Motion input device for portable terminal and operation method using the same

• US 8,866,734 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2009
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Jae Myeon, Hong, Hyun Su, Kim, Jin Yong, Kim, Kyung Hwa, Shin, Seung Woo, Oh, Jung Yeob, Lee, Myeong Lo, Ban, Ji Hye
• Primary Examiner(s): Pervan, Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/615,733
• Publication Number:
  US 20110053641A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,806 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-178, 715/863
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1636 Sensing arrangement for detection of a tap gesture on the housing
• 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: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0264 for a camera module assembly

Abstract

The present invention relates to a motion input device for portable terminal and an operation method using the same. A motion input device of a portable terminal of the present invention includes a sensor unit configured to collect a sensor signal from at least one sensor; an operation recognition unit configured to generate a motion signal corresponding to an operation of portable terminal based on the sensor signal; a scenario preparation unit configured to generate an input scenario based on at least one motion signal; and a scenario mapping unit configured to detect, in a scenario database, a standards scenario corresponding to the input scenario, and to generate an input signal corresponding to the standards scenario.

Claims

1. A method of operating a portable terminal, the method comprising:

determining at least one standards scenario corresponding to an application program in the portable terminal;

operating at least one sensor in the portable terminal;

receiving, from the at least one sensor, at least one sensor signal;

generating a motion signal based on receiving the at least one sensor signal;

generating an input scenario based on the motion signal;

detecting, in the at least one standards scenario, a same standards scenario as the input scenario; and

generating an input signal corresponding to the detected standards scenario,

wherein generating the motion signal comprises providing a first motion signal selected from a plurality of motion signals, the first motion signal corresponding to the at least one sensor signal, and providing a second motion signal of the plurality of motion signals indicating that the input scenario is to be generated.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining at least one standards scenario comprises:

detecting, in a scenario database, an input signal table associated with the application program; and

detecting, in the input signal table, a standards scenario comprising a comparison criteria of the input scenario.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the at least one sensor signal comprises receiving the at least one sensor signal according to a change of acceleration, a change of direction, a change of vibration, and/or a change of pressure.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein generating the motion signal comprises generating the plurality of motion signals based on a first sensor signal from among the received at least one sensor signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the motion signal comprises generating the motion signal based on a combination of at least two sensor signals transmitted by the at least one sensor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the first motion signal comprises providing, based on the at least one sensor signal, at least one motion signal selected from the group consisting of a tapping motion signal, a shaking motion signal, a snapping motion signal, a tilting motion signal, and a griping motion signal, and

wherein the second motion signal comprises a no-operation motion signal.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein generating an input scenario comprises:

preparing an input scenario by using at least one of the at least one motion signal successively input before the second motion signal indicating a completion of the input scenario is input; and

generating the prepared input scenario as one input scenario.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a menu item of the portable terminal; and

displaying a standards scenario corresponding to the motion signal for executing the menu item by using at least one of a text, an image, and an icon.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

executing the application program of the portable terminal; and

displaying, using at least one of a text, an image, and an icon, a standards scenario for controlling the application program, the standards scenario corresponding to the input signal.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

displaying a parameter information comprising a frequency, a period, an intensity, and an interval of motion signals, based on the standards scenario.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

activating, in response to a key input or a touch on a touch screen, a motion user interface mode supporting generation of the input signal; and

switching from an input mode of the portable terminal to the motion user interface mode.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a same standards scenario comprises:

comparing the input scenario with a table comprising a plurality of standards scenarios; and

detecting the same standards scenario if the same criteria scenario exists in the table.

13. A motion input device of a portable terminal, the motion input device comprising:

a sensor detection unit configured to receive at least one sensor signal from at least one sensor unit;

an operation recognition unit configured to generate, based on the at least one sensor signal, a motion signal;

a scenario preparation unit configured to generate an input scenario based on the motion signal;

a storage unit configured to store at least one application program; and

a scenario mapping unit configured to detect, in a scenario database, a standards scenario corresponding to the input scenario, and to generate an input signal corresponding to the standards scenario in response to a determination that an application program has been executed in the portable terminal, and a determination that at least one standards scenario corresponding to the determined application program is stored in the scenario database,

wherein the operation recognition unit is configured to generate the motion signal by providing a first motion signal selected from a plurality of motion signals, the first motion signal corresponding to the at least one sensor signal, and providing a second motion signal of the plurality of motion signals indicating that the input scenario is to be generated.

14. The motion input device of claim 13, wherein the storage unit comprises:

the scenario database comprising at least one input signal table comprising the at least one standards scenario, the at least one standards scenario comprising a comparison criteria of the input scenario according to the application program.

15. The motion input device of claim 13, wherein the sensor unit comprises at least one sensor selected from the group consisting of an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a vibration sensor, a pressure sensor, and a terrestrial magnetism sensor.

16. The motion input device of claim 13, wherein the operation recognition unit is configured to generate the plurality of motion signals based on the received at least one sensor signal, or to generate the first motion signal based on a combination of at least two of a plurality of sensor signals comprising the at least one sensor signal.

17. The motion input device of claim 13, wherein the operation recognition unit is configured to generate the first motion signal corresponding to at least one of a tapping motion signal, a shaking motion signal, a snapping motion signal, a tilting motion signal, and a griping motion signal based on the at least one sensor signal, and to generate the second motion signal corresponding to a no-operation motion signal.

18. The motion input device of claim 17, wherein the scenario preparation unit is configured to prepare the input scenario by using motion signals successively input before the second motion signal indicating a completion of the input scenario.

19. The motion input device of claim 13, further comprising a display unit comprising:

an area configured to display a menu item; and

an area configured to output at least one motion signal combination corresponding to the standards scenario for an execution of the menu item by using at least one of a text, an image, and an icon.

20. The motion input device of claim 13, further comprising a display unit comprising:

a screen display unit set according to an execution of a determined application program of the portable terminal; and

an area configured to display, using at least one of a text, an image, and an icon, a standards scenario associated with at least one motion signal combination corresponding to the input signal for control of the determined application program.

21. The motion input device of claims 13, further comprising a display unit configured to display parameter information comprising a frequency, period, intensity, and interval of motion signals, according to the standards scenario.

22. The motion input device of claim 13, further comprising at least one of a key input unit configured to generate a key input for activating a motion user interface mode supporting the generation of the input signal;

and

a touch screen configured to display an image corresponding to the key input and a touch event according to a corresponding touch image.

23. The motion input device of claim 22, wherein, on the touch screen, a link image configured to activate the motion user interface mode is displayed or not displayed according to an activation and deactivation of the motion user interface mode, respectively.