Sensor fusion algorithms for a handheld controller that includes a force sensing resistor (FSR)

• US 10,649,583 B1
• Filed: 02/28/2019
• Issued: 05/12/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valve Corporation
• Original Assignee: Valve Corporation
• Inventors: Leinbaugh, Jeffrey George
• Primary Examiner(s): Cleary, Thomas J.
• Application Number:
  US16/289,420
• Time in Patent Office: 439 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/218 using pressure sensors, e.g. generating a signal proportional to the pressure applied by the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/22 Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1018 Calibration; Key and button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1043 being characterized by constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1056 involving pressure sensitive buttons
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• 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 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means

Abstract

Logic of a handheld controller can implement sensor fusion algorithms based on force data provided by a force sensing resistor (FSR) in combination with touch sensor data provided by a touch sensor. An example sensor fusion algorithm can be used to pause calibration adjustments for the touch sensor—at least with respect to a high-level value that corresponds to a touch of a control—in response to a user pressing upon the control of the handheld controller with an above-threshold amount of force, which may be detected by a FSR associated with the control. For instance, calibration adjustments with respect to the high-level value can be paused in response to FSR values crossing a threshold value from below the threshold value to above the threshold value, and the calibration adjustments can be resumed in response to the FSR values crossing the threshold value in the opposite direction.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

a handheld controller comprising a controller body, the controller body including;

at least one control that is configured to be pressed;

a touch sensor associated with the at least one control and configured to provide, to the one or more processors, touch sensor data indicative of a proximity of an object relative to the at least one control; and

a force sensing resistor (FSR) associated with the at least one control and configured to provide, to the one or more processors, force data indicative of an amount of force of a press of the at least one control; and

logic configured to;

perform calibration adjustments for the touch sensor by adjusting, in response to a criterion being satisfied, a high-level value indicative of the object contacting the at least one control;

determine a first digitized FSR value based at least in part on the force data provided by the FSR;

determine that the first digitized FSR value exceeds a threshold value indicative of a transition from the object contacting the at least one control without pressing upon the at least one control to the object pressing upon the at least one control;

pause the calibration adjustments in response to determining that the first digitized FSR value exceeds the threshold value;

determine a second digitized FSR value based at least in part on the force data provided by the FSR;

determine that the second digitized FSR value is less than or equal to the threshold value indicative of a transition from the object pressing upon the at least one control to the object contacting the at least one control without pressing upon the at least one control; and

resume the calibration adjustments in response to determining that the second digitized FSR value is less than or equal to the threshold value.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the touch sensor comprises a capacitive sensor configured to measure capacitance values based on a proximity of the object relative to the at least one control;

the high-level value represents a high-level capacitance value that corresponds to a capacitance value measured by the capacitive sensor at a time at which the object contacts the at least one control.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the FSR is configured to measure a range of values; and

the threshold value is about 5% to about 15% of the range of values.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the high-level value is set to an existing value at a time of determining that the first digitized FSR value exceeds the threshold value; and

pausing the calibration adjustments comprises refraining from increasing the high-level value to a value greater than the existing value.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein pausing the calibration adjustments comprises:

determining a maximum value among multiple first digitized proximity values determined based on the touch sensor data provided by the touch sensor prior to determining that the first digitized FSR value exceeds the threshold value;

determining a minimum value among multiple second digitized proximity values determined based on the touch sensor data provided by the touch sensor after determining that the first digitized FSR value exceeds the threshold value;

calculating an average value between the maximum value and the minimum value; and

refraining from increasing the high-level value to a value greater than the average value.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein performing the calibration adjustments for the touch sensor comprises:

determining an average proximity value based at least in part on the touch sensor data provided by the touch sensor over a previous number of samples;

comparing the average proximity value to the high-level value that is set to an existing value; and

if the average proximity value exceeds the existing value, adjusting the high-level value from the existing value to a new value that is greater than the existing value.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the object is a finger or a thumb, and wherein the at least one control is disposed on a head of the controller body and is configured to be pressed by the finger or the thumb.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the logic is further configured to:

determine a digitized proximity value based on the touch sensor data provided by the touch sensor; and

determine that the digitized proximity value exceeds the high-level value,

wherein pausing the calibration adjustments is further in response to determining that the digitized proximity value exceeds the high-level value.

9. A computer-implemented method comprising:

performing calibration adjustments for a touch sensor that is associated with at least one control of a handheld controller by adjusting, in response to a criterion being satisfied, a high-level value indicative of an object contacting the at least one control;

determining a first digitized force sensing resistor (FSR) value based at least in part on force data provided by a FSR that is associated with the at least one control;

determining that the first digitized FSR value exceeds a threshold value;

pausing the performing of the calibration adjustments in response to the determining that the first digitized FSR value exceeds the threshold value;

determining a second digitized FSR value based at least in part on the force data provided by the FSR;

determining that the second digitized FSR value is less than or equal to the threshold value; and

resuming the performing of the calibration adjustments in response to the determining that the second digitized FSR value is less than or equal to the threshold value.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein:

the touch sensor comprises a capacitive sensor configured to measure capacitance values based on a proximity of the object relative to the at least one control; and

the high-level value represents a high-level capacitance value that corresponds to a capacitance value measured by the capacitive sensor at a time at which the object contacts the at least one control.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein:

the FSR is configured to measure a range of values; and

the threshold value is about 5% to about 15% of the range of values.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein:

the high-level value is set to an existing value at a time of the determining that the first digitized FSR value exceeds the threshold value, the method further comprising; and

the pausing the performing of the calibration adjustments comprises refraining from increasing the high-level value to a value greater than the existing value.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the pausing the performing of the calibration adjustments comprises:

determining a maximum value among multiple first digitized proximity values determined based on touch sensor data provided by the touch sensor prior to the determining that the first digitized FSR value exceeds the threshold value;

determining a minimum value among multiple second digitized proximity values determined based on the touch sensor data provided by the touch sensor after the determining that the first digitized FSR value exceeds the threshold value;

calculating an average value between the maximum value and the minimum value; and

refraining from increasing the high-level value to a value greater than the average value.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining a digitized proximity value based on touch sensor data provided by the touch sensor; and

determining that the digitized proximity value exceeds the high-level value,

wherein the pausing the performing of the calibration adjustments is further in response to the determining that the digitized proximity value exceeds the high-level value.

15. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

a handheld controller comprising a controller body, the controller body including;

at least one control that is configured to be pressed;

a touch sensor associated with the at least one control and configured to provide, to the one or more processors, touch sensor data indicative of a proximity of an object relative to the at least one control; and

a force sensing resistor (FSR) associated with the at least one control and configured to provide, to the one or more processors, force data indicative of an amount of force of a press of the at least one control; and

logic configured to;

perform calibration adjustments for the touch sensor by adjusting, in response to a criterion being satisfied, a high-level value indicative of the object contacting the at least one control;

detect, based at least in part on the force data provided by the FSR, a first transition from a first digitized FSR value less than or equal to a threshold value to a second digitized FSR value greater than the threshold value;

pause the calibration adjustments in response to detecting the first transition;

detect, based at least in part on the force data provided by the FSR, a second transition from a third digitized FSR value greater than the threshold value to a fourth digitized FSR value less than or equal to the threshold value; and

resume the calibration adjustments in response to detecting the second transition.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the touch sensor comprises a capacitive sensor configured to measure capacitance values based on a proximity of the object relative to the at least one control; and

the high-level value represents a high-level capacitance value that corresponds to a capacitance value measured by the capacitive sensor at a time at which the object contacts the at least one control.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the FSR measures a positive value when the object is not contacting the touch sensor; and

the threshold value is set to a value greater than the positive value.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the high-level value is set to an existing value at a time of detecting the first transition; and

the logic is further configured to pause the calibration adjustments by refraining from increasing the high-level value to a value greater than the existing value.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein pausing the calibration adjustments comprises:

determining a maximum value among multiple first digitized proximity values determined based on the touch sensor data provided by the touch sensor prior to detecting the first transition;

determining a minimum value among multiple second digitized proximity values determined based on the touch sensor data provided by the touch sensor after the detecting the first transition;

calculating an average value between the maximum value and the minimum value; and

refraining from increasing the high-level value to a value greater than the average value.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein performing the calibration adjustments for the touch sensor comprises:

determining an average proximity value based at least in part on the touch sensor data provided by the touch sensor over a previous number of samples;

comparing the average proximity value to the high-level value that is set to an existing value; and

if the average proximity value exceeds the existing value, adjusting the high-level value from the existing value to a new value that is greater than the existing value.