Method and Apparatus for Classifying Touch Events on a Touch Sensitive Surface

• US 20140210788A1
• Filed: 04/01/2014
• Published: 07/31/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carnegie Mellon University
• Original Assignee: Carnegie Mellon University
• Inventors: Harrison, Chris, Schwarz, Julia, Hudson, Scott E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,465,494 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1636 Sensing arrangement for detection of a tap gesture on the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0433 in which the acoustic waves are either generated by a movable member and propagated within a surface layer or propagated within a surface layer and captured by a movable member

Abstract

An apparatus classifies touch events. The apparatus includes a touch sensitive surface configured to generate a touch event when an object touches the touch sensitive surface. The touch event entails a mechanical vibration upon contact with the surface. The apparatus includes a touch event detector configured to detect the onset of a touch, and a touch event classifier configured to classify the touch event to identify the object used for the touch event. The mechanical vibration is created via any one of finger parts including a tip, a pad, a fingernail, and a knuckle, each of which has a unique feature different from each other.

Claims

1. An apparatus for classifying touch events, the apparatus comprising:

a touch sensitive surface configured to generate a touch event when an object or finger touches the touch sensitive surface, wherein the touch event entails a mechanical vibration generated upon contact with the surface;

a touch event detector configured to detect the onset of a touch; and

a touch event classifier configured to classify the touch event to identify the object used for the touch event.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch event classifier comprises:

a conversion unit configured to convert a mechanical vibration signal into an electrical signal;

an extraction unit configured to derive a series of features representative of the touch event from the electrical signal; and

a classification unit configured to classify the touch input using the features to identify the object used for the touch event.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mechanical vibration comprises an acoustic signal.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch event detector is embedded in the apparatus to detect the touch event.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch event detector is attached to the touch sensitive surface to detect the touch event.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mechanical vibration is created via any one of finger parts including a tip, a pad, a fingernail, and a knuckle.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein each of the finger parts is used to provide a touch based interface.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein each of the finger parts are bound to different user interface actions.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the acoustic signal is created through the use of a passive tool impacting the touch sensitive surface.

10. A method for classifying touch events, the method comprising:

detecting a touch event, wherein the touch event is made by an object touching or striking a touch sensitive surface and entails an acoustic signal due to impacting the touch sensitive surface;

deriving a set of features representative of the touch event from the acoustic signal; and

classifying the touch event using the features to identify the object used for the touch event.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said detecting the touch event comprises capturing a mechanical vibration signal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said classification of the touch event comprises:

converting the mechanical vibration signal into an electrical signal;

extracting a series of features representative of the touch event from the electrical signal; and

classifying the touch event using the features to identify the object used for the touch event.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the mechanical vibration is created via any one of finger parts including a tip, a pad, a fingernail, and a knuckle.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the finger parts is used to provide input to a touch based interface.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the finger parts is used to input different user interface actions.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the mechanical vibration is created through the use of a passive tool impacting the touch sensitive surface.