WO2012164345A1

WO2012164345A1 - An apparatus and method comprising an optical emitter and a detector to provide a signal indicative of a position of a body

Info

Publication number: WO2012164345A1
Application number: PCT/IB2011/052340
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ralf Wieser; Somakanthan Somalingam
Original assignee: Nokia Corporation
Priority date: 2011-05-27
Filing date: 2011-05-27
Publication date: 2012-12-06

Abstract

An apparatus comprising: an optical emitter having a perimeter and being configured to emit electromagnetic waves; and a detector positioned substantially around the perimeter of the optical emitter and configured to receive electromagnetic waves from the optical emitter and reflected by a body, and to provide a signal indicative of a position of the body relative to the apparatus.

Description

TITLE

An apparatus and method comprising an optical emitter and a detector to provide a signal indicative of a position of a body.

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present invention relate to apparatus, methods, computer programs and computer readable storage mediums. In particular, they relate to apparatus in a portable electronic device.

BACKGROUND

Apparatus, such as mobile cellular telephones and tablet computers, usually include a touch screen display for enabling user input to the apparatus. For example, the touch screen display of such an apparatus may display one or more icons and a user may select an icon by touching the icon on the display.

It should be appreciated that when a user provides an input to a touch screen display, she/he may cover at least a portion of the display with her/his hand and thereby reduce his view of the display. Furthermore, where the apparatus is relatively large and requires support from two hands (for example, a tablet computer), a user may find it challenging to walk with the apparatus and provide a user input at the same time without dropping the apparatus.

It would therefore be desirable to provide an alternative apparatus.

BRIEF SUMMARY

According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the invention there is provided an apparatus comprising: an optical emitter having a perimeter and being configured to emit electromagnetic waves; and a detector positioned substantially around the perimeter of the optical emitter and configured to receive electromagnetic waves from the optical emitter and reflected by a body, and to provide a signal indicative of a position of the body relative to the apparatus.

The apparatus may be for enabling user input.

The signal may be indicative of the position of the body in three dimensions relative to the apparatus at an instance of time.

The detector may be contiguous with at least a portion of the optical emitter.

The apparatus may further comprise a processor configured to receive the signal from the detector and may be configured to determine if the body has performed a rotational movement, and the processor may be configured to perform a first function if a rotational movement is determined.

The first function may be controlling a display to scroll or rotate information displayed on a display.

The apparatus may further comprise a display having a display area, the optical emitter and the detector may be positioned outside of the display area of the display.

The display may not be a touch screen display.

The apparatus may further comprise a housing defining an aperture configured to receive the optical emitter and the detector therein.

The apparatus may further comprise a memory configured to store calibration information, the calibration information may be determined from a signal provided by the detector when a body is not present to reflect electromagnetic waves from the optical emitter.

The detector may comprise a position sensitive detector.

According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the invention there is provided an electronic device comprising an apparatus as described in any of the preceding paragraphs. According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the invention there is provided a module comprising an apparatus as described in any of the preceding paragraphs.

According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the invention there is provided a device comprising: a plurality of apparatus as described in any of the preceding paragraphs; and a processor configured to receive the signals provided by the plurality of apparatus and configured to perform a plurality of different functions using the signals from the plurality of apparatus. The device may further comprise a sensor configured to detect the orientation of the device and to provide the detected orientation of the device to the processor, the processor being configured to use the detected orientation of the device to control the functionality of the plurality of apparatus to compensate for a change in the orientation of the device.

According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the invention there is provided a method comprising: providing an optical emitter having a perimeter and being configured to emit electromagnetic waves; and providing a detector configured to receive electromagnetic waves from the optical emitter and reflected by a body, and to provide a signal indicative of a position of the body relative to the detector, the detector being positioned substantially around the perimeter of the optical emitter. The signal may be indicative of the position of the body in three dimensions relative to the apparatus at an instance of time. The detector may be contiguous with the optical emitter.

The method may further comprise providing a processor configured to receive the signal from the detector and to determine if the body has performed a rotational movement, the processor being configured to perform a first function if a rotational movement is determined.

The first function may be controlling a display to scroll or rotate information displayed on a display. The method may further comprise providing a display having a display area, the optical emitter and the detector may be positioned outside of the display area of the display.

The display may not be a touch screen display.

The method may further comprise providing a housing defining an aperture configured to receive the optical emitter and the detector therein.

The method may further comprise providing a memory configured to store calibration information, the calibration information being determined from a signal provided by the detector when a body is not present to reflect electromagnetic waves from the optical emitter.

The detector may comprise a position sensitive detector.

According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the invention there is provided a method comprising: providing a plurality of apparatus as described in any of the preceding paragraphs; and providing a processor configured to receive the signals provided by the plurality of apparatus and configured to perform a plurality of different functions using the signals from the plurality of apparatus.

The method may further comprise providing a sensor configured to detect the orientation of the device and to provide the detected orientation of the device to the processor, the processor being configured to use the detected orientation of the device to control the functionality of the plurality of apparatus to compensate for a change in the orientation of the device.

According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the invention there is provided a method comprising: receiving a signal from a detector, the signal being indicative of a position of a body relative to the detector, the detector being positioned substantially around the perimeter of an optical emitter and being configured to receive electromagnetic waves from the optical emitter and reflected by the body; and performing a function using the received signal. The method may further comprise determining if the body has performed a rotational movement from the received signal and performing a first function if a rotational movement is determined.

The method may further comprise determining calibration information from a signal provided by the detector when a body is not present to reflect electromagnetic waves from the optical emitter store, and controlling storage of the calibration information. The method may further comprise receiving signals from a plurality of detectors and performing a plurality of different functions using the signals from the plurality of detectors. The method may further comprise receiving orientation information and using the orientation information to control the functionality of the plurality of detectors to compensate for a change in the orientation information.

According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the invention there is provided a computer program that, when run on a computer, performs a method as described in any of the preceding paragraphs.

According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the invention there is provided a computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform a method as described in any of the preceding paragraphs.

According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the invention there is provided an apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform a method as described in any of the preceding paragraphs. According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the invention there is provided an apparatus comprising: an optical emitter configured to emit electromagnetic waves; and a detector, contiguous with the optical emitter and configured to receive electromagnetic waves from the optical emitter and reflected by a body, and to provide a signal indicative of a position of the body relative to the apparatus. According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the invention there is provided a method comprising: providing an optical emitter configured to emit electromagnetic waves; and providing a detector, contiguous with the optical emitter and configured to receive electromagnetic waves from the optical emitter and reflected by a body, and to provide a signal indicative of a position of the body relative to the apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION For a better understanding of various examples of embodiments of the present invention reference will now be made by way of example only to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a device including an apparatus according to various embodiments of the invention;

Fig. 2 illustrates a front view of the device illustrated in fig. 1 ;

Fig. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of an apparatus according to various embodiments of the invention;

Fig. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of a device including another apparatus according to various embodiments of the invention; Fig. 5 illustrates a front view of a device according to various embodiments of the invention;

Fig. 6 illustrates a flow diagram of a method according to various embodiments of the invention;

Fig. 7 illustrates a perspective view of the apparatus illustrated in fig. 1 and a user's digit performing a rotational movement; and Fig. 8 illustrates a flow diagram of a method of manufacturing an apparatus according to various embodiments of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description and in the figures, the wording 'connect' and 'couple' and their derivatives mean operationally connected or coupled. It should be appreciated that any number or combination of intervening components can exist (including no intervening components).

Figures 1 , 2, 4, 5 and 7 illustrate an apparatus 24, 241 comprising: an optical emitter 34 having a perimeter and being configured to emit electromagnetic waves; and a detector 36 positioned substantially around the perimeter of the optical emitter 34 and configured to receive electromagnetic waves from the optical emitter 34 and reflected by a body, and to provide a signal indicative of a position of the body relative to the apparatus 24, 241 .

In more detail, fig. 1 illustrates an electronic device 10 according to various embodiments of the invention. The electronic device 10 comprises one or more processors 12, one or more memories 14, a display 16, functional circuitry 18, a housing 20, a sensor 22 and an apparatus 24.

The electronic device 10 may be any apparatus and may be a portable communication device (for example, a mobile cellular telephone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant or a hand held computer) or a module for such devices (for example, the electronic device may be a dedicated user input device). As used here, 'module' refers to a unit or apparatus that excludes certain parts or components that would be added by an end manufacturer or a user. For example, where the electronic device 10 is a module, the module may only comprise the apparatus 22 and may exclude the one or more processors 12 and/or the one or more memories 14 and/or the display 16 and/or the functional circuitry 18 and/or the housing 20 and/or the sensor 22.

The electronic device 10 may comprise more than one display. For example, where the electronic device is a tablet computer, the tablet may include one display on a front face of the tablet and another display on a rear face of the tablet. By way of another example, a tablet computer may have one display on a front face of the tablet and another display which is connected to the tablet via a hinge.

The implementation of the processor 12 can be in hardware alone (a circuit for example), have certain aspects in software including firmware alone or can be a combination of hardware and software (including firmware). The processor 12 may be implemented using instructions that enable hardware functionality, for example, by using executable computer program instructions in a general-purpose or special-purpose processor that may be stored on a computer readable storage medium (disk, memory etc) to be executed by such a processor.

The processor 12 is configured to read from and write to the memory 14. The processor 12 may also comprise an output interface via which data and/or commands are output by the processor 12 and an input interface via which data and/or commands are input to the processor 12.

The memory 14 may be any suitable memory and may be a hard disk drive or solid state memory for example. The memory 14 stores a computer program 26 comprising computer program instructions that control the operation of the electronic device 10 when loaded into the processor 12. The computer program instructions 26 provide the logic and routines that enables the electronic device to perform the method illustrated in Fig. 6. The processor 12 by reading the memory 14 is able to load and execute the computer program 26.

The computer program 26 may arrive at the electronic device 10 via any suitable delivery mechanism 28. The delivery mechanism 28 may be, for example, a computer-readable storage medium, a computer program product, a memory device, a record medium such as a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or digital versatile disc (DVD), or an article of manufacture that tangibly embodies the computer program 26. The delivery mechanism may be a signal configured to reliably transfer the computer program 26. The electronic device 10 may propagate or transmit the computer program 26 as a computer data signal.

Although the memory 14 is illustrated as a single component it may be implemented as one or more separate components some or all of which may be integrated/removable and/or may provide permanent/semi-permanent/ dynamic/cached storage.

The display 16 is configured to receive and display data from the processor 12. The processor 12 may read data from the memory 14 and provide the data to the display 16 for display to a user of the electronic device 10. The display 16 may be any suitable display and may be, for example, a thin film transistor (TFT) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display or an active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED). The display 16 may be a touch screen display (for example, a resistive or capacitive touch screen) or may not be a touch screen display.

The functional circuitry 18 includes additional circuitry of the electronic device 10. For example, where the electronic device 10 is a portable communication device, the functional circuitry 18 may include input/output devices such as an audio input device (a microphone for example), an audio output device (a loudspeaker for example), one or more cameras, radio communication circuitry (a transceiver for example) and an antenna arrangement.

The housing 20 provides a cover for the components of the electronic device 10. For example, the processor 12, the memory 14, the display 16, the functional circuitry 18, the sensor 22 and the apparatus 24 may be housed by the housing 20. The housing 20 includes a first aperture 30 for the display 16 and a second aperture 32 for the apparatus 24. In some embodiments, the housing 20 may include a single aperture for display 16 and the apparatus 24. The housing 20 may comprise any suitable material or material(s) and may comprise one or more plastics and/or one or more metals.

The sensor 22 is configured to detect the orientation of the electronic device 10 and to provide the detected orientation of the electronic device 10 to the processor 12. The sensor 22 may be any suitable sensor for detecting the orientation of the electronic device 10 and may be an accelerometer, a gyroscope (such as a micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) gyroscope) or a magnetometer for example. Also a combination thereof could be defined as the sensor 22.

The apparatus 24 may also be referred to as a 'user input device' or a 'user input apparatus' and includes an optical emitter 34 and a detector 36. The apparatus 24 may also include a transparent cover window (not illustrated in the figures) that covers the optical emitter 34 and the detector 36. The apparatus 24 may be positioned at any suitable position on the electronic device 10. For example, the apparatus 24 may be positioned in a corner of the front surface of the electronic device 10 (that is, the surface of the electronic device 10 that includes the display 16) and outside of the display area of the display 16 as illustrated in fig. 2.

The optical emitter 34 may be any suitable optical emitter that provides a beam of electromagnetic waves. The beam of electromagnetic waves may be divergent, parallel or convergent. The optical emitter 34 may be an infra-red light emitting diode (IR-LED) or a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL). The optical emitter 34 has a perimeter which in this embodiment is a circumference of a circle since the optical emitter is substantially circular. It should be appreciated that the optical emitter 34 may have different shapes in other embodiments (for example, the optical emitter 34 may be square or rectangular) and the perimeter may consequently have different shapes.

It should be appreciated that the word 'optical' is not limited to frequencies in the electromagnetic spectrum which are visible to the human eye. The word 'optical' includes frequencies in the visual, infra-red and ultra-violet portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Consequently, the optical emitter 34 may emit electromagnetic waves having frequencies in the visual, infra-red or ultra violet portions of the electromagnetic spectrum.

The detector 36 may also be referred to as a 'position sensitive detector' or a 'position sensitive device'. The detector 36 may include any suitable detector or detectors that may convert received electromagnetic waves into an electrical signal. For example, the detector 36 may include a plurality of photodiodes, a plurality of charge coupled devices (CCD) or a plurality of complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS) that are arranged in an array. The detector 36 may have any suitable dimensions that enable a user to perform a gesture to control the device 10. For example, the length of the detector 36 may be nine millimeters and the width of the detector 36 may be nine millimeters.

The detector 36 is positioned substantially around the perimeter of the optical emitter 34 and thus surrounds the optical emitter 34. The detector 36 may be contiguous with at least a portion of the perimeter of the optical emitter 34 and they may consequently abut and adjoin one another. In other embodiments, the detector 36 may not be contiguous with the optical emitter 34 and there may be a gap between them. The detector 36 is configured to receive electromagnetic waves from the optical emitter 34 which are reflected by a body (which may or may not be in contact with the apparatus 24) such as a user's digit (for example, a finger or a thumb). The detector 36 is configured to convert the received electromagnetic waves into a signal which is indicative of the position of the body relative to the apparatus 24 and provide the signal to the processor 12. The processor 12 may use the signal to perform a function such as controlling one or more aspects of a graphical user interface displayed on the display 16. The functions which may subsequently be performed by the processor 12 are described in greater detail later in relation to fig. 6.

Where the detector 36 includes a plurality of charge coupled devices or complementary metal oxide semiconductors, the detector 36 is configured to provide an image signal which includes an area having a higher brightness than the surrounding area and which corresponds to where the reflected electromagnetic waves were received on the detector 36. The processor 12 may analyze the brightness distribution of the received image signal to determine where the reflected electromagnetic waves were received on the detector 36. For example, the processor 12 may determine the centroid of the higher brightness area.

It should be appreciated that as the body moves relative to the apparatus 24 over time, the position of the higher brightness area changes within subsequent images, and consequently, the image signals may be used by the processor 12 to determine an input gesture by a user. Furthermore, since the brightness of the higher brightness area will vary with the body's distance to the apparatus 24, the changing brightness of the higher brightness area may be used by the processor 12 to determine an input gesture where the distance of the body from the apparatus 24 varies over time. Consequently, the three dimensional movement of a body relative to the apparatus 24 (that is, input gestures in three dimensions) may be determined by the processor 12. An embodiment where the detector 36 includes a plurality of photodiodes is illustrated in fig. 3. In this embodiment, the apparatus 24 includes the detector 36, a first electrode X1 , a second electrode X2, a third electrode Y1 , a fourth electrode Y2, a current to voltage conversion amplifier 38, a reference voltage circuit 40 and a power supply 42.

The first electrode X1 is positioned on a vertical (as illustrated in fig. 3) side edge of the detector 36 and the second electrode X2 is positioned on the opposing vertical side edge of the detector 36. The third electrode Y1 is positioned on a horizontal (as illustrated in fig. 3) side edge of the detector 36 and the fourth electrode Y2 is positioned on the opposing horizontal side edge of the detector 36. The reference voltage circuit 40 is configured to provide a reference voltage across the detector 36 and the power supply 42 is configured to provide electrical power to the apparatus 24. The power supply 42 may be a dedicated power supply for the apparatus 24, may be a power supply of the electronic device 10 or a power supply which is external to the electronic device 10.

The first, second, third and fourth electrodes X1 , X2, Y1 , Y2 are configured to measure the electrical current of the detector 36 and to provide the measured current to the current to voltage conversion amplifier 38. The current to voltage conversion amplifier 38 is configured to convert the measured currents into voltages (V_Xi , V_X2, V_Yi , V_Y2) which are then provided to the processor 12 via an analog to digital converter.

The position of reflected electromagnetic waves on the detector 36 relative to the centre of the plurality of photodiodes (that is, the active area of the detector 36) may be determined by the processor 12 using the following equations: _ (ΥΧ2 +νγΐ)-(Υχΐ +νγ2) _χ LX Equation 1

VXI + V_X2 +V_Y1 +VY₂ 2

₌ (ν_{Χ2 +}ν_Υ2)-(ν_{Χί +}ν_Υί) _x Ly Equation 2

Where L_x is equal to the length of the active area of the detector 36 between the first electrode X1 and the second electrode X2 and where L_Y is equal to the length of the active area of the detector 36 between the third electrode Y1 and the fourth electrode Y2.

It should be appreciated that as a body moves relative to the apparatus 24, the position of the reflected electromagnetic waves on the detector 36 changes and the processor 12 may use equations 1 and 2 above to determine the changing position of the reflected electromagnetic waves over time. Consequently, the processor 12 may use equations 1 and 2 to determine an input gesture by a user. Furthermore, the measured currents at the electrodes X1 , X2, Y1 and Y2 will vary with the body's distance to the apparatus 24 and the determined voltages from the electrodes may be used by the processor 12 to determine an input gesture where the distance of the body from the apparatus 24 varies over time. Consequently, the three dimensional movement of a body relative to the apparatus 24 (that is, input gestures in three dimensions) may be determined by the processor 12. In various embodiments, the detector 36 may include a plurality of different zones that each have a plurality of photodiodes and the structure illustrated in fig. 3. In these embodiments, the processor 12 is configured to determine the motion of a body from the reflected electromagnetic waves received by the different zones. The position and movement vector of the received electromagnetic waves is calculated from the different current share of the different zones. Fig. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of a device 101 including another apparatus 241 according to various embodiments of the invention. The device 101 is similar to the device 10 illustrated in fig. 1 and where the features are similar, the same reference numerals are used.

The apparatus 241 differs from the apparatus 24 illustrated in fig. 1 in that the detector 36 is not positioned around the perimeter of the optical emitter 34, but instead, the detector 36 and the optical emitter 34 are positioned adjacent and contiguous one another. In other words, the optical emitter 34 is positioned alongside one of the side edges of the detector 36 such that the electronic components that provide the optical emitter 34 and the detector 36 abut and adjoin one another and so that there is no gap between them. Fig. 5 illustrates a front view of a device 102 according to various embodiments of the invention. The device 102 is similar to the device 10 illustrated in fig. 1 and where the features are similar, the same reference numerals are used. The device 102 includes a housing 20, a display 16 and a plurality of apparatus 24. The device 102 may also include the processor 12, and/or the memory 14, and/or the functional circuitry 18, and/or the sensor 22.

The device 102 includes a first apparatus 24i positioned in a top left corner of the front surface of the housing 20, a second apparatus 24₂ positioned in the a top right corner of the front surface of the housing 20, a third apparatus 24₃ positioned in the bottom left corner of the front surface of the housing 20 and a fourth apparatus 24 positioned in the bottom right corner of the front surface of the housing 20. The first apparatus 24i, the second apparatus 24₂, the third apparatus 24₃ and the fourth apparatus 24₄ are positioned outside of the display area of the display 16. The first apparatus 24i is configured to provide a first signal to the processor 12, the second apparatus 24₂ is configured to provide a second signal to the processor 12, the third apparatus 24₃ is configured to provide a third signal to the processor 12 and the fourth apparatus 24 is configured to provide a fourth signal to the processor 12.

It should be appreciated that the first, second, third and fourth apparatus 24i, 24₂, 24₃ and 24 may be only apparatus 24 as illustrated in fig. 1 , only apparatus 241 as illustrated in fig. 4 or any combination of apparatus 24 and apparatus 241 .

The processor 12 is configured to perform a plurality of different functions using the signals from the plurality of apparatus 24i, 24₂, 24₃, 24 .

The processor 12 may be configured to use the first signal from the first apparatus 24i to control at least a first aspect of a graphical user interface displayed on the display 16. For example, the processor 12 may be configured to use the first signal to control navigation in a graphical user interface displayed on the display 16.

The processor 12 may be configured to use the second signal from the second apparatus 24₂ to control at least a second aspect of a graphical user interface displayed on the display 16. For example, the processor 12 may be configured to use the second signal to control scrolling or rotating in a graphical user interface displayed on the display 16.

The processor 12 may be configured to use the third signal from the third apparatus 24₃ to control at least a third aspect of a graphical user interface displayed on the display 16. For example, the processor 12 may be configured to use the third signal to control the duration of the functionality associated with the first apparatus 24i and/or the second apparatus 24₂. The processor 12 may be configured to use the fourth signal from the fourth apparatus 24 to control at least a fourth aspect of a graphical user interface displayed on the display 16. For example, the processor 12 may be configured to use the fourth signal to control zooming in a graphical user interface displayed on the display 16.

Fig. 6 illustrates a flow diagram of a method according to various embodiments of the invention.

At block 44, the method includes determining calibration information from a signal received from the detector 36. The signal corresponds to the output from the detector 36 when a body (such as a user's digit) is not present to reflect electromagnetic waves from the optical emitter 34. For example, the signal may include output voltages V_Xi, V_X2, V_Yi and V_Y2 that represent the output of the detector 36 due to leakage from the emitter 34 to the detector 36 and when there is no body or reflector present to reflect the electromagnetic waves emitted from the emitter 34. The method also includes controlling the storage of the calibration information in the memory 14 and the stored calibration information has reference numeral 46 in figs. 1 and 4.

It should be appreciated that where a device includes a plurality of apparatus 24, 241 (such as the device 102 illustrated in fig. 5), block 44 may be performed for some or all of the plurality of apparatus.

At block 48, the method includes receiving a signal from the detector 34 that is indicative of a position of a body relative to the apparatus 24, 241 and the detector 36. For example, the signal may be indicative of the position of a user's finger relative to the apparatus 24, 241 and the detector 36.

At block 50, the method includes determining the position of the reflected electromagnetic waves on the detector 36. For example, the method may include determining the centroid of an area of high brightness in an image or may include determining the position using equations 1 and 2 mentioned above. At block 50, the method also includes performing a function using the received signal. The function may relate to any aspect of control of the device 10, 101 , 102 and may include (for example) control of content displayed on the display 16, control of the audio volume of an audio output device or control of the sensitivity of an audio input device.

The function may include navigation within a graphical user interface displayed on the display 16. For example, the processor 12 may control the display 16 to display a cursor at a position within the graphical user interface that corresponds to the position of a body relative to the apparatus 24, 241 . If a user positions his finger for example to the top right of the apparatus 24, 241 , the processor 12 determines the position of the incident reflected electromagnetic waves on the detector 36. The processor 12 may use the stored calibration information 46 when calculating the position of the incident reflected electromagnetic to reduce the effects of leakage from the optical emitter 34 direct to the detector 36. The processor 12 then uses the determined position to control the display 16 to display a cursor in the top right of the graphical user interface. Consequently, a user may operate the apparatus 24, 241 in order to control the position of a cursor displayed on the display 16.

By way of another example, the processor 12 may control the display 16 to move text and/or images in a graphical user interface in a direction that corresponds to the direction of movement of a body relative to the apparatus 24, 241 . If a user moves his finger (for example) from the right to the left of the apparatus 24, 241 , the processor 12 may determine the movement vector from signals received from the detector 36 (and may use the stored calibration information 46 to compensate for leakage from the optical emitter 34 direct to the detector 36) and control the display 16 to move the text and/or images in the same direction as the user's finger (that is, the text and/or images are moved from right to left within the graphical user interface). By way of a further example, fig. 7 illustrates a perspective view of an apparatus 24 and a user performing a rotational gesture (that is, a substantially circular or elliptical movement which is, in fig. 7, around the perimeter of the optical emitter 34). As the user's finger moves along the circular path, the reflected electromagnetic waves incident on the detector 36 also follow a circular path. The processor 12 receives the signals from the detector 36 which indicate rotational movement of the user's finger and performs a first function if a rotational movement is determined from the signals. The first function may relate to any aspect of control of the device 10, 101 , 102 and may be controlling the display 16 to scroll or rotate information (such as text and/or images) displayed on a display 16.

The method may then return to block 48 and be repeated.

Block 52 relates to a method action that may be performed by devices that include a plurality of apparatus 24 and/or apparatus 241 (such as the device 102 illustrated in fig. 5). Block 52 may be performed at any time and need not be performed after block 50 as illustrated in fig. 6.

At block 52, the method includes receiving orientation information from the sensor 22, and using the orientation information to control the functionality of the plurality of apparatus 24 and/or apparatus 241 to compensate for a change in the orientation information (that is, the functionality of the apparatus 24, 241 are changed to compensate for changes in the devices orientation).

By way of an example and with reference to fig. 5, the processor 12 receives and stores first orientation information for when the device 102 has the orientation illustrated in fig. 5. If a user rotates the device 102 clockwise through ninety degrees, the processor 12 then receives and stores second orientation information. The processor 12 then determines from the first and second orientation information that the device 102 has been rotated clockwise through ninety degrees and changes the functionality of the apparatus 24i, 24₂, 24₃ and 24 to compensate for the change in orientation. Consequently, after the clockwise rotation through ninety degrees, the first apparatus 24i becomes positioned in the top right hand corner of the device 102 relative to the user and the processor 12 changes the functionality associated with the first apparatus 24i so that it has the functionality which was previously associated with the second apparatus 24₂ which was previously positioned in the top right hand corner of the device 102 relative to the user.

By way of another example and with reference to fig. 5, the processor 12 receives and stores first orientation information for when the device 102 has the orientation illustrated in fig. 5. If a user rotates the device 102 anticlockwise through ninety degrees, the processor 12 then receives and stores second orientation information. The processor 12 then determines from the first and second orientation information that the device 102 has been rotated anti-clockwise through ninety degrees and changes the functionality of the apparatus 24i, 24₂, 24₃ and 24 to compensate for the change in orientation. Consequently, after the anti-clockwise rotation through ninety degrees, the first apparatus 24i becomes positioned in the bottom left hand corner of the device 102 relative to the user and the processor 12 changes the functionality associated with the first apparatus 24i so that it has the functionality which was previously associated with the third apparatus 24₃ which was previously positioned in the bottom left hand corner of the device 102 relative to the user. Consequently, it should be appreciated that the processor 12 is configured to use the orientation information received from the sensor 22 to change the functionality of the plurality of apparatus so that the functionality associated with a position relative to the user remains constant, irrespective of the orientation of the device 102. This may make a device including a plurality of apparatus 24 and/or apparatus 241 relatively simple to use for a user. Various embodiments of the present invention may provide several advantages and these are mentioned in the following paragraphs.

The user may provide an input to the device without obscuring his view of the display 16 since the apparatus 24, 241 is positioned outside of the display 16 area and may be positioned on a different surface of the device to the display (for example, the apparatus 24, 241 may be positioned on a side or rear surface where the display is positioned of the a front surface). Furthermore, a user may perform a diagonal gesture (that is, a gesture where the body moves linearly in both the x and y directions) or a rotational gesture (such as the gesture illustrated in fig. 7).

The apparatus 24 may be used for accurately determining rotational and diagonal gesture inputs since the detector 36 may be positioned around the perimeter of the optical emitter 34 so that the optical emitter 34 is positioned in the centre of the detector 36 and apparatus 24.

Since the measured current due to leakage from the optical emitter 34 to the detector 36 may be at least partially removed from the position calculation by using the calibration information, the optical emitter 34 may be contiguous (that is, abut or adjoin) with the detector 36 and this may result in a relatively small and accurate apparatus 24, 241 .

A single aperture 32 may be formed in the housing 20 of a device since an apparatus 24, 241 may be a single electronic component. This may help to simplify and thereby reduce the cost of the manufacture of the housing 20.

Where one or more apparatus 24, 241 are ergonomically positioned on a device, a user may be able to hold the device and provide a gesture input to the one or more apparatus 24, 241 with a single hand. For example, where an apparatus 24, 241 is positioned in the top right hand corner of the front surface of a device, a right handed user may be able to hold the device in their right hand and provide a gesture input to the apparatus 24, 241 using their right hand thumb. By way of another example, where an apparatus 24, 241 is positioned in the top left corner of the front surface of a device, a left handed user may be able to hold the device in their left hand and provide a gesture input to the apparatus 24, 241 using their left hand thumb.

Where a device includes one or more apparatus 24, 241 , the device may not require any further user input device such as a touch screen display or a keypad since the one or more apparatus 24, 241 may enable a user to fully control the device. This may help to reduce the cost of the device and may also simplify the manufacture of the device.

Where one or more apparatus 24, 241 are placed around the perimeter of a device (as in fig. 5 for example) such as a tablet computer, a user may be able to walk and operate the tablet computer at the same time with little or no fear of dropping the tablet computer. For example, a user may hold the tablet computer with both hands and use their thumbs to provide user inputs to the apparatus 24, 241 of the tablet computer. Fig. 8 illustrates a flow diagram of a method of manufacturing an apparatus 24, 241 according to various embodiments of the invention.

At block 54, the method includes providing an optical emitter 34 and at block 56, the method includes providing a detector 36. The detector 36 may or may not be positioned in a contiguous relationship with the optical emitter 34. The detector 36 may or may not be positioned substantially around the perimeter of the optical emitter 34.

At block 58, the method includes providing a processor 12 which is configured to receive a signal from the detector 36. At block 60, the method includes providing a display 16. The optical emitter 34, the detector 36 and the display 16 are arranged so that the optical emitter 34 and the detector 36 are positioned outside of the display area of the display 16.

At block 62, the method includes providing a memory 14 and at block 64, the method includes providing a housing 20 which defines an aperture 32 for receiving the optical emitter 34 and the detector 36 therein. References to 'computer-readable storage medium', 'computer program product', 'tangibly embodied computer program' etc. or a 'controller', 'computer', 'processor' etc. should be understood to encompass not only computers having different architectures such as single /multi- processor architectures and sequential (Von Neumann)/parallel architectures but also specialized circuits such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), application specific circuits (ASIC), signal processing devices and other processing circuitry. References to computer program, instructions, code etc. should be understood to encompass software for a programmable processor or firmware such as, for example, the programmable content of a hardware device whether instructions for a processor, or configuration settings for a fixed-function device, gate array or programmable logic device etc.

As used in this application, the term 'circuitry' refers to all of the following:

(a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry) and

(b) to combinations of circuits and software (and/or firmware), such as (as applicable): (i) to a combination of processor(s) or (ii) to portions of processor(s)/software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions) and (c) to circuits, such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that require software or firmware for operation, even if the software or firmware is not physically present.

This definition of 'circuitry' applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term "circuitry" would also cover an implementation of merely a processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term "circuitry" would also cover, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or applications processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other network device.

The blocks illustrated in the Fig. 6 may represent steps in a method and/or sections of code in the computer program 26. The illustration of a particular order to the blocks does not necessarily imply that there is a required or preferred order for the blocks and the order and arrangement of the block may be varied. Furthermore, it may be possible for some blocks to be omitted.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in the preceding paragraphs with reference to various examples, it should be appreciated that modifications to the examples given can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed.

Features described in the preceding description may be used in combinations other than the combinations explicitly described.

Although functions have been described with reference to certain features, those functions may be perfornnable by other features whether described or not. Although features have been described with reference to certain embodiments, those features may also be present in other embodiments whether described or not. Whilst endeavoring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

I/we claim:

Claims

1 . An apparatus comprising:

an optical emitter having a perimeter and being configured to emit electromagnetic waves; and

a detector positioned substantially around the perimeter of the optical emitter and configured to receive electromagnetic waves from the optical emitter and reflected by a body, and to provide a signal indicative of a position of the body relative to the apparatus.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the signal is indicative of the position of the body in three dimensions relative to the apparatus at an instance of time.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the detector is contiguous with at least a portion of the optical emitter.

4. An apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, further comprising a processor configured to receive the signal from the detector and to determine if the body has performed a rotational movement, the processor being configured to perform a first function if a rotational movement is determined.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first function is controlling a display to scroll or rotate information displayed on a display.

6. An apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, further comprising a display having a display area, the optical emitter and the detector being positioned outside of the display area of the display.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the display is not a touch screen display.

8. An apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, further comprising a housing defining an aperture configured to receive the optical emitter and the detector therein.

9. An apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, further comprising a memory configured to store calibration information, the calibration information being determined from a signal provided by the detector when a body is not present to reflect electromagnetic waves from the optical emitter.

10. An apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the detector comprises a position sensitive detector.

1 1 . An electronic device comprising an apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims.

12. A module comprising an apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10.

13. A device comprising:

a plurality of apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10; and a processor configured to receive the signals provided by the plurality of apparatus and configured to perform a plurality of different functions using the signals from the plurality of apparatus.

14. A device as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a sensor configured to detect the orientation of the device and to provide the detected orientation of the device to the processor, the processor being configured to use the detected orientation of the device to control the functionality of the plurality of apparatus to compensate for a change in the orientation of the device.

15. A method comprising: providing an optical emitter having a perimeter and being configured to emit electromagnetic waves; and

providing a detector configured to receive electromagnetic waves from the optical emitter and reflected by a body, and to provide a signal indicative of a position of the body relative to the detector, the detector being positioned substantially around the perimeter of the optical emitter.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the signal is indicative of the position of the body in three dimensions relative to the apparatus at an instance of time.

17. A method as claimed in claim 15 or 16, wherein the detector is contiguous with the optical emitter.

18. A method as claimed in any of claims 15 to 17, further comprising providing a processor configured to receive the signal from the detector and to determine if the body has performed a rotational movement, the processor being configured to perform a first function if a rotational movement is determined.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the first function is controlling a display to scroll or rotate information displayed on a display.

20. A method as claimed in any of claims 15 to 19, further comprising providing a display having a display area, the optical emitter and the detector being positioned outside of the display area of the display.

21 . A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the display is not a touch screen display.

22. A method as claimed in any of claims 15 to 21 , further comprising providing a housing defining an aperture configured to receive the optical emitter and the detector therein.

23. A method as claimed in any of claims 15 to 22, further comprising providing a memory configured to store calibration information, the calibration information being determined from a signal provided by the detector when a body is not present to reflect electromagnetic waves from the optical emitter.

24. A method as claimed in any of claims 15 to 23, wherein the detector comprises a position sensitive detector.

25. A method comprising:

providing a plurality of apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10; and

providing a processor configured to receive the signals provided by the plurality of apparatus and configured to perform a plurality of different functions using the signals from the plurality of apparatus.

26. A method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising providing a sensor configured to detect the orientation of the device and to provide the detected orientation of the device to the processor, the processor being configured to use the detected orientation of the device to control the functionality of the plurality of apparatus to compensate for a change in the orientation of the device.

27. A method comprising:

receiving a signal from a detector, the signal being indicative of a position of a body relative to the detector, the detector being positioned substantially around the perimeter of an optical emitter and being configured to receive electromagnetic waves from the optical emitter and reflected by the body; and performing a function using the received signal.

28. A method as claimed in claim 27, further comprising determining if the body has performed a rotational movement from the received signal and performing a first function if a rotational movement is determined.

29. A method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the first function is controlling a display to scroll or rotate information displayed on a display.

30. A method as claimed in any of claims 27 to 29, further comprising determining calibration information from a signal provided by the detector when a body is not present to reflect electromagnetic waves from the optical emitter store, and controlling storage of the calibration information.

31 . A method as claimed in any of claims 27 to 30, further comprising receiving signals from a plurality of detectors and performing a plurality of different functions using the signals from the plurality of detectors.

32. A method as claimed in claim 31 , further comprising receiving orientation information and using the orientation information to control the functionality of the plurality of detectors to compensate for a change in the orientation information.

33. A computer program that, when run on a computer, performs a method as claimed in any of claims 27 to 32.

34. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform a method as claimed in any of claims 27 to 32.

35. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform a method as claimed in any of claims 27 to 32.

36. An apparatus comprising:

an optical emitter configured to emit electromagnetic waves; and a detector, contiguous with the optical emitter and configured to receive electromagnetic waves from the optical emitter and reflected by a body, and to provide a signal indicative of a position of the body relative to the apparatus.

37. A method comprising:

providing an optical emitter configured to emit electromagnetic waves; and

providing a detector, contiguous with the optical emitter and configured to receive electromagnetic waves from the optical emitter and reflected by a body, and to provide a signal indicative of a position of the body relative to the apparatus.