Object navigation device and object navigation method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10915184-B1
Application number	US-202016739138-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jan 10, 2020
Priority date	Jan 10, 2020
Publication date	Feb 9, 2021
Grant date	Feb 9, 2021

Abstract

An object navigation device comprising: at least one touch sensing surface; a control circuit, for setting a direction of the object navigation device according to a touch sensing condition. The touch sensing condition comprises at least one of following conditions: a number of touch regions, at least one relative position of touch regions, shapes of touch regions, tilting angle of at least one object touching the touch sensing surface. A corresponding object navigation method is also disclosed. By this way, the direction of the object navigation device can be automatically set according to the touch sensed by the object navigation device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An object navigation device, comprising:
at least one touch sensing surface;
a control circuit, configured to set a direction of the object navigation device according to a touch sensing condition related with at least one touch sensed by the touch sensing surface;
wherein the touch sensing condition comprises at least one of following conditions:
a number of touch regions, at least one relative position of touch regions, shapes of touch regions, tilting angle of at least one object touching the touch sensing surface;
wherein the object navigation device comprises a first touch sensing surface making a full circle around the object navigation device and a second touch sensing surface perpendicular with the first touch sensing surface;
wherein a first group of touch regions and a third group of touch regions is located on the first touch sensing surface and a second group of touch regions is located on the second touch sensing surface and between the first group of touch regions and the third group of touch regions, wherein the control circuit sets the direction according to a relative relation between the second group of touch regions and the first group of touch regions, and a relative relation between the second group of touch regions and the third group of touch regions.

2. The object navigation device of claim 1 , wherein the object is a finger or a palm.

3. The object navigation device of claim 1 , wherein the first touch region is formed by a finger and the second touch region is formed by a palm.

4. The object navigation device of claim 1 , further comprising a storage device storing more than one candidate touch sensing conditions and further comprising a recognition device, wherein the control circuit selects the touch sensing condition from the candidate touch sensing conditions corresponding to a recognition result generated by the recognition device.

5. The object navigation device of claim 1 , being cylindrical or rod-shaped.

6. An object navigation method, applied to an object navigation device comprising at least one touch sensing surface, comprising:
(a) setting a direction of the object navigation device according to a touch sensing condition related with at least one touch sensed by the touch sensing surface; and
(b) performing an object navigation operation via the object navigation device based on the direction;
wherein the touch sensing condition comprises at least one of following conditions:
a number of touch regions, at least one relative position of touch regions, shapes of touch regions, tilting angle of at least one object touching the touch sensing surface;
wherein the object navigation device comprises a first touch sensing surface making a full circle around the object navigation device and a second touch sensing surface perpendicular with the first touch sensing surface;
wherein a first group of touch regions and a third group of touch regions is located on the first touch sensing surface and a second group of touch regions is located on the second touch sensing surface and between the first group of touch regions and the third group of touch regions, wherein the step (a) sets the direction according to a relative relation between the second group of touch regions and the first group of touch regions, and a relative relation between the second group of touch regions and the third group of touch regions.

7. The object navigation method of claim 6 , wherein the object is a finger or a palm.

8. The object navigation method of claim 6 , wherein the first touch region is formed by a finger and the second touch region is formed by a palm.

9. The object navigation method of claim 6 , further comprising: providing more than one candidate touch sensing conditions, wherein the step (a) selects the touch sensing condition from the candidate touch sensing conditions corresponding to a recognition result generated by a recognition device comprised by the object navigation device.

10. The object navigation method of claim 6 , being cylindrical or rod-shaped.

11. An object navigation device, comprising:
at least one touch sensing surface;
a control circuit, configured to set a direction of the object navigation device according to a touch sensing condition related with at least one touch sensed by the touch sensing surface;
wherein the touch sensing condition comprises at least one of following conditions:
a number of touch regions, at least one relative position of touch regions, shapes of touch regions, tilting angle of at least one object touching the touch sensing surface;
wherein the control circuit sets the direction according to if a first touch region and a second touch region are located on a first touch sensing surface, and according to if at least two third touch regions smaller than a first predetermined size are located on a second touch sensing surface.

12. An object navigation method, applied to an object navigation device comprising at least one touch sensing surface, comprising:
(a) setting a direction of the object navigation device according to a touch sensing condition related with at least one touch sensed by the touch sensing surface; and
(b) performing an object navigation operation via the object navigation device based on the direction;
wherein the touch sensing condition comprises at least one of following conditions:
a number of touch regions, at least one relative position of touch regions, shapes of touch regions, tilting angle of at least one object touching the touch sensing surface;
wherein the step (a) sets the direction according to if a first touch region and a second touch region are located on a first touch sensing surface, and according to if at least two third touch regions smaller than a first predetermined size are located on a second touch sensing surface.

Assignees

• Pixart Imaging Inc

Inventors

• Su Tse-Chung

Classifications

• G06F3/03547

  Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface · CPC title

• G06F3/03543 Primary

  Mice or pucks (G06F3/03541 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F3/0346

  with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a three-dimensional [3D] space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors · CPC title