Patent Application
20100056213
1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure are related to device controlling systems and methods, and particularly to an electronic device and a method of controlling the electronic device.
2. Description of Related Art
Presently, electronic devices, such as personal digital assistants, mobile phones, or personal computers (PC), may provide interfaces, such as keyboards, touch screens, etc., for users to input commands to the electronic devices. To prevent responses induced by inadvertent operations, an electronic device may adopt a lock feature. When the electronic device needs to be used, the electronic device needs to be unlocked according to a preset unlock method. For example, two keys may have to be actuated within a preset time to unlock a mobile phone in a lock mode. However, the unlock method may be inconvenient for some people who are slow, for example, the elderly or the visually impaired.
All of the processes described may be embodied in, and fully automated via, functional code modules executed by one or more general purpose computers or processors. The code modules may be stored in any type of computer-readable medium or other storage device. Some or all of the methods may alternatively be embodied in specialized computer hardware or electronic apparatus.
The temperature sensor 11 comprises a plurality of temperature sensing units arranged in a predetermined manner. For example, as shown in
The temperature sensor 11 is configured for detecting a touch operation from an object, such as a finger touching the surface of the temperature sensor 11, detecting the temperature of the object via the plurality of temperature sensing units, and transmitting detected information to the processor 20.
The storage system 30 stores all kinds of data, such as programs of an operating system and other applications of the electronic device 1. The storage system 30 further stores predetermined standards for detecting if any touch operation on the surface of the temperature sensor 11 is a valid touch operation, and stores a command corresponding to the valid touch operation. In one embodiment, the predetermined standards include a predetermined sliding direction of a valid touch operation on the surface of the temperature sensor 11, a predetermined time range of time spent on passing through adjacent temperature sensing units by the valid touch operation, and a predetermined temperature range of the valid touch operation. Depending on the embodiment, the storage system 30 may be an external storage card, e.g., a smart media card, a secure digital card, a compact flash card, or any other type of memory card.
The processor 20 is configured for executing the programs in the storage system 30 to realize functions of the electronic device 1. Furthermore, the processor 20 is configured for comparing the detected information sent from the temperature sensor 11 with the predetermined standards stored in the storage system 30, in order to determine if the touch operation on the surface of the temperature sensor 11 is a valid touch operation, and for executing the command corresponding to the valid touch operation to activate a corresponding action of the electronic device 1, such as unlocking the keyboard 13, in response to a determination that the touch operation is a valid touch operation.
In block S100, the processor 20 stores predetermined standards for detecting if any touch operation on the surface of the temperature sensor 11 is a valid touch operation, and stores a command corresponding to the valid touch operation into the storage system 30. As mentioned above, the predetermined standards include a predetermined sliding direction of a valid touch operation on the surface of the temperature sensor 11, a predetermined time range of the time spent on passing through adjacent temperature sensing units by the valid touch operation, and a predetermined temperature range of the valid touch operation. In one embodiment, the predetermined sliding direction is a left direction sliding on the surface of the temperature sensor 11.
In block S102, the temperature sensor 11 detects a touch operation from an object, such as a finger of a user, and detects a temperature of the object by the plurality of temperature sensing units.
In block S104, the processor 20 determines if a first temperature sensing unit has been touched by the object, by determining if a first temperature has been sent to the processor 20 from the first temperature sensing unit. If the first temperature sensing unit has not been touched by the object, the procedure goes to block S105, the processor determines the touch operation is an invalid touch operation. Otherwise, if the first temperature sensing unit has been touched by the object, the procedures goes to block S106.
In block S106, the processor 20 determines if the first temperature detected by the first temperature sensing unit falls within the predetermined temperature range, such as 36.0˜37.0 degrees Celsius. If the first temperature does not fall within the predetermined temperature range, the procedure goes to block S105. In such a situation, the touch operation may be determined to have been performed by an invalid object, and not performed by a finger of a user. Otherwise, if the first temperature falls in the predetermined temperature range, the procedure goes to block S108.
In block S108, the processor 20 determines if an adjacent temperature sensing unit (e.g., a second temperature sensing unit positioned adjacent to the first temperature sensing unit) in the predetermined sliding direction has been touched by the object within the predetermined time range, such as 0.2˜2 seconds, by determining if a next temperature has been received from the adjacent temperature sensing unit within the predetermined time range. If the adjacent temperature sensing unit has not been touched by the object in the predetermined time range, the procedure goes to block S105. In such a situation, the touch operation may be performed by a valid object (such as the palm of the hand) accidently, such that the touch operation on the temperature sensing units is discontinuous. Otherwise, if the next temperature sensing unit has been touched by the object in the predetermined time range, the procedures goes to block S110.
In block S110, the processor 20 determines if the next temperature falls within the predetermined temperature range, such as 36.0˜37.0 degrees Celsius. If the next temperature does not fall within the predetermined temperature range, the procedure goes to block S105. Otherwise, if the next temperature falls within the predetermined temperature range, the procedures goes to block S112.
In block S112, the processor 20 determines if the adjacent temperature sensing unit is the last unit of the temperature sensor 11 in the predetermined sliding direction. If the adjacent temperature sensing unit is not the last unit of the temperature sensor 11, the procedure goes to block 108. Otherwise, if the adjacent temperature sensing unit is the last unit of the temperature senor 11 in the predetermined sliding direction, the procedure goes to block 114.
In block 114, the processor 20 determines the touch operation is a valid touch operation.
In block 116, the processor 20 executes the corresponding command stored in the storage 30 to activate an action of the electronic device 1, such as unlocking the keyboard 13.
The above embodiments apply the temperature sensor 11 on a cover (e.g. the front cover 10) of the electronic device 1, to detect touch information and temperature information of the object touched on the surface of the temperature sensor 11, determines if any touch operation is valid by determining if the touch information and the temperature information meet preset standards, and executes a corresponding command to activate certain action of the electronic device. The electronic device 1 having the temperature sensor 11 can prevent actions induced by accidental touch and facilitate users to operate the electronic device 1 effectively.
It should be emphasized that the above-described inventive embodiments are merely possible examples of implementations, and set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the present disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described inventive embodiments without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the present disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and the above-described inventive embodiments, and the present disclosure is protected by the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200810304207.2 | Aug 2008 | CN | national |
