Device for detecting and displaying movements

• US 9,141,220 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2002
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Engl, Walter, Jarczyk, Alexander, Schneider-Hufschmidt, Matthias
• Primary Examiner(s): Burke, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Black, Linh
• Application Number:
  US10/499,763
• Publication Number:
  US 20050017966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,676 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1-1041, 707/690, 707/758
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• 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 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• 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 3/03544 having dual sensing arrangement, e.g. two balls or two coils used to track rotation of the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for detecting and displaying movements, whereby the device comprises a housing and position detection means, which are placed on the housing and provided for detecting the current position data of a reference point of the device. The inventive device also comprises data processing means for processing position data detected by the position detection means, and comprises a display device, which is provided on the housing while serving to display an image consisting of detected and processed position data.

Claims

1. A device for detecting and displaying movements, comprising:

a housing;

a position detection part attached to the housing for detecting housing position data of a reference point of the device when the housing is moved by hand;

a data processor for processing the housing position data detected by the position detection part, the data processor being embodied with a character recognition facility scrutinizing the housing position data for a change in position of the reference point for agreement with a pre-specified character and which, upon the character recognition facility determining substantial agreement between the housing position data and the pre-specified character, assigns the pre-specified character to a position; and

a display facility provided on the housing for displaying a first image indicative of the housing position data and a second different image indicative of the pre-specified character corresponding to the housing position data in the event of substantial agreement with the pre-specified character.

2. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 1, wherein the position detection part includes at least one optical sensor, at least one mechanical sensor and at least one acceleration sensor.

3. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one optical sensor includes an optical movement sensor for detecting a translational movement of the reference point.

4. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one optical sensor detects a rotational movement around an axis extending through the reference point.

5. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 2, wherein the device includes at least two optical sensors.

6. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one mechanical sensor is a ball sensor for detecting a rolling movement on a surface.

7. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one acceleration sensor includes at least one of a rotation-angle acceleration sensor and a longitudinal acceleration sensor for detecting an acceleration of the reference point of the device.

8. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 2, wherein the device includes two translational acceleration sensors and one rotation-angle acceleration sensor.

9. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 2, wherein the device includes at least one rotation-angle acceleration sensor.

10. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an operating part via which the image indicative of the housing position data is initiated and terminated.

11. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a part for verifying contact with a surface of a solid object, wherein the data processor graphically displays the image indicative of the housing position data when there is contact with the surface of the solid object on the display facility.

12. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data processor takes account of a change in the position of the reference point such that the image indicative of the housing position data is substantially stable in terms of at least one of location and position relative to a fixed reference area.

13. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 12, wherein the reference area is a plane running substantially parallel to a surface of the display facility.

14. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 12, wherein the reference area is substantially parallel to a surface of a solid object.

15. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 12, wherein to obtain stability of the image indicative of the housing position data in terms at least one of location and position relative to the reference area, the data processor moves the image indicative of the housing position data within the display facility with a complementary movement opposite that of a change in the position of the reference point.

16. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an operating part via which a size relationship between the housing position data and the image indicative of the housing position data is adjusted.

17. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data processor includes a microprocessor.

18. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a part for at least one of cable-linked communication and cable-less communication with a remotely located base.

19. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 18, further comprising a radio transmission part for transmitting at least one of the housing position data and the pre-specified character.

20. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device is a mobile telecommunication terminal.

21. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 1, wherein a graphical user interface operated by moving the device is shown on the display facility.

22. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 21, wherein the graphical user interface includes a representation of a keyboard.

23. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 22, wherein the representation of the keyboard includes a representation of a telephone keypad.

24. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 21, wherein the graphical user interface facilitates controlling an arrangement such that objects may be processed by the arrangement as actions and contents, the actions being executable and the contents being capable of being processed via the actions, wherein the objects are spatially arranged within an operating space, and wherein the objects are accepted into a string, for which purpose respective positions of the objects in the operating space are located.

25. The device for detecting and displaying movements as claimed in claim 1, wherein displaying the image indicative of the housing position data and the image indicative of the pre-specified character includes simultaneously displaying the image indicative of the housing position data and the image indicative of the pre-specified character.