User interface based on magnetic induction

• US 8,665,840 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2008
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Deutschland GmbH (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Deutschland GmbH (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hohl, Fritz, Riedel, Matthias, Nogueira-Nine, Juan
• Primary Examiner(s): Yuen, Kan
• Application Number:
  US12/282,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20090323586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,233 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/315, 370/328, 370/338, 455/404.2, 455/440, 4554561-4566
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/73 for taking measurements, e.g. using sensing coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A receiving and transmitting node for a wireless data network, and a wireless data network based on magnetic induction. The receiving node includes an antenna receive module for receiving one or more data signals emitted from the transmitting node and a calculation module adapted to calculate one or more distances between the receiving node and the transmitting node, and/or adapted to calculate the position of the transmitting node in relation to the position of the receiving node, and/or adapted to calculate the orientation of the transmitting node in relation to the orientation of the receiving node. The reception of the data signal is based on magnetic induction and the calculation of the one or more distances, and the position of the transmitting node and/or the orientation of the transmitting node is based on the one or more data signals.

Claims

1. A receiving node for a wireless data network comprising:

an antenna receive module that receives one or more data signals emitted from a transmitting node of the wireless data network; and

a calculation module that calculates an orientation of the transmitting node in relation to an orientation of the receiving node, wherein said reception of said one or more data signals are based on magnetic induction, and said calculation of said orientation of said transmitting node is based on said one or more data signals,

said one or more data signals comprise one or more preamble portions and said calculation of said orientation of said transmitting node is based on said one or more preamble portions,

said wireless data network comprises a node that controls an output device,

said receiving node further comprises a user interface module that provides, in cooperation with said transmitting node and said output device, a user interface functionality, whereby said provided user interface functionality is based on the calculated orientation of said transmitting node,

the output device displays information on a two dimensional display surface, and

said user interface module calculates a position on a two dimensional reference surface based on the calculated orientation of said transmitting node, whereby the position on said two dimensional reference surface corresponds to a position on said two dimensional display surface.

2. The receiving node according to claim 1, wherein said antenna receive module determines one or more received signal strength indication (RSSI) values, whereby an RSSI value indicates a strength of one of said one or more received data signals, and said calculation of said orientation of said transmitting node is based on said one or more RSSI values.

18. The receiving node according to claim 1 or 4, wherein said transmitting node has an associated pointing direction, said user interface module calculates said pointing direction based on the calculated orientation of said transmitting node, and

said position on said reference surface is based on said pointing direction.

19. The receiving node according to claim 18, wherein said calculated position on said reference surface corresponds to an intersection of said reference surface with a straight line that is defined by said position of said transmitting node and said pointing direction of said transmitting node.

20. The receiving node according to claim 1 or 3, wherein a size of a pointer icon that is provided as a component of said user interface functionality is based on the distance between the calculated position of said transmitting node and said position on said reference surface.

22. A wireless data network based on magnetic induction comprising:

a receiving node for the wireless data network according to claim 1, 3, or 6.

3. A receiving node for a wireless data network, said wireless data network comprising:

a node that controls an output device that displays information on a two dimensional display surface, and said receiving node comprising;

an antenna receive module that receives one or more data signals emitted from a transmitting node of the wireless data network;

a calculation module that calculates one or more distances between the receiving node and the transmitting node, and/or calculates a position of the transmitting node in relation to a position of the receiving node, and/or calculates an orientation of the transmitting node in relation to an orientation of the receiving node; and

a user interface module that provides, in cooperation with said transmitting node and said output device, a user interface functionality, whereby said provided user interface functionality is based on the calculated one or more distances, the calculated position of said transmitting node, and/or the calculated orientation of said transmitting node, and that calculates a position on a two dimensional reference surface based on the calculated one or more distances and/or the calculated position of said transmitting node, whereby the position on said two dimensional reference surface corresponds to a position on said two dimensional display surface, wherein said reception of said one or more data signals is based on magnetic induction, and

said calculation of said one or more distances, said position of said transmitting node, and/or said orientation of said transmitting node is based on said one or more data signals.

4. The receiving node according to claim 3, wherein said antenna receive module determines one or more received signal strength indication (RSSI) values, whereby an RSSI value indicates a strength of one of said one or more received data signals, and said calculation of said one or more distances, said position of said transmitting node, and/or said orientation of said transmitting node is based on said one or more RSSI values.

5. The receiving node according to claim 3, wherein said wireless data network comprises a node that controls an output device, and

said receiving node further comprises a user interface module that provides, in cooperation with said transmitting node and said output device, a user interface functionality, whereby said provided user interface functionality is based on the calculated one or more distances, the calculated position of said transmitting node, and/or the calculated orientation of said transmitting node.

21. The receiving node according to claim 3 or 6, wherein said one or more data signals comprise one or more preamble portions and said calculation of said one or more distances, said position of said transmitting node, and/or said orientation of said transmitting node is based on said one or more preamble portions.

6. A receiving node for a wireless data network comprising:

an antenna receive module that receives one or more data signals emitted from a transmitting node of the wireless data network, wherein said antenna receive module determines one or more received signal strength indication (RSSI) values, whereby an RSSI value indicates a strength of one of said one or more received data signals; and

a calculation module that calculates one or more distances between the receiving node and the transmitting node, and/or calculates a position of the transmitting node in relation to a position of the receiving node, and/or calculates an orientation of the transmitting node in relation to an orientation of the receiving node,

wherein said reception of said one or more data signals is based on magnetic induction,

said calculation of said one or more distances, said position of said transmitting node, and/or said orientation of said transmitting node is based on said one or more data signals and said one or more RSSI values,

said antenna receive module comprises two antenna devices that receive said one or more data signals,

said two antenna devices lie on an X-axis of an orthogonal coordinate system defined by said X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis,

the calculated position of said transmitting node is the position of a reference point of said transmitting node,

the calculated position of said transmitting node is described by one or more coordinate values comprising a first coordinate value,

a reference plane parallel to a X-Y-plane is defined,

a normal orientation of the transmitting node is defined in which a straight line defined by said reference point and a second point of the transmitting node which is lying between said reference plane and said reference point is parallel to the Z-axis, and

moving said transmitting node in positive X-direction while keeping said transmitting node in said normal orientation and tilting said transmitting node out of said normal orientation in a way that said second point is moved in positive X-direction while keeping the position of said transmitting node constant both increase said first coordinate value.

7. The receiving node according to claim 6, wherein said wireless data network comprises a node that controls an output device, and

said receiving node further comprises a user interface module that provides, in cooperation with said transmitting node and said output device, a user interface functionality, whereby said provided user interface functionality is based on the calculated one or more distances, the calculated position of said transmitting node, and/or the calculated orientation of said transmitting node.

8. The receiving node according to claim 6, wherein said two antenna devices of said antenna receive module are coplanar.

9. The receiving node according to claim 6, wherein said two antenna devices of said antenna receive module are parallel.

10. The receiving node according to claim 6, wherein each of said two antenna devices is orthogonal to the X-Y plane.

11. The receiving node according to claim 6, wherein said straight line defined by said reference point and said second point corresponds to a direction where the strength of a data signal emitted by said transmitting node has a local or a global maximum.

12. The receiving node according to claim 6, wherein said one or more coordinate values describing said calculated position of said transmitting node comprise a second coordinate value, and

moving said transmitting node in a positive Z-direction while keeping said transmitting node in said normal orientation increases said second coordinate value, and tilting said transmitting node out of said normal orientation in a way that said second point is moved in a Y-direction while keeping the position of said transmitting node constant either increases or decreases said second coordinate value.

13. The receiving node according to claim 12, further comprising:

a user interface module that provides user interface logic operable to control a size of a pointer icon depicted by a display device based on said second coordinate value.

14. The receiving node according to claim 13, wherein said user interface logic controls selection and deselection of objects displayed by said display device based on said second coordinate value.

15. The receiving node according to claim 6, wherein said one or more coordinate values describing said calculated position of said transmitting node comprise a second coordinate value, and

moving said transmitting node in a positive Y-direction while keeping said transmitting node in said normal orientation and tilting said transmitting node out of said normal orientation in a way that said second point is moved in the positive Y-direction while keeping the position of said transmitting node constant both increase said second coordinate value.

16. The receiving node according to claim 15, wherein said transmitting node is located in the X-Y plane.

17. The receiving node according to claim 6, wherein said reference plane is the X-Y plane.