Sensor managed apparatus, method and computer program product

• US 10,007,427 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2017
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ward, Anatol, Takashima, Kouichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Jr., Kenneth B
• Application Number:
  US15/648,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20170308295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 349 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• 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 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

An apparatus, method and computer program product provide a simplified method for unlocking an electronic device that uses soft keys, such as capacitive touch keys, or proximity detection areas and patterns. The keys may be implemented in the form of areas of a sensor, and a processing circuit observes a touch pattern (or proximity pattern, or characteristic pattern such as a capacitance pattern of a user'"'"'s finger) and compares the same with the registered pattern to determine if there is a likeness. In doing so, the electronic device is operated at a low power state, and in that low power state observes whether a predetermined pattern is observed and when it is, unlocks the electronic device for interaction with a user at a fully operational state. By operating in the low power state while waiting to observe a predetermined pattern before unlocking the user interface, the device does not waste power on false positive detections, and allows for convenient wakeup and accessibility by a user.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising

a housing having a sensing area;

first circuitry configured to detect user interaction with the sensing area; and

second circuitry configured to

determine whether a detected user interaction with the sensing area corresponds to one of a plurality of predetermined operations, and

perform tactile feedback when the detected user interaction with the sensing area corresponds to one of the predetermined operations.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the first circuitry detects user interaction based on signals from one or more near-field-sensitive sensors.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the first circuitry detects user interaction based on signals from one or more pressure-sensitive sensors.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the first circuitry detects user interaction based on signals from one or more force-detection sensors.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the sensing area is provided on a side surface of the housing.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a haptic device configured to provide haptic feedback in response to detecting the user interaction with the sensing area.

7. A method comprising:

detecting, via first circuitry, user interaction with a sensing area of a housing of an electronic device;

determining, via second circuitry, whether a detected user interaction with the sensing area corresponds to one of a plurality of predetermined operations; and

performing tactile feedback when the detected user interaction with the sensing area corresponds to one of the predetermined operations.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the first circuitry detects user interaction based on signals from one or more near-field-sensitive sensors.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the first circuitry detects user interaction based on signals from one or more pressure-sensitive sensors.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the first circuitry detects user interaction based on signals from one or more force-detection sensors.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the sensing area is provided on a side surface of the housing.

12. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

providing haptic feedback in response to detecting the user interaction with the sensing area.