Method and mobile terminal for controlling application in the mobile terminal

• US 8,914,010 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2012
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Wang, Jianfeng, Li, Tangsuo, Bao, Feilong
• Primary Examiner(s): MEHRA, INDER P
• Application Number:
  US13/398,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20120208555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,034 Days
• Field of Search: 455/67.11, 455/418, 455/456.1, 455/566, 455/567, 345/156, 345/173, 345/592, 345/596
• US Class Current: 455/418
• 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 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: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion

Abstract

A method of controlling applications in a mobile terminal is provided. The method includes collecting acceleration values continuously using an acceleration sensor, when the mobile terminal is being moved; identifying a motion trace indicating that the mobile terminal has been moved from the collected acceleration values; matching the identified motion trace with a preset motion trace, and executing a control command mapped to the preset motion trace to control an application in the mobile terminal, if the matching succeeds.

Claims

1. A method of controlling applications in a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

presetting a motion trace for the mobile terminal;

binding the preset motion trace to a control command of an application, prior to collecting acceleration values;

collecting the acceleration values continuously using an acceleration sensor, when the mobile terminal is being moved;

identifying a motion trace of the mobile device, indicating that the mobile terminal has been move, from the collected acceleration values;

matching the identified motion trace with the preset motion trace; and

executing a control command mapped to the preset motion trace to control an application in the mobile terminal, if the matching succeeds.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the acceleration values is a vector including a value on an X-axis, a value on an Y-axis, and a value on an Z-axis, and wherein collecting the acceleration values comprises:

performing sampling at a preset time interval, by the acceleration sensor, when the mobile terminal is moved, and storing in a first storage space including M groups of subspaces, values on the X-axis obtained in the sampling, storing in a second storage space including M groups of subspaces, values on the Y-axis obtained in the sampling, and storing in a third storage space including M groups of subspaces, values on the Z-axis obtained in the sampling,

wherein M is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying of the motion trace comprises:

determining M respective X-axis motion identifiers based on values in the M groups of subspaces for the values in the first storage space, wherein each of the X-axis motion identifiers is 1, −

1 or 0, and wherein 1 denotes motion in an X-axis positive direction, −

1 denotes motion in an X-axis negative direction, and 0 denotes no motion on the X-axis;

determining M respective Y-axis motion identifiers based on values in the M groups of subspaces for the values in the second storage space, wherein each of the Y-axis motion identifiers is 1, −

1 or 0, wherein 1 denotes motion in a Y-axis positive direction, −

1 denotes motion in a Y-axis negative direction, and 0 denotes no motion on the Y-axis;

determining M respective Z-axis motion identifiers based on values in the M groups of subspaces for the values in the third storage space, wherein each of the Z-axis motion identifiers is 1, −

1 or 0, wherein 1 denotes motion in a Z-axis positive direction, −

1 denotes motion in a Z-axis negative direction, and 0 denotes no motion on the Z-axis;

wherein the M X-axis motion identifiers, the M Y-axis motion identifiers and the M Z-axis motion identifiers are used to represent a motion trace of motion of the mobile terminal.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein

the M groups of subspaces of the first storage space include N data units for respectively storing N values on the X-axis that have been obtained in sampling most recently,

the M groups of subspaces of the second storage space include N data units for respectively storing N values on the Y-axis that have been obtained in sampling most recently,

the M groups of subspaces of the third storage space include N data units for respectively storing N values on the Z-axis that have been obtained in sampling most recently, and

wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the M respective X-axis motion identifiers based on values in the M groups of subspaces, determining of the M respective Y-axis motion identifiers based on values in the M groups of subspaces, and determining of the M respective Z-axis motion identifiers based on values in the M groups of subspaces comprises:

selecting a first group of subspaces as the current group;

subtracting a still value from the N values stored in the current group and comparing the differences between the N values and the still value with a preset threshold value to obtain N comparison results, wherein the N comparison results are obtained as follows;

if a difference is larger than the preset threshold value, the corresponding comparison result is 1;

if a difference is smaller than the minus preset threshold value, the corresponding comparison result is −

1; and

if the absolute value of a difference is smaller than the preset threshold value, the corresponding comparison result is 0;

counting the N comparison results of the current group and taking one of 1, −

1 and 0 whose number of the N comparison results is the maximum as a motion identifier of a corresponding axis among the X-axis motion identifier, the Y-axis motion identifier, and the Z-axis motion identifier corresponding to the current group of subspace; and

selecting the next group as the current group and returns to the second step unless all of the M groups of subspaces are processed.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining whether the motion identifier of the corresponding axis corresponding to the current group is 0; and

calculating a mean of the N values of the current group and updating the still value as the calculated mean.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein presetting a motion trace for the mobile terminal comprises:

collecting acceleration values using the acceleration sensor continuously when the mobile terminal is being moved;

identifying a motion trace indicating that the mobile terminal has been moved, from the collected acceleration values;

displaying the identified motion trace to a user; and

saving the identified motion trace, when a confirmation instruction is received from the user;

otherwise, returning to the first step.

8. A mobile terminal, comprising:

an acceleration sensor for detecting an acceleration when the mobile terminal is being moved; and

a controller for presetting a motion trace of the mobile terminal, binding the preset motion trace to a control command of an application, prior to collecting acceleration values, collecting the acceleration values continuously using the acceleration sensor, when the mobile terminal is being moved, identifying a motion trace of the mobile terminal, indicating that the mobile terminal has been moved, from the collected acceleration values, matching the identified motion trace with the preset motion trace, and executing a control command mapped to the preset motion trace to control applications in the mobile terminal, if the matching succeeds.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, further comprising:

a memory for providing first, second, and third storage spaces including respective M groups of subspaces,

wherein the acceleration value is a vector including a value on the X-axis, a value on the Y-axis, and a value on the Z-axis and, when collecting the acceleration values, the controller performs sampling at a time interval preset by the acceleration sensor when the mobile terminal is being moved and stores values on the X-axis obtained during the sampling in the M groups of subspaces of the first storage space, stores values on the Y-axis obtained in the sampling in the M groups of subspaces of the second storage space, and stores values on the Z-axis obtained in the sampling in the M groups of subspaces of the third storage space,

wherein M is a positive greater than or equal to 1.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein, the controller determines M respective X-axis motion identifiers based on values in the M groups of subspaces for the values in the first storage space, when the motion trace is identified,

wherein each of the X-axis motion identifiers is 1, −

1 or 0, wherein 1 denotes motion in an X-axis positive direction, −

1 denotes motion in an X-axis negative direction, and 0 denotes no motion on the X-axis, determines M respective Y-axis motion identifiers based on values in the M groups of subspaces for the values in the second storage space,

wherein each of the Y-axis motion identifiers is 1, −

1 or 0, wherein 1 denotes motion in Y-axis positive direction, −

1 denotes motion in a Y-axis negative direction, and 0 denotes no motion on the Y-axis and determines M respective Z-axis motion identifiers based on values in the M groups of subspaces for the values in the third storage space,

wherein each of the Z-axis motion identifiers is 1, −

1 or 0, wherein 1 denotes motion in a Z-axis positive direction, −

1 denotes motion in a Z-axis negative direction, and 0 denotes no motion on the Z-axis, and the M X-axis motion identifiers, the M Y-axis motion identifiers and the M Z-axis motion identifiers are used to represent a motion trace of motion of the mobile terminal.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein the M groups of subspaces of the first storage space include N data units for respectively storing N values on the X-axis that have been obtained in sampling most recently, the M groups of subspaces of the second storage space include N data units for respectively storing N values on the Y-axis that have been obtained in sampling most recently and the M groups of subspaces of the third storage space include N data units for respectively storing N values on the Z-axis that have been obtained in sampling most recently,

wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein, when determining the M respective X-axis motion identifiers based on values in the M groups of subspaces, determining of the M respective Y-axis motion identifiers based on values in the M groups of subspaces, and determining of the M respective Z-axis motion identifiers based on values in the M groups of subspaces, respectively, the controller subtracts a still value from the N values stored in the respective M groups and compares the differences between the N values and the still value with a preset threshold value to obtain N comparison results, and counts the N comparison results of the current group and takes one of 1, −

1 and 0 whose number of the N comparison results is the maximum as a motion identifier of a corresponding axis among the X-axis motion identifier, the Y-axis motion identifier, and the Z-axis motion identifier corresponding to the current group of subspace,

wherein the N comparison results are obtained as follows;

if a difference is larger than the preset threshold value, the corresponding comparison result is 1;

if a difference is smaller than the minus preset threshold value, the corresponding comparison result is −

1;

if the absolute value of a difference is smaller than the preset threshold value, the corresponding comparison result is 0.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the controller calculates a mean of the N values of the current group and updates the still value as the calculated mean, if the motion identifier on the corresponding axis is 0.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein, when presetting a motion trace for the mobile terminal, the controller continuously collects the acceleration values using the acceleration sensor when the mobile terminal is being moved, identifies a motion trace that the motile terminal has been moved, from the collected acceleration values, displays the identified motion trace to a user, and stores the identified motion trace, when a confirmation instruction is received from the user.