Apparatus, method and computer program using a proximity detector

• US 9,195,349 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2011
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Ronkainen, Sami Pekka
• Primary Examiner(s): Sharifi-Tafreshi, Koosha
• Application Number:
  US13/277,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20130100064A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174, 178 1801- 1811, 715/862, 715/863
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

An apparatus comprising: at least one proximity detector configured to disambiguate different user actuations proximal to the proximity detector; wherein, the apparatus is configured to use the at least one proximity detector in a high definition mode to disambiguate a first set of user actuations and wherein, the apparatus is configured to use, in response to detection of a first criteria, the at least one proximity detector in a low definition mode to disambiguate a second, smaller set of user actuations.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one proximity detector configured to disambiguate different user actuations proximal to the proximity detector, each different user actuation comprising a touch input at a different location or a different gesture;

wherein, the apparatus is configured to use the at least one proximity detector in a high definition mode to disambiguate a first user actuation of a first set of different user actuations from a second user actuation of the first set of different user actuations, and wherein, the apparatus is configured to use, in response to detection of a first criteria, the at least one proximity detector in a low definition mode to disambiguate a first user actuation of a second set of different user actuations from a second user actuation of the second set of different user actuations, wherein the first set of different actuations comprises a first number of different user actuations and the second set of different user actuations comprises a second number of different user actuations, the second number being smaller than the first number, wherein the apparatus is configured to associate an input control option with each member of the second set of different user actuations, wherein the input control options enable user control of an in-use application but do not enable selection of an application for use.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the different user actuations are different hand gestures.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one proximity detector in a low definition mode is configured to disambiguate accurately the second set of different user actuations that are separated from the at least one proximity detector by clothing.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one proximity detector is configured to be triggered by user actuations at a greater distance from the at least one proximity detector in the low definition mode than the high definition mode.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one proximity detector is configured to have a higher gain in the low definition mode than the high definition mode.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first set of different user actuations and the second set of different user actuations are exclusive, non-overlapping sets.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising a display, wherein the at least one proximity detector enables touch input over the display.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform;

detecting the first criteria; and

changing from using the at least one proximity detector in the high definition mode to using the at least one proximity detector in the low definition mode.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second set of different user actuations comprise direction sweeps.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second set of different user actuations control audio output from an application for playing music tracks and the second set of different user actuations comprise a first low definition directional sweep actuation for scrolling forward one music track to a next music track and playing that next music track, and a second, different low definition directional sweep actuation for scrolling backwards one music track to a previous music track and playing that previous music track.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the second set of user actuations comprise a low definition cover-uncover actuation for controlling volume, wherein a change in volume is determined by a period of time for which a cover portion of the cover-uncover actuation occurs.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the cover-uncover actuation for controlling volume, toggles between increasing volume and decreasing volume with each cover-uncover actuation.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first criteria is dependent upon one or more of:

a proximity detection trigger;

an apparatus orientation trigger; and

a user-locking trigger.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first criteria requires:

an application to be in use, the user to have applied a user lock to the apparatus, and the apparatus to detect that it has been continually adjacent another object since a timeout period.

16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first criteria requires that the apparatus goes to a vertical orientation and stays there.

17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to use, in response to detection of the first criteria, the at least one proximity detector in a low definition mode to disambiguate the second set of different user actuations and wherein the apparatus is configured to use, in response to detection of a second criteria, the at least one proximity detector in a high definition mode to disambiguate the first set of different user actuations.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the second criteria is dependent upon one or more of:

one or more proximity detection triggers and an apparatus orientation trigger.

25. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first criteria is dependent upon activation of a user-locking trigger that is activated when a user applies a lock to the apparatus.

9. An apparatus comprising:

at least one proximity detector configured to disambiguate different user actuations proximal to the proximity detector, each different user actuation comprising a touch input at a different location or a different gesture;

wherein, the apparatus is configured to use the at least one proximity detector in a high definition mode to disambiguate a first user actuation of a first set of different user actuations from a second user actuation of the first set of different user actuations, and wherein, the apparatus is configured to use, in response to detection of a first criteria, the at least one proximity detector in a low definition mode to disambiguate a first user actuation of a second set of different user actuations from a second user actuation of the second set of different user actuations, wherein the first set of different actuations comprises a first number of different user actuations and the second set of different user actuations comprises a second number of different user actuations, the second number being smaller than the first number, wherein the at least one proximity detector in the high definition mode is configured to disambiguate an instantaneous user actuation at a first location from an instantaneous user actuation at a second location separated from the first location by less than 0.5 cm and wherein the at least one proximity detector in the low definition mode is not configured to disambiguate an instantaneous user actuation at the first location from an instantaneous user actuation at the second location separated from the first location by less than 0.5 cm.

19. A method comprising:

detection of a first criteria; and

switching from using at least one proximity detector in a high definition mode to disambiguate a first user actuation of a first set of different user actuations from a second user actuation of the first set of different user actuations to using the at least one proximity detector in a low definition mode to disambiguate a first user actuation of a second set of different user actuations from a second user actuation of the second set of different user actuations, wherein each different user actuation comprises a touch input at a different location or a different gesture, and the first set of different user actuations comprises a first number of user actuations and the second set of different user actuations comprises a second number of different user actuations, the second number being smaller than the first number, wherein the method comprises associating an input control option with each member of the second set of different user actuations, wherein the input control options enable user control of an in-use application but do not enable selection of an application for use.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the different user actuations are different hand gestures and wherein the low definition mode enables user control of the apparatus through user clothing.

21. A method as claimed in claim 19, further comprising reducing power consumption of a display when the at least one proximity detector is in the low definition mode.

22. A method as claimed in claim 19, further comprising detection of second criteria;

and switching from using the at least one proximity detector in the low definition mode to disambiguate the second set of different user actuations to using the at least one proximity detector in the high definition mode to disambiguate the first set of different user actuations instead of the second set of different user actuations.

23. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform;

detecting a first criteria; and

controlling switching from using at least one proximity detector in a high definition mode to disambiguate a first user actuation of a first set of different user actuations from a second user actuation of the first set of different user actuations to using the at least one proximity detector in a low definition mode to disambiguate a first user actuation of a second set of different user actuations from a second user actuation of the second set of different user actuations, wherein each different user actuation comprises a touch input at a different location or a different gesture, and the first set of different user actuations comprises a first number of different user actuations and the second set of different user actuations comprises a second number of different user actuations, the second number being smaller than the first number, wherein the apparatus is configured to associate an input control option with each member of the second set of different user actuations, wherein the input control options enable user control of an in-use application but do not enable selection of an application for use.

24. An apparatus as claimed in claim 23 wherein the second set of user actuations comprises only un-tethered relative sweep gestures.