Method of identifying object and electronic device therefor

• US 9,841,830 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2014
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yoon, Sung-Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Xie, Kwin
• Application Number:
  US14/278,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20140354565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-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 and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• 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 3/03 Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0393 Accessories for touch pads or touch screens, e.g. mechanical guides added to touch screens for drawing straight lines, hard keys overlaying touch screens or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184

Abstract

A method and an electronic device for identifying the object are provided. The method includes sensing an object which is located within a threshold distance from a touch screen, sensing at least four or more conductive substances which are contained in the object, and identifying the sensed object base on at least one of permittivity of each of the sensed conductive substances and a distance to each of the sensed conductive substances.

Claims

1. A method in an electronic device, the method comprising:

sensing an object which is located within a threshold distance from a touch screen;

sensing a plurality of points which are contained in the object;

generating, by the electronic device, based on at least one of a permittivity of each of the sensed plurality of points and a distance from the touch screen to each of the sensed plurality of points, a code set for identifying the sensed object, wherein the code set varies according to a tilt and a rotating degree of a corresponding object; and

identifying the sensed object based on the generated code set, wherein identifying the sensed object comprises;

determining, based on the generated code set, whether the sensed object is horizontal to the touch screen;

in response to determining that the sensed object is not horizontal to the touch screen, changing the generated code set to a code set corresponding to a horizontal state to the touch screen; and

identifying, using the changed code set, the sensed object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sensing the object which is located within the threshold distance from the touch screen comprises sensing the object which is located within the threshold distance from the touch screen when the object does not come in contact with a touch surface of the touch screen directly based on a hovering method.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the code set includes at least two maximum reference code values, at least one minimum reference code value, and at least one ID code value.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein identifying the sensed object based on the generated code set comprises:

verifying whether the at least one ID code value included in the generated code set is identical to at least one ID code value which is previously stored in the electronic device; and

identifying the sensed object as an object mapped to the ID code value which is previously stored in the electronic device when the ID code value is identical to the ID code value which is previously stored in the electronic device and storing the generated code set as a code set for identifying the sensed object when the ID code value is not identical to the ID code value which is previously stored in the electronic device.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein identifying the sensed object based on the generated code set comprises:

determining whether the sensed object is horizontal to the touch screen based on the at least two maximum reference code values included in the generated code set;

subtracting the minimum reference code value from at least the one ID code value included in the generated code set when it is determined that the object is horizontal to the touch screen; and

identifying the sensed object as an object mapped to an ID code value which is previously stored in the electronic device when the subtracted ID code value is identical to the ID code value which is previously stored in the electronic device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the sensed object is horizontal to the touch screen comprises determining that the sensed object is horizontal to the touch screen when all of maximum reference code values included in the generated code set are identical.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining an axis in which the object is tilted or rotated based on the at least two maximum reference code values included in the generated code set when the object is not horizontal to the touch screen;

calculating offset values of a first axis when the object is tilted or rotated based on the first axis;

adding the corresponding offset value of the first axis to each of code values included in the code set;

subtracting the minimum reference code value from each of the ID code values among code values to which the offset values of the first axis are added; and

identifying the sensed object as the object mapped to the ID code values which are previously stored in the electronic device when the subtracted ID code values are identical to the ID code values which are previously stored in the electronic device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

calculating offset values of the first axis and a second axis when the object is tilted or rotated based on the first axis and the second axis;

adding the corresponding offset value of the first axis to each of code values included in the code set;

adding the offset values of the second axis to code values to which the offset values of the first axis are added;

subtracting the minimum reference code value from each of the ID code values among code values to which the offset values of the second axis are added; and

identifying the sensed object as the object mapped to ID code values which are previously stored in the electronic device when the subtracted ID code values are identical to the ID code values which are previously stored in the electronic device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the points include a point which is conductive substance.

10. An electronic device comprising:

a processor;

a touch-sensitive display;

a memory; and

a program which is stored in the memory and is configured to be executable by the processor,

wherein the program includes an instruction for sensing an object which is located within a threshold distance from a touch screen, sensing a plurality of points which are contained in the object, and generating, based on at least one of a permittivity of each of the sensed plurality of points and a distance from the touch screen to each of the sensed plurality of points, a code set for identifying the sensed object and identifying the sensed object based on the generated code set,

wherein the code set varies according to a tilt and a rotating degree of a corresponding object,

wherein identifying the sensed object comprises;

determining, based on the generated code set, whether the sensed object is horizontal to the touch screen and

in response to determining that the sensed object is not horizontal to the touch screen, changing the generated code set corresponding to a horizontal state to the touch screen; and

identifying, using the changed code set, the sensed object.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the program includes an instruction for sensing the object which is located within the threshold distance from the touch screen when the object does not come in contact with a touch surface of the touch screen directly based on a hovering method.

12. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the code set includes at least two maximum reference code values, at least one minimum reference code value, and at least one ID code value.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the program includes an instruction for verifying whether the at least one ID code value included in the generated code set is identical to at least one ID code value which is previously stored in the electronic device, identifying the sensed object as an object mapped to the ID code value which is previously stored when the ID code value is identical to the ID code value which is previously stored in the electronic device, and storing the generated code set as a code set for identifying the sensed object when the ID code value is not identical to the ID code value which is previously stored in the electronic device.

14. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the program includes an instruction for determining whether the sensed object is horizontal to the touch screen based on the at least two maximum reference code values included in the generated code set, subtracting the minimum reference code value from at least the one ID code value included in the generated code set when it is determined that the object is horizontal to the touch screen, and identifying the sensed object as an object mapped to an ID code value which is previously stored in the electronic device when the subtracted ID code value is identical to the ID code value which is previously stored in the electronic device.

15. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the program includes an instruction for determining that the sensed object is horizontal to the touch screen when all of maximum reference code values included in the generated code set are identical.

16. The electronic device of claim 14, whether the program further includes an instruction for determining an axis in which the object is tilted or rotated based on the at least two maximum reference code values included in the generated code set when the object is not horizontal to the touch screen, calculating offset values of a first axis when the object is tilted or rotated based on the first axis, adding the corresponding offset value of the first axis to each of code values included in the code set, subtracting the minimum reference code value from each of the ID code values among code values to which the offset values of the first axis are added, and identifying the sensed object as the object mapped to the object mapped to the ID code values which are previously stored in the electronic device when the subtracted ID code values are identical to the ID code values which are previously stored in the electronic device.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the program further includes an instruction for calculating offset values of the first axis and a second axis when the object is tilted or rotated based on the first axis and the second axis, adding the corresponding offset value of the first axis to each of code values included in the code set, adding the offset values of the second axis to code values to which the offset values of the first axis are added, subtracting the minimum reference code value from each of the ID code values among code values to which the offset values of the second axis are added, and identifying the sensed object as the object mapped to ID code values which are previously stored in the electronic device when the subtracted ID code values are identical to the ID code values which are previously stored in the electronic device.

18. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the points include a point which is conductive substance.