External device identification method and apparatus in a device including a touch spot, and computer-readable recording mediums having recorded thereon programs for executing the external device identification method in a device including a touch spot

• US 9,496,923 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2014
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Han, Kuk-hyun, Yang, Pil-seung, Kim, Hark-joon
• Primary Examiner(s): PARDO, THUY N
• Application Number:
  US14/556,855
• Publication Number:
  US 20150087230A1
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174, 345/156, 455/41.2, 455/67.14, 455/4.4, 455/41.1, 340/4.4, 370/498
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04162 for exchanging data with external devices, e.g. smart pens, via the digitiser sensing hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication

Abstract

An external device identification method in a device including a touch spot, an apparatus, and a recording medium are provided. The external device identification method includes generating a first micro-current signal that is induced when the touch spot is touched by a human being and includes device information about the device including the touch spot, propagating the first micro-current signal to an external device via a human being, receiving a second micro-current signal including device information about the external device from the external device via the human being, detecting the device information about the external device from the second micro-current signal, identifying the external device by using the device information about the external device, and connecting the device including the touch spot to the external device through a communication channel.

Claims

1. A device for identifying an external device, the device comprising:

a transmission unit configured to transmit a first signal including first device information about the device induced based on touching a first touch point of a first coordinate on the device;

a reception unit configured to receive a second signal including second device information about the external device induced based on touching a second touch point of a second coordinate on the external device, the external device being identified by the second device information about the external device;

an identification unit configured to identify the external device by using the second device information of the external device, and communicably connects the device including the first touch point to the external device; and

a mapping unit configured to map coordinates of the first touch point of the device to coordinates of the second touch point of the external device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the device includes the first touch point and another touch point that is separate from the first touch point, and the reception unit receives the second signal through the first touch point or the another touch point.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the device further includes a physical operation button or a graphic user interface that displays an operation button,

the device further comprising an operation control unit that, when the physical operation button or the operation button displayed on graphic user interface is touched by the user body, controls the transmission unit to transmit the first signal and the reception unit to receive the second signal.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the first touch point is a touch electrode or a capacitive button.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the touch electrode is disposed to cover an upper portion of the physical operation button.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein the device further includes a display screen that displays the graphic user interface, and the touch electrode is disposed on a surface of the device opposite to a surface of the display screen.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the first touch point is a capacitive button, and the capacitive button is connected by a switch to the transmission unit, the reception unit, and the operation control unit in a time-divisional manner.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the transmission unit comprises:

a signal generation unit configured to generate a binary signal including the first device information about the device; and

a modulation unit configured to generate the first signal by modulating the binary signal, and output the first signal to the first touch point.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the reception unit comprises:

a filter unit configured to remove a noise component from the second signal;

an amplification unit configured to amplify a signal output from the filter unit; and

a demodulation unit configured to detect the binary signal including the second device information about the external device by demodulating the signal output from the amplification unit.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the device including the first touch point is a remote controller for controlling the external device remotely.

11. An external device identification method in a device, the method comprising:

transmitting a first signal including first device information about the device to the external device, the first signal being induced based on touching a first touch point of a first coordinate on the device;

receiving a second signal including second device information about the external device induced based on touching a second touch point of a second coordinate on the external device, the external device being identified by the second device information about the external device;

connecting the device including the first touch point to the external device through a communication channel; and

mapping coordinates of the first touch point of the device to coordinates of the second touch point of the external device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the device includes the first touch point and another touch point, and the second signal is received through the first touch point or the another touch point.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the device further includes a physical operation button or a graphic user interface, and

the method further comprises controlling the device to transmit the first signal and to receive the second signal, when the physical operation button or the operation button displayed on graphic user interface is touched by a user body.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first touch point is a touch electrode or a capacitive button.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the touch electrode is disposed to cover an upper portion of the physical operation button.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the device further includes a display screen that displays the graphic user interface, and the touch electrode is disposed on a surface of the device opposite to the surface of the display screen.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the transmitting of the first signal comprises:

generating a binary signal including the first device information about the device;

generating the first signal by modulating the binary signal; and

outputting the first signal to the first touch point.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the receiving of the second device information about the external device comprises:

removing a noise component from the second signal;

amplifying the second signal from which the noise component is removed; and

detecting a binary signal including the second device information about the external device by demodulating the amplified signal.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the device including the first touch point is a remote controller for controlling the external device remotely.

20. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having embodied thereon a program for executing an external device identification method in a device, the method comprising:

transmitting a first signal including first device information about the device to the external device, the first signal being induced based on touching a first touch point of a first coordinate on the device;

receiving a second signal including second device information about the external device induced based on touching a second touch point of a second coordinate on the external device, the external device being identified by the second device information about the external device;

connecting the device including the first touch point to the external device through a communication channel; and

mapping coordinates of the first touch point touched on the device to coordinates of the second touch point touched on the external device.