Electronic device control in response to finger rotation upon fingerprint sensor and corresponding methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10990260-B2
Application number	US-201816110939-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2018
Priority date	Aug 23, 2018
Publication date	Apr 27, 2021
Grant date	Apr 27, 2021

Abstract

An electronic device includes a fingerprint sensor and one or more processors operable with the fingerprint sensor. One or more motion detectors are also operable with the one or more processors. The one or more processors determine with the fingerprint sensor, a direction of rotation of an object rotating, and in contact with, the fingerprint sensor. The one or more motion detectors detect whether the electronic device is rotating in three-dimensional space. The one or more processors then select and perform a first control operation when the object is rotating in a first axial direction and the electronic device is substantially stationary. Alternatively, the one or more processors select and perform a second control operation when the electronic device is rotating and the object is rotating in the first axial direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method in an electronic device, the method comprising:
detecting, with a fingerprint sensor, rotation of an object contacting the fingerprint sensor and, where the object is rotating, an object rotation direction;
determining an axial object rotation amount the object rotates on the fingerprint sensor;
selecting, with one or more processors operable with the fingerprint sensor:
a first control operation for the electronic device when the electronic device is stationary and the object rotation direction is clockwise; or
a second control operation, different from the first control operation, when the electronic device is rotating and the object rotation direction is clockwise; and

performing, with the one or more processors, either the first control operation or the second control operation; and
further comprising also selecting, with the one or more processors:
the first control operation when the electronic device is rotating and the object rotation direction is counterclockwise; or
the second control operation when the electronic device is stationary and the object rotation direction is counterclockwise.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, with one or more motion detectors, whether the electronic device is rotating about an axis passing through the electronic device, and when the electronic device is rotating about the axis, an electronic device rotation direction, wherein the selecting comprises selecting the first control operation only when the object rotation direction is opposite the electronic device rotation direction.

3. The method of claim 1 ,
the first control operation comprises performing a zoom operation or
the second control operation comprises rotating content.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, with one or more motion detectors, whether the electronic device is rotating, and when the electronic device is rotating, an electronic device rotation direction, wherein the selecting the first control operation occurs only when the object rotation direction is opposite the electronic device rotation direction.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first control operation comprises increasing a volume of an audio output of the electronic device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first control operation comprises increasing an illumination level of a visual output of the electronic device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first control operation comprises a directional scrolling operation advancing objects presented on a visual output of the electronic device.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining an object rotation velocity for the object rotating on the fingerprint sensor.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein one or both of the first control operation or the second control operation have associated therewith a control magnitude, wherein the control magnitude is a function of the object rotation velocity.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the performing the either the first control operation or the second control operation occurs to an extent corresponding to the axial object rotation amount.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or both of the first control operation or the second control operation have associated therewith a control magnitude, wherein the control magnitude is a function of the axial object rotation amount.

12. An electronic device, comprising:
a fingerprint sensor;
one or more motion detectors; and
one or more processors operable with the fingerprint sensor and the one or more motion detectors;
the one or more processors determining, with the fingerprint sensor, a direction of rotation of an object rotating, and in contact with, the fingerprint sensor and a velocity of rotation for the object, and further determining, with the one or more motion detectors, whether the electronic device is rotating in three-dimensional space, and where the electronic device is rotating, another direction of rotation of the electronic device;
the one or more processors selecting and performing:
a first control operation when the object is rotating in a first axial direction and the electronic device is substantially stationary, wherein at least the first control operation has associated therewith a control magnitude that is a function of the velocity of rotation; or
a second control operation when the object is rotating in the first axial direction while the electronic device is rotating in a second axial direction, the second axial direction opposite the first axial direction; and

the one or more processors also selecting and performing:
the first control operation when the object is rotating in the second axial direction and while the electronic device is rotating in the first axial direction; or
the second control operation when the object is rotating in the second axial direction while the electronic device is substantially stationary.

13. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein
the first control operation comprises one of a volume control operation, an illumination control operation, a cursor control operation, a panning operation, a zoom operation, a content rotating operation, or an imager zoom operation or
the second control operation comprises another of the volume control operation, the illumination control operation, the cursor control operation, the panning operation, the zoom operation, the content rotating operation, or the imager zoom operation.

14. The electronic device of claim 12 , further comprising an audio output device, the first axial direction comprising a clockwise direction, the first control operation comprising increasing a volume of the audio output device, the second control operation comprising decreasing the volume of the audio output device.

15. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the second control operation has associated therewith another control magnitude that is a function of the velocity of rotation.

16. The electronic device of claim 14 , the one or more processors further determining, with the fingerprint sensor, an axial amount of rotation for the object, wherein at least the first control operation has associated therewith a control magnitude that is a function of the axial amount of rotation.

17. The electronic device of claim 12 , further comprising a visual output, the first axial direction comprising a clockwise direction, the first control operation comprising increasing an illumination level of a visual output of the electronic device, the second control operation comprising decreasing the illumination level of the visual output of the electronic device.

18. A method in an electronic device, the method comprising:
detecting, with a fingerprint sensor, rotation of an object contacting the fingerprint sensor and, where the object is rotating, an object rotation direction;
determining an object rotation velocity for the object rotating on the fingerprint sensor;
selecting, with one or more processors operable with the fingerprint sensor:
a first control operation for the electronic device when the electronic device is stationary and the object rotation direction is clockwise; or
a second control operation, different from the first control operation, when the electronic device is rotating and the object rotation direction is clockwise; and

performing, with the one or more processors, either the first control operation or the second control operation;
wherein one or both of the first control operation or the second control operation have associated ther

Assignees

• Motorola Mobility Llc

Inventors

• Gorsica John
• Merrell Thomas

Classifications

• G06F3/0487 Primary

  using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser · CPC title

• G06V40/1365

  Matching; Classification · CPC title

• G06V40/13

  Sensors therefor · CPC title

• G06F3/04847 Primary

  Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials · CPC title

• G06V40/1306

  non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing · CPC title