MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE AND INPUT DEVICE FOR THE SAME

• US 20100102941A1
• Filed: 03/26/2008
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microchip Technology Germany GmbH (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Microchip Technology Germany GmbH (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Aubauer, Roland, Richter, Wolfgang
• Granted Patent: US 9,141,148 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/407.200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• 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 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264

Abstract

The invention relates to a mobile communication device and an input device provided for operating said communication device by means of which input operations necessary for using the communication device may be carried out. The aim of the invention is to provide solutions by means of which it is possible, in particular for relatively compact mobile electronic devices, in particular communication devices and digital cameras to carry out said input operations in a manner which is particularly easy to coordinate for the user. According to a first aspect of the invention, the above is achieved by means of a mobile communication device with a housing arrangement which is designed to be held in one hand, a display device, included in the housing arrangement to provide an image reproduction surface, a control device for controlling the display device such that in an input mode the above provides an input graphic, which supports the carrying out of an input process and an input device for carrying out the input process according to input processes of a manual type, wherein said device is characterised in that the input device is designed such that an input zone is provided in a region apart from the display device on an operative manipulation of the device, within which input operations can be carried out by a user, wherein the user carries out control actions with his free hand with relation to the housing device without, in the process, touching the display device or the communication device with this hand.

Claims

1. A mobile communication device comprising:

a housing of such a size that it can be held in one hand,

a display integrated into the housing for providing an image reproduction surface,

a controller for activating the display in such a way that it in an input mode provides an input chart that assists the realization of an input procedure, and

an input device for carrying out the input procedure in accordance with input actions of a manual type, the input device is shaped in such a way that when handling the device as intended, in an area placed in front of the display an input zone is provided within which input operations can be done by a user by performing control movements with his free hand with respect to the housing without touching the display or the mobile communication device with this hand.

2. The mobile communication device according to claim 1 wherein the controller is configured in such a way that the control movements done by the user are reflected in the user interfaces visualized by the display.

3. The mobile communication device according to claim 1 wherein the user interface is configured in such a way that by a transverse movement of the operating hand with respect to the mobile communication device different buttons can be selected.

4. The mobile communication device according to claim 1 wherein the user interface is configured in such a way that by a lengthwise movement of the operating hand different buttons can be selected.

5. The mobile communication device according to claim 1 wherein by a depth movement different menu windows of the user interface can be selected.

6. The mobile communication device according to claim 1 wherein by a depth movement different menu windows or frames can be selected.

7. The mobile communication device according to claim 1 wherein by means of the Z-information the zoom factor of the user interface visualized by the display is tuned.

8. Mobile communication device according to claim 1 wherein the user'"'"'s operating hand by means of longitudinal and transverse movements navigates inside a window or a frame.

9. Mobile communication device according to claim 1 wherein the system is configured in such a way that by means of the detection event a selection command is derived.

10. The mobile communication device according to claim 1 wherein the selection command is generated by a finger movement, especially a tilting of one or several fingers of the operating hand towards the display.

11. The mobile communication device according to claim 1 wherein on the device an input structure is provided, for a manual selection by corresponding actuation of the input structure.

12. The mobile communication device according to claim 1 wherein the input structure is designed as a key structure that when seizing the mobile communication device as intended can be operated by a finger of the seizing hand, especially the thumb or the forefinger.

13. The mobile communication device according to claim 1 wherein the input device comprises an electrode structure for detecting the input operations on the basis of electric field interaction effects.

14. The mobile communication device according to claim 1 wherein the input device comprises a first, a second and a third electrode device, and that based on differences of the electric-field events applied to these electrodes the position of the operating hand and/or the transverse, longitudinal and/or depth movement of the operating hand with respect to the mobile communication device is detected.

15. The mobile communication device according to claim 1 wherein the input device comprises an excitation electrode that acts as transmitting electrode and in an area in front of the mobile communication device generates an electric field.

16. The mobile communication device according to claim 1 wherein the excitation electrode is arranged in such a way that it irradiates the excitation field forward.

17. The mobile communication device according to claim 1 wherein it comprises in a rearward area a coupling electrode for coupling a sliding current event into the seizing hand of the user.

18. The mobile communication device according to claim 1 wherein the instrument is provided with a loudspeaker device, especially a piezo loudspeaker, for generating an acoustic feedback during the realization of the input operations.

19. The mobile communication device according to claim 1 wherein the mobile communication device is provided with a device for generating a haptic feedback.

20. The mobile communication device according to claim 1 the mobile communication device is provided with a device for generating an optical feedback.

21. The mobile communication device according to claim 1 wherein the mobile communication device is configured in such a way that the length and the width of the dimension of the virtual input plane E provided for the input operations by the operating hand R is greater than the length and the width of the display.

22. The mobile communication device according to claim 1 wherein the system is configured in such a way that the operational area at least as for its width and/or height is greater than the width B and/or the height H of the graphic surface rendered by the display.

23. An input device for a communication device according to claim 1, further comprising

a thin logic board card structure with electrode structures on it, and that on this logic board card structure an ASIC-switching is arranged, for generating the command signals on the basis of the approximation effects detected by the electrode device.

24. A process for the execution of an input procedure during the use of a mobile communication device comprising

a housing that is formed in such a way that it can be seized with one hand,

a display that is integrated into the housing for providing an image reproduction surface,

a controller for activating the display in such a way that it in an input mode provides an input chart that assists the realization of an input procedure, and

an input device for carrying out the input procedure in accordance with input actions of a manual type, the input procedure comprising the step of:

providing, when handling the device as intended, in an area placed in front of the display, in a field-electrical way, an input zone within which input operations are done by a user by performing control movements with his free hand with respect to the housing, without touching the display or the mobile communication device with this hand.

25. A mobile communication device that is equipped with a voice recognition system and a device for detecting user'"'"'s hand-gestures, wherein the detection of the hand-gestures is done by the voice recognition system.

26. A process for the realization of the input of hand-gesture commands in a mobile communication device by means of an electronic signal processing of input signals that are generated in accordance with hand gestures, the process comprising the steps of:

the user executing hand gestures opposite a detection system,

generating or transforming input signals in such a way that they represent transfer signals that correlate with spatial movement of a hand or its fingers,

generating the transfer signals such that a waveband of the transfer signals corresponds to a waveband of sound signals accessible to a voice recognition system, and

interpreting the hand gestures by a voice recognition system integrated into the mobile communication device or accessible for it on the basis of those transfer signals employing speech-analysis procedures.