Information handling system totem tracking management

• US 10,139,973 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2016
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Files, Jace W., Stone, Larry A., Sears, Mark S., Yildiz, Yagiz C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pervan, Michael
• Application Number:
  US15/347,278
• Publication Number:
  US 20180129348A1
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 178 1801- 1907, 345173-178
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0393 Accessories for touch pads or touch screens, e.g. mechanical guides added to touch screens for drawing straight lines, hard keys overlaying touch screens or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0441 using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for receiving changes in electrical potential transmitted by the digitiser, e.g. tablet driving signals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0442 using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for transmitting changes in electrical potential to be received by the digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An information handling system touchscreen display interacts with totem devices by recognizing and tracking spectral signatures of the totem devices so that totem positions are reported as a single length, width and rotational orientation message to a host operating system. Ignore zones and hysteresis time periods are defined from the position message based upon totem context so that the host operating system processes touchscreen inputs with minimal latency and improved accuracy. Communication and battery charging are provided to the totem by the touchscreen display will illumination directed to the totem position.

Claims

1. An information handling system comprising:

a processor operable to execute instructions to process information;

a memory interfaced with the processor, the memory operable to store the information;

a display interfaced with the processor and memory, the display operable to present the information as visual images, the display having touchscreen operable to detect touch inputs made at the display;

a touch controller interfaced with the touchscreen and the processor, the touch controller operable to analyze touches detected at the touchscreen and to provide inputs determined from the analyzing to the processor;

a totem resting on the touchscreen, the totem having plural contact regions at a bottom surface, the touch controller differentiating the totem from other touches based upon the spatial relationship of the plural contact regions with each other; and

a totem analyzer associated with the touch controller, the totem analyzer communicating totem position to a processor as length, width and rotation values, the totem analyzer enforcing a predetermined hysteresis for touches at the touchscreen proximate the totem.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the totem analyzer comprises a digital signal processor having spectral analysis engine tuned to detect the totem contact regions.

3. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the predetermined hysteresis comprises a first time value enforced if a non-totem touch is detected by the touch controller within a predetermined distance of the totem and a second time value if only totem touches are detected by the touch controller within the predetermined distance.

4. The information handling system of claim 3 further comprising a hysteresis buffer storing timestamped touch inputs detected by the touch controller, the totem analyzer removing touches presented at the touchscreen display and stored in the hysteresis buffer by associating the touches with incomplete placement of a totem on the touchscreen display.

5. The information handling system of claim 4 wherein the totem analyzer applies hysteresis buffer corrections over a first time period with a first level of motion detected at the touchscreen display and over a second time period with a second level of motion detected at the touchscreen display.

6. The information handling system of claim 5 wherein in motion is determined from analysis images captured by a camera proximate to the touchscreen display.

7. The portable information handling system of claim 1 wherein the totem contact regions comprise plural feet extending from the totem bottom surface.

8. The portable information handling system of claim 7 wherein the predetermined hysteresis comprises withholding presentation of non-totem touches proximate a totem position for at least a predetermined time if less than all totem contact regions are detected at the touchscreen display.

9. A method for interfacing an information handling system with a totem device, the method comprising:

detecting plural contact regions of the totem on a touchscreen display surface;

identifying the totem from a geometric pattern defined by the plural contact regions;

detecting motion associated with one or more of the plural contact regions; and

in response to the detecting motion, applying a predetermined hysteresis to detected touch inputs, the hysteresis delaying communication of touches proximate a totem position to a processor of the information handling system if less than all of the totem plural contact regions are detected on the touchscreen display surface.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

determining a resting state associated with the one or more of the plural contact regions; and

in response to determining a resting state, applying a predetermined resting hysteresis to detected touch inputs proximate the totem position.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

determining a distance of a touch to a detected totem contact region; and

adapting the predetermined hysteresis to at least a first or second time period based at least in part on the distance.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

buffering timestamped touch inputs detected at the touchscreen; and

removing buffered touches presented at the touchscreen display by associating the touches with incomplete placement of a totem on the touchscreen display.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein detecting motion associated with one or more of the plural contact regions further comprises capturing an image of an end user hand proximate the totem.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

in response to detecting motion, defining an ignore zone proximate the totem; and

ignoring touch inputs detected at the touchscreen display based at least in part on the ignore zones.

15. An information handling system input device comprising:

a touchscreen display having a touch controller that detects touch positions at the touchscreen display;

a totem having plural contact regions resting on the touchscreen display, the touch controller detecting the plural contact regions;

a totem analyzer associated with the touch controller, the totem analyzer communicating totem position to a processor as length, width and rotation values based upon a spectral signature of the plural contact regions, the totem analyzer enforcing a predetermined hysteresis for touches at the touchscreen proximate the totem.

16. The information handling system input device of claim 15 wherein the totem analyzer enforces one or more ignore zone extending out from a periphery of the totem by a predetermined distance based upon one or more predetermined factors.

17. The information handling system input device of claim 15 wherein the predetermined hysteresis comprises a first time value enforced if a non-totem touch is detected by the touch controller within a predetermined distance of the totem and a second time value if only totem touches are detected by the touch controller within the predetermined distance.

18. The information handling system of claim 15 further comprising a hysteresis buffer storing timestamped touch inputs detected by the touch controller, the totem analyzer removing touches presented at the touchscreen display and stored in the hysteresis buffer by associating the touches with incomplete placement of a totem on the touchscreen display.

19. The information handling system of claim 15 wherein the predetermined hysteresis depends at least in part upon the availability of camera images captured of the totem.

20. The information handling system of claim 15 wherein the totem contact regions comprise plural feet extending from the totem bottom surface.