Apparatus and method for controlling portable device

• US 7,617,168 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2006
• Issued: 11/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Chang, Wook, Park, Joon-ah, Cho, Sung-jung, Kim, Kee-eung
• Primary Examiner(s): Vincent; David R
• Assistant Examiner(s): FERNANDEZ RIVAS, OMAR F
• Application Number:
  US11/528,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20070083372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,139 Days
• Field of Search: 706/11, 706/14, 706/15, 706/20, 706/21, 706/45, 708/100, 708/146, 715700-702, 715/764, 715862-864
• US Class Current: 706/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/107 Static hand or arm

Abstract

An apparatus and method for controlling a portable device. An apparatus for controlling a portable device includes: a touch sensor which comprises at least one touch cell which is chosen by a touch of a user; a first calculation unit which calculates a first probability value while taking dependency relationships among the chosen at least one touch cell into consideration; a second calculation unit which calculates a second probability value without taking the dependency relationships among the chosen at least one touch cell into consideration; a determination unit which determines whether a current touch cell combination of the chosen at least one touch cell is a registered touch cell combination or an unregistered touch cell combination with reference to the first probability value and the second probability value; and an output unit which outputs a function execution signal according to the results of the determining.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a portable device by a handgrip posture of a user, comprising:

a touch sensor which comprises a plurality of touch cells, wherein a current combination of touch cells are chosen by the handgrip posture of the user;

a first calculation unit which calculates a first probability value that the current combination of touch cells is a registered touch cell combination while taking dependency relationships among the chosen touch cells of the current touch cell combination into consideration;

a second calculation unit which calculates a second probability value that the current combination of touch cells is a registered touch cell combination without taking the dependency relationships among the chosen touch cells of the current touch cell combination into consideration;

a determination unit which determines whether the current touch cell combination is registered touch cell combination or unregistered touch cell combination with reference to the first probability value and the second probability value; and

an output unit which outputs a function execution signal according to the results of the determining,

wherein the function execution signal controls the portable device to perform a function.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch sensor is an electrostatic-capacitive touch sensor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first calculation unit calculates the first probability value with reference to occurrence number information specifying the number of occurrences of the current touch cell combination,

wherein the occurrence number information is stored in a storage unit after touch cells are chosen by the user.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second calculation unit calculates the second probability value with reference to occurrence number information specifying the number of occurrences of the current touch cell combination,

wherein the occurrence number information is stored in a storage unit after touch cells are chosen by the user.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the first probability value is greater than the second probability value, the determination unit determines that the current touch cell combination is registered touch cell combination.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the first probability value is less than the second probability value, the determination unit determines that the current touch cell combination is unregistered touch cell combination.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a storage unit which stores occurrence information specifying a number of occurrences of the current touch cell combination and the function execution signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the function execution signal controls the portable device to perform at least one of receiving an incoming call, displaying a screen image to input text messages, taking a photographic image, and displaying a game screen.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein there is a dependency relationship among a plurality of nodes of a Bayesian network corresponding to registered combination of touch cells when the first calculation unit calculates the first probability value while taking dependency relationships among the chosen touch cells of the current touch cell combination into consideration;

and

there is no dependency relationship among a plurality of nodes of a Bayesian network corresponding to unregistered combination of touch cells when the second calculation unit calculates the second probability value without taking the dependency relationships among the chosen touch cells of the current touch cell combination into consideration.

10. A method of controlling a portable device by a handgrip posture of a user, comprising:

obtaining a current touch cell combination by identifying a plurality of touch cells which are chosen by the handgrip posture of the user;

calculating a first probability value while taking dependency relationships among the touched touch cells into consideration;

calculating a second probability value without taking the dependency relationships among the touched touch cells into consideration;

determining whether the current touch cell combination is a registered touch cell combination or an unregistered touch cell combination with reference to the first probability value and the second probability value; and

outputting a function execution signal according to the results of the determining,

wherein the function execution signal controls the portable device to perform a function, and

wherein the method is performed using at least one processor.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the touch sensor is an electrostatic-capacitive touch sensor.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the calculating a first probability value comprises calculating the first probability value with reference to occurrence number information specifying the number of occurrences of the current touch cell combination,

wherein the occurrence number information is stored in a storage unit after touch cells are chosen by the user.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the calculating a second probability value comprises calculating the second probability value with reference to occurrence number information specifying the number of occurrences of the current touch cell combination,

wherein the occurrence number information is stored in a storage unit after touch cells are chosen by the user.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining comprises determining the current touch cell combination to be registered touch cell combination when the first probability value is greater than the second probability value.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining comprises determining the current touch cell combination to be unregistered touch cell combination when the first probability value is less than the second probability value.

16. The method of claim 10 further comprising storing occurrence information specifying the number of occurrences of the current touch cell combination and the function execution signal in a storage unit.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the function execution signal controls the portable device to perform at least one of receiving an incoming call, displaying a screen image to input text messages, taking a photographic image, and displaying a game screen.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein there is a dependency relationship among a plurality of nodes of a Bayesian network corresponding to registered combination of touch cells when calculating the first probability value while taking dependency relationships among the touched touch cells into consideration;

and

there is no dependency relationship among a plurality of nodes of a Bayesian network corresponding to unregistered combination of touch cells when calculating the second probability value without taking the dependency relationships among the touched touch cells into consideration.

19. A method of controlling a portable device by a handgrip posture of a user, comprising:

identifying a touch cell combination of touched ones of a plurality of touch cells which are chosen by the handgrip posture of the user;

calculating a first probability value while taking dependency relationships among the touch cells of the current touch cell combination into consideration and calculating a second probability value without taking the dependency relationships among the current touch cells of the touch cell combination into consideration;

determining whether the touch cell combination is a registered touch cell combination or an unregistered touch cell combination, the touch cell combination being registered when the first probability value is greater than the second probability value, the touch cell being an unregistered touch cell combination when the second probability value is greater than the first; and

outputting a control command controlling an operation of the portable device when the touch cell combination is a registered touch cell combination, the command corresponding to the touch cell combination,

wherein the control command controls the portable device to perform a function, and

wherein the method performed using at least one processor.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the dependency relationships are based on dependency relationship information regarding dependency relationships which exist among a plurality of nodes of a Bayesian network representing the touch cell combination.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the control command controls the portable device to perform at least one of receiving an incoming call, displaying a screen image to input text messages, taking a photographic image, and displaying a game screen.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein there is a dependency relationship among a plurality of nodes of a Bayesian network corresponding to a registered combination of touch cells when calculating the first probability value while taking dependency relationships among the touch cells of the current touch cell combination into consideration;

and

there is no dependency relationship among a plurality of nodes of a Bayesian network corresponding to an unregistered combination of touch cells when calculating the second probability value without taking the dependency relationships among the touch cells of the current touch cell combination into consideration.

23. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with processing instructions for causing a processor to execute a method of controlling a portable device by a handgrip posture of a user, comprising:

obtaining a current touch cell combination by identifying a plurality of touch cells which are chosen by the handgrip posture of the user;

calculating a first probability value while taking dependency relationships among the touched touch cells into consideration;

calculating a second probability value without taking the dependency relationships among the touched touch cells into consideration;

determining whether the current touch cell combination is a registered touch cell combination or an unregistered touch cell combination with reference to the first probability value and the second probability value; and

outputting a function execution signal according to the results of the determining,

wherein the function execution signal controls the portable device to perform a function.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the function execution signal controls the portable device to perform at least one of receiving an incoming call, displaying a screen image to input text messages, taking a photographic image, and displaying a game screen.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein there is a dependency relationship among a plurality of nodes of a Bayesian network corresponding to a registered combination of touch cells when calculating the first probability value while taking dependency relationships among the touched touch cells into consideration;

and

there is no dependency relationship among a plurality of nodes of a Bayesian network corresponding to an unregistered combination of touch cells when calculating the second probability value without taking the dependency relationships among the touched touch cells into consideration.

26. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with processing instructions for causing a processor to execute a method of controlling a portable device by a handgrip posture of a user, comprising:

identifying a touch cell combination of touched ones of a plurality of touch cells which are chosen by the handgrip posture of the user;

calculating a first probability value while taking dependency relationships among the touch cells of the current touch cell combination into consideration and calculating a second probability value without taking the dependency relationships among the touch cells of the current touch cell combination into consideration;

determining whether the touch cell combination is a registered touch cell combination or an unregistered touch cell combination, the touch cell combination being registered when the first probability value is greater than the second probability value, the touch cell being an unregistered touch cell combination when the second probability value is greater than the first; and

outputting a control command controlling an operation of the portable device when the touch cell combination is a registered touch cell combination, the command corresponding to the touch cell combination,

wherein the control command controls the portable device to perform a function.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the control command controls the portable device to perform at least one of receiving an incoming call, displaying a screen image to input text messages, taking a photographic image, and displaying a game screen.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein there is a dependency relationship among a plurality of nodes of a Bayesian network corresponding to a registered combination of touch cells when calculating the first probability value while taking dependency relationships among the touch cells of the current touch cell combination into consideration;

and

there is no dependency relationship among a plurality of nodes of a Bayesian network corresponding to an unregistered combination of touch cells when calculating the second probability value without taking the dependency relationships among the touch cells of the current touch cell combination into consideration.