Controlling method and system for handheld communication device and recording medium using the same

• US 8,213,999 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2008
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Luke, Hok-Sum Horace, Wang, Chih-Hua, Wu, Ying-Huang, Chen, Yi-Lin, Peng, Hsiang-Yuan, Chin, Cheng-Hao, Tsui, Yuan-Mao
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc M
• Application Number:
  US12/346,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20090137286A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 455/574, 455/567, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/414.4, 455/418
• US Class Current: 455/574
• 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 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• 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: H04B 1/1607 Supply circuits converters H02M; filters therefor H02M1/14; voltage stabilisers G05F1/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/02 Power saving arrangements in wired systems H04L12/12; signaling of mobile application services, e.g. low battery notifications H04W4/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A controlling method and a controlling system for a handheld communication device are provided. In the present method, a tilting state of the handheld communication device is detected by using a G-sensor when a notice is activated. Then, whether the tilting state is changed from a face up state to a face down state is determined. The handheld communication device is controlled to perform a function when the tilting state is confirmed to be changed from the face up state to the face down state. Accordingly, the handheld communication device may be controlled to perform a function timely according to the positioned state of the device without going through complicated procedures, so as to provide a more intuitive and convenient way to control the handheld communication device.

Claims

1. A controlling method for a handheld communication device, comprising:

detecting a tilting state of the handheld communication device at a fixed interval by using a G-sensor;

determining whether the tilting state is changed from a face up state to a face down state, the method of determining comprising;

determining whether the tilting state is in the face up state;

continuing to determine whether the tilting state is changed to the face down state when the tilting state is determined in the face up state;

determining whether a number of times that the tilting state is continuously determined in the face down state exceeds a preset value when the tilting state is determined to be changed to the face down state; and

confirming that the tilting state is changed from the face up state to the face down state when the number of times exceeds the preset value; and

controlling the handheld communication device to perform a function when the tilting state is confirmed to be changed from the face up state to the face down state.

2. The controlling method according to claim 1,

wherein the step of detecting the tilting state of the handheld communication device comprises detecting the tilting state of the handheld communication device when a notice is activated.

3. The controlling method according to claim 2,

wherein the step of controlling the handheld communication device to perform the function comprises controlling the handheld communication device to enter a mute mode when the tilting state is confirmed to be changed from the face up state to the face down state.

4. The controlling method according to claim 2, wherein the notice comprises:

a sound notice, and wherein a sound of the handheld communication device is turned on in the normal mode and turned off in the mute mode;

a ringtone notice, and wherein a ringtone of the handheld communication device is turned on in the normal mode and turned off in the mute mode;

or

a vibration notice, and wherein a vibration function of the handheld communication device is turned on in the normal mode and is turned off in the mute mode.

5. The controlling method according to claim 1, wherein a length of the fixed interval is between 50 and 200 milliseconds.

6. The controlling method according to claim 1, wherein in the step of determining whether the number of times that the tilting state is continuously determined in the face down state exceeds the preset value, if the number of times has not exceeded the preset value and the tilting state is changed from the face down state to the tilting state other than the face down state, whether the tilting state is changed from the face up state to the face down state is re-determined.

7. The controlling method according to claim 1, wherein the step of detecting the tilting state of the handheld communication device by using the G-sensor comprises:

detecting a normal vector of a plane of the handheld communication device;

calculating a tiling angle that the plane is rotated along a transverse coordinate axis (X axis) and a rolling angle that the plane is rotated along a vertical coordinate axis (Y axis) according to the detected normal vector; and

comparing the tiling angle and the rolling angle with a plurality of angle ranges corresponding to a plurality of tilting states to determine the current tilting state of the handheld communication device.

8. The controlling method according to claim 7, wherein

the angle range of the tiling angle corresponding to the face up state is from 0 degree to 45 degree and from 315 degree to 360 degree and the angle range of the rolling angle corresponding to the face up state is from 0 degree to 45 degree and from 315 degree to 360 degree;

and

the angle range of the tiling angle corresponding to the face down state is from 170 degree to 190 degree and the angle range of the rolling angle corresponding to the face down state is from 170 degree to 190 degree.

9. The controlling method according to claim 7, wherein the plane of the handheld communication device is the plane comprising a screen of the handheld communication device.

10. The controlling method according to claim 1, wherein the tilting state comprises landscape left state, landscape right state, portrait top state, portrait bottom state, face up state, and face down state.

11. A recording medium, for recording a computer program, wherein the computer program comprises a plurality of program codes, and the computer program is suitable for being loaded into a handheld communication device to enable the handheld communication device to execute the controlling method as claimed in claim 1.

12. A controlling system, comprising:

a G-sensor for detecting a tilting state of a handheld communication device at a fixed interval; and

a tilting state determining module for determining whether the tilting state is changed from a face up state to a face down state by determining whether the tilting state is in the face up state, continuing to determine whether the tilting state is changed to the face down state when the tilting state is determined in the face up state, determining whether a number of times that the tilting state is continuously determined in the face down state exceeds a preset value when the tilting state is determined to be changed to the face down state, and confirming that the tilting state is changed from the face up state to the face down state when the number of times exceeds the preset value and controlling the handheld communication device to perform a function when the tilting state is confirmed to be changed from the face up state to the face down state.

13. The controlling system according to claim 12, wherein the G-sensor detects the tilting state of the handheld communication device when a notice is activated, and the tilting state determining module controls the handheld communication device to enter a mute mode when the tilting state is confirmed to be changed from the face up state to the face down state.

14. The controlling system according to claim 12, wherein the G-sensor comprises detecting a normal vector of a plane of the handheld communication device, calculating a tiling angle that the plane is rotated along a transverse coordinate axis (X axis) and a rolling angle that the plane is rotated along a vertical coordinate axis (Y axis) according to the detected normal vector, and comparing the tiling angle and the rolling angle with a plurality of angle ranges corresponding to a plurality of tilting states to determine the current tilting state of the handheld communication device, wherein the angle range of the tiling angle corresponding to the face up state is from 0 degree to 45 degree and from 315 degree to 360 degree and the angle range of the rolling angle corresponding to the face up state is from 0 degree to 45 degree and from 315 degree to 360 degree, and the angle range of the tiling angle corresponding to the face down state is from 170 degree to 190 degree and the angle range of the rolling angle corresponding to the face down state is from 170 degree to 190 degree.