PROXIMITY SENSOR AND METHOD FOR INDICATING EXTENDED INTERFACE RESULTS

• US 20070176906A1
• Filed: 12/19/2006
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: WARREN, Andrew I.
• Granted Patent: US 8,139,028 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A proximity sensor device and method is provided that facilitates improved system usability. Specifically, the proximity sensor device and method provide a user with the ability to easily cause different results in an electronic system using a proximity sensor device as a user interface. For example, it can be used to facilitate user interface navigation, such as dragging and scrolling. As another example, it can be used to facilitate value adjustments, such as changing a device parameter. In general, the proximity sensor device is adapted to distinguish between different object combination motions, determine relative temporal relationships between those motions, and generate user interface results responsive to the motions. This allows a user to selectively generate different results using the motion of two different object combinations.

Claims

1. A proximity sensor device, the proximity sensor device comprising:

a sensor, the sensor adapted to detect object motion proximate a sensing region; and

a processor, the processor coupled to the sensor, the processor adapted to;

distinguish between detected motion of a first object combination and detected motion of a second object combination;

indicate a first result responsive to detected motion of the first object combination;

indicate a second result responsive to detected motion of the second object combination, the second result different from the first result; and

indicate a third result responsive to detected motion of the first object combination following the detected motion of the second object combination, the third result different from first result and the second result.

2. The proximity sensor device of claim 1 wherein the first result is configured to cause cursor movement without selection, wherein the second result is configured to cause selection with cursor movement, and wherein the third result is configured to cause selection without cursor movement.

3. The proximity sensor device of claim 1 wherein the first result is configured to allow cursor movement without selection, wherein the second result is configured to cause selection with cursor movement permitted, and wherein the third result is configured to cause selection with cursor movement inhibited.

4. The proximity sensor device of claim 1 wherein the first object combination comprises a first number of objects proximate the sensing region, and wherein the second object combination comprises a second number of objects proximate the sensing region, the second number of objects different from the first number of objects.

5. The proximity sensor device of claim 4 wherein the first number of objects is less than the second number of objects.

6. The proximity sensor device of claim 1 wherein the first object combination comprises one object proximate the sensing region, and wherein the second object combination comprises two objects proximate the sensing region.

7. The proximity sensor device of claim 1 wherein the first object combination comprises object pressure applied in the sensing region in a first pressure range and wherein the second object combination comprises object pressure applied in the sensing region in a second pressure range different from the first pressure range.

8. The proximity sensor device of claim 1 wherein the first object combination has a first size range proximate the sensing region, and wherein the second object combination has a second size range proximate the sensing region, the first size range different from the second size range.

9. The proximity sensor device of claim 1 wherein the processor is further adapted to determine if a termination event occurred, and wherein the processor is adapted to indicate the first result responsive to the detected motion of the first object combination if the termination event occurred.

10. The proximity sensor device of claim 9 wherein the termination event comprises an intervening period without detected presence after the detected motion of the second object combination.

11. The proximity sensor device of claim 9 wherein the processor transitions to an idle state in response to the termination event, and wherein the processor is adapted to indicate the first result responsive to the detected motion of the first object combination after the idle state.

12. A proximity sensor device, the proximity sensor device comprising:

a sensor, the sensor adapted to detect motion across a sensing region; and

a processor coupled to the sensor, the processor configured to;

distinguish between detected motion of one object across the sensing region and detected motion of two adjacent objects across the sensing region;

indicate selection with cursor movement responsive to detected motion of two adjacent objects across the sensing region;

indicate selection without cursor movement responsive to detected motion of one object across the sensing region when the detected motion of one object across the sensing region followed the detected motion of two adjacent objects across the sensing region without an intervening termination event; and

indicate further selection with cursor movement responsive to detected motion of two adjacent objects across the sensing region when the detected motion of two adjacent objects across the sensing region followed the detected motion of one object across the sensing region that followed the detected motion of the adjacent objects across the sensing region; and

indicate cursor movement without selection responsive to detected motion of one object across the sensing region unless the detected motion of one object across the sensing region followed the detected motion of two adjacent objects across the sensing region without an intervening termination event.

13. The proximity sensor device of claim 12 wherein the processor is further adapted to determine if the intervening termination event occurred, and wherein the intervening termination event comprises a lack of detected presence for a first time period.

14. A method of indicating user interface results from a sensor adapted to detect object motion proximate a sensing region, the method comprising:

indicating a first result responsive to detected motion of a first object combination;

indicating a second result responsive to detected motion of a second object combination; and

indicating a third result responsive to detected motion of the first object combination following the detected object presence of the second object combination.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the first result is configured to cause cursor movement without selection, wherein the second result is configured to cause selection with cursor movement, and wherein the third result is configured to cause selection without cursor movement.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the first result is configured to allow cursor movement without selection, wherein the second result is configured to cause selection with cursor movement permitted, and wherein the third result is configured to cause selection with cursor movement inhibited.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the first object combination comprises a first number of objects proximate the sensing region, and wherein the second object combination comprises a second number of objects proximate the sensing region, the second number of objects different from the first number of objects.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the first number of objects is less than the second number of objects.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein the first object combination comprises a first portion of an object proximate the sensing region, and wherein the second object combination comprises a second portion of the object proximate the sensing region.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein the first object combination comprises object pressure applied in the sensing region in a first pressure range and wherein the second object combination comprises object pressure applied in the sensing region in a second pressure range different from the first pressure range.

21. The method of claim 14 wherein the first object combination has a first size range proximate the sensing region, and wherein the second object combination has a second size range proximate the sensing region, the first size range different from the second size range.

22. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of determining if an termination event occurred, and further comprising the step of indicating the first result responsive to the detected motion of the first object combination following the termination event if the termination event occurred.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the intervening termination event comprises an intervening period without detected presence after the detected motion of the second object combination.

24. The method of claim 14 wherein:

the step of indicating a first result responsive to detected motion of a first object combination comprises indicating cursor movement without selection responsive to detected motion of one object across the sensing region;

the step of indicating a second result responsive to detected motion of a second object combination comprises indicating selection with cursor movement responsive to detected motion of two adjacent objects across the sensing region; and

the step of indicating a third result responsive to detected motion of the first object combination following the detected motion of the second object combination comprises indicating selection without cursor movement responsive to detected motion of one object across the sensing region when the detected motion of one object across the sensing region follows the detected motion of two objects without an intervening termination event.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising the step of determining if the intervening termination event occurred, and wherein the intervening termination event comprises a lack of detected presence in the sensing region for a first time period.

26. A program product comprising:

a) a proximity sensor program, the proximity sensor program adapted to detect object motion proximate a sensing region in a proximity sensor device, the proximity sensor device further adapted to distinguish between detected motion of a first object combination and detected motion of a second object combination;

indicate a first result responsive to detected motion of the first object combination;

indicate a second result responsive to detected motion of the second object combination, the second result different from the first result; and

indicate a third result responsive to detected motion of the first object combination following the detected motion of the second object combination, the third result different from first result and the second result; and

b) computer-readable media bearing said proximity sensor program.