direction being substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the motion detection device is an optical motion detection device.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the optical motion detection device further comprises:

a light source for illuminating the imaging surface, thereby generating reflected images;

an array of photo detectors;

a lens for focusing the reflected images onto the array of photo detectors; and

wherein the optical motion detection device is configured to generate digital representations of the reflected images based on outputs of the photo detectors and correlate at least one version of a first one of the digital representations with at least one version of a second one of the digital representations.

9. The device of claim 5, wherein the motion detection device is positioned on a back side of the portable electronic device, and the menu display is positioned on a front side of the portable electronic device.

10. The device of claim 5, wherein the portable electronic device is one of a cellular telephone, personal digital assistant, digital camera, pager, portable music player, and portable game device.

11. A method of identifying the user of a portable electronic device, the method comprising:

storing movement pattern data representing a first pattern of relative movement between the portable electronic device and an imaging surface;

sensing relative movement between the portable electronic device and an imaging surface;

generating a first set of motion data based on the sensed relative movement, the first set of motion data representing a second pattern of relative movement between the portable electronic device and an imaging surface;

comparing the first set of motion data to the stored movement pattern data; and

identifying the user of the portable electronic device based on the comparison of the first set of motion data to the stored movement pattern data.

12. The method of claim 11, and further comprising:

directing light onto the imaging surface, thereby generating reflected images;

focusing the reflected images onto an array of photo detectors;

generating digital representations of the reflected images based on outputs of the photo detectors; and

correlating at least one version of a first one of the digital representations with at least one version of a second one of the digital representations.

13. The method of claim 11, and further comprising:

enabling operation of the portable electronic device if the first set of motion data matches the stored movement pattern data.

14. A portable electronic device comprising:

a memory for storing movement pattern data representing a first pattern of relative movement between the portable electronic device and an imaging surface;

a motion detection device for generating a first set of motion data representing a second pattern of relative movement between the portable electronic device and an imaging surface; and

a controller for comparing the first set of motion data to the stored movement pattern data, the controller configured to identify the user of the portable electronic based on the comparison of the first set of motion data to the stored movement pattern data.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the motion detection device is an optical motion detection device.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the optical motion detection device further comprises:

a light source for illuminating the imaging surface, thereby generating reflected images;

an array of photo detectors;

a lens for focusing the reflected images onto the array of photo detectors; and

wherein the optical motion detection device is configured to generate digital representations of the reflected images based on outputs of the photo detectors and correlate at least one version of a first one of the digital representations with at least one version of a second one of the digital representations.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein the motion detection device is positioned on a back side of the portable electronic device.

18. A portable electronic device comprising:

a memory for storing movement pattern data representing a first pattern of relative movement between the portable electronic device and an imaging surface;

a motion detection device for generating a first set of motion data representing a second pattern of relative movement between the portable electronic device and an imaging surface; and

a controller for comparing the first set of motion data to the stored movement pattern data, the controller configured to enable operation of the portable electronic device if the first set of motion data matches the stored movement pattern data.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the motion detection device is an optical motion detection device.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the motion detection device further comprises:

a light source for illuminating the imaging surface, thereby generating reflected images;

an array of photo detectors;

a lens for focusing the reflected images onto the array of photo detectors; and

wherein the motion detection device is configured to generate digital representations of the reflected images based on outputs of the photo detectors and correlate at least one version of a first one of the digital representations with at least one version of a second one of the digital representations.

21. The device of claim 18, wherein the motion detection device is positioned on a back side of the portable electronic device.

22. The device of claim 18, wherein the portable electronic device is one of a cellular telephone, personal digital assistant, digital camera, pager, portable music player, and portable game device.