Gesture Input Notification for a Multi-Input Mode

Abstract

This document describes techniques and systems that enable an input-mode notification for a multi-input mode. A radar field enables an electronic device to accurately determine the presence or absence of a user near the electronic device. Further, the electronic device can determine whether an application that can receive input through radar-based gestures is operating on the electronic device. Using these techniques, the electronic device can present an input-mode notification on a display of the electronic device when the user is near to alert the user that radar gesture input is available for interacting with the electronic device. This allows the device to provide the user with feedback that can educate the user about what the electronic device is capable of, and allows the user to take advantage of the additional functionality and features provided by the availability of the radar gestures.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An electronic device comprising:
 a display;   a radar system, implemented at least partially in hardware, configured to:
 provide a radar field; 
 sense reflections from a user in the radar field; 
 analyze the reflections from the user in the radar field; 
 provide, based on the analysis of the reflections, radar data; and 
 determine, irrespective of receiving radar-gesture input and based on the radar data, whether the user is within a threshold distance of the electronic device; 
   one or more computer processors; and   one or more computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more computer processors, implement a radar-based gesture-feedback manager configured to:
 determine whether an application that has a capability to receive the radar-gesture input is operating on the electronic device; 
 irrespective of receiving radar-gesture input and responsive to a determination that the application that has the capability to receive radar-gesture input is operating on the electronic device and a determination that the user is within the threshold distance of the electronic device, cause the display to present an input-mode notification, the input-mode notification associated with the capability to receive the radar-gesture input; 
 receive other radar data from the radar system, the other radar data determined based on reflections from a portion of the user moving within a gesture zone of the electronic device; 
 determine the radar-gesture input based on the other radar data, or receive the radar-gesture input; 
 determine that the radar-gesture input corresponds to a control input of the application; 
 provide a gesture-success element on the display, the gesture-success element indicating that the movement of the portion of the user within the gesture zone of the electronic device comprises the radar-gesture input and that the radar-gesture input corresponds to the control input of the application; and 
 cause the application to respond to the control input. 
   
     
     
         2 . The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the application is currently executing; and   to cause the application to respond to the control input comprises sending the control input to the application.   
     
     
         3 . The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the gesture-success element comprises the input-mode notification. 
     
     
         4 . The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the gesture-success element comprises a visual element that appears on an active area of the display. 
     
     
         5 . The electronic device of  claim 4 , wherein the visual element moves on the active area of the display, the movement corresponding to the movement of the portion of the user within the gesture zone. 
     
     
         6 . The electronic device of  claim 5 , wherein:
 the radar-gesture input comprises a first motion that includes a component in a left-to-right direction and the movement of the visual element comprises moving from a first position on the active area of the display to a second position on the active area of the display, the second position to a right side of the first position; or   the radar-gesture input comprises a second motion that includes a component in a right-to-left direction and the movement of the visual element comprises moving from a third position on the active area of the display to a fourth position on the active area of the display, the fourth position to a left side of the third position.   
     
     
         7 . The electronic device of  claim 6 , wherein the moving from the first position on the active display to the second position on the active area of the display includes:
 moving around a corner of the active area of the display; and   disappearing from the active area of the display.   
     
     
         8 . The electronic device of  claim 5 , wherein:
 The radar-gesture input comprises a first motion that includes a component in a top-to-bottom direction and the movement of the visual element comprises moving from a first position on the active area of the display to a second position on the active area of the display, the second position to a lower side of the first position; or   The radar-gesture input comprises a second motion that includes a component in a bottom-to-top direction and the movement of the visual element comprises moving from a third position on the active area of the display to a fourth position on the active area of the display, the fourth position to an upper side of the third position.   
     
     
         9 . The electronic device of  claim 8 , wherein the moving from the first position on the active area of the display to the second position on the active area of the display, or from the third position on the active area of the display to the fourth position on the active area of the display, includes:
 moving around a corner of the active area of the display; and   disappearing from the active area of the display.   
     
     
         10 . The electronic device of  claim 5 , wherein the movement of the visual element comprises:
 a decrease from a first size of the visual element to a second size of the visual element, the second size smaller than the first size, the decrease continuing until the visual element is not visible; and   a return to the first size of the visual element.   
     
     
         11 . The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the control input of the application is effective to cause the application to respond by:
 dismissing an alert or notification on the display; or   skipping to a next or previous media item.   
     
     
         12 . A method implemented in an electronic device that includes a display and a radar system, the method comprising:
 determining whether an application that has a capability to receive radar-gesture input is operating on the electronic device, the radar-gesture input defined by radar data that is generated by the radar system;   determining, by the radar system, based on one or more subsets of the radar data and irrespective of receiving radar-gesture input, whether a user is within a threshold distance of the electronic device;   irrespective of receiving radar-gesture input and responsive to determining that the application that has the capability to receive the radar-gesture input is operating on the electronic device and that the user is within the threshold distance of the electronic device, providing an input-mode notification at the electronic device, the input-mode notification associated with the capability to receive the radar-gesture input;   receiving other radar data from the radar system, the other radar data determined based on reflections from a portion of the user moving within a gesture zone of the electronic device;   determining the radar-gesture input based on the other radar data, or receiving the radar-gesture input;   determining that the radar-gesture input corresponds to a control input of the application;   providing a gesture-success element at the electronic device, the gesture-success element indicating that the movement of the portion of the user within the gesture zone of the electronic device comprises the radar-gesture input and that the radar-gesture input corresponds to the control input of the application; and   causing the application to respond to the control input.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the application is currently executing; and   causing the application to respond to the control input comprises sending the control input to the application.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the gesture-success element comprises the input-mode notification. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the gesture-success element comprises a visual element that appears on an active area of the display. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the visual element moves on the active area of the display, the movement of the visual element corresponding to the movement of the portion of the user within the gesture zone. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the radar-gesture input comprises a first motion that includes a component in a left-to-right direction and the movement of the visual element comprises moving from a first position on the active area of the display to a second position on the active area of the display, the second position to a right side of the first position; or   the radar-gesture input comprises a second motion that includes a component in a right-to-left direction and the movement of the visual element comprises moving from a third position on the active area of the display to a fourth position on the active area of the display, the fourth position to a left side of the third position.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the moving from the first position on the active area of the display to the second position on the active area of the display, or from the third position on the active area of the display to the fourth position on the active area of the display, includes:
 moving around a corner of the active area of the display; and   disappearing from the active area of the display.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the radar-gesture input comprises a first motion that includes a component in a top-to-bottom direction and the movement of the visual element comprises moving from a first position on the active area of the display to a second position on the active area of the display, the second position to a lower side of the first position; or   the radar-gesture input comprises a second motion that includes a component in a bottom-to-top direction and the movement of the visual element comprises moving from a third position on the active area of the display to a fourth position on the active area of the display, the fourth position to an upper side of the third position.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the moving from the first position on the active area of the display to the second position on the active area of the display, or from the third position on the active area of the display to the fourth position on the active area of the display, includes:
 moving around a corner of the active area of the display; and   disappearing from the active area of the display.