Apparatus and method for controlling an interface based on bending

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9310925-B2
Application number	US-201313969261-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 16, 2013
Priority date	Aug 16, 2013
Publication date	Apr 12, 2016
Grant date	Apr 12, 2016

Abstract

An apparatus includes a touch panel display having one or more sensors for detecting an input operation on the touch panel display, the input operation corresponding to a bending operation whereby the touch panel display is bent and/or a touch operation whereby an instruction object contacts a surface of the touch panel display. The apparatus includes circuitry configured to detect, when the bending operation is detected, a presence of a stripe pattern based on sensor values output when the bending operation is detected. The circuitry determines, when the stripe pattern is detected, one or more features of the detected stripe pattern, and based on the one or more features of the detected stripe pattern, determines whether the detected stripe pattern matches a predetermined pattern stored in a memory. The circuitry executes a predetermined function or process corresponding to the predetermined pattern when the detected stripe pattern matches the predetermined pattern.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a touch panel display including one or more sensors to detect an input operation on the touch panel display, wherein the input operation corresponds to a combination of one or more of a bending operation whereby the touch panel display is bent so as to generate a substantially parallel stripe pattern and a touch operation whereby an instruction object contacts a surface of the touch panel display so as to generate a substantially rounded stripe pattern, the substantially parallel stripe pattern and the substantially rounded stripe pattern formed at spaced apart locations on the touch panel display;
circuitry configured to:
detect, in response to detecting the bending operation, a presence of the stripe pattern based on sensor values output by the one or more sensors when the bending operation is detected;
determine, when the stripe pattern is detected, one or more features of the detected stripe pattern;
determine, based on the one or more features of the detected stripe pattern, whether the one or more features of the detected stripe pattern match one or more features of a predetermined pattern stored in a memory; and
execute, when the one or more features of the detected stripe pattern match the one or more features of the predetermined pattern, a predetermined function or process corresponding to the predetermined pattern; and

a motion sensor that outputs a motion signal to the circuitry in response to detecting a movement of the apparatus,
wherein when the circuitry detects the touch operation and the bending operation concurrently, the circuitry determines one or more features of the touch operation and determines, based on a combination of the one or more detected stripe pattern features and the one or more features of the touch operation, whether the combination matches one or more features of a predetermined combination stored in the memory, and
when the circuitry detects the stripe pattern and the movement concurrently, the circuitry determines one or more features of the movement and determines, based on a combination of the one or more detected stripe pattern features and the one or more features of the movement, whether the combination matches a predetermined combination stored in the memory.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the predetermined pattern stored in the memory includes information relating to at least one of a position of the detected stripe pattern on the touch panel display and a changing state of the detected stripe pattern.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the circuitry determines the one or more features of the detected stripe pattern based on a position of the detected stripe pattern on the touch panel display, and
the circuitry executes the predetermined function or process when the position of the detected stripe pattern matches position information corresponding to the predetermined pattern stored in the memory.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the circuitry determines the one or more features of the detected stripe pattern based on a changing state of the detected stripe pattern, and
the circuitry executes the predetermined function or process when the changing state of the detected stripe pattern matches changing state information corresponding to the predetermined pattern stored in the memory.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein
the changing state includes a spacing interval between stripes included in the detected stripe pattern.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein
the one or more sensors output a magnitude value in response to detecting an input operation, wherein the magnitude value corresponds to a force of the input operation, and
the changing state includes a relative change in the magnitude values corresponding to stripes included in the detected stripe pattern.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the predetermined function or process corresponds to generating a control signal and outputting the control signal to an external device via a communication interface.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
when the circuitry detects a plurality of stripe patterns radiating from multiple locations on the touch panel display, the circuitry determines that the bending operation is performed with respect to the multiple locations of the touch panel display.

9. A method of controlling an apparatus that includes a touch panel display having one or more sensors to detect an input operation on the touch panel display, the input operation corresponding to a combination of one or more of a bending operation whereby the touch panel display is bent so as to generate a substantially parallel stripe pattern and a touch operation whereby an instruction object contacts a surface of the touch panel display so as to generate a substantially rounded stripe pattern, the substantially parallel stripe pattern and the substantially rounded stripe pattern formed at spaced apart locations on the touch panel display, the method comprising:
detecting, by circuitry in response to detecting the bending operation, a presence of the stripe pattern based on sensor values output by the one or more sensors when the bending operation is detected;
determining, by the circuitry when the stripe pattern is detected, one or more features of the stripe pattern;
determining, by the circuitry based on the one or more features of the stripe pattern, whether the one or more features of the detected stripe pattern match one or more features of a predetermined pattern stored in a memory; and
executing, by the circuitry when the one or more features of the detected stripe pattern match the one or more features of the predetermined pattern, a predetermined function or process corresponding to the predetermined pattern,
wherein when the circuitry detects the touch operation and the bending operation concurrently, the circuitry determines one or more features of the touch operation and determines, based on a combination of the one or more detected stripe pattern features and the one or more features of the touch operation, whether the combination matches a predetermined combination stored in the memory,
wherein the apparatus includes a motion sensor that outputs a motion signal to the circuitry in response to detecting a movement of the apparatus, and
when the circuitry detects the stripe pattern and the movement concurrently, the circuitry determines one or more features of the movement and determines, based on a combination of the one or more detected stripe pattern features and the one or more features of the movement, whether the combination matches a predetermined combination stored in the memory.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein
the predetermined pattern stored in the memory includes information relating to at least one of a position of the stripe pattern on the touch panel display and a changing state of the stripe pattern.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein
the circuitry determines the one or more features of the detected stripe pattern based on a position of the detected stripe pattern on the touch panel display, and
the circuitry executes the predetermined function or process when the position of the detected stripe pattern matches position information corresponding to the predetermined pattern stored in the memory.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein
the circuitry determines the one or more features of the detected stripe pattern based on a changing state of the detected stripe pattern, and
the circuitry executes the predetermined function or process when the changing state of the detected stripe pattern matches changing state information corresponding to the prede

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Fujii Hiromitsu
• Ida Kentaro

Classifications

• G06F2203/04102

  Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper · CPC title

• G06F3/0416 Primary

  Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers · CPC title

• G06F1/1652

  the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable · CPC title

• G06F3/0488 Primary

  using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures · CPC title

• G06F3/044

  by capacitive means · CPC title