DOMED ORIENTATIONLESS INPUT ASSEMBLY FOR CONTROLLING AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20180088686A1
• Filed: 09/25/2017
• Published: 03/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Zuber, Wesley W., Matlick, Jacob L., Huppi, Brian Q.
• Granted Patent: US 10,496,187 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03544 having dual sensing arrangement, e.g. two balls or two coils used to track rotation of the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Domed input assemblies for controlling an electronic device and methods for using domed input assemblies for controlling electronic device are provided.

Claims

1. An input assembly for controlling an electronic device, the input assembly comprising:

a housing structure providing an orientationless surface with respect to at least one axis of an input coordinate system of the input assembly;

a sensor subassembly at least partially protected by the housing structure; and

a processor operative to;

detect, with the sensor subassembly, a user coordinate system of a user with respect to the orientationless surface;

detect, with the sensor subassembly, a physical use of the housing structure; and

determine a control action for the electronic device based on the user coordinate system and the physical use.

2. The input assembly of claim 1, wherein the processor is operative to detect the user coordinate system from at least three possible user coordinate systems of the user with respect to the orientationless surface.

3. The input assembly of claim 2, wherein each one of the at least three possible user coordinate systems has a different orientation with respect to the input coordinate system of the input assembly than the other ones of the at least three possible user coordinate systems.

4. The input assembly of claim 3, wherein the physical use comprises movement of the orientationless surface with respect to a work surface that is distinct from the input assembly.

5. The input assembly of claim 3, wherein the physical use comprises movement of a portion of the user along the orientationless surface.

6. A method for controlling an electronic device using an input assembly of a user, the method comprising:

detecting a user interface event that comprises the user interfacing with the input assembly;

after the detecting the user interface event, defining a user coordinate system for the detected user interface event from a plurality of possible user coordinate systems;

after the defining the user coordinate system, detecting a physical use of the input assembly; and

based on both the defined user coordinate system and the detected physical use, determining control data that is operative to control the electronic device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of possible user coordinate systems comprises at least three possible user coordinate systems, each of which has a different orientation with respect to an input coordinate system of the input assembly.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

after the detecting the physical use, detecting a reset interface event;

after the detecting the reset interface event, detecting another user interface event that comprises the user interfacing with the input assembly;

after the detecting the other user interface event, defining another user coordinate system for the detected other user interface event from the plurality of possible user coordinate systems;

after the defining the other user coordinate system, detecting another physical use of the input assembly; and

based on both the defined other user coordinate system and the detected other physical use, determining other control data that is operative to control the electronic device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the reset event comprises one of the following events:

detecting the user breaking contact with the input assembly for longer than a first duration of time; and

detecting the user maintaining contact with the input assembly but not changing contact with the input assembly for longer than a second duration of time.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of possible user coordinate systems comprises at least three possible user coordinate systems, each of which has a different orientation with respect to an input coordinate system of the input assembly.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the defined user coordinate system comprises a first possible user coordinate system of the at least three possible user coordinate systems that has a first orientation with respect to an input coordinate system of the input assembly;

the defined other user coordinate system comprises a second possible user coordinate system of the at least three possible user coordinate systems that has a second orientation with respect to the input coordinate system of the input assembly; and

the first orientation with respect to the input coordinate system of the input assembly is different than the second orientation with respect to the input coordinate system of the input assembly.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the defined user coordinate system shares at least one axis with the input coordinate system; and

the defined other user coordinate system shares no axis with the input coordinate system.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the detected physical use has a first relationship to the input coordinate system;

the detected other physical use has a second relationship to the input coordinate system; and

the first relationship is different than the second relationship.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the determined control data is the same as the determined other control data.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the detected physical use has a first relationship to the defined user coordinate system;

the detected other physical use has a second relationship to the defined other user coordinate system; and

the first relationship is the same as the second relationship.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the determined control data is operative to control the electronic device in a first manner;

the determined other control data is operative to control the electronic device in a second manner; and

the first manner is the same as the second manner.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the detected physical use comprises movement of the input assembly along a work surface.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the detected physical use comprises movement of a portion of the user along a portion of the input assembly.

19. The method of claim 6, wherein the detected user interface event comprises the user interfacing with an orientationless structure of the input assembly.

20. An input assembly for controlling an electronic device, the input assembly comprising:

a housing structure providing a surface within an input coordinate system of the input assembly;

a sensor subassembly at least partially protected by the housing structure; and

a processor operative to;

detect, with the sensor subassembly, a user coordinate system of a user with respect to the surface from at least three possible user coordinate systems, wherein each one of the at least three possible user coordinate systems has a different orientation with respect to the input coordinate system of the input assembly;

detect, with the sensor subassembly, a physical use of the housing structure; and

determine a control action for the electronic device based on the user coordinate system and the physical use.