Hand-held wireless electronic device with accelerometer for interacting with a display
First Claim
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1. A hand-held wireless electronic device for interacting with a display, the device comprising:
- a MEMS accelerometer responsive to tilt of the device in a plurality of axes wherein;
the accelerometer comprises an integrated circuit that generates a digital tilt signal responsive to the projection of static gravity on the tilted accelerometer;
the accelerometer is most sensitive to tilt when the accelerometer is perpendicular to gravity; and
the digital tilt signal comprises an accelerometer pitch signal and an accelerometer roll signal where pitch and roll are rotations about two perpendicular axes orthogonal to the gravitational vector;
a sliding user input element that generates sliding input electrical signal having a magnitude responsive to a user-imparted sliding motion on the hand-held device, wherein the sliding user input element does not comprise an accelerometer;
a digital electronic circuit connected to the accelerometer and connected to the sliding user input element wherein the circuit;
calculates accelerometer pitch information using an inverse trigonometric function in response to said accelerometer pitch signal;
calculates accelerometer roll information using an inverse trigonometric function in response to said accelerometer roll signal;
calculates line magnitude information in response to the sliding input electrical signal;
calculates a display vector orientation in response to the accelerometer pitch information and the accelerometer roll information without using a signal from a gyroscope;
calculates a display vector length in response to the line magnitude information; and
calculates yaw information;
a communications module electrically coupled to the electronic circuit wherein;
the communications module communicates the display vector orientation to a receiving element of the display;
the communications module communicates the display vector length to a receiving element of the display;
the communications module communicates the yaw information to a receiving element of the display; and
the communications module further comprises a wireless communications element using a digital serial data transmission signal;
a battery that powers the accelerometer, the sliding user input element, the digital electronic circuit and the communications module; and
a circuit that manages the battery and optimizes power consumption for the device.
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Abstract
A device and method for interacting with a display using an accelerometer sensitive to tilt about two perpendicular axes and a third signal having a magnitude responsive to user input. The device and method allow a user to change a characteristic of an object on the display by converting pitch information, roll information, and a linear dimension into Cartesian coordinates for use by the display.
33 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A hand-held wireless electronic device for interacting with a display, the device comprising:
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a MEMS accelerometer responsive to tilt of the device in a plurality of axes wherein; the accelerometer comprises an integrated circuit that generates a digital tilt signal responsive to the projection of static gravity on the tilted accelerometer; the accelerometer is most sensitive to tilt when the accelerometer is perpendicular to gravity; and the digital tilt signal comprises an accelerometer pitch signal and an accelerometer roll signal where pitch and roll are rotations about two perpendicular axes orthogonal to the gravitational vector; a sliding user input element that generates sliding input electrical signal having a magnitude responsive to a user-imparted sliding motion on the hand-held device, wherein the sliding user input element does not comprise an accelerometer; a digital electronic circuit connected to the accelerometer and connected to the sliding user input element wherein the circuit; calculates accelerometer pitch information using an inverse trigonometric function in response to said accelerometer pitch signal; calculates accelerometer roll information using an inverse trigonometric function in response to said accelerometer roll signal; calculates line magnitude information in response to the sliding input electrical signal; calculates a display vector orientation in response to the accelerometer pitch information and the accelerometer roll information without using a signal from a gyroscope; calculates a display vector length in response to the line magnitude information; and calculates yaw information; a communications module electrically coupled to the electronic circuit wherein; the communications module communicates the display vector orientation to a receiving element of the display; the communications module communicates the display vector length to a receiving element of the display; the communications module communicates the yaw information to a receiving element of the display; and the communications module further comprises a wireless communications element using a digital serial data transmission signal; a battery that powers the accelerometer, the sliding user input element, the digital electronic circuit and the communications module; and a circuit that manages the battery and optimizes power consumption for the device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A portable device for manipulating a pointer in Cartesian space on a two-dimensional display, the device comprising:
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an accelerometer responsive to tilt of the device in a plurality of axes wherein; the accelerometer comprises a circuit that generates a tilt signal responsive to the projection of static gravity on the tilted accelerometer; the accelerometer is most sensitive to tilt when the accelerometer is perpendicular to gravity; and the tilt signal comprises an accelerometer pitch signal and an accelerometer roll signal where pitch and roll are rotations about two perpendicular axes orthogonal to the gravitational vector and wherein the accelerometer pitch signal and the accelerometer roll signal are generated without using a sensor responsive to a gyroscopic effect; an input element on the device that generates a sliding input electrical signal having a magnitude responsive to a sliding input from a user; an electronic circuit connected to the accelerometer and connected to the input element wherein the circuit; comprises a control unit, a memory unit, a communications unit, and a battery, wherein the control unit further comprises a micro-controller and a machine-readable storage device; calculates pitch information using an inverse trigonometric function in response to said accelerometer pitch signal without input from a sensor that operates based on a gyroscopic effect; calculates roll information using an inverse trigonometric function in response to said accelerometer roll signal without input from a sensor that operates based on a gyroscopic effect; calculates length information in response to the sliding input electrical signal from the input element; and calculates the orientation and the length of the pointer in an inertial reference frame in Cartesian coordinates in response to said length information, said pitch information, and said roll information; a communications module electrically coupled to the electronic circuit which generates a digital signal responsive to said pitch information, said roll information, and said length information wherein; the digital signal is transmitted electronically to a receiving element connected to the display; and the digital signal can be used by circuitry coupled to the display to manipulate the pointer on the display. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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16. A method for presenting user manipulation of a portable device onto a display, the method comprising the steps of:
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establishing the portable device; establishing a rotational sensor in the portable device that generates tilt signals responsive to a gravitational vector in the device wherein the rotational sensor comprises a MEMS rotational accelerometer; measuring pitch and roll about two perpendicular axes orthogonal to the gravitational vector in response to the projection of static gravity on the tilted MEMS rotational accelerometer; establishing a sliding user input element on the device that generates a sliding input signal in response to a sliding motion by a user wherein the sliding user input element does not comprise a device selected from the group of an accelerometer and a gyroscope; using the sliding input element to generate a sliding input electrical signal of a magnitude controlled by the user; establishing an electronic circuit that comprises a control unit, a memory unit, and a communications unit, and an electrical storage device, wherein the control unit further comprises a micro-controller; connecting the circuit to the rotational sensor; connecting the circuit to the sliding input element; using the circuit to calculate pitch and roll from the tilt signals measured by the MEMS rotational accelerometer in the portable device, where pitch and roll further determine a vector orientation; determining a vector length in response to the sliding input electrical signal; establishing a display that shows objects in a minimum of two dimensions; showing a graphical object on the display wherein the size of the graphical object is responsive to the vector length and the orientation of the graphical object is responsive to the vector orientation; establishing a battery to power the portable device; and establishing a circuit that manages the battery. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification