TOUCH SENSITIVE PANEL DETECTING HOVERING FINGER

• US 20110115742A1
• Filed: 11/12/2010
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: KARAOGUZ, JEYHAN, WALLEY, JOHN, GUPTA, MONIKA, SOBEL, DAVID A., VORENKAMP, PIETER
• Granted Patent: US 9,007,331 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041

Abstract

A touch sensitive pad with a plurality of touch sensitive elements and processing circuitry coupled to a communications interface and to the touch sensitive pad for scanning the plurality of touch sensitive elements to measure a plurality of touch sensitive element values. The plurality of touch sensitive element values is compared to a hovering finger threshold pattern. Upon a favorable comparison, a hovering finger condition is determined, and a position of the hovering finger in three-dimensions is detected with respect to the touch sensitive pad. The plurality of touch sensitive element values is compared to a touching finger threshold pattern. Upon a favorable comparison, a touching finger condition is determined, and a position of the touching finger is detected upon the touch sensitive pad.

Claims

1. A user input device comprising:

a communications interface;

a touch sensitive pad having a plurality of touch sensitive elements; and

processing circuitry coupled to the communications interface and to the touch sensitive pad, the processing circuitry operable to;

scan the plurality of touch sensitive elements to measure a plurality of touch sensitive element values;

compare the plurality of touch sensitive element values to a hovering finger threshold pattern and, upon a favorable comparison;

determine a hovering finger condition; and

detect a position of the hovering finger in three-dimensions with respect to the touch sensitive pad; and

compare the plurality of touch sensitive element values to a touching finger threshold pattern and, upon a favorable comparison;

determine a touching finger condition; and

detect a position of the touching finger upon the touch sensitive pad.

2. The user input device of claim 1, wherein touch sensitive element values are selected from the group consisting of:

touch sensitive element measured capacitance;

touch sensitive element measured inductance; and

touch sensitive element measured Radio Frequency (RF) impedance.

3. The user input device of claim 1, wherein the user input device comprises one of:

a video game controller;

a remote control;

a vehicle data input device;

a cellular telephone;

a portable electronic device;

a computer; and

a keypad replacement device.

4. The user input device of claim 1, wherein the hovering finger threshold pattern comprises:

a first touch sensitive element value threshold for at least one central touch sensitive element; and

a second touch sensitive element value threshold, less than the first touch sensitive element value, for a set of touch sensitive elements located about the at least one central touch sensitive element.

5. The user input device of claim 1, wherein upon a determination of the hovering finger condition the processing circuitry is further operable to adjust measuring sensitivity of a set of touch sensitive elements to increase z-axis sensitivity.

6. The user input device of claim 5, wherein the set of the plurality of touch sensitive elements reside about at least one touch sensitive element determined to be most proximate to the hovering finger.

7. The user input device of claim 1:

further comprising a touch pad display coupled to the processing circuitry and corresponding to the touch sensitive pad, the touch pad display having a plurality of display elements configured to display at least one simulated button, each simulated button corresponding to a plurality of touch sensitive elements; and

wherein upon determining the hovering finger condition, the processing circuitry is operable to cause the touch pad display to indicate partial depression of a simulated button proximate to the hovering finger.

8. The user input device of claim 7, wherein the processing circuitry is further operable to, upon determining the touching finger condition after determining the hovering finger condition, cause the touch pad display to indicate full depression of the simulated button.

9. The user input device of claim 1, wherein, to assist in detecting a hovering finger, the touch pad comprises:

a first set of touch sensitive elements having first element constructs; and

a second set of touch sensitive elements having second element constructs, the second element constructs differing from the first element constructs.

10. The user input device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further operable to transmit the position of the hovering finger in three-dimensions with respect to the touch sensitive pad to a remote device via the communications interface.

11. The user input device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of touch sensitive elements of the touch pad comprise one or more of:

a plurality of capacitance detection touch sensitive elements interspersed with a plurality of Radio Frequency (RF) impedance detection touch sensitive elements;

a plurality of inductance detection touch sensitive elements interspersed with a plurality of RF impedance detection touch sensitive elements; and

a plurality of capacitance detection touch sensitive elements interspersed with a plurality of inductance detection touch sensitive elements.

12. A method for operating a user input device that has a communications interface, at least one touch sensitive pad having a plurality of touch sensitive elements, and processing circuitry coupled to the communications interface and to the at least one touch sensitive pad, the method comprising:

scanning the plurality of touch sensitive elements to measure a plurality of touch sensitive element values;

comparing the plurality of touch sensitive element values to a hovering finger threshold pattern and, upon a favorable comparison;

determining a hovering finger condition; and

detecting a position of the hovering finger in three-dimensions with respect to the touch sensitive pad; and

comparing the plurality of touch sensitive element values to a touching finger threshold pattern and, upon a favorable comparison;

determining a touching finger condition; and

detecting a position of the touching finger upon the touch sensitive pad.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein touch sensitive element values are selected from the group consisting of:

touch sensitive element measured capacitance;

touch sensitive element measured inductance; and

touch sensitive element measured Radio Frequency (RF) impedance.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the user input device comprises one of:

video game controller input;

remote control input;

vehicle data input device input;

cellular telephone input;

portable electronic device input;

computer input; and

keypad replacement device input.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the hovering finger threshold pattern comprises:

a first touch sensitive element value threshold for at least one central touch sensitive element; and

a second touch sensitive element value threshold, less than the first touch sensitive element value, for a set of touch sensitive elements located about the at least one central touch sensitive element.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising, upon a determination of the hovering finger condition, adjusting measuring sensitivity of a set of touch sensitive elements to increase z-axis sensitivity.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the set of the plurality of touch sensitive elements reside about at least one touch sensitive element determined to be most proximate to the hovering finger.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

operating a touch pad display of the user input device that corresponds to the touch sensitive pad to display at least one simulated button, each simulated button corresponding to a plurality of touch sensitive elements; and

upon determining the hovering finger condition, causing the touch pad display to indicate partial depression of a simulated button proximate to the hovering finger.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising, upon determining the touching finger condition after determining the hovering finger condition, causing the touch pad display to indicate full depression of the simulated button.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein scanning the plurality of touch sensitive elements to measure a plurality of touch sensitive element values comprises:

receiving first touch sensitive element values from a first set of touch sensitive elements having first element constructs; and

receiving second touch sensitive element values a second set of touch sensitive elements having second element constructs, the second element constructs differing from the first element constructs.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising transmitting the position of the hovering finger in three-dimensions with respect to the touch sensitive pad to a remote device via the communications interface.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein scanning the plurality of touch sensitive elements to measure a plurality of touch sensitive element values comprises one of:

measuring capacitance of a first set of touch sensitive elements and measuring RF impedance of a second set of touch sensitive elements that are interspersed with the first set of touch sensitive elements;

measuring inductance of a first set of touch sensitive elements and measuring RF impedance of a second set of touch sensitive elements that are interspersed with the first set of touch sensitive elements; and

measuring capacitance of a first set of touch sensitive elements and measuring inductance of a second set of touch sensitive elements that are interspersed with the first set of touch sensitive elements.