Portable electronic device and method therefor

• US 8,421,752 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2011
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Deluca, Michael Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H
• Application Number:
  US13/015,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20120194432A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 345/76, 345/82, 345/87, 345156-158, 345/173, 345/177, 345179-181, 345/419, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178/18.04, 178/19.01, 178/19.02, 715/862, 715/863
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• 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

Abstract

An electronic device includes an object sensor for detecting motion of an object, such as a stylus or finger, relative to device and during a period of contactless object movement. A motion sensor, such as an accelerometer, detects device motion during the period of contactless object movement. A processor determines a gesture that corresponds to the movement of the object and to movement of the device. This device, and the associated method, results in a more accurate determination of an intended gesture, such as a three-dimensional gesture. For example, the processor, or gesture determinator, can compensate for movement of the device when determining the gesture corresponding to detected contactless movement of the object.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device comprising:

an object sensor for detecting x, y and z axis motion of an object relative to the device during a period of contactless object movement;

a motion sensor for detecting x, y and z axis movement of the device during the period of contactless object movement; and

a processor in communication with the object sensor and the motion sensor, the processor configured to determine a three-dimensional gesture that corresponds to the movement of the object and to the movement of the device during the period of contactless object movement, the three dimensional gesture being associated with detected object motion that has at least one component measured in an axis or place additional to the plane of a display of the device, the display being on a plane defined by the x and y axes.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to compensate for the device movement when determining the gesture.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 2 wherein the processor is configured to subtract the device movement from the movement of the object.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein:

the object sensor comprises a three-dimensional object sensor for measuring three-dimensional motion of the object above the device;

the motion sensor comprises a three-dimensional motion sensor for detecting three-dimensional movement of the device; and

the processor is configured to determine a three-dimensional gesture that corresponds to the three-dimensional movement of the object and the three-dimensional movement of the device.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the object sensor detects positions of the object during the period of contactless object movement, and wherein the processor and the object sensor cooperate to determine the object movement based on the detected object positions.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the motion sensor comprises an accelerometer.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the motion sensor comprises a gyroscope.

8. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the object sensor comprises a plurality of sensors.

9. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the object sensor comprises an ultrasonic sensor for detecting motion of the object by measuring Doppler shift during the period of contactless object movement.

10. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the object sensor comprises an infrared sensor.

11. A method of gesture detection for a portable electronic device comprising:

detecting x, y and z axis movement of an object relative to the device during a period of contactless object movement;

detecting x, y and z axis movement of the device during the period of contactless object movement; and

determining a three-dimensional gesture that corresponds to the movement of the object and to the movement of the device during the period of contactless object movement, the three-dimensional gesture being associated with detected object motion that has at least one component measured in an axis or plane additional to the plane of a display of the device, the display being on a plane defined by the x and y axes.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein determining the gesture comprises compensating for the device movement.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein compensating for the device movement comprises subtracting the device movement from the movement of the object.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein:

detecting movement of the object comprises measuring three-dimensional motion of the object above the device;

detecting movement of the device comprises detecting three-dimensional movement of the device; and

determining the gesture comprises determining a three-dimensional gesture that corresponds to the three-dimensional movement of the object and to the three-dimensional movement of the device.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein detecting the movement of the object comprises detecting positions of the object during the period of contactless object movement, and determining the object movement based on the detected object positions.

16. A non-transitory machine-readable memory storing statements and instructions for execution by a processor to perform a method of gesture detection for a portable electronic device comprising:

detecting x, y and z axis movement of an object relative to the device during a period of contactless object movement;

detecting x, y and z axis movement of the device during the period of contactless object movement; and

determining a three-dimensional gesture that corresponds to the movement of the object and to the movement of the device during the period of contactless object movement, the three-dimensional gesture being associated with detected object motion that has at least one component measured in an axis or plane additional to the plane of display of the device, the display being on a plane defined by the x and y axes.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable memory of claim 16 wherein, in the method, determining the gesture comprises compensating for the device movement.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable memory of claim 17 wherein, in the method, compensating for the device movement comprises subtracting the device movement from the movement of the object.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable memory of claim 16 wherein, in the method,

detecting movement of the object comprises detecting three-dimensional positions of the object above the device;

detecting movement of the device comprises detecting three-dimensional positions of the device; and

determining the gesture comprises determining a three-dimensional gesture that corresponds to the three-dimensional movement of the object and to the three-dimensional movement of the device.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable memory of claim 16 wherein, in the method, detecting the motion of the object comprises detecting positions of the object during the period of contactless object movement, and determining the object motion based on the detected object positions.