Patent Publication Number: US-2016239138-A1

Title: Mobile device, press detection method and computer-readable recording medium

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to a press detection technique, in particular, to a mobile device and its corresponding press detection method and computer-readable recording medium. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     A screen of a mobile device such as a smart phone or a tabular computer is normally a rectangle, but not a square. When the mobile device executes different applications, it is often held in portrait or in landscape by the user. The existing mobile device may automatically determine whether itself is in a portrait mode or in a landscape mode, and switch a user interface accordingly. 
     However, the existing mobile device only determines whether itself is in the portrait mode or in the landscape mode by using a G-sensor, and yet a false determination may be easily made by the G-sensor and may trouble the user. Sometimes the user would even have to disable the portrait mode or the landscape through software or hardware keys for a correct user interface presentation. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a mobile device and its corresponding press detection method and computer-readable recording medium so as to solve the aforesaid false determination problem. 
     The mobile device of the invention includes a back cover and a main body. The back cover includes a plurality of inductor coils. The main body is coupled to the back cover and includes a housing. The housing includes a conductor at a position corresponding to each of the inductor coils. The mobile device generates magnetic fields by supplying power to the inductor coils and detects a press received by the back cover according to a variation of the magnetic fields induced by a variation of a distance between the inductor coils and the conductor. The mobile device detects at least one press patterns, and when any press pattern among the at least one press patterns occurs, the mobile device executes a function corresponding to the press pattern. Each of the at least one press patterns corresponds to a subset of the inductor coils and specifies a press state of a sensing area at the back cover for each of the inductor coils in the subset. 
     The press detection method of the invention is adapted to the mobile device and includes the following steps: detecting at least one press patterns; and when any press pattern among the at least one press patterns occurs, executing a function corresponding to the press pattern. 
     The computer-readable recording medium of the invention records a computer program. When a mobile device loads and executes the computer program, the aforesaid press detection method is able to be completed. 
     The inductor coils of the back cover in conjunction with a G-sensor may solve a false determination of the mobile device being held. Moreover, the back cover may be used as an input interface of the mobile device for more convenient applications. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a schematic diagram of a mobile device according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a schematic diagram of a side view of a mobile device according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a schematic diagram of a side view of a mobile device according to another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a schematic diagram of a press detection method according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIGS. 5-8  illustrate schematic diagrams of multiple press patterns according to multiple embodiments of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a schematic diagram of a mobile device  100  according to an embodiment of the invention. A mobile device  100  may be a smart phone, a personal digital assistant, or a tabular computer. The mobile device  100  includes a main body  110  and a back cover  120 . The back cover  120  may be added onto the main body  110  through a mechanical design such as a groove or a tenon, where the back cover  120  and the main body  110  are coupled to each other. The back cover  120  may be detachable from the main body  110 . 
     The main body  110  includes a sensor  130 , an application processor  140 , and a display  150 , where the application processor  140  is coupled to the sensor  130  and the display  150 . The sensor  130  may detect whether the mobile device  100  is held in portrait or in landscape. The application processor  140  may execute operation system and application software of the mobile device  100 . The display  150  may display a user interface of the mobile device  100 . 
     The back cover  120  includes an inductor processor  170  and inductor coils  181 - 188 . The inductor processor  170  is coupled to the inductor coils  181 - 188 . The inductor coils  181 - 188  may detect presses onto the back cover  120  performed by the user. The inductor processor  170  may control and read outputs of the inductor coils  181 - 188 . Although the back cover  120  in  FIG. 1  includes eight inductor coils  181 - 188 , the back cover  120  may also include any number of inductor coils in another embodiment of the invention. 
     The main body  110  further includes three touch points  161 , and the back cover  120  further includes three touch points  162 . The application processor  140  and the inductor processor  170  are coupled to each other through the touch points  161  and  162  so as to transmit commands and data to each other. Either the touch points  161  or the touch points  162  are metal electrodes, and the other ones are elastic metal strips or extendable metal needles. When the back cover  120  is configured on top of the main body  110 , the touch points  161  and  162  may contact to each other and form signal paths between the application processor  140  and the inductor processor  170 . In other embodiments, the touch points  161  and  162  may be made by other semiconductor materials, and the number of the touch points  161  and  162  may be any integer. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a schematic diagram of a side view of the mobile device  100  according to an embodiment of the invention. In the present embodiment, the display  150  is configured on a first surface  111  of the main body  110 , and the back cover  120  is a protective cover of a second surface  112  of the main body  110  opposite to the first surface  111 . The main body  110  also includes a housing  210 . A position on the housing  210  corresponding to the inductor coils  181 - 188  includes a conductor  220 . The conductor  220  is configured on top of the second surface  112  of the main body  110  (i.e. on top of a back side of the housing  210 ). In fact, the conductor  220  corresponding to each of the inductor coils  181 - 188  is a same piece of conductor. 
     The mobile device  100  may supply power to the inductor coils  181 - 188 , and each of the inductor coils  188 - 188  thereby generates a magnetic field. When the user presses the back cover  120 , the back cover  120  would be deformed. Such deformation may result in the variation of the distance between the surrounding inductor coils and the conductor  220  and thus induces the variation of the aforesaid magnetic fields. The application processor  140  or the inductor processor  170  may detect presses received from the back cover  120  according to the variation of the magnetic fields. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a schematic diagram of a side view of the mobile device  100  according to another embodiment of the invention. In the present embodiment, eight conductors  221 - 228  are embedded in the housing  210 . The conductors  221 - 228  respectively correspond to the inductor coils  181 - 188  and are embedded at positions corresponding to the inductor coils  181 - 188 . Distinguished from the previous embodiment with a single piece of the conductor  220 , the conductors  221 - 228  are eight different conductors located at different positions in the present embodiment. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a schematic diagram of a press detection method according to an embodiment of the invention, where such method may be executed by the application processor  140  and the inductor processor  170  of the mobile device  100 . In Step  410 , the application processor  140  sets at least one press patterns through the inductor processor  170 . Each of the press patterns corresponds to a subset of the inductor coils of the back cover  120  and specifies a press state of a sensing area at the back cover  120  for each of the inductor coils in the subset. The press state of each of the inductor coils may be a touch or a tap, where the tap may include a single tap, double taps, or three or more continuous rapid taps. The press patterns are used for detecting an operation performed on the back cover  120  by the user. In Step  410 , the inductor processor  170  may enable the inductor coils specified by the press patterns and disables the inductor coils not specified by the press patterns. 
     In Step  420 , the inductor processor  170  collects an output value of each of the inductor coils specified by the press patterns, where each of the output values is generated according to the magnetic field generated by the corresponding inductor coil. In Step  430 , according to each of the output values, the inductor processor  170  determines the press state of the corresponding inductor coil. The inductor processor  170  may compare each of the output values with a preset threshold value. If any of the output values is greater than the threshold value, the sensing area of the corresponding inductor coil is determined to be touched or tapped given the corresponding output value greater than the threshold value with a continuous time. 
     Next, in Step  440 , the inductor processor  170  detects whether any of the press patterns occurs. The inductor processor  170  may determine whether any press pattern among the aforesaid press patterns occurs according to the press states of the inductor coils specified by the press patterns. For each of the press patterns, if the press state of each of the inductor coils specified by the press pattern is satisfied, the press pattern occurs. If no press pattern occurs, the flow returns to Step  420 . If any of the press patterns occurs, the inductor processor  170  would notify the application processor  140 . In Step  450 , the application processor  140  executes a function corresponding to the occurring press pattern. 
     In another embodiment, Step  440  may be executed by the application processor  140 . To be specific, after Step  430 , the application processor  140  may obtain the press states of the inductor coils determined by the inductor processor  170  therefrom. Next, the application processor  140  may determine whether any of the press patterns occurs according to the press states in Step  440 . If any of the press patterns occurs, the application processor  140  executes a function corresponding to the occurring press pattern in Step  340 . 
     In another embodiment, Steps  430  and  440  may be executed by the application processor  140 . To be specific, after Step  420 , the application processor  140  may obtain the output values collected by the inductor processor  170  therefrom. Next, according to each of the output values, the application processor  140  may determine the press state of the corresponding inductor coil in Step S 430 , ad determine whether any of the press patterns occurs according to the press states of the conductor coils. If any of the press patterns occurs, the application processor  140  executes a function corresponding to the press pattern in Step  450 . 
     Several embodiments of press patterns set by the application processor  140  along with functions corresponding to the press patterns are illustrated as examples hereafter. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates schematic diagrams of press patterns  501 - 514  according to an embodiment of the invention. Each of the press patterns  501 - 514  corresponds to a subset of a plurality of inductor coils, and the press state of the sensing area at the back cover  120  for each of the inductor coils in the subset is specified as a touch. For example, the subset corresponding to the press pattern  501  includes two inductor coils, where sensing areas of the two inductor coils are respectively labelled as  5011  and  5012 . When the sensing areas  5011  and  5012  are touched concurrently, the mobile device  100  determines that the press pattern  501  occurs and executes a function corresponding to the press pattern  501 . The other press patterns  502 - 514  may be deduced in a similar fashion. The press patterns  501 - 514  are used for determining the way of the mobile device  100  is being held. The press patterns  501 - 514  and a corresponding holding way of each of the press patterns are listed in the following tables. When a press pattern occurs, it represents that the current holding way of the mobile device is the holding way corresponding to the press pattern. 
     
       
         
           
               
               
             
               
                   
               
               
                 press pattern 
                 corresponding holding way 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                 501 
                 ordinary portrait 
               
               
                 502 
                 portrait, held by two hands 
               
               
                 503 
                 portrait, held by cradle 
               
               
                 504 
                 portrait on table 
               
               
                 505 
                 portrait, held by left hand 
               
               
                 506 
                 portrait, held by right hand 
               
               
                 507 
                 ordinary landscape 
               
               
                 508 
                 landscape, held by two hands 
               
               
                 509 
                 landscape, held by cradle 
               
               
                 510 
                 landscape on table 
               
               
                 511 
                 landscape, held by left hand 
               
               
                 512 
                 landscape, held by right hand 
               
               
                 513 
                 multimedia application A 
               
               
                 514 
                 multimedia application B 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     The “base stand” listed in the above table means that the mobile device  100  is placed on a cradle for vehicles. The “table” listed in the above table means that the mobile device  100  is placed on a flat surface such as a table and stands with support of a small object. After the holding way is determined, the application processor  140  of the mobile device  100  may execute the corresponding function. For example, when the mobile device  140  is placed on a cradle, the application processor  140  may switch the user interface of the mobile device  100  to a specially-designed vehicle mode. The corresponding function may also be launching preset launching application software corresponding to the current holding way. For example, when the press pattern  507  occurs, the application processor  140  may launch preset video shooting or recording application software. When the press pattern  513  or  514  occurs, the application processor  140  may launch a preset multimedia player or gaming software. Hence, the back cover  120  may be implemented as a touch input interface of the mobile device  100  so that the mobile device  100  may offer more flexible functions and applications. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates schematic diagrams of press patterns according to an embodiment of the invention. In the present embodiment, the application processor  140  sets the three press patterns  505 - 507  in  FIG. 5 . The press pattern  505  specifies a press state of each sensing area  5051 - 5053  of three inductor coils as a touch. The press pattern  506  specifies a press state of each sensing area  5061 - 5063  of three inductor coils as a touch. The press pattern  507  specifies a press state of each sensing area  5071 - 5073  of four inductor coils as a touch. 
     In the present embodiment, when the press pattern  505  or  506  occurs, the application processor  140  may switch the user interface of the mobile device  100  to a portrait mode. When the press pattern  507  occurs, the application processor  140  may switch the user interface of the mobile device  100  to a landscape mode. 
     After the press pattern  505  occurs, the application processor  140  may further set a press pattern, and the press pattern may specify a press state of the sensing area  5051  as a tap, where the corresponding function is to capture images. When the user holds the mobile device  100  with the left hand which satisfies the press pattern  505 , he/she may immediately capture images by touching the sensing area  5051  of the back cover  120  with the left hand. This is a convenient image capturing function, where the user is allowed to immediately capture images without changing holding poses. 
     Similarly, when the press pattern  506  occurs, the application processor  140  may further set a press pattern, and the press pattern may specify a press state of the sensing area  5061  as a tap, where the corresponding function is to capture images. When the user holds the mobile device  100  with the right hand which satisfies the press pattern  506 , he/she may immediately capture images by tapping the sensing area  5061  of the back cover  120  with the right hand. 
     Similarly, when the press pattern  507  occurs, the application processor  140  may further set a press pattern, and the press pattern may specify a press state of the sensing area  5072  as a tap, where the corresponding function is to capture images. When the user holds the mobile device  100  in landscape which satisfies the press pattern  507 , he/she may immediately capture images by tapping the sensing area  5072  of the back cover  120  with the right hand. 
     The mobile device  100  may only determine the way of being held through a press pattern. In such condition, the sensor  130  may be neglected, and yet a false determination may occur. If only the sensor  130  is used for determining the holding way, a false determination may also occur. If the press pattern and the sensor  130  are both used, the accuracy of determining the holding way would be increased. The sensor  130  may be a sensor capable for sensing the way of the mobile device  100  being held such as a G-sensor, a Gyro-sensor, or an e-compass. It is only when the output of the sensor  130  satisfies a preset condition and any of the press patterns  505 - 507  occurs that the sensor  130  executes a function corresponding to the press pattern. The preset condition may be the holding way corresponding to the press pattern which satisfies the output of the sensor  130 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates schematic diagrams of press patters according to another embodiment of the invention. In the present embodiment, the application processor  140  sets the two press patterns  505  and  506  in  FIG. 5 . The press pattern  505  and  506  illustrated in  FIG. 7  are the same as those illustrated in  FIG. 6 . When the press pattern  505  occurs, it means that the user is holding the mobile device  100  with the left hand, and the application processor  140  may switch the user interface of the mobile device  100  to a left-hand mode. The left-hand mode is to display the user interface close to the left thumb or within a range operable by the left thumb for a convenient one-hand (left-hand) operation. 
     Similarly, when the press pattern occurs  506 , the application processor  140  may switch the user interface of the mobile device  100  to a right-hand mode. The right-hand mode is to display the user interface close to the right thumb or within a range operable by the right thumb for a convenient one-hand (right-hand) operation. As the screen sizes of mobile devices increase, it is difficult to perform a one-hand operation. The aforesaid left-hand mode and the right-hand mode may present a user interface suitable for a one-hand operation. 
     Various simple operations are provided to wake up an existing mobile device from a sleep mode such as picking up the mobile device or tapping twice on its display. However, there is no simple operation to allow the existing device to immediately enter the sleep mode. The user may only make the mobile device enter the sleep mode by pressing its power button or by waiting the mobile device to idle. Thus, the sleep mode of the mobile device is easy to be released but difficult to be entered. 
     To solve such problem, when the press pattern  505  occurs, the application processor  140  may further set a press pattern, where such press pattern may specify the press state of the sensing area  5051  to be double taps with entering the sleep mode as its corresponding function. While the user is holding the mobile device  100  with the left hand which satisfies the press pattern  505 , he/she may rapidly tap the sensing area  5051  twice by the left hand so as to allow the mobile device  100  to enter the sleep mode. In such approach, the user is allowed to immediately perform the operation without changing holding poses. 
     Similarly, when the press pattern  506  occurs, the application processor  140  may further set a press pattern, where such press pattern may specify the press state of the sensing area  5061  to be double taps with entering the sleep mode as its corresponding function. While the user is holding the mobile device  100  with the right hand which satisfies the press pattern  506 , he/she may rapidly tap the sensing area  5061  twice by the right hand so as to allow the mobile device  100  to enter the sleep mode. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates schematic diagrams of press patterns according to another embodiment of the invention. In the present embodiment, the application processor  140  sets the two press pattern  513  and  514  in  FIG. 5 . The press pattern  513  specifies press states of sensing areas  5131 - 5134  of four inductor coils to be touches. The press pattern  514  specifies press states of sensing areas  5141 - 5144  of four inductor coils to be touches. 
     When the press pattern  513  or  514  occurs, the application processor  140  may launch a preset multimedia player or gaming software. The application processor  140  may set more press matters and their corresponding functions according to one or more of the sensing areas of the press pattern  513  or  514  so as to provide the user to conveniently play the multimedia player or gaming software. The sensing areas on top of the back cover  120  may replace physical buttons of the mobile device  100  so as to allow the mobile device  100  to have much more space for accommodating a display with a larger size. 
     Besides the aforesaid mobile device and the press detection method, a computer-readable recording medium is also provided in the invention. Such recording medium may be a physical storage device such as a memory, a soft disk, a hard disk, or a disk for storing computer program. When the mobile device loads and executes the computer program, the aforesaid press detection method may be completed. 
     In view of the foregoing, in the invention, at least one press patterns of the back cover may be set in the mobile device. The user&#39;s operation is detected through the back cover of the mobile device and the corresponding function is then performed. Additionally, the holding way of the mobile device may be detected through the back cover, and the sensor may provide a more accurate rate for detecting the holding way.