ELECTRONIC DEVICE INCLUDING TOUCH-SENSITIVE DISPLAY AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING SAME

• US 20110291950A1
• Filed: 05/28/2010
• Published: 12/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: TONG, Kuo-Feng
• Application Number:
  US12/789,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20110291950A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation

Abstract

A method includes detecting a first touch at a first location and a second touch at a second location on a touch-sensitive display, determining a first force value and a second force value based on measured force values at force sensors, force sensor locations, and the first and second locations, determining a third force value based on the measured force values at force sensors, the force sensor locations, and the first and second locations, and pairing coordinate values of the first touch and the second touch based on the first force value, the second force value, and the third force value.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a first touch at a first location and a second touch at a second location on a touch-sensitive display;

determining a first force value and a second force value based on measured force values at force sensors, force sensor locations, and the first and second locations;

determining a third force value based on the measured force values at the force sensors, the force sensor locations, and the first and second locations;

pairing coordinate values of the first touch and the second touch based on the first force value, the second force value, and the third force value.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first force value and the second force value are determined based on distances, along a first coordinate axis, between the first location and the force sensor locations and between the second location and the force sensor locations, and wherein the third force value is determined based on distances, along a second coordinate axis, between the first location and the force sensor locations and between the second location and the force sensor locations.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first force value and the second force value are determined based on a torque balance in the first coordinate axis, and the third force value is determined based on a torque balance in the second coordinate axis.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first force value is related to the first touch and the second force value and third force value are related to the second touch.

5. The method according to claim 1, comprising determining a difference between the second force value the third force value.

6. The method according to claim 1, comprising determining a difference between the first force value and the third force value.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein pairing coordinate values of the first touch and the second touch comprises pairing based on a difference between the second force value and the third force value and a difference between first force value and the third force value.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein pairing comprises switching coordinate pairings when the difference between the second force value and the third force value is greater than the difference between first force value and the third force value.

9. The method according to claim 1, comprising selecting the first coordinate axis based on at least one of a difference between x coordinate values of the first touch and the second touch and a difference between y coordinate values of the first touch and the second touch.

10. The method according to claim 1, comprising associating force values determined for the first touch and the second touch with respective pairs of coordinate values.

11. The method according to claim 1, comprising determining an orientation of the electronic device and compensating for orientation of the electronic device based on gravity and a mass of the touch-sensitive display.

12. The method according to claim 1, comprising receiving the measured force values from four sensors, each located near a respective corner of the touch-sensitive display.

13. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable code executable by at least one processor of the portable electronic device to perform the method of claim 1.

14. An electronic device comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

a plurality of force sensors arranged and constructed to obtain measured force values on the touch-sensitive display;

a processor coupled to the force sensors and to the touch-sensitive display to;

detect a first touch at a first location and a second touch at a second location on the touch-sensitive display;

determine a first force value and a second force value based on the measured force values, force sensor locations, and the first and second locations;

determine a third force value based on the measured force values, the force sensor locations, and the first and second locations;

pair coordinate values of the first touch and the second touch based on the first force value, the second force value, and the third force value.

15. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein the first force value and the second force value are determined based on distances, along a first coordinate axis, between the first location and the force sensor locations and between the second location and the force sensor locations, and wherein the third force value is determined based on distances, along a second coordinate axis, between the first location and the force sensor locations and between the second location and the force sensor locations.

16. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein the first force value and the second force value are determined based on a torque balance in the first coordinate axis, and the third force value is determined based on a torque balance in the second coordinate axis.

17. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein coordinate values of the first touch and the second touch are paired based on at least one of:

a difference between the second force value and the third force value; and

a difference between the first force value and the third force value.

18. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein the coordinate values are paired by switching coordinate pairings when a difference between the second force value and the third force value is greater than a difference between the first force value and the third force value.

19. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein the first coordinate axis is selected based on at least one of a difference between x coordinate values of the first touch and the second touch and a difference between y coordinate values of the first touch and the second touch.

20. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein first force value and the second force value are associated with respective pairs of coordinate values.

21. The electronic device according to claim 14, comprising an accelerometer arranged and constructed to determine an orientation of the electronic device, wherein the processor adjusts the measured force values to compensate for the force of gravity and mass of the touch-sensitive display, based on the orientation of the electronic device.

22. A method comprising:

detecting a first touch and a second touch on a touch-sensitive display;

pairing coordinate values of the first touch and the second touch based on force values obtained from a plurality of force sensors.