Hover and touch detection for a digitizer

• US 10,031,621 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2016
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Rimon, Ori, Kerner, Ariel
• Primary Examiner(s): HALEY, JOSEPH R
• Application Number:
  US15/356,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20170068390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04111 Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/046 by electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A method and system for tracking a hover event on a digitizer sensor that treats hover and touch events differently comprises configuring at least one parameter of the digitizer sensor for hover tracking; wherein the at least one parameter is configured differently than for touch tracking, and detecting a pattern of input signals from a plurality of conductive lines on the digitizer sensor defining a tracking point responsive to the pattern of hover input signals detected.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a touch event on a digitizer sensor;

determining at least one spatial characteristic of the touch event;

detecting a hover event on the digitizer sensor;

determining at least one spatial characteristic of the hover event;

wherein the at least one spatial characteristic of the touch event includes location of the touch event on the digitizer sensor and the at least one spatial characteristic of the hover event includes location of the hover event on the digitizer sensor; and

verifying the touch event as an intended user interaction based on determining that the hover event is only located on one side of the touch event.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one spatial characteristic of the touch event includes area on the digitizer sensor spanned by the touch event and the at least one spatial characteristic of the hover event includes area on the digitizer sensor spanned by the hover event.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the touch event is verified as an intended user interaction based on the area spanned by the hover event being less than a pre-defined hover area threshold and the area spanned by the touch event being less than a pre-defined touch area threshold.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the touch event is verified based on both area on the digitizer sensor spanned by of the hover event and the location of the hover event in relation to the location of the touch event.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the touch event is subsequent to the hover event and wherein the touch event is verified or rejected as an intended user interaction based on a distance between a detected center of mass of the hover event and a detected center of mass of the touch event.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the touch event is verified as an intended user interaction based on the distance being larger than a pre-defined shift threshold.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the touch event is subsequent to the hover event and wherein the touch event is verified or rejected as an intended user interaction based on a distance between a determined center of an area spanned by the hover event and a determined center of an area spanned by the touch event.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the touch event is verified as an intended user interaction based on the distance being larger than a pre-defined shift threshold.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the touch event is rejected as an intended user interaction based on the touch event spanning an area above a pre-defined threshold.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein verifying or rejecting the touch event based on the spatial relationship determined is performed based on the touch event spanning an area below the pre-defined threshold.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the touch event and the hover event are detected substantially simultaneously.

12. The method according to claim 1 wherein the touch event that is the intended user interaction is finger touch and the touch event that is rejected as the intended user interaction is palm touch.

13. A device comprising:

a digitizer sensor configured to detect touch input and hover input; and

a circuit in communication with the digitizer sensor and configured to determine spatial characteristic of a touch event and a spatial characteristic of a hover event, and to verify the touch event as an intended user interaction based on determining that the hover event is only located on one side of the touch event.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the circuit is configured to verify the touch event based on both area on the digitizer sensor spanned by of the hover event and the location of the hover event in relation to the location of the touch event.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the circuit is configured to verify the touch event as an intended user interaction based on the area spanned by the hover event being less than a pre-defined hover area threshold and the area spanned by the touch event being less than a pre-defined touch area threshold.

16. The device according to claim 13, wherein the circuit is configured to initiate the verification based on the touch event spanning an area below a pre-defined threshold.

17. A system comprising:

a display;

a digitizer sensor proximate to the display, wherein the digitizer sensor is configured to detect touch input and hover input; and

a controller in communication with both the digitizer sensor and the display, the controller configured to determine spatial characteristic of a touch event and a spatial characteristic of a hover event, and to verify the touch event as an intended user interaction based on determining that the hover event is only located on one side of the touch event.

18. The system according to claim 17 wherein the controller is configured to verify the touch event based on both area on the digitizer sensor spanned by of the hover event and the location of the hover event in relation to the location of the touch event.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to verify the touch event as an intended user interaction based on the area spanned by the hover event being less than a pre-defined hover area threshold and the area spanned by the touch event being less than a pre-defined touch area threshold.

20. The system according to claim 17, wherein the controller is configured to initiate the verification based on the touch event spanning an area below a pre-defined threshold.