System with a gesture-identification unit

• US 9,030,433 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2011
• Issued: 05/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Heinrich, Karl-Ludwig
• Primary Examiner(s): OLSON, JASON C
• Application Number:
  US13/994,867
• Publication Number:
  US 20130293504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,253 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• 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 3/017 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method is used for operating a system with a touchscreen, a control unit for the touchscreen, a central-processing unit and a gesture-identification unit. In a first method step, a position of one or more physical objects on and/or near the touchscreen is identified by the control unit, and/or a movement of one or more physical objects on and/or near the touchscreen is identified by the control unit. In a further method step, the position and/or the movement of one or more physical objects is associated with a gesture in a gesture set by a first association unit in a gesture-identification unit. Following this, a key combination is transferred by a second association unit to an application, and/or a function of an application is started for the gesture by the second association unit, and/or the gesture is transferred by the second association unit to an application.

Claims

1. A method for operating a system with a touchscreen, a control unit for the touchscreen, a central-processing unit, and a gesture-identification unit, the method comprising:

identifying a position or a movement of one or more physical objects on or near the touchscreen by the control unit; and

associating the position or the movement of one or more physical objects with a gesture in a gesture set by a first association unit in the gesture-identification unit,

wherein a key combination or a sequence of key combinations for the gesture is transferred by a second association unit to an application, or a function for the gesture is started by the second association unit within an application, or the gesture is transferred by a second association unit to the application,

wherein graphic characters are entered through a movement of one or more physical objects on the touch screen, and

wherein control characters followed by the graphic characters are entered through multiploid graphic characters.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

adding gestures to the gesture set by the gesture-identification unit in that the position or the movement of one or more physical objects on or near the touchscreen is identified by the control unit.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the function to be implemented by the second association unit is set within the application and can be varied, or

wherein the key combination to be transferred or the sequence of key combinations to be transferred by the second association unit to the application can be set and varied, so that the applications can be operated more simply or automated as a result.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a first control character can be entered through a diploid graphic character, or

wherein a second control character can be entered through a triploid graphic character, or

wherein a third control character can be entered through a tetraploid graphic character, or

wherein a fourth control character can be entered through a vertically diploid graphic character, or

wherein a fifth control character can be entered through a stacked triploid character.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more physical objects are one or more human fingers or input pens.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein a gesture is defined in that two fingers which are arranged approximately horizontally side-by-side touch the touchscreen and that a line is drawn approximately vertically upwards between the two fingers, so that an instruction to generate a “

new file”

or a “

new object”

is transmitted to the application.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein a further gesture is defined in that at least three fingers are arranged together and touch the touchscreen and then move apart in a spreading manner, so that an instruction to “

open”

a file is generated and transmitted to the application.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein a further gesture is defined in that a triploid diagonal cross is drawn on the touchscreen or that the touchscreen is pressed with one finger and an approximately diploid or triploid line is then drawn downwards at an approximately horizontal distance from this with at least two fingers, so that an instruction to “

exit”

is generated and transmitted to the application.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein a further gesture is defined in that two fingers which are arranged approximately horizontally side-by-side touch the touchscreen and that a line is drawn approximately vertically downwards between the two fingers, so that an instruction to “

save”

is generated and transmitted to the application.

10. The method according to claim 5, wherein a further gesture is defined in that two fingers which are arranged approximately horizontally side-by-side touch the touchscreen and that a diploid line is then drawn approximately vertically downwards between the two fingers, so that an instruction to “

save as”

is generated and transmitted to the application.

11. The method according to claim 5, wherein a further gesture is defined in that two fingers which are arranged approximately horizontally side-by-side touch the touchscreen and that a triploid line is then drawn approximately vertically downwards between the two fingers, so that an instruction to “

save all”

is generated and transmitted to the application.

12. The method according to claim 5, wherein a further gesture is defined in that a finger and at least two other fingers are placed in a basic position on the touchscreen, so that an instruction to “

print”

is generated and transmitted to the application.

13. The method according to claim 5, wherein a further gesture is defined in that a finger is placed on the touchscreen and, at a time interval from this, at least two other fingers are placed in a basic position on the touchscreen and click the latter, so that an instruction “

print preview”

is generated and transmitted to the application.

14. The method according to claim 5, wherein a further gesture is defined in that a finger is placed on the touchscreen and an approximately horizontal line is then drawn above it or below it, so that an instruction “

settings/options”

is generated and transmitted to the application.

15. The method according to claim 5, wherein a further gesture is defined in that at least one finger is placed on the touchscreen or clicks the touchscreen in succession with an approximately horizontal spacing from one another so that an instruction “

find”

is generated and transmitted to the application.

16. The method according to claim 5, wherein a further gesture is defined in that two fingers with an approximately horizontal spacing from one another click the touchscreen, and that two fingers arranged horizontally offset relative to the latter with an approximately horizontal spacing then click or touch the touchscreen, so that an instruction “

find next”

is generated and transmitted to the application.

17. The method according to claim 5, wherein a further gesture is defined in that a finger touches the touchscreen and three fingers are then placed on the touchscreen in succession with an approximately horizontal spacing from one another above the finger, so that an instruction “

replace”

is generated and transmitted to the application.

18. The method according to claim 5, wherein a further gesture is defined in that a finger touches the touchscreen and two fingers with an approximately horizontal spacing then click the touchscreen above the finger and that two fingers with an approximately horizontal spacing then click or touch the touchscreen with a horizontal offset from the latter above the finger, so that an instruction “

replace and find next”

is generated and transmitted to the application.

19. The method according to claim 5, wherein a further gesture is defined in that a diploid diagonal cross is drawn on the touchscreen or that the touchscreen is pressed with one finger, and an approximately vertical line is drawn downwards with one finger with an approximately horizontal spacing from the latter, so that an instruction “

cancel”

is generated and transmitted to the application.

20. The method according to claim 5, wherein a further gesture is defined in that at least three fingers are arranged apart from one another and touch the touchscreen and are then moved together, so that an instruction “

close”

is generated and transmitted to the application.

21. The method according to claim 5, wherein a further gesture is defined in that at least two fingers are arranged apart from one another and touch the touchscreen and a rotating movement is performed, so that an instruction “

rotate”

is generated and transmitted to the application.

22. The method according to claim 1, wherein a further gesture is defined in that a loop closed at the bottom which has its crossing point clearly below its ends is drawn on the touchscreen, so that an instruction “

cut”

is generated and transmitted to the application or that a diploid loop closed at the bottom which has its crossing point clearly below its ends is drawn on the touchscreen, so that an instruction “

copy”

is generated and transmitted to the application.

23. The method according to claim 1, wherein a further gesture is defined in that an approximately droplet-shaped structure is drawn on the touchscreen, so that an instruction “

insert”

is generated and transmitted to the application.

24. The method according to claim 1, wherein a further gesture is defined in that a wavy line or a period of a sine wave is drawn on the touchscreen, so that an instruction “

process”

is generated and transmitted to the application.

25. The method according to claim 1, wherein a further gesture is defined in that a tick is drawn on the touchscreen, so that an instruction “

OK”

is generated and transmitted to the application.

26. The method according to claim 1, wherein a further gesture is defined in that a diploid tick is drawn on the touchscreen, so that an instruction “

accept”

is generated and transmitted to the application.

27. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

a further gesture is defined in that a curved arrow pointing towards the right is drawn from the bottom upwards on the touchscreen, so that an instruction “

undo”

is generated and transmitted to the application, or

a further gesture is defined in that a curved arrow pointing towards the right is drawn from the top downwards on the touchscreen, so that an instruction “

restore”

is generated and transmitted to the application, or

a further gesture is defined in that a diploid curved arrow pointing towards the right is drawn from the top downwards on the touchscreen, so that an instruction “

update”

is generated and transmitted to the application.

28. The method according to claim 1, wherein a further gesture is defined in that a diagonal cross is drawn on the touchscreen, or that an approximately horizontal line is drawn several times on the touchscreen, so that an instruction “

delete”

is generated and transmitted to the application.

29. The method according to claim 1, wherein a further gesture is defined in that a cross comprising an approximately vertical line and an approximately horizontal line which intersect approximately in at least one of a middle, a half moon, and a question mark is drawn on the touchscreen, so that an instruction “

help”

is generated and transmitted to the application.

34. The method according to claim 4, wherein the first control character is a Ctrl- character followed by a graphic character, the second control character is an Alt- character followed by a graphic character, the third control character is an instruction character followed by a graphic character, the fourth control character is a Shift- character followed by a graphic character, and the fifth control character is a Ctrl-Alt- character followed by a graphic character.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores instructions for causing a processor to execute a method for operating a system with a touchscreen, a control unit for the touchscreen, a central-processing unit, and a gesture-identification unit, the method comprising:

identifying a position or a movement of one or more physical objects on or near the touchscreen by the control unit; and

associating the position or the movement of one or more physical objects with a gesture in a gesture set by a first association unit in the gesture-identification unit,

wherein a key combination or a sequence of key combinations for the gesture is transferred by a second association unit to an application, or a function for the gesture is started by the second association unit within an application, or the gesture is transferred by a second association unit to the application,

wherein graphic characters are entered through a movement of one or more physical objects on the touchscreen, and

wherein control characters followed by the graphic characters are entered through multiploid graphic characters.

31. A computer system comprising:

a touchscreen,

a control unit for the touchscreen,

a central-processing unit; and

a gesture-identification unit,

wherein the control unit identifies a position or a movement of one or more physical objects on or near the touchscreen,

wherein a first association unit in the gesture-identification unit associates the position or the movement of one or more physical objects with a gesture in a gesture set,

wherein a second association unit transfers a key combination or a sequence of key combinations for the gesture to the application, or a second association unit starts a function for the gesture within an application, or a second association unit transfers the gesture to an application,

wherein graphic characters are entered through a movement of one or more physical objects on the touch screen, and

wherein control characters followed by the graphic characters are entered through multiploid graphic characters.

32. The computer system according to claim 31, wherein gestures can be added to the gesture set by the gesture-identification unit in that the position or the movement of one or more physical objects on or near the touchscreen is identifiable by the control unit.

33. The computer system according to claim 31, wherein one or more gestures in the gesture set have a defined point which indicates at which position the gesture should act.