Input apparatus, pointing apparatus, method for displaying pointer, and recordable medium

• US 9,952,684 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2014
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Eun-seok, Soh, Byung-seok, Yoo, Ho-june, Choi, Sang-on
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abebe, Sosina
• Application Number:
  US14/273,131
• Publication Number:
  US 20140333534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• 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 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• 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 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device

Abstract

An input apparatus is provided. The input apparatus includes a communicator configured to receive a signal from a pointing apparatus, and a controller configured to control to display the pointer on a first position of the display when a start signal is received from the pointing apparatus, and when sensed position information of the pointing apparatus is received from the pointing apparatus, the controller controls to display the pointer on a second position of the display, which corresponds to the received position information of the pointing apparatus.

Claims

1. An input apparatus connected to an electronic device, the input apparatus comprising:

a communicator configured to receive a signal from a pointing apparatus; and

a controller configured to control to display a pointer on a predetermined position of a display of the electronic device when a start signal is received from the pointing apparatus by manipulating a button on the pointing apparatus,

wherein when sensed movement of the pointing apparatus is received from the pointing apparatus, the controller controls to display the pointer on a position of the display, which corresponds to the movement of the pointing apparatus, and

wherein the controller is further configured to control to display another pointer on the display independently from the pointer based on a signal received from one of a mouse input apparatus and another pointing apparatus, the another pointer and the pointer being simultaneously displayed on the display.

2. The input apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

wherein when the sensed movement of the pointing apparatus is received at a time when the start signal is received from the pointing apparatus, the controller controls to display the pointer on the position of the display, which corresponds to the movement of the pointing apparatus.

3. The input apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined position is a center position of the display.

4. The input apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensed movement of the pointing apparatus is calculated according to an absolute pointing method.

5. The input apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the pointing apparatus does not move for a predetermined time, the controller controls the pointer displayed on the display to disappear.

6. The input apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is arranged to receive, from the pointing apparatus, a mode convert signal which is a signal to select one of:

a presentation mode in which the pointer is displayed as a virtual pointer and is not used to select an object displayed on the display, and

a mouse mode in which the pointer is displayed as a mouse pointer and, when a select signal is received from the pointing apparatus while the mouse pointer is located on an object displayed on the display, the controller controls to select the object.

7. The input apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller controls to display a plurality of pointers of a plurality of pointing apparatuses independently according to signals received from the plurality of pointing apparatuses.

8. The input apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the controller controls to display the plurality of pointers distinctively from each other.

9. The input apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a display configured to display the pointer according to the received signal.

10. A pointing apparatus comprising:

a communicator configured to communicate with an input apparatus;

an input receiver configured to receive a user input;

a sensor configured to sense movement of the pointing apparatus when the user input is received; and

a controller configured to control the communicator to transmit a start signal to display a pointer on a predetermined position of a display of an electronic device connected to the input apparatus and position information to the input apparatus,

wherein the input apparatus controls to display the pointer on a position of the display which corresponds to the sensed movement of the pointing apparatus and to display another pointer on the display independently from the pointer based on a signal received from one of a mouse input apparatus and another pointing apparatus, the another pointer and the pointer being simultaneously displayed on the display.

11. The pointing apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the sensor comprises at least one from among an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, and a geomagnetic sensor to sense absolute position information on the pointing apparatus.

12. The pointing apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the input receiver comprises:

a first button configured to input a mode convert input; and

a second button configured to control the input apparatus,

wherein when a user command for mode convert input is received by manipulation of the first button, the controller controls to convert an input mode of the pointing apparatus to a different input mode in response to the received user command, and

when a user command for controlling the input apparatus is received by manipulation of the second button, the controller controls to generate a control signal for controlling the input apparatus according to the different input mode and transmit the control signal.

13. The pointing apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein when the input mode is a presentation mode, and the user command for controlling the input apparatus is received by the manipulation of the second button, the controller controls to generate a control signal for changing a page of a displayed screen and transmit the control signal to the input apparatus.

14. The pointing apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein when the different input mode is a mouse mode, and the user command for controlling the input apparatus is received by the manipulation of the second button, the controller controls to generate a control signal for selecting a displayed object and transmit the control signal to the input apparatus.

15. The pointing apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein when a user command is not received through the input receiver for a predetermined time, and changed position information of the pointing apparatus is not sensed through the sensor, the controller converts a status of the pointing apparatus to a sleep status by selectively cutting off power supply to internal components of the pointing apparatus.

16. The pointing apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein when a user command is received through the input receiver or the changed position information of the pointing apparatus is sensed through the sensor in the sleep status, the controller converts a status of the pointing apparatus to a wake up status by applying power to the internal components of the pointing apparatus.

17. A method for displaying a pointer, the method comprising:

receiving, by an input apparatus, a start signal from a pointing apparatus by manipulating a button on the pointing apparatus;

displaying, by an input apparatus, a pointer on a predetermined position of a display according to the received start signal;

when sensed movement of the pointing apparatus is received from the pointing apparatus, displaying, by an input apparatus, the pointer on a position of the display, which corresponds to the movement of the pointing apparatus, and

displaying, by an input apparatus, another pointer on the display independently from the pointer based on a signal received from one of a mouse input apparatus and another pointing apparatus, the another pointer and the pointer being simultaneously displayed on the display.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the displaying the pointer on a position of the display comprises, when the sensed movement of the pointing apparatus is received at a time when the start signal is received from the pointing apparatus, displaying the pointer on the position of the display, which corresponds to the movement of the pointing apparatus.

19. A non-transitory recordable medium including a program for executing the method for displaying a pointer as claimed in claim 17.

20. A pointing method comprising:

receiving a user input;

sensing movement of a pointing apparatus when the user input is received; and

transmitting a start signal to display a pointer on a predetermined position of a display of an input apparatus and the sensed movement to the input apparatus,

wherein the input apparatus displays the pointer corresponding to the movement of the pointing apparatus and displays another pointer on the display independently from the pointer based on a signal received from one of a mouse input apparatus and another pointing apparatus, the another pointer and the pointer being simultaneously displayed on the display.

21. A system comprising:

an input apparatus; and

a pointing apparatus,

wherein the input apparatus comprises;

a communicator configured to receive a signal from the pointing apparatus; and

a controller configured to control to display a pointer on a predetermined position of a display when a start signal is received from the pointing apparatus by manipulating a button on the pointing apparatus, and when sensed movement of the pointing apparatus is received from the pointing apparatus, the controller controls to display the pointer on a position of the display, which corresponds to the movement of the pointing apparatus,

wherein the controller is further configured to control to display another pointer on the display independently from the pointer based on a signal received from one of a mouse input apparatus and another pointing apparatus, the another pointer and the pointer being simultaneously displayed on the display.

22. A system comprising:

an input apparatus; and

a pointing apparatus,

wherein the pointing apparatus comprises;

a communicator configured to communicate with the input apparatus;

an input receiver configured to receive a user input for starting a pointing input;

a sensor configured to sense movement of the pointing apparatus when the user input is received; and

a controller configured to control the communicator to transmit a start signal to display a pointer on a predetermined position of a display of the input apparatus and the sensed movement to the input apparatus,

wherein the input apparatus controls to display the pointer corresponding to the movement of the pointing apparatus, and

wherein the input apparatus controls to display another pointer on the display independently from the pointer based on a signal received from one of a mouse input apparatus and another pointing apparatus, the another pointer and the pointer being simultaneously displayed on the display.

23. An input apparatus connected to an electronic device, the input apparatus comprising:

a communicator configured to receive a signal from a pointing apparatus; and

in a state that a pointer is not displayed on a display of the electronic device, in response to receiving a start signal from the pointing apparatus by manipulating a button on the pointing apparatus, a controller configured to control to display the pointer on a predetermined position of the display,

wherein in response to receiving a signal indicating a movement of the pointing apparatus from the pointing apparatus, the controller controls to move the pointer displayed on the predetermined position to a position corresponding to the movement of the pointing apparatus, and

wherein the controller is further configured to control to display another pointer on the display independently from the pointer based on a signal received from one of a mouse input apparatus and another pointing apparatus, the another pointer and the pointer being simultaneously displayed on the display.