Method and apparatus for controlling timing of status change of electronics apparatus based on user's finger location and input speed

• US 20090091540A1
• Filed: 10/04/2007
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sabin, Michael, Doan, Linh
• Granted Patent: US 8,674,946 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• 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 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04895 Guidance during keyboard input operation, e.g. prompting

Abstract

A method and apparatus adjusts a timing of state change of an electronics apparatus having an input device by measuring user'"'"'s input speed for the input device and a distance of user'"'"'s finger from the input device. The method includes the steps of measuring a current interval CI between recent two input operations in a series of input operations conducted through the input device, calculating an average interval AI of the series of input operations, calculating a reference interval RI determined from the equation: RI=K×AI, where K denotes a proportional coefficient, determining whether a current interval CI is equal to or less than the reference interval, and suspending an occurrence of the second system state change until a first system state has been responded in case when the current interval CI is equal to or less than the reference interval RI.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting a second system state change on a screen of a navigation system including an input device for responding to information displayed on the screen, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring a current interval (CI) between recent two input operations in a series of input operations conducted through the input device;

calculating an average interval (AI) of the series of input operations;

calculating a reference interval (RI) determined from a equation;

RI=K×

(AI), where K denotes a proportional coefficient;

determining whether a current interval (CI) is equal to or less than the reference interval; and

suspending an occurrence of the second system state change until a first system state has been responded in case when the current interval (CI) is equal to or less than the reference interval (RI).

2. A method for adjusting a second system state change of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether a use'"'"'s finger is inside a threshold distance (TD); and

repeating the above step of determining whether a use'"'"'s finger is inside a threshold distance (TD) until the user'"'"'s finger in inside the threshold distance (TD).

3. A method for adjusting a second system state change of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether the user'"'"'s finger is removed from the threshold distance (TD); and

resuming the second system status when the users finger is removed from the threshold distance (TD).

4. A method for adjusting a second system state change of claim 3, further comprising the step of:

resuming the step of suspending an occurrence of the second system state change until a first system state has been responded in case when the current interval (CI) is equal to or less than the reference interval (RI) when the user'"'"'s finger remains inside the threshold distance (TD).

5. A method for adjusting a second system state change of claim 4, further comprising steps of:

determining whether a most recent input operation is a first input operation in the series input operations; and

skipping the step of determining whether a current interval (CI) is equal to or less than the reference interval when a most recent input operation is the first input operation.

6. A method for adjusting a second system state change of claim 1, wherein the step of measuring a current interval (CI) between recent two input operations in a series of input operations conducted through the input device includes steps of starting a timer for measuring an current interval.

7. A method for adjusting a second system state change of claim 6, wherein the step of measuring a current interval (CI) between recent two input operations in a series of input operations conducted through the input device further includes steps of stopping the timer for measuring an current interval when a consecutive input operation starts.

8. A method for adjusting a second system state change of claim 7, further comprising a step of:

resuming the second system state in case when the user'"'"'s finger removed from the threshold distance (TD) or the series of input operations has completed.

9. A method for adjusting a second system state change of claim 2, wherein the step of determining whether a use'"'"'s finger is within a threshold distance (TD) includes the step of resetting a timer for measuring the current interval (CI) in case when the user'"'"'s finger is removed from the threshold distance (TD) of the motion sensor.

10. A method for adjusting a second system state change of claim 2, wherein, the step of determining whether a user'"'"'s finger is inside the threshold distance (TD) is executed prior to the step of measuring a current interval (CI) between recent two input operations in a series of input operations conducted through the input device.

11. An apparatus for adjusting a second system state change on a screen of a navigation system including an input device for responding to information displayed on the screen, the apparatus comprising:

means for measuring a current interval (CI) between recent two input operations in a series of input operations conducted through the input device;

means for calculating an average interval (AI) of the series of input operations;

means for calculating a reference interval (RI) determined from a equation;

RI=K×

(AI), where K denotes a proportional coefficient;

means for determining whether a current interval (CI) is equal to or less than the reference interval; and

means suspending an occurrence of the second system state change until a first system state has been responded in case when the current interval (CI) is equal to or less than the reference interval (RI).

12. An apparatus for adjusting a second system state change of claim 11, further comprising:

means for determining whether a use'"'"'s finger is inside a threshold distance (TD); and

means for repeating the above steps of determining whether a use'"'"'s finger is inside a threshold distance (TD) until the user'"'"'s finger in inside the threshold distance (TD).

13. An apparatus for adjusting a second system state change of claim 12, further comprising:

means for determining whether the user'"'"'s finger is removed from the threshold distance (TD); and

means for resuming the second system status when the users finger is removed from the threshold distance (TD).

14. An apparatus for adjusting a second system state change of claim 13, further comprising:

means for resuming the step of suspending an occurrence of the second system state change until a first system state has been responded in case when the current interval (CI) is equal to or less than the reference interval (RI) when the user'"'"'s finger remains inside the threshold distance (TD).

15. An apparatus for adjusting a second system state change of claim 14, further comprising:

means for determining whether a most recent input operation is a first input operation in the series input operations; and

means for skipping the step of determining whether a current interval (CI) is equal to or less than the reference interval when a most recent input operation is the first input operation.

16. An apparatus for adjusting a second system state change of claim 11, wherein the means for measuring a current interval (CI) between recent two input operations in a series of input operations conducted through the input device includes means for starting a timer for measuring an current interval.

17. An apparatus for adjusting a second system state change of claim 16, wherein the means measuring a current interval (CI) between recent two input operations in a series of input operations conducted through the input device further includes means for stopping the timer for measuring an current interval when a consecutive input operation starts.

18. An apparatus for adjusting a second system state change of claim 17, further comprising:

means for resuming the second system state in case when the user'"'"'s finger removed from the threshold distance (TD) or the series of input operations has completed.

19. An apparatus for adjusting a second system state change of claim 12, wherein the means for determining whether a use'"'"'s finger is within a threshold distance (TD) includes means for setting a distance flag to rest a timer for measuring the current interval (CI) in case when the user'"'"'s finger is removed from the threshold distance (TD) of the motion sensor.

20. An apparatus for adjusting a second system state change of claim 12, wherein, the step of determining whether a user'"'"'s finger is inside the threshold distance (TD) is executed prior to the step of measuring a current interval (CI) between recent two input operations in a series of input operations conducted through the input device.