Systems and methods for adaptive interpretation of input from a touch-sensitive input device

• US 20050110769A1
• Filed: 11/26/2003
• Published: 05/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Grant, Danny, Ramstein, Christophe, DaCosta, Henry
• Granted Patent: US 8,164,573 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment

Abstract

Systems and methods for adaptively interpreting a user'"'"'s intent based on parameters supplied by a touch-sensitive input device are described. In one of the methods described, a processor receives a pressure signal indicating a pressure from an input device, such as a touchpad, compares the pseudo pressure signal to a pressure threshold value, and outputs a signal if the pseudo pressure signal is greater than the pressure threshold value. In another embodiment, the processor also calculates the speed of movement of a conductor, for instance a user'"'"'s finger, across the input device, and compares the speed to a threshold. If the speed is greater than the threshold, the processor determines that although the pressure may be great enough to signal a press, no press is intended. The various parameters supplied by the input device may be digitally filtered to increase the accuracy of the determination of user intent.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a pressure signal indicating a pressure from an input device;

comparing the pressure signal to an adaptive pressure threshold value; and

outputting a signal if the pressure signal is greater than the adaptive pressure threshold value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the adaptive pressure threshold value is associated with an absolute pressure threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the adaptive pressure threshold value is associated with a position received from the input device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the adaptive pressure threshold value can vary over time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the adaptive pressure threshold value is associated with a user identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the adaptive pressure threshold value comprises a first pressure threshold value, and further comprising:

comparing the pressure signal to a second pressure threshold value; and

outputting the signal if the pressure signal is greater than both the first pressure threshold value and the second pressure threshold value.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the pressure signal comprises a pseudo pressure signal.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying a pressure filter to the pressure signal to create a filtered pressure signal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the pressure filter comprises a first pressure filter comprising a first attribute, and further comprising applying a second pressure filter to the pressure signal, the second pressure filter comprising a second attribute that is different than the first attribute.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first attribute comprises a first frequency value and the second attribute comprises a second frequency value.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second frequency value is lower than the first frequency value.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein applying the pressure filter comprises applying the pressure filter utilizing a sliding window.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises one of a touchpad, a touch panel, and a touch screen.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating a first value associated with the speed of movement across the input device;

comparing the first value to a speed threshold value; and

outputting the signal if the first value is less than the speed threshold value.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising applying a speed filter to the first value before comparing the speed to the speed threshold value.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the pressure signal comprises a first pressure signal and further comprising:

receiving a second pressure signal indicating a second pressure from the input device;

calculating a difference signal indicative of a difference between the first pressure signal and the second pressure signal;

comparing the difference signal to a difference threshold value; and

outputting the signal if the difference signal is greater than the difference threshold value.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising filtering the difference signal to create a filtered difference signal.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting a signal associated with a haptic effect, the haptic effect based at least in part on the pressure signal.

19. A computer-readable medium on which is encoded programming code, comprising:

program code for receiving a pressure signal indicating a pressure from an input device;

program code for comparing the pressure signal to an adaptive pressure threshold value; and

program code for outputting a signal if the pressure signal is greater than the adaptive pressure threshold value.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the adaptive pressure threshold value comprises a first pressure threshold value, and further comprising:

program code for comparing the pressure signal to a second pressure threshold value; and

program code for outputting the signal if the pressure signal is greater than both the first pressure threshold value and the second pressure threshold value.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, further comprising program code for applying a pressure filter to the pressure signal to create a filtered pressure signal.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the pressure filter comprises a first pressure filter comprising a first attribute, and further comprising program code for applying a second pressure filter to the pressure signal, wherein the second pressure filter comprises a second attribute that is different than the first attribute.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein program code for applying the pressure filter comprises program code for applying the pressure filter utilizing a sliding window.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, further comprising:

program code for calculating a first value associated with the speed of movement across the input device;

program code for comparing the first value to a speed threshold value; and

program code for outputting the signal if the first value is less than the speed threshold value.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, further comprising program code for applying a speed filter to the first value before comparing the speed to the speed threshold value.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the pressure signal comprises a first pressure signal and further comprising:

program code for receiving a second pressure signal indicating a second pressure from the input device;

program code for calculating a difference signal indicative of a difference between the first pressure signal and the second pressure signal;

program code for comparing the difference signal to a difference threshold value; and

program code for outputting the signal if the difference signal is greater than the difference threshold value.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, further comprising program code for filtering the difference signal to create a filtered difference signal.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, further comprising program code for outputting a signal associated with a haptic effect, the haptic effect based at least in part on the pressure signal.