MULTI-POINT DETECTION ON A SINGLE-POINT DETECTION DIGITIZER

• US 20090128516A1
• Filed: 11/06/2008
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: N-Trig Ltd (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: N-Trig Ltd (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Ben-David, Amihai, Moore, Jonathan, Rimon, Ori
• Application Number:
  US12/265,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20090128516A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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 for recognizing a multi-point gesture provided to a digitizer, the method comprises: detecting outputs from a digitizer system corresponding to a multi-point interaction, the digitizer system including a digitizer sensor; determining a region incorporating possible locations derivable from the outputs detected; tracking the region over a time period of the multi-point interaction; determining a change in at least one spatial feature of the region during the multi-point interaction; and recognizing the gesture in response to a pre-defined change.

Claims

1. A method for recognizing a multi-point gesture provided to a digitizer, the method comprising:

detecting outputs from a digitizer system corresponding to a multi-point interaction, the digitizer system including a digitizer sensor;

determining a region incorporating possible locations derivable from the outputs detected;

tracking the region over a time period of the multi-point interaction;

determining a change in at least one spatial feature of the region during the multi-point interaction; and

recognizing the gesture in response to a pre-deflined change.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the digitizer system is a single point detection digitizer system.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one feature is selected from a group including:

shape of the region, aspect ratio of the region, size of the region, location of the region, and orientation of the region.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the region is a rectangular region with dimensions defined by the extent of the possible interaction locations.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the at least one feature is selected from a group including a length of a diagonal of the rectangle and an angle of the diagonal.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the multi-point interaction is performed with at least two like user interactions.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the at least two like user interactions are selected from a group including:

at least two fingertips, at least two like styluses and at least two like tokens.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the at least two like user interactions interact with the digitizer sensor by touch, hovering, or both touch and hovering.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the outputs detected are ambiguous with respect to the location of at least one of the at least two user interactions.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein one of the at least two user interactions is stationary during the multi-point interaction.

11. The method according to claim 10 comprising:

identifying the location of the stationary user interaction; and

tracking the location of the other user interaction based on knowledge of the location of the stationary user interaction.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the location of the stationary user interaction is a substantially stationary corner of a rectangular region with dimensions defined by the extent of the possible interaction locations.

13. The method according to claim 6, comprising:

detecting a location of a first user interaction from the at least two user interactions in response to that user interaction appearing before the other user interaction; and

tracking locations of each of the two user interactions based on the detected location of the first user interaction.

14. The method according to claim 6, wherein interaction performed by the first user interaction changes a functionality of interaction performed by the other user interaction.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the digitizer sensor is formed by a plurality of conductive lines arranged in a grid.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the outputs are a single array of outputs for each axis of the grid.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the outputs are detected by a capacitive detection.

18. A method for providing multi-point functionality on a single point detection digitizer, the method comprising:

detecting a multi-point interaction from outputs of a single point detection digitizer system, wherein the digitizer system includes a digitizer sensor;

determining at least one spatial feature of the interaction;

tracking the at least one spatial feature; and

identifying a functionality of the multi-point interaction responsive to a pre-defined change in the at least one spatial feature.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the multi-point functionality provides recognition of at least one of multi-point gesture commands and modifier commands.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein a first interaction location of the multi-point interaction is configured for selection of a virtual button displayed on a display associated with the digitizer system, wherein the virtual button is configured for modifying a functionality of the at least one other interaction location of the multi-point interaction.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the at least one other interaction is a gesture.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein the first interaction and the at least one other interaction are performed over non-interfering portions of the digitizer sensor.

23. The method according to claim 18, wherein the spatial feature is a feature of a region incorporating possible interaction locations derivable from the outputs.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the at least one feature is selected from a group including:

shape of the region, aspect ratio of the region, size of the region, location of the region, and orientation of the region.

25. The method according to claim 23, wherein the region is a rectangular region with dimensions defined by the extent of the possible interaction locations.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the at least one feature is selected from a group including a length of a diagonal of the rectangle and an angle of the diagonal.

27. The method according to claim 18, wherein the multi-point interaction is performed with at least two like user interactions.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the at least two like user interactions are selected from a group including:

at least two fingertips, at least two like styluses and at least two like tokens.

29. The method according to claim 27, wherein the at least two like user interactions interact with the digitizer sensor by touch, hovering, or both touch and hovering.

30. The method according to claim 27, wherein the outputs detected are ambiguous with respect to the location of at least one of the at least two user interactions.

31. The method according to claim 27, wherein one of the at least two user interactions is stationary during the multi-point interaction.

32. The method according to claim 31 comprising:

identifying the location of the stationary user interaction; and

tracking the location of the other user interaction based on knowledge of the location of the stationary user interaction.

33. The method according to claim 31, wherein the location of the stationary user interaction is a substantially stationary corner of a rectangular region with dimensions defined by the extent of the possible interaction locations.

34. The method according to claim 27, comprising:

detecting a location of a first user interaction from the at least two user interactions in response to that user interaction appearing before the other user interaction; and

tracking locations of each of the two user interactions based on the detected location of the first user interaction.

35. The method according to claim 27, wherein interaction performed by the first user interaction changes a functionality of interaction performed by the other user interaction.

36. The method according to claim 18, wherein the digitizer sensor is formed by a plurality of conductive lines arranged in a grid.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein the outputs are a single array of outputs for each axis of the grid.

38. The method according to claim 18, wherein the outputs are detected by a capacitive detection.

39. A method for providing multi-point functionality on a single point detection digitizer, the method comprising:

detecting a multi-point interaction from outputs of a single point detection digitizer system, wherein one interaction location is stationary during the multi-point interaction;

identifying the location of the stationary interaction; and

tracking the location of the other interaction based on knowledge of the location of the stationary interaction.

40. The method according to claim 39, wherein the location of the stationary interaction is a substantially stationary corner of a rectangular region with dimensions defined by the extent of possible interaction locations of the multi-point interaction.

41. The method according to claim 39, comprising.

detecting a location of a first interaction from the at least two user interactions in response to that interaction appearing before the other interaction;

and

tracking locations of each of the two interactions based on the detected location of the first user interaction.

42. The method according to claim 41, wherein the first interaction changes a functionality of the other interaction.