Wearable device and method of operating the same

• US 9,823,751 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2015
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Shin, Ho-chul
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheng, Tom
• Application Number:
  US14/813,889
• Publication Number:
  US 20160034041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• 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 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• 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 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

Disclosed is wearable device including a sensor that detects a movement of a peripheral object, a display unit that displays a plurality of items and displaying a focus on at least one of the plurality of items, and a processor that controls the display unit to move the focus onto an item at a position corresponding to a moving direction of the peripheral object.

Claims

1. A wearable device comprising:

a sensor that detects a movement of a peripheral object that is positioned outside of a periphery of the wearable device;

a display unit that displays a plurality of items and displays a focus on at least one of the plurality of items; and

a processor that controls the display unit to shift the focus onto an item at a position corresponding to a moving direction of the peripheral object,

wherein the processor further sets one or more regions in advance, determines a region including the moving direction of the peripheral object among the one or more regions, and determines a shifting direction of the focus.

2. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the processor further calculates a coordinate of a start point at which the peripheral object starts moving and a coordinate of an end point at which the peripheral object stops moving and obtains the moving direction by using a position relationship between the start and end points and the wearable device.

3. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the processor further sets neutral regions between the one or more regions.

4. The wearable device of claim 3, wherein the processor further controls the display unit to provide a user with feedback when the moving direction is included in the neutral regions.

5. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the processor further obtains the moving direction of the peripheral object at sides or in front of the wearable device.

6. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the processor further sets regions corresponding to shiftable directions of the focus according to a current position of the focus, determines a region including the moving direction of the peripheral object among the regions.

7. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the processor further calculates a moving angle of the peripheral object and determines a shifting direction of the focus.

8. A method of operating a wearable device, the method comprising:

displaying a plurality of items and displaying a focus on at least one of the plurality of items;

detecting a movement of a peripheral object that is positioned outside of a periphery of the wearable device;

shifting and displaying the focus on an item at a position corresponding to a moving direction of the peripheral object;

setting one or more regions; and

determining a region including the moving direction of the peripheral object among the one or more regions,

wherein displaying the plurality of items comprises shifting and displaying the focus to an item positioned in a direction corresponding to the determined region.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

calculating a coordinate of a start point at which the peripheral object starts moving and a coordinate of an end point at which the peripheral object stops moving and obtaining the moving direction by using the wearable device and a position relationship between the start and end points and the wearable device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the moving direction of the peripheral object is obtained at sides of the wearable device.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein setting the one or more regions comprises setting neutral regions between the one or more regions.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

providing a user with feedback when the obtained moving direction is included in the neutral regions.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein setting the one or more regions further comprises setting regions corresponding to shiftable directions of the focus according to a current position of the focus.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein shifting and displaying the focus comprises:

calculating a moving angle of the peripheral object, determining a shifting direction of the focus, and shifting and displaying the focus according to the calculated moving angle.

15. A method of operating a wearable device, the method comprising:

displaying a first item;

obtaining a moving direction of a peripheral object that is positioned outside of a periphery of the wearable device, wherein the processor further sets one or more regions in advance, determines a region including the moving direction of the peripheral object among the one or more regions, and determines a shifting direction of the focus;

determining a second item to be displayed, based on the obtained moving direction; and

displaying the second item.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first and second items are displayed on a screen of the wearable device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the moving direction is obtained by calculating a moving angle of the peripheral device in relation to the wearable device.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the second item to be is determined according to relative positions of the first and second items.