Input device and input method

• US 9,058,091 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2009
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Hyun Jeong, Chang, Wook, Han, Seung Ju, Park, Joon Ah
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kevin M
• Application Number:
  US12/453,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20100141611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,231 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-169, 345/173
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Provided is an input device that may sense a first contact occurring along a planar coordinate axis among three-dimensional (3D) spatial coordinate axes to generate first contact information, to sense a second contact occurring along a vertical coordinate axis among the 3D spatial coordinate axes to generate second contact information, to analyze contact information including at least one of the first contact information and the second contact information to generate an input signal to control a predetermined display device, and to transmit the generated input signal to the display device. The display device may control an object that is displayed on the display device, based on the input signal.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

a first contact sensor to sense a first contact occurring along a planar coordinate axis among three-dimensional (3D) spatial coordinate axes and to generate first contact information;

a second contact sensor to sense a second contact occurring along a vertical coordinate axis among the 3D spatial coordinate axes and to generate second contact information; and

an input signal generator, implemented in at least one processing device, configured to analyze contact information including at least one of the first contact information and the second contact information, and to generate an input signal to control a predetermined display device along six degrees of freedom of movement in a virtual three-dimensional space based on the analyzed contact information,

wherein the analyzing of only contact information corresponding to the first contact sensor includes determining three degrees of freedom from among the six degrees of freedom,

wherein the analyzing of contact information corresponding to the second contact sensor includes determining a plurality of degrees of freedom which include at least all remaining degrees of freedom of the six degrees of freedom,

wherein the first contact sensor and the second contact sensor are located on different surfaces, and

wherein the three degrees of freedom comprise two translational degrees of freedom and one rotational degree of freedom.

2. The input device of claim 1, further comprising:

a transmitter to transmit the generated input signal to the display device.

3. The input device of claim 2, wherein the transmitted input signal controls an object that is displayed on the display device.

4. The input device of claim 3, wherein:

the input signal generator further comprises a motion information generator to generate motion information associated with a motion of the displayed object from the contact information, by referring to a table including at least one predetermined motion information, and

the input signal comprises the motion information.

5. The input device of claim 4, wherein the motion information generator estimates the motion of the displayed object by tracking at least one location of a location of the first contact and a location of the second contact at predetermined time intervals based on the contact information, and generates the motion information from the estimated motion of the displayed object, by referring to the table.

6. The input device of claim 1, further comprising:

a validity decision unit to determine whether the first contact information and the second contact information are valid contact information.

14. The input device of claim 1, wherein

the input device is constructed in a spherical shape having a planar surface;

the planar surface comprises the first contact sensor; and

the remainder of the surface of the spherical shape comprises the second contact sensor.

15. The input device of claim 1, wherein

the second contact sensor provides contact information for three degrees of freedom of movement of the six degrees of freedom.

16. The input device of claim 1, wherein

the six degrees of freedom of movement comprise linear movement along a y axis, linear movement along an x axis, linear movement along a z axis, roll based on rotational movement about the y axis, pitch based on rotational movement about the x axis, and yaw based on rotational movement about the z axis;

the first contact sensor provides contact information for the linear movement along the y axis, the yaw based on rotational movement about the z axis, and the linear movement along the x axis; and

the second contact sensor provides contact information for the linear movement along the z axis, the roll based on rotational movement about the y axis, and the pitch based on rotational movement about the x axis.

17. The input device of claim 1,

wherein the analyzing of the contact information corresponding to the second contact sensor includes determining at least one translational degree of freedom and at least two rotational degrees of freedom for the second contact sensor.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing of the contact information corresponding to the first contact sensor includes determining at least one translational degree of freedom and at least one rotational degree of freedom for the first contact sensor.

7. An input method comprising:

sensing a first contact occurring on a first surface along a planar coordinate axis among 3D spatial coordinate axes to generate first contact information;

sensing a second contact occurring on a second surface along a vertical coordinate axis among the 3D spatial coordinate axes to generate second contact information; and

analyzing, using at least one processing device, contact information including at least one of the first contact information and the second contact information to generate an input signal to control a predetermined display device along six degrees of freedom of movement in a virtual three-dimensional space,

wherein the analyzing of only contact information corresponding to the first contact sensor includes determining three degrees of freedom from among the six degrees of freedom, and

wherein the analyzing of contact information corresponding to the second contact sensor includes determining a plurality of degrees of freedom which include at least all remaining degrees of freedom of the six degrees of freedom, and

wherein the three degrees of freedom comprise two translational degrees of freedom and one rotational degree of freedom.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting the generated input signal to the display device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the transmitted input signal controls an object that is displayed on the display device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the generating of the input signal further comprises generating motion information associated with a motion of the displayed object from the contact information, by referring to a table including at least one predetermined motion information, and

the input signal comprises the motion information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the generating of the motion information comprises estimating the motion of the displayed object by tracking at least one location of a location of the first contact and a location of the second contact at predetermined time intervals based on the contact information, and generating the motion information from the estimated motion of the displayed object, by referring to the table.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether the first contact information and the second contact information are valid contact information.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium comprising computer readable code to control at least one processing device to implement the method of claim 7.

19. The method of claim 7, wherein

the second contact information provides contact information for three degrees of freedom of movement of the six degrees of freedom.

20. The method of claim 7, wherein

the six degrees of freedom of movement comprise linear movement along a y axis, linear movement along an x axis, linear movement along a z axis, roll based on rotational movement about the y axis, pitch based on rotational movement about the x axis, and yaw based on rotational movement about the z axis;

the first contact information provides contact information for the linear movement along the y axis, the yaw based on rotational movement about the z axis, and the linear movement along the x axis; and

the second contact information provides contact information for the linear movement along the z axis, the roll based on rotational movement about the y axis, and the pitch based on rotational movement about the x axis.