Apparatus and method for controlling portable device

• US 20070083372A1
• Filed: 09/28/2006
• Published: 04/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Chang, Wook, Park, Joon-ah, Cho, Sung-jung, Kim, Kee-eung
• Granted Patent: US 7,617,168 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/256
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/107 Static hand or arm

Abstract

An apparatus and method for controlling a portable device. An apparatus for controlling a portable device includes: a touch sensor which comprises at least one touch cell which is chosen by a touch of a user; a first calculation unit which calculates a first probability value while taking dependency relationships among the chosen at least one touch cell into consideration; a second calculation unit which calculates a second probability value without taking the dependency relationships among the chosen at least one touch cell into consideration; a determination unit which determines whether a current touch cell combination of the chosen at least one touch cell is a registered touch cell combination or an unregistered touch cell combination with reference to the first probability value and the second probability value; and an output unit which outputs a function execution signal according to the results of the determining.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a portable device, comprising:

a touch sensor which comprises at least one touch cell which is chosen by a touch of a user;

a first calculation unit which calculates a first probability value while taking dependency relationships among the chosen at least one touch cell into consideration;

a second calculation unit which calculates a second probability value without taking the dependency relationships among the chosen at least one touch cell into consideration;

a determination unit which determines whether a current touch cell combination of the chosen at least one touch cell is a registered touch cell combination or an unregistered touch cell combination with reference to the first probability value and the second probability value; and

an output unit which outputs a function execution signal according to the results of the determining.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch sensor is an electrostatic-capacitive touch sensor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first calculation unit calculates the first probability value with reference to occurrence number information specifying the number of occurrences of the current touch cell combination.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second calculation unit calculates the second probability value with reference to occurrence number information specifying the number of occurrences of the current touch cell combination.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the first probability value is greater than the second probability value, the determination unit determines that the current touch cell combination is a registered touch cell combination.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the first probability value is less than the second probability value, the determination unit determines that the current touch cell combination is an unregistered touch cell combination.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a storage unit which stores occurrence information specifying a number of occurrences of the current touch cell combination and the function execution signal.

8. A method of controlling a portable device, comprising:

obtaining a current touch cell combination by identifying one or more touch cells which are touched by a user;

calculating a first probability value while taking dependency relationships among the touched touch cells into consideration;

calculating a second probability value without taking the dependency relationships among the touched touch cells into consideration;

determining whether the current touch cell combination is a registered touch cell combination or an unregistered touch cell combination with reference to the first probability value and the second probability value; and

outputting a function execution signal according to the results of the determining.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the touch sensor is an electrostatic-capacitive touch sensor.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the calculating a first probability value comprises calculating the first probability value with reference to occurrence number information specifying the number of occurrences of the current touch cell combination.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the calculating a second probability value comprises calculating the second probability value with reference to occurrence number information specifying the number of occurrences of the current touch cell combination.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining comprises determining the current touch cell combination to be a registered touch cell combination when the first probability value is greater than the second probability value.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining comprises determining the current touch cell combination to be an unregistered touch cell combination when the first probability value is less than the second probability value.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising storing occurrence information specifying the number of occurrences of the current touch cell combination and the function execution signal.

15. A method of controlling a portable device, comprising:

identifying a touch cell combination of touched ones of a plurality of touch cells;

calculating a first probability value while taking dependency relationships among the touch cells of the touch cell combination into consideration and calculating a second probability value without taking the dependency relationships among the touch cells of the touch cell combination into consideration;

determining whether the touch cell combination is a registered touch cell combination or an unregistered touch cell combination, the touch cell combination being registered when the first probability value is greater than the second probability value, the touch cell being an unregistered touch cell combination when the second probability value is greater than the first; and

outputting a control command controlling an operation of the portable device when the touch cell combination is a registered touch cell combination, the command corresponding to the touch cell combination.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the dependency relationships are based on dependency relationship information regarding dependency relationships which exist among a plurality of nodes of a Bayesian network representing the touch cell combination.

17. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with processing instructions for causing a processor to execute a method of controlling a portable device, comprising:

obtaining a current touch cell combination by identifying one or more touch cells which are touched by a user;

calculating a first probability value while taking dependency relationships among the touched touch cells into consideration;

calculating a second probability value without taking the dependency relationships among the touched touch cells into consideration;

determining whether the current touch cell combination is a registered touch cell combination or an unregistered touch cell combination with reference to the first probability value and the second probability value; and

outputting a function execution signal according to the results of the determining.

18. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with processing instructions for causing a processor to execute a method of controlling a portable device, comprising:

identifying a touch cell combination of touched ones of a plurality of touch cells;

calculating a first probability value while taking dependency relationships among the touch cells of the touch cell combination into consideration and calculating a second probability value without taking the dependency relationships among the touch cells of the touch cell combination into consideration;

determining whether the touch cell combination is a registered touch cell combination or an unregistered touch cell combination, the touch cell combination being registered when the first probability value is greater than the second probability value, the touch cell being an unregistered touch cell combination when the second probability value is greater than the first; and

outputting a control command controlling an operation of the portable device when the touch cell combination is a registered touch cell combination, the command corresponding to the touch cell combination.