Mobile terminal and method for controlling the same with dipole magnet input device

• US 10,732,818 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2016
• Issued: 08/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Won, Yoonchan, Kim, Yongjae, Lee, Suyoung
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Calderon, IV, Alvaro R
• Application Number:
  US15/371,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20170351397A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,336 Days
• 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 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• 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 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/046 by electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A mobile terminal including a terminal body; a touch screen; a plurality of magnetic sensors configured to detect a spatial position of an input device having a magnetic field generating unit; and a controller configured to display a first graphic object notifying an area corresponding to the detected spatial position on the touch screen when the spatial position of the input device is detected adjacent to an edge of the terminal body at an outside of the touch screen without contacting the touch screen, and display a second graphic object notifying a hidden function with respect to a displayed area of the first graphic object on the touch screen when the detected spatial position of the input device is fixed for a predetermined time.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a terminal body;

a touch screen;

a plurality of magnetic sensors configured to detect a spatial position of an input device having a magnetic field generating unit when an input is applied by the input device to an area outside the touch screen; and

a controller configured to;

recognize the spatial position of the input device by detecting magnetic field values of the magnetic field generating unit through the plurality of magnetic sensors without contacting the touch screen,

display a content screen on the touch screen,

display a first graphic object on an area of the touch screen corresponding to the recognized spatial position,

display a second graphic object notifying a function with respect to information displayed on a displayed area of the first graphic object on the area of the touch screen when the recognized spatial position of the input device is fixed for a first predetermined time,

display a different sub menu of the function based on a degree that the spatial position of the input device is moved away from the terminal body within a reference range or is moved close to the terminal body within the reference range,

execute a specific sub menu of the function corresponding to the second graphic object when the spatial position of the input device is moved away from the terminal body outside the reference range, while the specific sub menu is displayed,

in a state that one portion of the input device is recognized, detect a switching of polar directions of a dipole magnet disposed in the input device in response to another end portion of the input device touching a portion of the terminal body near a side edge of the touch screen,

display a handler image notifying that icons of preset applications are output on an edge area of the touch screen based on detecting the switching of the polar directions of the dipole magnet, and

display the icons of the preset applications on the edge area of the touch screen when a touch is applied to the handler image or the spatial position of the input device is fixed for a second predetermined time.

2. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to decide the function corresponding to the second graphic object based on information displayed on the displayed area of the first graphic object.

3. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to move at least one of the first and second graphic objects in response to the input device being moved to another region outside the touch screen when the at least one of the first and second graphic objects is displayed.

4. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

detect a moving direction of the spatial position of the input device based on magnetic fields of the magnetic field generating unit detected by the plurality of magnetic sensors, while the second graphic object is displayed, and

generate a different control command with respect to the function corresponding to the second graphic object based on the detected moving direction.

5. The terminal of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to execute the function corresponding to the second graphic object in response to the second graphic object being pulled in a second direction different from a first direction, when the spatial position of the input device is moved in the first direction of moving away from the terminal body within the reference range while the second graphic object is displayed.

6. The terminal of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to execute the function corresponding to the second graphic object and display an execution result on the touch screen, in response to the spatial position of the input device being moved in the second direction, different from the first direction, within the reference range while the second graphic object is displayed.

7. The terminal of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to stop displaying the first and second graphic objects and stop executing the function when the spatial position of the input device is moved out of the reference range.

8. The terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

a microphone disposed on the terminal body,

wherein the controller is further configured to;

display a bar on the content screen as the first graphic object when the spatial position of the input device is recognized where the microphone is disposed at an outside of the touch screen and without contacting the touch screen,

display an area notifying a voice recognition function on the content screen as the second graphic object when the recognized spatial position of the input device is fixed for the first predetermined time, and

activate the microphone and the voice recognition function when the spatial position of the input device is moved away from the terminal body outside the reference range in a predetermined direction while the second graphic object is displayed.

9. The terminal of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to execute an application associated with the voice recognition function when the spatial position of the input device is moved away from the terminal body outside the reference range.

10. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

switch the first graphic object into a third graphic object notifying a screen scroll function when the spatial position of the input device is moved out of the touch screen and fixed outside the terminal body for a third predetermined time, and

execute the screen scroll ended at a point corresponding to a moved spatial position when the spatial position of the input device is moved away from the terminal body outside the reference range.

11. The terminal of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust a scroll speed of the screen scroll based on a degree that the spatial position of the input device is moved away from the terminal body within the reference range.

12. The terminal of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to restrict the screen scroll with respect to at least one of objects output on the touch screen when a touch input is applied to the at least one object while the third graphic object notifying the screen scroll function is displayed.

13. The terminal of claim 12, wherein the third graphic object notifying the screen scroll function includes thereon at least part of a position of a current screen, the moved spatial position of the input device and a position of the touch input applied to a first object, while the screen scroll is executed.

14. The terminal of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to execute an edit mode for the first object and a second object when the touch input applied to the first object is dragged to an area of the second object included in the current screen, when the screen scroll is stopped or terminated based on the spatial position of the input device.

15. A method of controlling a mobile terminal having a terminal body, the method comprising:

detecting, via a plurality of magnetic sensors, a spatial position of an input device having a magnetic field generating unit when an input is applied by the input device to an area outside the touch screen;

displaying, via a controller, a content screen on a touch screen of the mobile terminal;

recognizing the spatial position of the input device by detecting magnetic field values of the magnetic field generating unit, through the plurality of magnetic sensors, without contacting the touch screen;

displaying, via the controller, a first graphic object on an area of the touch screen corresponding to the recognized spatial position;

displaying, via the controller, a second graphic object notifying a function with respect to information displayed on a displayed area of the first graphic object on an edge area of the touch screen when the recognized spatial position of the input device is fixed for a first predetermined time;

displaying a different sub menu of the function based on a degree that the spatial position of the input device is moved away from the terminal body within a reference range or is moved close to the terminal body within the reference range;

executing a specific sub menu of the function corresponding to the second graphic object when the spatial position of the input device is moved away from the terminal body outside the reference range, while the specific sub menu is displayed;

in a state that one portion of the input device is recognized, detecting a switching of polar directions of a dipole magnet disposed in the input device in response to another end portion of the input device touching a portion of the terminal body near a side edge of the touch screen;

displaying a handler image notifying that icons of preset applications are output on an edge area of the touch screen based on detecting the switching of the polar directions of the dipole magnet; and

displaying the icons of the preset applications on the edge area of the touch screen when a touch is applied to the handler image or the spatial position of the input device is fixed for a second predetermined time.