Object position detector with edge motion feature and gesture recognition

• US 20060187214A1
• Filed: 03/22/2006
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/1992
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Gillespie, David W., Day, Shawn P., Wolf, Ralph C., Allen, Timothy P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,532,205 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method of generating a signal comprising providing a capacitive touch sensor pad including a matrix of X and Y conductors, developing capacitance profiles in one of an X direction and a Y direction from the matrix of X and Y conductors, determining an occurrence of a single gesture through an examination of the capacitance profiles, the single gesture including an application of at least two objects on the capacitive touch sensor pad, and generating a signal indicating the occurrence of the single gesture.

Claims

1. A method of providing cursor motion signals for causing cursor motion on a display in response to object motion in a sensing region of a touch-sensor pad, the sensing region having an inner region and an outer region, the method comprising:

detecting object motion of an object in the sensing region;

providing cursor motion signals in accordance with cursor motion values generated responsive to continuation of the object motion in the inner region; and

responsive to the object moving from the inner region into the outer region, providing cursor motion signals configured to generate cursor motion that combines incremental cursor motion with additional cursor motion, the incremental cursor motion comprising motion toward an edge of the display correlating to an edge of the sensing region proximate the object, and the additional cursor motion comprising cursor motion indicated by cursor motion values generated responsive to continuation of the object motion in the outer region of the sensing region.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing cursor motion signals configured to generate cursor motion that combines incremental cursor motion with additional cursor motion continues until stopped responsive to the object leaving the outer region.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the additional cursor motion is substantially perpendicular with the incremental cursor motion.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the incremental cursor motion has a selected rate.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the selected rate is a constant rate.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the cursor motion values are representative of differences between previous positions of the object and present positions of the object.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the cursor motion values are determined from vectors between previous positions of the object and present positions of the object.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing cursor motion signals configured to generate cursor motion that combines incremental cursor motion with additional cursor motion comprises combining the incremental cursor motion with the additional cursor motion using vector addition.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

responsive to the object moving from the inner region into a corner region of the outer region, providing cursor motion signals configured to generate cursor motion that combines angled incremental cursor motion with additional cursor motion, the angled incremental cursor motion comprising motion at an angle substantially non-perpendicular to an edge of the display correlating to an edge of the sensing region proximate the object, and the additional cursor motion comprising motion indicated by cursor motion values generated responsive to continuation of the object motion in the corner region of the sensing region.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

responsive to the object moving from the inner region into a corner region of the outer region, providing cursor motion signals configured to generate cursor motion at a substantially non-perpendicular angle to an edge of the display

11. A method of providing motion signals using a touch-sensor pad, the touch-sensor pad having a sensing region with an inner region and an outer region, the method comprising:

providing first motion signals in response to object motion in the inner region, the first motion signals configured to generate motion in accordance with the object motion in the inner region; and

providing second motion signals in response to object motion traversing from the inner region to the outer region and continuing in the outer region, the second motion signals configured to generate motion in accordance with object motion continuing in the outer region combined with incremental motion, wherein the incremental motion is based on edge proximity to the object motion continuing in the outer region.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of providing second motion signals in response to object motion traversing from the inner region to the outer region and continuing in the outer region continues until stopped responsive to object motion leaving the outer region.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the incremental motion is substantially perpendicular to an edge on a display corresponding to the edge of the sensing region closest to the object motion continuing in the outer region.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the incremental motion has a selected rate.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of providing second cursor motion in response to object motion traversing from the inner region to the outer region and continuing in the outer region comprises combining the motion in accordance with object motion continuing in the outer region with the incremental motion using vector addition.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of:

providing third motion signals in response to object motion traversing from the inner region to a corner region of the outer region and continuing in the corner region of the outer region, the third motion signals being configured to generate motion in accordance with object motion continuing in the outer region combined with angled incremental motion, wherein the angled incremental motion is at a substantially non-perpendicular angle relative to an edge on a display corresponding to the edge of the sensing region closest to the object motion continuing in the corner region.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of:

providing third motion signals in response to object motion traversing from the inner region to a corner region of the outer region, the third motion signals configured to generate angled incremental motion at a substantially non-perpendicular angle relative to an edge on a display.

18. A method of providing cursor motion signals in response to object motion in a sensing region of a touch-sensor pad, the sensing region having an inner region and an outer region, the method comprising:

detecting a motion of an object in the sensing region;

determining inner region cursor motion values configured to generate cursor motion representative of the motion of the object in the inner region;

providing cursor motion signals in accordance with the inner region cursor motion values if the motion of the object is in the inner region;

determining outer region cursor motion values configured to generate cursor motion representative of the motion of the object in the outer region; and

providing cursor motion signals in accordance with the outer region cursor motion values combined with second cursor motion values responsive to the object moving from the inner region to the outer region of the sensing region, wherein the second cursor motion values are configured to generate incremental cursor motion.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of providing cursor motion signals in accordance with the outer region cursor motion values combined with second cursor motion values responsive to the object moving from the inner region to the outer region of the sensing region continues until stopped responsive to the object leaving the outer region.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of providing cursor motion signals in accordance with the outer region cursor motion values combined with second cursor motion values responsive to the object moving from the inner region to the outer region of the sensing region comprises combining the outer region cursor motion values with the second cursor motion values using vector addition.

21. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of:

providing cursor motion signals in accordance with the outer region cursor motion values combined with third cursor motion values responsive to the object moving to a corner region of the outer region of the sensing region, wherein the third cursor motion values are configured to generate angled incremental cursor motion at a substantially non-perpendicular angle to an edge on a display.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the second cursor motion values configured to generate incremental cursor motion are further configured to generate the incremental cursor motion with a selected constant rate.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein the incremental motion is towards an edge of a display corresponding to an edge of the sensing region.

24. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of providing cursor motion signals in accordance with the outer region cursor motion values without the second cursor motion values responsive to motion of the object beginning in the outer region.