Contact Geometry Tests

• US 20120188176A1
• Filed: 08/04/2011
• Published: 07/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Uzelac, Aleksandar, Stevens, David A., Zhao, Weidong, Shigemitsu, Takahiro, Willoughby, Briggs A., Pierce, John Graham, Santiago, Pravin Kumar, Ranta, Craig S., Wright, Timothy Allen, Maier, Jeffrey C., Perry, Robert T., Kirilov, Stanimir Naskov
• Granted Patent: US 9,965,094 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2221 to test input/output devices or peripheral units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• 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

Abstract

Touchscreen testing techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a piece of conductor (e.g., metal) is positioned as proximal to a touchscreen device and the touchscreen device is tested by simulating a touch of a user. This technique may be utilized to perform a variety of different testing of a touchscreen device, such as to test latency and probabilistic latency. Additional techniques are also described including contact geometry testing techniques.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

contacting a touchscreen device with a conductor having a defined geometry that is consistent;

placing the conductor in a grounded state such that the touchscreen device is capable of detecting the conductor as a touch input; and

testing contact geometry recognition of the touchscreen device using data generated by the touchscreen device responsive to the placing.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the testing includes centroid detection.

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the testing includes contact geometry resolution calibration.

4. A method as described in claim 3, wherein the contact geometry resolution calibration leverages data obtained from the touchscreen device that describes a height and width of the conductor as detected by the touchscreen device.

5. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the testing includes detecting a palm rejection threshold.

6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the testing includes determining linearity of a digitizer of the touchscreen device.

7. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the testing includes determining a threshold size at which a contact geometry of an input of a single conductor is artificially divided into two or more connected components.

8. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the conductor is not a body part.

9. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the conductor is inorganic.

10. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the placing is performed using an electrical switch.

12. A method as described in claim 10, wherein the plurality of grounded conductors are grounded using an electrical switch that is configured to place the plurality of conductors in grounded and ungrounded states.

13. A method as described in claim 10, wherein the testing includes centroid detection.

14. A method as described in claim 10, wherein the testing includes contact geometry resolution calibration.

15. A method as described in claim 14, wherein the contact geometry resolution calibration leverages data obtained from the touchscreen device that describes a height and width of the conductor as detected by the touchscreen device.

16. A method as described in claim 10, wherein the testing includes detecting a palm rejection threshold.

17. A method as described in claim 10, wherein the testing includes determining linearity of a digitizer of the touchscreen device.

18. A method as described in claim 10, wherein the testing includes determining a threshold size at which a contact geometry of an input of a single conductor is artificially divided into two or more connected components.

11. A method comprising:

contacting a touchscreen device with a plurality of grounded conductors, each of the conductors having a defined geometry that is consistent and having a size that is different, one to another;

gathering data from the touchscreen device that describes the contacting of the plurality of grounded conductors; and

testing the touchscreen device using the gathered data.

19. A method comprising:

contacting a touchscreen device with a piece of metal having a defined geometry and that is grounded;

moving the piece of metal across a surface of the touchscreen device during the contacting; and

testing centroid detection of the touchscreen device using data generated by the touchscreen device responsive to the moving.

20. A method as described in claim 19, wherein the piece of metal is grounded using an electric switch that is configured to place the piece of metal in grounded and ungrounded states.