METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING A PLURALITY OF INTERNET OF THINGS DEVICES

• US 20180246639A1
• Filed: 02/23/2018
• Published: 08/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: HAN, Manjib, KIM, Jaehong, RA, Jin, CHO, Hyejung
• Granted Patent: US 10,732,827 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to techniques for a sensor network, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC), and Internet of things (IoT). This disclosure may be applied to intelligent services (for example, smart homes, smart buildings, smart cities, smart cars or connected cards, health care, digital education, retail business, security and safety related services, etc.), based on the above techniques. According to an embodiment, a method for selecting and controlling an external device at a portable electronic device including a touch screen includes displaying a selection area and spatial information including location information of at least one external device on the touch screen, receiving a first touch input in the selection area to select the location information, receiving a second touch input for controlling the at least one external device corresponding to the location information selected in response to the first touch input, and transmitting a control message corresponding to the second touch input.

Claims

1. A method for selecting and controlling an external device via a portable electronic device including a touch screen, the method comprising:

displaying a selection area and spatial information including location information of at least one external device on the touch screen;

receiving a first touch input in the selection area to select the location information;

receiving a second touch input for controlling the at least one external device corresponding to the location information selected in response to the first touch input; and

transmitting a control message corresponding to the second touch input.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

changing at least one of a;

size, shape and position of the selection area in response to the first touch input; and

selecting the location information of the at least one external device displayed in the changed selection area.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first touch input comprises a pinch-to-zoom multi-touch input for the selection area.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein when the first touch input is released from the touch screen after at least one of a:

size, shape and position of the selection area is changed in response to the first touch input, and the displayed spatial information is scaled down or up such that the changed selection area is displayed with a predetermined size at a predetermined position corresponding to the initially displayed selection area.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the spatial information is received from a server configured to manage the at least one external device, and the control message generated in response to the second touch input is transmitted to the server or the at least one external device.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein when the location information of the at least one external device is selected, at least one of:

external device type information, control function information, control function attribute information, and current control status information for the at least one external device is displayed on the touch screen.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

changing the current control status information for the control function attribute information displayed on the touch screen in response to the second touch input; and

generating a control message for the at least one external device corresponding to the changed control status information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second touch input comprises a rotate touch input for the selection area.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein when the location information of the selected at least one external device includes location information of a plurality of external devices of different types, and common control function attribute information for the plurality of external devices of different types is displayed on the touch screen.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the common control function attribute information includes information for collectively turning on or off power of the at least one external device, and the power of the at least one external device is collectively turned on or off in response to the second touch input.

11. A method for selecting and controlling an external device via a wearable electronic device including a display and at least one physical key input, the method comprising:

displaying a selection area and spatial information including location information of at least one external device on the display;

receiving a first input in the selection area to select the location information;

receiving a second input for controlling the at least one external device corresponding to the location information selected in response to the first input; and

transmitting a control message corresponding to the second input.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

changing at least one of a;

size, shape and position of the selection area in response to the first input; and

selecting the location information of the at least one external device displayed in the changed selection area.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first input includes an input via the physical key input, and

wherein the physical key input includes at least one of:

a crown and a bezel, and the first input includes at least one of;

a crown rotate input and a bezel rotate input.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein after the first input, the displayed spatial information is scaled down or up such that the changed selection area is displayed with a predetermined size at a predetermined position corresponding to the initially displayed selection area.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the spatial information is received from a server configured to manage the at least one external device, and the control message generated in response to the second input is transmitted to the server or the at least one external device.

16. A portable electronic device configured to select and control an external device, comprising:

a touch screen configured to display a selection area and spatial information including location information of at least one external device and to receive a touch input;

a controller configured to control the touch screen to display the selection area changed in at least one of a;

size, shape and position in response to a first touch input received from the touch screen, and to generate a control message for the at least one external device displayed in the selection area in response to a second touch input received from the touch screen;

a communication unit comprising communication circuitry configured to transmit the control message to the at least one external device and/or a server configured to manage the at least one external device; and

a storage configured to store at least one of;

the spatial information, the location information, external device type information, control function information, control function attribute information, and current control status information for the at least one external device.

17. The portable electronic device of claim 16, wherein the controller is further configured to control the communication unit to request and receive, from the server, external device identification information, the control function information, the control function attribute information, and the control status information for the at least one external device corresponding to the location information displayed in the selection area in response to the first touch input.

18. A wearable electronic device configured to select and control an external device, comprising:

a display configured to display a selection area and spatial information including location information of at least one external device;

at least one physical key input configured to receive an input;

a controller configured to control the display to display the selection area changed in at least one of a;

size, shape and position in response to a first input received from the display or the physical key input, and to generate a control message for the at least one external device displayed in the selection area in response to a second input received from the display or the physical key input;

a communication unit comprising communication circuitry configured to transmit the control message to the at least one external device and/or a server configured to manage the at least one external device; and

a storage configured to store at least one of;

the spatial information, the location information, external device type information, control function information, control function attribute information, and current control status information for the at least one external device.

19. The wearable electronic device of claim 18, wherein the controller is further configured to control the communication unit to request and receive, from the server, external device identification information, the control function information, the control function attribute information, and the control status information for the at least one external device corresponding to the location information displayed in the selection area in response to the first input.

20. The wearable electronic device of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to control the communication unit to receive the spatial information from the server.