Guidance system by detecting tapped location

• US 8,102,273 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2008
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Amano, Tomio, Hobo, Kimitake, Kobayashi, Makoto, Okada, Ai
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rushing, Mark
• Application Number:
  US12/334,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20100148980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,136 Days
• Field of Search: 340/540, 340/686, 439/315, 439488-491, 710/63
• US Class Current: 340/686.6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/26 for engaging or disengaging the two parts of a coupling device structural association with two-part coupling device H01R13/629

Abstract

A method for guiding a user to connect a peripheral component to a unit of electronic equipment includes the user tapping upon one of a plurality of connector interfaces comprising the unit of electronic equipment. In response to the tapping, the one tapped connector interface is identified and the user is notified of the identity of the one tapped connector interface. The identifying includes detecting the tapping at two or more sensors and processing signals generated by the sensors to detect the one tapped connector interface. The notifying includes articulating an identity of the one tapped connector interface using a voice synthesizer and loudspeaker.

Claims

1. A method for guiding a user to connect a peripheral component to a unit of electronic equipment by tapping, said method comprising steps of:

a) the user identifying a connector interface required to connect the peripheral component via an input device of the electronic equipment;

b) the user tapping upon a housing surface of the unit of electronic equipment;

c) detecting the tapping at the housing surface;

d) recognizing a region at which the housing surface has been tapped and calculating a positional relation of the tapped region relative to the identified connector interface for connection; and

e) if the recognized region is the identified connector interface for connection, notifying the user and ending the method,

otherwise, notifying the user of the positional relation of the tapped region relative the connector interface for connection and, based on said positional relation, repeating steps b, c, d and e.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting includes detecting the tapping at two or more piezoelectric sensors, which generate signals comprising tapping data detected at the sensor locations.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of recognizing the region at which the housing surface has been tapped includes calculating a positional relation of the tapped region relative the connector interface by processing the signals generated by the two or more piezoelectric sensors.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the region that is recognized from an initial performance of step d is not the identified connector interface for connection.

5. A method for guiding a user to connect a peripheral component to a unit of electronic equipment by tapping, said method comprising steps of:

a) the user identifying a connector interface required to connect the peripheral component via an input device of the electronic equipment;

b) the user tapping upon a housing surface of the unit of electronic equipment;

c) detecting the tapping at the housing surface;

d) recognizing a region at which the housing surface has been tapped and calculating a positional relation of the tapped region relative the identified connector interface for connection; and

e) if the recognized region is the identified connector interface for connection, notifying the user and ending the method,

otherwise, notifying the user of the positional relation of the tapped region relative the connector interface for connection and, based on said positional relation, repeating steps b, c, d and e,

wherein the region that is recognized from an initial performance of step d is not the identified connector interface for connection;

wherein the notifying the user of the positional relation includes directing the user towards the connector interface for connection by either;

(i) articulating a direction to move towards the connector interface using a voice synthesizer and loudspeaker, from the identified tapped region;

or

(ii) using a graphical user interface to display a textual description of said direction to move towards the connector interface using said voice synthesizer and loudspeaker.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the notifying the user of the positional relation includes directing the user towards the connector interface for connection by said articulating a direction to move towards the connector interface using a voice synthesizer and loudspeaker, from the identified tapped region.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the notifying the user of the positional relation includes directing the user towards the connector interface for connection by said using a graphical user interface to display a textual description of a direction to move towards the connector interface using a voice synthesizer and loudspeaker.

8. A computer program product, comprising a computer readable physically tangible storage device having computer readable program code stored therein, said program code configured to be executed by a processor of a computer system to implement a method for guiding a user to connect to a unit of electronic equipment by tapping, said method comprising steps of:

a) the user identifying a connector interface required to connect the peripheral component via an input device of the electronic equipment;

b) the user tapping upon a housing surface of the unit of electronic equipment;

c) detecting the tapping at the housing surface;

d) recognizing a region at which the housing surface has been tapped and calculating a positional relation of the tapped region relative to the identified connector interface for connection; and

e) if the recognized region is the identified connector interface for connection, notifying the user and ending the method,

otherwise, notifying the user of the positional relation of the tapped region relative the connector interface for connection and, based on said positional relation, repeating steps b, c, d and e.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the region that is recognized from an initial performance of step d is not the identified connector interface for connection.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the notifying the user of the positional relation includes directing the user towards the connector interface for connection by either:

(i) articulating a direction to move towards the connector interface using a voice synthesizer and loudspeaker, from the identified tapped region;

or

(ii) using a graphical user interface to display a textual description of said direction to move towards the connector interface using said voice synthesizer and loudspeaker.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the notifying the user of the positional relation includes directing the user towards the connector interface for connection by said articulating a direction to move towards the connector interface using a voice synthesizer and loudspeaker, from the identified tapped region.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the notifying the user of the positional relation includes directing the user towards the connector interface for connection by said using a graphical user interface to display a textual description of a direction to move towards the connector interface using a voice synthesizer and loudspeaker.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the step of detecting includes detecting the tapping at two or more piezoelectric sensors, which generate signals comprising tapping data detected at the sensor locations.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the step of recognizing the region at which the housing surface has been tapped includes calculating a positional relation of the tapped region relative the connector interface by processing the signals generated by the two or more piezoelectric sensors.

15. A computer system comprising a processorand a computer readable storage device coupled to the processor, said storage device containing program code configured to be executed by the processor to implement a method for guiding a user to connect to a unit of electronic equipment by tapping, said method comprising steps of:

a) the user identifying a connector interface required to connect the peripheral component via an input device of the electronic equipment;

b) the user tapping upon a housing surface of the unit of electronic equipment;

c) detecting the tapping at the housing surface;

d) recognizing a region at which the housing surface has been tapped and calculating a positional relation of the tapped region relative to the identified connector interface for connection; and

e) if the recognized region is the identified connector interface for connection, notifying the user and ending the method,

otherwise, notifying the user of the positional relation of the tapped region relative the connector interface for connection and, based on said positional relation, repeating steps b, c, d and e.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the region that is recognized from an initial performance of step d is not the identified connector interface for connection.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the notifying the user of the positional relation includes directing the user towards the connector interface for connection by either:

(i) articulating a direction to move towards the connector interface using a voice synthesizer and loudspeaker, from the identified tapped region;

or

(ii) using a graphical user interface to display a textual description of said direction to move towards the connector interface using said voice synthesizer and loudspeaker.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the notifying the user of the positional relation includes directing the user towards the connector interface for connection by said articulating a direction to move towards the connector interface using a voice synthesizer and loudspeaker, from the identified tapped region.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the notifying the user of the positional relation includes directing the user towards the connector interface for connection by said using a graphical user interface to display a textual description of a direction to move towards the connector interface using a voice synthesizer and loudspeaker.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the step of detecting includes detecting the tapping at two or more piezoelectric sensors, which generate signals comprising tapping data detected at the sensor locations.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the step of recognizing the region at which the housing surface has been tapped includes calculating a positional relation of the tapped region relative the connector interface by processing the signals generated by the two or more piezoelectric sensors.