An electronic device

Abstract

An electronic device 1 such as a mobile phone that includes an outer housing 40, an electronic controller 44 within the housing and at least one sensor. The outer housing includes a front border surface extending within a first plane and a rear border surface extending within a second plane that is substantially parallel to the first plane. The electronic controller is connected to the at least one sensor 5 and is configured to perform one or more functions of the electronic device in dependence on signals received from the at least one sensor. The sensor may be a strain gauge, a flex sensor or and optical sensor. The at least one sensor is configured to sense flexing of the front and rear border surfaces out of the respective first and second planes. The sensor allows a user to flex a device in order to provide input to the device.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an electronic device with sensors for controlling one or more functions of the electronic device. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Current electronic devices such as mobile phones, electronic tablets, e-readers and touchpad devices typically require the user to operate mechanical control buttons and / or touch and / or swipe a touch screen to browse content. The button presses and / or swipes required are often not very intuitive, and may require the user to hold the device in an inconvenient position or manner to perform. For example, devices such as tablets are not convenient to hold with only one hand, yet this is often required for the user to be able to swipe regions towards the middle of the screen. Devices equipped with control buttons are also susceptible to the ingress of liquid and dirt, such as water, dust, sand and / or food particles, and may wear out over time. For a person who is visually impaired or blind, it is sometimes fiddly to navigate music or podcast tracks using control buttons or swiping on touchscreens. Exterior control buttons also place limitations on design and can spoil the aesthetics of the device. It is known to provide supplementary user interface devices that can be plugged into electronic devices to provide better control, for example using a mouse, trackball, trackpad, stylus and / or VR (virtual reality) glove. However, in many applications these input devices do not provide intuitive control over the electronic device. For example, when creating or modifying 3D objects using computer aided design (CAD) applications, adding curvature to an item such as a 3D model of a steel beam requires non-intuitive skilled operation of input devices such as a mouse, trackball, trackpad, stylus and / or VR glove. 04 10 24 It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an electronic device with sensors enabling more intuitive control over the functions of the electronic device. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention, there is provided an electronic device as defined in claim 1. The electronic device comprises an outer housing, an electronic controller within the housing and at least one sensor. The outer housing comprises a front border surface extending within a first plane and a rear border surface extending within a second plane that is substantially parallel to the first plane, wherein the electronic controller is connected to the at least one sensor and is configured to perform one or more functions of the electronic device in dependence on signals received from the at least one sensor. The at least one sensor is configured to sense flexing of the front and rear border surfaces out of the respective first and second planes. The at least one sensor allows a user to flex the device to provide user input to the device, for example to navigate through and manipulate content, such as turn a page, skip a music track, scrub back and forth through video and / or transform a 3D computer graphic object model for the purposes of computer aided design. When reading a real paper book or creating notes or sketches in a notepad, in order to turn the pages or flip through the pages at speed, say, to animate a series of stick figures or find a specific page, it is a naturally intuitive process to flex the book or notepad to initiate the turning of the pages. Thus, the use of a sensor to sense flexing of the electronic device provides a natural and convenient way of moving through content without the user needing to adjust the positions of their hand / fingers on the electronic device. In addition, the flexible nature of the electronic device helps make it resistant to impacts and therefore less susceptible to damage if dropped or sat on. The electronic device is flexed by the user exerting force on opposing sides of the electronic device, for example by the user holding the electronic device with both left and right hands at left and right sides of the device respectively and applying a bending force, and the electronic device elastically returns to its neutral position with 04 10 24 the front and rear border surfaces extending within the respective first and second planes once the bending force is no longer applied. The user typically grasps the front border surface and the rear border surface between their fingers and thumb, and so it is easy and convenient for the user to apply a bending force with their left and right hands that flexes the front and rear border surfaces out of the respective first and second planes. The outer housing may comprise a rear panel defining a rear exterior surface of the electronic device, the rear exterior surface including the rear border surface. The at least one sensor may be mounted on or within the rear panel inside of the electronic device to sense flexing of the electronic device. To maximise the effectiveness of the at least one sensor, it may be mounted at a centre of the rear panel where the radius of curvature of the rear panel may be the tightest when the panel is flexed. The at least one sensor may comprise various sensing devices, however in a preferred embodiment each sensor comprises a strain gauge. Alternative options for the sensor are for example a flex sensor or an optical sensor. In an optical sensor, a light beam may be projected from an LED at one side of the device and received by a light sensor at an opposite side of the device, the intensity of light received at the light sensor corresponding to how far the device has been flexed. In another alternative for the sensor, two beams may be fixed at one side of the device and extend to an opposite second side of the device, the beams positioned at different depths within the device and the relative positions of the ends of the beams at the second side of the device being compared to determine the amount of flexing of the device. The at least one sensor may comprise two strain gauges that are aligned perpendicular to one another, and which can therefore detect flexing in any direction across the electronic device. Preferably, one of the strain gauges is aligned in a direction across a width of the device and the other strain gauge is aligned in a direction across a length of the device, the width and the length being perpendicular to one another and extending within a plane parallel to the first and second planes. 04 10 24 To control the maximum degree of flexing of the electronic device, the device comprises rigid bars mounted within cavities extending along the electronic device. The rigid bars limit an extent to which the front and rear border surfaces can be flexed / bent out of the respective first and second planes, and therefore guard against accidental damage to the device by over-flexing. The electronic device may perform the one or more functions of the electronic device in dependence on the speed of flexing or the extent of flexing of the electronic device. For example, the faster the electronic device is flexed, the faster the controller may execute the corresponding function, or the greater the extent that the electronic device is flexed to, the more strongly the corresponding function may be applied. The electronic device may comprise a flexible electronic display, and the electronic display may be able to flex as the front and rear border surfaces are flexed out of the respective first and second planes. This means there is no need for any relative movement between the electronic display and the front and rear border surfaces, and the electronic display can define part of the outer housing of the device. The front and rear border surfaces are the surfaces at the border (periphery) of the device on the front and back sides on the device. The rear border surface may be defined by the outermost parts of a rear panel of the outer housing, and the front border surface may be defined by the outermost parts of a front panel of the outer housing, by the outermost parts of a display defining the front of the outer housing, or if the display has a bezel then the front border surface may be defined by the bezel. The electronic device may comprise a memory storing a plurality of images, and the electronic controller may be configured to display the images on the flexible electronic display in dependence on the signals received from the at least one sensor. For example, the electronic controller may transition from displaying one of the images to displaying another one of the images in response to signals from the at least one sensor indicating that the electronic device has been flexed. The plurality of images may define a video, and the user may ‘scrub’ back and forth through the video by flexing the electronic device, for example flexing the device to make the front border surface concave to scrub forward through the video, or flexing the device to make the front border surface convex to scrub backward through the video. At least one of the images may comprise an object, and the electronic controller may move, bend or transform the object in the image in dependence on the signals received from the at least one sensor. This allows improved control over objects such as computerised models that may be displayed in computer aided design (CAD) programs. The outer housing may comprise at least one side edge surface, and each side edge surface may extend from the front border surface to the rear border surface. Each side edge surface may be a touch sensitive surface of a respective touch sensor, each touch sensor being connected to the electronic controller and the electronic controller configured to perform the one or more functions of the electronic device in dependence on signals received from the touch sensor. The touch sensor on the peripheral edge of the electronic device allows the user to control the device without moving their hands away from holding the device at the front and rear borders. Preferably, the touch sensitive surface encompasses a corner of the outer housing of the electronic device, and then the user is able to swipe upwardly from the rear border surface to the front border surface at the corner to command the electronic controller to transition from displaying one page of a book to the next page of the book, in a motion much like the user would make to catch the corner of one or more pages of a physical book to flip them over. In the context of a video, the user may swipe up or down the side edge surface to command the controller to scrub forwardly or backwardly through the video. There is further provided a method of using the electronic device, in which the plurality of images are pages of a book, and wherein the method comprises the electronic controller displaying a first page of the book on the electronic display, flexing the front and rear border surfaces out of the respective first and second planes, detecting the flexing with the at least one sensor and in response sending signals from the at least one sensor to the electronic controller, and the electronic controller displaying a second page of the book on the electronic display instead of the first page of the book in response to the sent signals. The user may wish to flip through the pages of the book at speed, for example to animate a series of images on the pages or to find a specific page, and the greater the extent to which the electronic device is flexed, the faster the electronic controller may transition through the pages. Alternatively, the method may comprise the user swiping the touch sensitive surface, detecting the swipe with the touch sensitive surface and in response sending signals from the respective touch sensor to the electronic controller, and the electronic controller displaying a second page of the book on the electronic display instead of the first page of the book in response to the sent signals. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of non-limiting example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1a shows a schematic exploded view of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 1 b shows a schematic view of the electronic device of Fig. 1 a in a fully assembled state; Fig. 2 shows a schematic block diagram of the electronic device of Fig. 1a; Fig. 3 shows use of the electronic device of Fig. 1a to scrub forwardly or backwardly through a video; Fig. 4 shows use of the electronic device of Fig. 1a to manipulate an object displayed on an electronic display of the electronic device; Fig. 5 shows use of a touch sensor on the side of the electronic device of Fig. 1 a to turn a page of a book; and Fig. 6 shows an electronic device in accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the electronic device lacking an electronic display and being used as an input device for another computer. The figures are not to scale, and same or similar reference signs denote same or similar features. The schematic exploded diagram of Fig. 1a shows an electronic device 1. The electronic device 1 may comprise an outer housing 40 in a generally rectangular shape, and the outer housing may comprise a rear panel 41, sides 42 extending forwardly from the rear panel round the periphery of the rear panel, and a bezel 43 at an opposite end of the sides 42 from the rear panel 41. The bezel 43 may run all around the periphery of the electronic device 1 at the front of the electronic device and may cover over peripheral edges of an electronic display 2 of the electronic device. The outer housing 40 may be formed of flexible plastics materials. The electronic device 1 may comprise a battery 3, a logic board 4, and strain gauges 5 that are housed within the outer housing 40, between the electronic display 2 and the rear panel 41. The logic board 4 may have an electronic controller 44 that is configured to control various functions of the electronic device, for example to control the contents that is displayed on the electronic display. The electronic controller 44 typically comprises one or more digital processing units and memories, and circuitry for receiving signals from the strain gauges 5. For example, the electronic controller 44 may comprise an analogue-to-digital converter for converting voltage signals from the strain gauges into digital form for processing by the one or more digital processing units. The strain gauges 5 may be mounted centrally on the rear panel 41, in between the rear panel 41 and the electronic display 2. Preferably there are two strain gauges arranged perpendicular to one another as shown, to aid sensing of bending of the rear panel 41 out of the plane 55a (see Fig. 1b) that the rear panel 41 extends within. The two strain gauges may emit voltages in proportion to the amount of flex applied to the rear panel 41. In alternate embodiments, the strain gauges may be flex sensors instead, or bending could be detected by using a light beam projected from an LED at one side of the device and received by a light sensor at an opposite side of the device. The electronic display 2 may be a flexible electronic display screen, so that it can bend as the rear plane 41 is bent out of the plane 55a (see Fig. 1b). This allows the electronic display 2 to be immovably fixed within the outer housing 40. For example, the electronic display may be a flexible or semi flexible electronic display formed using known technologies such as e-lnk, OLED, AMOLED, Transflective LCD or LCD. In alternate embodiments, the electronic display 2 may be substantially rigid and the outer housing may comprise resilient materials supporting the electronic display within the outer housing, the resilient materials allowing the outer housing to be bent whilst the electronic display remains flat. The strain gauges 5 may be connected to the logic board 4 and electronic controller 44 by wires (not shown in Figs). The electronic display 2 may be connected to the logic board 4 and electronic controller 44 with a flex foil connector (not shown in Figs) or similar connector device. The sides 42 of the outer housing may define touch sensitive surfaces 6 and 7, at the edges and comers of the electronic device 1. The touch sensitive surfaces form part of touch sensors that are connected to the logic board 4 and electronic controller 44, and which can be used as a user interface to control the functions of the electronic device. The electronic device 1 may also comprise rigid bars to limit the amount that the electronic device 1 can be flexed by, and to prevent any damage that could be caused by excessive flexing of the electronic device. Fig. 1a shows rigid bars 45 extending along the length of the outer housing at the top and the bottom of the electronic device, however rigid bars could additionally be added to extend along the width of the outer housing, at the left and right sides of the electronic device 1. The rigid bars 45 are positioned between the rear panel 41 and the bezel 43, adjacent the sides 42. Preferably, each rigid bar is housed in a cavity within the outer housing, the cavity having a height greater than a height of the rigid bar, the height direction being perpendicular to the rear panel 41. The greater height of the cavity allows the rigid bar to move up or down within the cavity as the electronic device is flexed. Once the electronic device is flexed to the point that the rigid bar impacts the top or bottom of the cavity, the rigid bar prevents the electronic device from being flexed any further. The rigid bars 45 may for example be formed of aluminium. The rigid bars 45 could alternatively be reinforcement bars which are flexible along with the electronic device, and the reinforcement bars may increase the amount of force that is required to bend the electronic device, reducing the chances of the electronic device being accidentally flexed beyond its safe limits. The schematic diagram of Fig. 1 b shows the electronic device 1 in assembled form. The electronic display has been fitted and glued into place between the bezel 43 and the rear panel 41. The bezel 43 has an upper surface 50 that constitutes a front border surface of the electronic device. The front border surface 50 extends around the border (periphery) of the electronic device at the front of the electronic device. The front border surface 50 extends within a first plane that is schematically shown in Fig. 1b as first plane 50a. The electronic device also has a rear border surface 55 that is defined by a lower surface of the rear panel 41, and which runs around the border (periphery) of the electronic device at the rear of the electronic device, similar to the front border surface. The rear border surface 55 extends within a second plane that is schematically shown in Fig. 1b as a second plane 55a. The first and second planes 50a and 55a are substantially parallel to one another. In some embodiments, the front and rear border surfaces may not be completely planar, but may have a small degree of curvature departing from the first or second planes. In some embodiments, the first and second planes may not be entirely parallel with one another, but may be angled towards one another by a small degree, for example by less than 25 degrees. In alternate embodiments, the front border surface could be constituted by the outermost regions of the electronic display if the electronic display did not have any bezel, or by the outermost regions of a front panel of the electronic device if the electronic device lacked an electronic display and had a front panel similar to the rear panel 41 instead of the electronic display 2. The electronic device is flexible, and can be bent so that the front and rear border surfaces 50 and 55 move out of their respective first and second planes 50a and 55a. Figure 2 shows a schematic block diagram of the electronic device 1. The electronic controller 44 may be composed of Control Logic 25, CPU / GPU 24, Baseband Processor 23, RAM memory 22 and Flash Memory 21. The electronic device preferably has a battery with wireless charging capability. The electronic display 2 may incorporate a touch sensitive surface 17, and accelerometers 19 and / or orientation sensors may also be incorporated to control the functions of the electronic device. The schematic diagram of Fig. 3 shows the electronic device 1 being used to scrub forwardly or backwardly through a video. Initially, the controller 44 sends video to the electronic display 2 for playback at normal speed. Then, the user grasps the electronic device 1 with their left 9 and right 10 hands as shown, and bends the electronic device into a convex shape by pushing downwardly with their thumbs and upwardly with their fingertips, as indicated by the arrows 58. This bends the front and rear border surfaces out of their respective first and second planes, stretching the material on the frontmost face of the rear panel 41 on which the strain gauges 5 are mounted, and producing a voltage signal which is received by the controller 44. The controller interprets the detected bending of the display as a signal to move forwardly through the video, and so increases the playback speed of the video to three times normal speed. The further the user bends the electronic device convex, the stronger the signals from the strain gauges, and the further the playback speed may be increased. Once the video reaches the desired point, the user releases the bending pressure they are exerting on the electronic device with their hands, and the electronic device returns elastically to its original, substantially planar, shape. The user may also bend the device into a concave shape to instruct the controller 44 to scan backwardly through the video, and the further the electronic device is bent concave the faster the video may be played backward. Another example would be an artist using the electronic device 1 to draw a cartoon character of a running girl on a sequence of virtual pages, with each cell of the cartoon showing the limbs of the girl in slightly different poses. When complete, the artist could then play back the cartoon sequence by flexing the electronics device. The more bending pressure applied by the hands, the faster the girl will run. Likewise, to flip backwards through the cartoon the artist would grasp and flex the device using the opposite finger positions. Thus, the electronic device transitions between the different images forming the cartoon in dependence on how the electronic device is bent / flexed. The schematic diagram of Fig. 4 shows the electronic device 1 being used to manipulate a computer generated object 14 displayed on the electronic display 2. The user grasps the electronic device 1 with their left 9 and right 10 hands as shown, and bends the electronic device into a convex shape by pushing downwardly with their thumbs and upwardly with their fingertips. This bends the computer generated object, such as a beam 14 in a CAD program, from a straight shape into a bent shape. The speed or extent of bending of the beam 14 is controlled by the electronic controller 44 in dependence on how far the electronic device 10 is bent. The beam 14 is being bent with its ends moving downwardly as viewed in Fig. 4, however the user bending the electronic device 1 into a concave shape rather than a convex shape may be used to instruct the controller 44 to bend the ends of the beam 14 upwardly rather than downwardly as viewed in Fig. 4. The computer generated object could be other types of objects, for example it could be a character in a video game. Then, bending the electronics device 10 may be used to control the movements of the character within the video game. The schematic diagram of Fig. 5 shows the electronic device 1 being used to view the pages of a book, and the user utilising the touch sensitive surfaces 6 and 7 at the edges and comers of the electronic device 1 to turn the pages of the book. To turn from one page to the next, the user moves their finger across the touch sensitive surface 6 or 7 in a direction 59 from the front to the rear of the electronic device. The touch sensor associated with the touch sensitive surface 6 or 7 sends a signal to the electronic controller 44, and the electronic controller displays the next page of the book on the electronic display 2 in response. This finger motion is very intuitive, as it is much like the finger motion needed to turn the pages of a physical book. In another embodiment, the user may swipe up or down on the appropriate edge of the electronic device 1 to flip through or scrub the content. For example, stroking down on the left edge of the electronic device may turn back a page or scrub back through video. The direction in which the content is browsed or scrubbed may depend on the position of the user’s fingers and swiping motion on one edge. For example, as would be performed with a real paper book or notepad, to turn to the next page or scrub forward through video, the user may grasp the left edge of the device with their left thumb and forefinger whilst flexing the right side using their right forefinger and thumb. The direction and speed with which content is navigated may be controlled by swiping the touch sensitive surface 7 of the device towards or away from the user. The schematic diagram of Fig. 6 shows an electronic device 1a that is the same as the electronic device 1 but lacks any electronic display. Instead of displaying content directly, the function of the electronic device 1a is to provide a user interface for controlling a computer 15. The computer 15 includes a display screen, which is shown displaying a computer generated object 16. The electronic device 1a is connected to the computer 15, preferably by using a wireless network, and sends instructions to the computer 15 on how the computer generated object 16 should be manipulated based on the bending or touch signals that the user applies to the electronic device 1a. The computer generated object 16 is a beam that is being bent based on the amount that the user bends the electronic device 1 a, similar to the bending of the beam 14 shown in Fig. 4. In some embodiments, bending the electronic device 1a or swiping the touch surfaces 6 or 7 may be used to trigger features within software applications running on the computer 15, for example to scrub through video. Many other variations of the described embodiments falling within the scope of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising an outer housing, an electronic controller within the housing and at least one sensor, wherein the outer housing comprises a front border surface extending within a first plane and a rear border surface extending within a second plane that is substantially parallel to the first plane, wherein the electronic controller is connected to the at least one sensor and is configured to perform one or more functions of the electronic device in dependence on signals received from the at least one sensor, and wherein the at least one sensor is configured to sense flexing of the front and rear border surfaces out of the respective first and second planes, wherein rigid bars are mounted within cavities extending along the electronic device, and wherein the rigid bars are configured to limit an extent to which the front and rear border surfaces are flexible out of the respective first and second planes.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the outer housing comprises a rear panel defining a rear exterior surface of the electronic device, the rear exterior surface including the rear border surface, and wherein the at least one sensor is mounted on or within the rear panel inside of the electronic device.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor is mounted at a centre of the rear panel.

4. The electronic device of claim 1,2 or 3, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one strain gauge.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the at least one sensor comprises two strain gauges that are aligned perpendicular to one another.

6. The electronic device of any preceding claim, wherein each cavity has a height greater than the rigid bar mounted within the cavity, allowing the rigid bar to move up or down within the cavity as the device is flexed.04 10 247. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the rigid bar is configured to impact a top or bottom of the cavity to prevent further flexing of the device.

8. The electronic device of any preceding claim, wherein the electronic controller is configured to perform the one or more functions of the electronic device in dependence on a speed at which the front and rear border surfaces are flexed out of the respective first and second planes, based on the signals from the at least one sensor.

9. The electronic device of any preceding claim, wherein the electronic controller is configured to perform the one or more functions of the electronic device in dependence on an extent to which the front and rear border surfaces are flexed out of the respective first and second planes, based on the signals from the at least one sensor.

10. The electronic device of any preceding claim, comprising a flexible electronic display, wherein the electronic display is able to flex as the front and rear border surfaces are flexed out of the respective first and second planes.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the electronic controller comprises a memory storing a plurality of images and the electronic controller is configured to display the images on the flexible electronic display in dependence on the signals received from the at least one sensor.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the electronic controller is configured to transition the electronic display from displaying one of the images to displaying another one of the images in dependence on the signals received from the at least one sensor.

13. The electronic device of claim 11 or 12, wherein at least one of the images comprises an object, and wherein the electronic controller is configured to move, bend or transform the object in the image in dependence on the signals received from the at least one sensor.04 10 2414. The electronic device of any preceding claim, wherein the outer housing comprises at least one side edge surface, wherein each side edge surface extends from the front border surface to the rear border surface, and wherein each side edge surface is a touch sensitive surface of a respective touch sensor, each touch sensor being connected to the electronic controller and the electronic controller configured to perform the one or more functions of the electronic device in dependence on signals received from the touch sensor.

15. An electronic device comprising an outer housing and an electronic controller within the housing, wherein the outer housing comprises a front border surface extending within a first plane, a rear border surface extending within a second plane that is substantially parallel to the first plane, and at least one side edge surface that extends from the front border surface to the rear border surface, wherein each side edge surface is a touch sensitive surface of a respective touch sensor, wherein the electronic controller is connected to each touch sensor and is configured to perform one or more functions of the electronic device in dependence on signals received from the touch sensor, and wherein the electronic device is in accordance with any preceding claim.

16. A method of using the electronic device of claim 12, wherein the plurality of images are pages of a book, and wherein the method comprises the electronic controller displaying a first page of the book on the electronic display, flexing the front and rear border surfaces out of the respective first and second planes, detecting the flexing with the at least one sensor and in response sending signals from the at least one sensor to the electronic controller, and the electronic controller displaying a second page of the book on the electronic display instead of the first page of the book in response to the sent signals.

17. A method of using the electronic device of claim 14 or 15, wherein the plurality of images are pages of a book, and wherein the method comprises the electronic controller displaying a first page of the book on the electronic display, a user swiping the touch sensitive surface, detecting the swipe with the touch sensitive surface andCXIin response sending signals from the respective touch sensor to the electronic controller, and the electronic controller displaying a second page of the book on the electronic display instead of the first page of the book in response to the sent signals.

Images