INPUT TOOLS HAVING VIOBRO-ACOUSTICALLY DISTINCT REGIONS AND COMPUTING DEVICE FOR USE WITH THE SAME

• US 20140240295A1
• Filed: 02/28/2013
• Published: 08/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qeexo Co. (TDK Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Qeexo Co. (TDK Corporation)
• Inventors: HARRISON, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 9,019,244 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0393 Accessories for touch pads or touch screens, e.g. mechanical guides added to touch screens for drawing straight lines, hard keys overlaying touch screens or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• 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 input tool includes a body in the form of a stylus with plurality of vibro-acoustically distinct regions. The vibro-acoustically distinct regions produce vibro-acoustic responses when the regions touch the surface of the touch screen. The vibro-acoustic responses are used in a computing device to detect what region of the input tool was used.

Claims

1. An input tool for interacting with a touch screen, the input tool comprising:

a body in the form of a stylus, the body having one or more vibro-acoustically distinct regions, wherein each vibro-acoustically distinct region produces a discrete vibro-acoustic signal when it touches a surface of the touch screen, and the vibro-acoustic signal is used to detect what region of the input tool was used.

2. The input tool of claim 1, wherein the vibro-acoustically distinct regions have different materials.

3. The input tool of claim 1, wherein the vibro-acoustically distinct regions have different material properties.

4. The input tool of claim 1, wherein the vibro-acoustically distinct regions exhibit continuously varying material properties.

5. The input tool of claim 4, wherein the continuously varying material properties are heat-treatment gradients.

6. The input tool of claim 1, wherein the vibro-acoustically distinct regions are configured to switch along the primary axis of the body.

7. The input tool of claim 1, wherein the vitro-acoustically distinct regions are formed at either end or one end of the body.

8. The input tool of claim 1, wherein the vibro-acoustically distinct regions comprise swappable regions formed in the body.

9. The input tool of claim 1, wherein the vibro-acoustically distinct regions comprise retractable regions formed in the body.

10. A computing device comprising:

a touch screen;

an input tool having a body with one or more vibro-acoustically distinct regions, wherein each vibro-acoustically distinct region produces a discrete vibro-acoustic signal when it touches a surface of the touch screen;

a touch event detector configured to detect the vibro-acoustic signal resulting from the touch of the vibro-acoustically distinct region; and

a vibro-acoustic classifier configured to distinguish which region of the input tool was used using the vibro-acoustic signal.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the vibro-acoustic classifier comprises:

a conversion unit configured to convert the vibro-acoustic signal into an electrical signal;

an extraction unit configured to derive a series of features representative of the touch by the vibro-acoustically distinct region from the electrical signal; and

a classification unit configured to identify the vibro-acoustically distinct region of the input tool.

12. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the vibro-acoustically distinct regions are made from different materials.

13. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the vibro-acoustically distinct regions are made from different material properties.

14. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the vibro-acoustically distinct regions exhibits continuously varying material properties.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the continuously varying material properties are a heat-treatment gradient.

16. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the vibro-acoustically distinct regions are configured to switch along the primary axis of the body.

17. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the vibro-acoustically distinct regions are formed at either end or one end of the body.

18. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the vibro-acoustically distinct regions comprise swappable regions formed in the body.

19. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the vibro-acoustically distinct regions comprise retractable regions formed in the body.