Abstract:
A CE device for, e.g., displaying the time can incorporate an accelerometer to provide various features and enhancements. For example, tapping of the housing as sensed by the accelerometer may be used for controlling various application modes of the device.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims priority from U.S. provisional application 61/258,731, filed Nov. 6, 2009. 
     
    
     I. FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present application is directed to using an accelerometer in a consumer electronics (CE) device to provide enhanced functionality of the CE device. 
       II. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    A wide variety of CE devices such as wireless telephones, digital clocks, etc. have been provided that leverage digital processing to provide a multiplicity of useful features to users. The present application understands that such devices may be further enhanced by incorporating accelerometer principles. 
         [0004]    As understood herein, compact technology known as microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) has been used to establish an accelerometer which, among other things, can measure acceleration above and below the gravitational constant. Essentially, an accelerometer may be provided that measures acceleration in all three spatial dimensions (e.g., along all three linear Cartesian axes), and the acceleration of an object such as a CE device in space may be correlated to the object&#39;s orientation, motion, and to detect taps on the object. 
         [0005]    For instance, present principles understand that once an initial orientation is established, acceleration signals may be used to determine if an object is changing its orientation. As also recognized herein, a tap on an object can be sensed using an accelerometer because another object colliding with the accelerometer-bearing object causes a deceleration, e.g., a tap came from the +Z direction relative to the accelerometer makes an impact in the −Z direction. There are several variations to the above properties including tilt, shake, and free fall, but essentially these variations fit into one or more of the three main properties. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    A consumer electronics (CE) device includes a housing bearing a processor, a visual display, and an audio display. The processor controls the displays. An accelerometer is in the housing and outputs signals to the processor representing acceleration of the housing induced by a person tapping the housing. The processor determines a surface of the housing being tapped and a number of taps on the surface within a predetermined period of each other. The processor correlates the surface being tapped and number of taps on the surface to a user command to alter presentation of the application on the display. 
         [0007]    For example, the command can be a “next” command to cause the processor to present a next item in a list. Or, the command can be a “previous” command to cause the processor to present a previous item in a list. In some examples, at least one tap on a first surface of the housing is correlated to a first command and at least one tap on a second surface of the housing is correlated to a second command different from the first command, with the surfaces being orthogonal to each other. In example embodiments the application is a clock application and the processor causes an alarm to be presented on the audio display. The processor silences the alarm in response to a signal from the accelerometer indicating a tap on the housing. Yet again, the application may be a music and/or video application, in which case the first command can be a “play next” command and the second command can be a “play previous” command. When the application is a music and/or video application, a single tap on a first surface of the housing may be correlated to a “pause” command to cause presentation of an audio and/or video file to be paused, while at least two taps can be correlated to a “play” command to cause a paused audio and/or video file to be played on the CE device. Or yet again, the application can be a reader application or a grocery list application or a recipe application or a notes application. 
         [0008]    In another aspect a consumer electronics (CE) device includes a housing bearing a processor, an audio display, and a visual display. The processor controls the displays. An accelerometer in the housing outputs signals to the processor representing acceleration of the housing. The processor presents a time of day on the visual display. The accelerometer senses when a person taps various surfaces of the CE device to signal intended input meanings. Specifically, a double tap on a first surface of the CE device can be interpreted by the processor as a command to present on the visual display a first menu, from which the user may select, using selector elements presented on the visual display, various alarm parameters. In contrast, two taps on a second surface of the CE device can be interpreted by the processor as a command to present a second menu on the visual display. 
         [0009]    In example embodiments, a single tap on a third surface of the CE device is interpreted by the processor to command the processor to silence an audible alarm being presented on the audio display. On the other hand, a single tap on a fourth surface of the CE device may be interpreted by the processor as a command to cause the processor to toggle between a twelve hour time presentation and a twenty four hour presentation on the visual display. 
         [0010]    In another aspect, a method includes determining at least one tap has been made against a surface of a housing of a CE device based on signals from an accelerometer in the housing. The method also includes determining which surface of the housing has been tapped based on the signals from the accelerometer. In response to the determining acts, the method includes causing a next item of an application running on the CE device to be presented on at least one of the displays responsive to the processor determining that a first command has been input by taps. Also, the method includes causing a previous item of an application running on the CE device to be presented on at least one of the displays responsive to the processor determining that a second command has been input by taps. 
         [0011]    The details of the present invention, both as to its structure and operation, can best be understood in reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which: 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an example system in accordance with present principles; 
           [0013]      FIG. 1A  is a graph of x-dimension acceleration spikes induced by taps on the housing, as a function of time; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a screen shot of an example CE device in a clock mode showing a data display, showing the accelerometer axes; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a table showing an example correlation of taps to clock control signals used by the processor to control the clock mode; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a screen shot of an example CE device in a reader mode showing a data display, showing the accelerometer axes; 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a table showing an example correlation of taps to reader control signals used by the processor to control the reader mode; 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a screen shot of an example CE device in a player mode showing a data display, showing the accelerometer axes; 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is a table showing an example correlation of taps to player control signals used by the processor to control the player mode; 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is a screen shot of an example CE device in a note mode showing a data display, showing the accelerometer axes; 
           [0021]      FIG. 9  is a table showing an example correlation of taps to note control signals used by the processor to control the note mode; 
           [0022]      FIG. 10  is a screen shot of an example CE device in a recipe mode showing a data display, showing the accelerometer axes; 
           [0023]      FIG. 11  is a table showing an example correlation of taps to recipe control signals used by the processor to control the recipe mode; 
           [0024]      FIG. 12  is a screen shot of an example CE device in a grocery list mode showing a data display, showing the accelerometer axes; 
           [0025]      FIG. 13  is a table showing an example correlation of taps to grocery list control signals used by the processor to control the grocery list mode; and 
           [0026]      FIG. 14  is a flow chart of example logic executed by the processor to effect a snooze feature in the clock mode. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0027]    Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , a CE device  10  is shown that includes a typically portable lightweight plastic housing  12  bearing a digital processor  14 . The processor  14  can control a visual display  16  and an audible display  18  such as one or more speakers. The visual display  16  may be, e.g., a capacitive touchscreen display, although other display types may be used. 
         [0028]    To undertake present principles, the processor  14  may access one or more computer readable storage media  20  such as but not limited to disk-based or solid state storage. In example non-limiting embodiments, the media  20  may store various software modules, including, for example, a clock module  22  for presenting a visual indication of time on the display  16 , and one or more widgets  24  that may be provided by third parties and/or by the manufacturer of the CE device. By “widget” is meant a portable module of computer software that can be installed and executed within, for example, a HTML-based web page by an end user without requiring compilation. Widgets can take the form of on-screen tools (such as, e.g., clocks, event countdowns, auction-tickers, stock market tickers, flight arrival information, daily weather etc). 
         [0029]    Additionally, the media  20  may store a tilt detection module  26  and a tap detection module  28 . The tilt detection module  26  can be executed by the processor  14  to translate acceleration signals from the below-described accelerometer into an indication of tilting the CE device  10  about one or more spatial axes. Because the acceleration signals represent acceleration in each of the three dimensions of space, such translation to tilt is straightforward, essentially representing the combination of three acceleration vectors. 
         [0030]    In contrast, the tap module  28  may be executed by the processor  14  to determine that a person has tapped the housing  12  by observing a spike (sudden increase followed by sudden decrease) in acceleration in at least one of the three dimensions. 
         [0031]    The media  20  may also include one or more feature application(s)  30  such as an e-book application, a recipe application, a notes application in which, for instance, a user can input handwriting by moving a stylus over the display  16  which is then translated by image recognition software into alpha-numeric character code for storage, and a music/video player application, a grocery list application in which, for instance, a user can input grocery items by moving a stylus over the display  16  which is then translated by image recognition software into alpha-numeric character code for storage. 
         [0032]    Additionally, the media  20  may bear a volume control module  32  and a screen navigation module  34 . A wireless access point (AP) map module  36  may also be stored on the media  20 . 
         [0033]    The left portion of  FIG. 1  shows that in addition to the processor  14 , displays  16 ,  18 , and media  20 , the housing  12  may hold a magnetometer  38  which outputs a signal to the processor  14  representing magnetic north. Also, an accelerometer assembly  40  communicates acceleration signals to the processor  14  for purposes to be shortly disclosed. In one example, the accelerometer  40  is a MEMS-based accelerometer which outputs signals representing acceleration in each of the three spatial dimensions. 
         [0034]    In some example, a radiofrequency identification (RFID) reader  42  may input signals to the processor  14  indicating IDs read from RFID tags external to the housing  12 . A computer clock  44  may also be provided to output a time of day signal to the processor  14  for display of the time on the visual display  16  and for, e.g., the sounding of a time-based alarm on the audible display  18 . If desired, a wireless network interface  46  may be in the housing  12  and may communicate with the processor  14  to permit the processor  14  to communicate with a wide area computer network such as the Internet. The interface  46  may be, without limitation, a WiFi interface. 
         [0035]      FIG. 1A  shows the signals generated by the accelerometer  40  when a person taps on the housing  12 . For purposes of exposition, assume that in the figures the x-dimension extends horizontally (left to right looking down on the figures), the y-dimension extends vertically (from top to bottom on the page), and the z-axis extends out of the paper. Assume further that positive x acceleration is right to left, positive y acceleration is bottom to top, and positive z acceleration is into the page, it being understood that these conventions are for illustration only and non-limiting. 
         [0036]      FIG. 1A  thus assumes that a first, positive signal  48  is generated when a user taps on the right edge of the housing  12 , and a second, negative signal  50  is generated when a user taps on the left edge. Similarly, positive and negative spikes are generated in the y dimension when the user respectively taps on the bottom and top edges of the housing  12 , etc. By noting which dimension and which polarity a spike has, the processor  14  executing the tap module  28  can readily determine which part of the housing has been tapped and, thus, can readily correlate positional taps to user input signals having intended predetermined meanings. 
         [0037]      FIGS. 2 and 3  illustrate that a clock mode can be entered by executing the clock module  22  shown in  FIG. 1  in which a time of day presentation  52  is shown on the display  16 . As indicated by the “tap” icons in  FIG. 2 , a person can tap various edges/surfaces of the CE device  10  to signal intended input meanings in the clock mode. 
         [0038]      FIG. 3  is a table showing example non-limiting correlations between tap location and/or number of taps on the one hand and intended command meanings on the other. As shown in  FIG. 3 , a double tap (two taps in succession within a predetermined period of time, e.g., one second) on the right edge  54  of the CE device  10  is interpreted by the processor  14  as a command to present on the display  16  a first alarm menu, from which the user may select, using selector elements presented on the touchscreen display  16 , various alarm parameters, e.g., on time, etc. Two taps on the left edge  56 , on the other hand, signal a command to the processor  14  to present a second alarm menu on the display  16  which might provide for, e.g., setting alarm volume, duration, etc. 
         [0039]    On the other hand, a single tap on the top  58  of the CE device  10  may correlate to a “snooze” command which, when received by the processor  14 , causes the processor  14  to silence or terminate any audible alarm being presented on the audio display  18  (shown in  FIG. 1 ). A single tap on the face of the display, in contrast, may indicate a command to toggle between a twelve hour time presentation and a twenty four hour presentation. 
         [0040]      FIGS. 4-13  show tap-based user command input for various example application modes when entering the applications and executing the appropriate application module  30 . For instance,  FIG. 4  shows that the CE device  10  may be provided with an electronic book reader application, in which case a book text presentation  60  can be presented on the display  16 . As shown in the table of  FIG. 5 , a single tap on the right edge  54  can correlate to a command to cause the processor  14  to present on the display  16  the page previous in the e-book file to the page being currently displayed. A double tap on the right edge can correlate to a command to cause the processor  14  to present on the display  16  the chapter previous in the e-book file to the chapter being currently displayed. Shaking in two dimensions can cause the processor  14  to delete the e-book file from the media  20 . 
         [0041]    In contrast, a single tap on the left edge  56  can correlate to a command to cause the processor  14  to present on the display  16  the next page in the e-book file relative to the page being currently displayed, whereas a double tap on the left edge can correlate to a command to cause the processor  14  to present on the display  16  the next chapter in the e-book file. A single tap on the top  58  of the CE device  10  can be correlated to a command to cause the text to scroll upward on the display  16 , while a double tap on top can command the processor  14  to display the top of the page being currently presented. A single tap on the bottom of the CE device  10  can be correlated to a command to cause the text to scroll downward on the display  16 , while a double tap on the bottom can command the processor  14  to display the bottom of the page being currently presented. 
         [0042]      FIGS. 6 and 7  show that a music/video application may be provided on the CE device  10  for playing music and/or videos downloaded through, e.g., the WiFi interface  46  and stored on the media  20 . A presentation  62  showing text and/or icons and/or thumbnails of available content may be shown on the display  16  and controlled using taps, example correlations of which are shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0043]    For example, a single tap on the right side  54  can be interpreted as a command to play the current song at the beginning, while a double tap can be interpreted to mean play the previous song. A single tap on the left side can correlate to a command to play the next song. Shaking the housing  12  can be interpreted to play random songs. Pause and play the current song can be commanded by respectively tapping once and twice on the face of the display  16 . 
         [0044]      FIGS. 8 and 9  show that a note taking application may be provided on the CE device  10  for generating computer files representing handwriting recognition output based on user writing on the display  16 . A presentation  64  showing text of notes may be shown on the display  16  and controlled using taps, example correlations of which are shown in  FIG. 9 . 
         [0045]    For example, a single tap on the right side  54  can be interpreted as a command to show the previous note in the current note file while a tap on the left side  56  can be correlated to a command to show the next note. Shaking the CE device  10  can be correlating to a command to erase the current note. A single tap on the face of the display  16  can mean “list a directory of notes” while a double tap on the face or rear of the housing  12  can be correlated to a command to download the note to another component such as an intelligent telephone. 
         [0046]      FIGS. 10 and 11  show that a recipe application may be provided on the CE device  10  for storing, viewing, and managing meal recipes. Accordingly, a presentation  66  showing text of recipes may be shown on the display  16  and controlled using taps, example correlations of which are shown in  FIG. 11 . 
         [0047]    For example, a single tap on the right side  54  can be interpreted as a command to show a previous recipe (to the currently presented recipe) in a recipe directory stored on, e.g., the media  20 , while a double tap on this surface can correlate to a command to show the previous category of recipes in the event that the recipe directory is partitioned by categories, e.g., “lunch” and “dinner”. Similarly, a single tap on the left side  56  can be interpreted as a command to show a next recipe (to the currently presented recipe) in the recipe directory while a double tap on this surface can correlate to a command to show the next category of recipes. Shaking the housing  12  can be interpreted by the processor  14  as a command to erase the currently display recipe. Furthermore, a single tap on the face of the display  16  can mean “list a directory of recipes” while a double tap on the face or rear of the housing  12  can be correlated to a command to download the recipe to another component such as an intelligent telephone. 
         [0048]      FIGS. 12 and 13  show that a grocery list application may be provided on the CE device  10  for storing, viewing, and managing grocery lists. Accordingly, a presentation  68  showing text of grocery lists may be shown on the display  16  and controlled using taps, example correlations of which are shown in  FIG. 13 . 
         [0049]    For example, a single tap on the right side  54  can be interpreted as a command to show a previous item on the current list, while a double tap on this surface can correlate to a command to show the previous list. Similarly, a single tap on the left side  56  can be interpreted as a command to show a next item (to the currently presented or highlighted item) in the list while a double tap on this surface can correlate to a command to show the next list. Shaking the housing  12  can be interpreted by the processor  14  as a command to erase the currently display grocery list. Furthermore, a single tap on the face of the display  16  can mean “list a directory of grocery lists” while a double tap on the rear of the housing  12  can be correlated to a command to download the currently displayed list to another component such as an intelligent telephone. 
         [0050]    With the above in mind, it may now be appreciated that present principles provide a CE device with an intuitive user interface in which fundamentally natural human gestures can be correlated to intuitive input signals. 
         [0051]      FIG. 14  provides example logic structure that may be executed by the processor  14 .  FIG. 14  is directed to a snooze feature, an example of which is described above, when in the clock mode. 
         [0052]    Commencing at block  70  the clock mode is entered and at block  72  an audible alarm presented on the audio display  18  at a user-defined alarm time. Block  74  indicates that the processor  14  receives from the accelerometer  40  a spike signal indicating a tap, and the tap, in the clock mode, may occur anywhere on the housing  12 , i.e., in any of the three dimensions. The alarm is silenced in response at block  76 . 
         [0053]    While the particular ACCELEROMETER-BASED TAPPING USER INTERFACE is herein shown and described in detail, it is to be understood that the subject matter which is encompassed by the present invention is limited only by the claims.