Noise adaptive force touch

• US 10,055,048 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2015
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Smith, John Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Md Saiful A
• Application Number:
  US14/815,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20170031495A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04144 using an array of force sensing means position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells G06F3/0447
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an electronic device having a force sensing device. The force sensing device receives a continuous force input which is translated into a discrete event. In order to more accurately determine the type of discrete event intended by a user, the electronic device is able to determine an amount of noise present in the electronic device and dynamically adjust force threshold values associated with the force sensing device.

Claims

1. A method for translating a continuous force input on an electronic device into a discrete event, the method comprising:

establishing a first force threshold and a second force threshold for an input force sensor;

determining one or more operating conditions of the electronic device using a sensor difference from the input force sensor, the one or more operating conditions comprising at least one of an operating temperature of the electronic device, an ambient temperature, a mechanical vibration, an amount of sound, an application that is executing on the electronic device, a charging state of the electronic device, presence of moisture, presence of a contaminant, heat produced by a component of the electronic device, power line noise, a manufacturing a tolerance, or a manufacturing defect;

dynamically increasing a difference between the first force threshold and the second force threshold by updating at least one of the first force threshold or the second force threshold based, at least in part, on the one or more operating conditions of the electronic device;

measuring the continuous force input on the electronic device using the input force sensor, after dynamically increasing the difference between the first force threshold and the second force threshold; and

triggering the discrete event when the continuous force input measured by the input force sensor exceeds the first force threshold and subsequently falls below the second force threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more operating conditions comprise the operating temperature of the electronic device, the ambient temperature of the electronic device, or the heat produced by the component of the electronic device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more operating conditions comprise the amount of sound.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more operating conditions comprise the mechanical vibration.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more operating conditions comprise the amount of sound wherein the sound is being played back by the electronic device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

subsequent to triggering the discrete event, dynamically decreasing the difference between the first force threshold and the second force threshold.

7. A method comprising for determining a type of force input detected on a surface of an electronic device by a force sensing device, the method comprising:

determining a first force input threshold and second force input threshold based, at least in part, on an operating condition of the electronic device determined by a sensor different from the force sensing device, the operating condition of the electronic device comprising at least one of an operating temperature of the electronic device, an ambient temperature, a mechanical vibration, an amount of sound, an application that is executing on the electronic device, a charging state of the electronic device, presence of moisture, presence of a contaminant, heat produced by a component of the electronic device, power line noise, movement of the electronic device, a manufacturing tolerance, or a manufacturing defect;

receiving a continuous force input on the surface;

determining, using a force sensing device, a first time at which the continuous force input exceeds the first force input threshold;

further determining, using the force sensing device, a second time at which the continuous force input falls below the second force input threshold, the second force threshold being less than the first force input threshold;

providing, by the force sensing device, a first input signal indicative of a discrete event that is associated with the continuous force input at the second time.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the operating condition of the electronic device is the operating temperature of the electronic device, an ambient temperature, or the heat produced by a component of the electronic device.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining a timeframe between the first time and the second time; and

providing a second input signal indicative of the type of force input received when the timeframe exceeds a timeframe threshold.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the operating condition of the electric device is the mechanical vibration.

11. An electronic device comprising:

a force sensing device;

a second sensor different from the force sensing device;

a processing unit; and

a memory coupled to the processing unit, the memory configured to store instructions which, when executed by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to;

determine a type of force input received on a surface of the electronic device by;

determine a first force threshold and a second force threshold that correspond to the type of force input;

determine, using data obtained by the second sensor, one or more operating conditions of the electronic device, the one or more operating conditions comprising at least one of an operating temperature of the electronic device, an ambient temperature, an amount of sound, an application that is executing on the electronic device, a charging state of the electronic device, presence of moisture, presence of a contaminant, heat produced by a component of the electronic device, power line noise, a manufacturing tolerance, or a manufacturing defect;

dynamically update at least one of the first force threshold or the second force threshold based, at least in part, on the one or more operating conditions of the electronic device;

determine a discrete event based on whether the force input received on the surface of the electronic device, as measured by the force sensing device, exceeds the first force threshold and subsequently falls below the second force threshold.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the force sensing device comprises a strain sensor.

13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the force sensing device comprises a capacitive sensor.

14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the force sensing device is associated with a display stack of the electronic device.

15. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein force sensing device is associated with a mechanical input device.

16. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the one or more operating conditions comprise an application that is executing on the electronic device.

17. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the one or more operating conditions comprise a charging state of the electronic device.

18. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the memory further stores instructions for providing a haptic output on the electronic device when it is determined that a received force input falls below the dynamically updated second force threshold.

19. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the one or more operating conditions comprise the mechanical vibration.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more operating conditions comprise the operating temperature of the electronic device, the ambient temperature of the electronic device, or the heat produced by the component of the electronic device.

21. A method for translating a continuous force input on an electronic device into a discrete event, the method comprising:

establishing a first force threshold and a second force threshold for an input force sensor;

detecting a mechanical vibration of the electronic device using a sensor different from the input force sensor;

dynamically increasing a difference between the first force threshold and the second force threshold, in response to the detected mechanical vibration of the electronic device, by updating at least one of the first force threshold and the second force threshold;

measuring the continuous force input on the electronic device using the input force sensor, after dynamically increasing the difference between the first force threshold and the second force threshold; and

triggering the discrete event when the continuous force input measured by the input force sensor exceeds the first threshold and subsequently falls below the second threshold.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

determining the continuous force input measured by the input force sensor falls below the first threshold and subsequently exceeds the first threshold at least one additional time before falling below the second threshold; and

interpreting a timeframe threshold between a first time the continuous force input exceeds the first threshold and a subsequent time when the continuous first threshold falls below the second threshold as a drag and drop event.