Communication device having a user interaction arrangement

• US 9,223,499 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2012
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Johansson, Fredrik
• Primary Examiner(s): Sherman, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US13/528,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20130002604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,286 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- 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 without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04895 Guidance during keyboard input operation, e.g. prompting

Abstract

The invention relates to a user interaction arrangement for interaction with a user using a pointing object. The arrangement comprises: a detector for detecting position of said object, a controller for computing a distance of said object to a surface of a display, and an image generating part for generating an image on said surface of display. The controller is further configured to compute a position on said surface based on said position and distance of said object, and the arrangement further comprises an image generating part configured to generate a dynamic guiding image on said surface of display based on said position and distance.

Claims

1. A user interaction arrangement comprising:

a detector for detecting a three-dimensional position of a pointing object, the three-dimensional position being defined along x, y and z axes in a Cartesian coordinate system, wherein the x and y axes are along a surface of a display substantially under the position of the pointing object and the z axis is perpendicular to the xy-plane;

an image generating part for generating an image on the surface of the display substantially under the position of the pointing object; and

a controller for computing a distance of the pointing object to the surface of the display based on a position of the pointing object along the z-axis and for computing a center point of the detected pointing object based on a position of the pointing object within the xy-plane, the controller being further configured to provide the image generating part with instructions to generate a dynamic guiding image having a center at the center point of the detected pointing object, said dynamic guiding image having a progressively variable characteristic that progressively varies over a detection range of the detector depending on the distance of the pointing object to the surface of the display, and said dynamic guiding image having an appearance deviating from the image generated on the surface of the display.

2. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said characteristic is one or several of shape, size, color or contrast.

3. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said dynamic guiding image changes shape, size, color or contrast when the distance reduces.

4. The arrangement according to claim 1, comprising a capacitive electric field generator and receiver.

5. The arrangement according to claim 1, for use in a mobile terminal having a touch sensitive display.

6. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said dynamic guiding image is a cross-hair.

7. An electric device comprising a display and a user interaction arrangement comprising:

a detector for detecting position of a three-dimensional pointing object for interaction with said device, the three-dimensional position being defined along x, y and z axes in a Cartesian coordinate system, wherein the x and y axes are along a surface of the display substantially under the position of the pointing object and the z axis is perpendicular to the xy-plane,

an image generating part for generating an image on the surface of the display,

a controller for computing a distance of the pointing object to the surface of the display based on a position of the pointing object along the z-axis and for computing a center point of the detected pointing object based on a position of the pointing object within the xy-plane, the controller being further configured to provide the image generating part with instructions to generate a dynamic guiding image having a center at the center point of the detected pointing object, said dynamic guiding image having progressively variable characteristic that progressively varies over a detection range of the detector depending on the distance of the pointing object to the surface of the display, and said dynamic guiding image having an appearance deviating from the image generated on the surface of the display.

8. The device of claim 7, being one of a mobile communication terminal, a camera, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver;

a personal communications system (PCS) terminal, a personal digital assistant (PDA);

a personal computer, a home entertainment system or a television screen.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein said object is a finger or stylus.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein said interaction is information input into said device.

11. The device of claim 7, wherein said image generator further generates a keyboard.