System and Methods for Controlling a Cursor Based on Finger Pressure and Direction

• US 20160132139A1
• Filed: 11/10/2015
• Published: 05/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2014
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Koh, Joon Mo, Kwon, Jun Hyung, Du, Junchen, Zhou, Bo, Bi, Ning, Dowlat, Homayoun, Jalil, Suhail
• Application Number:
  US14/937,306
• Publication Number:
  US 20160132139A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for implementing a virtual mouse. In one embodiment, the functions implemented include activating the virtual mouse, determining a location of a cursor icon associated with the virtual mouse, and deactivating the virtual mouse. In various embodiments, the position of virtual mouse is determined by a processor based upon an orientation or position of a finger touching a touchscreen and a measured or calculated pressure applied by the finger to the touchscreen.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a processor for implementing a virtual mouse on a touchscreen of a computing device, comprising:

activating the virtual mouse during single-handed use of the computing device by a user;

determining a location of the virtual mouse on the touchscreen by;

identifying a touch area associated with a user touch event;

collecting touch data from the identified touch area;

determining pressure and direction parameters associated with the user touch event; and

calculating a position on the touchscreen based on the pressure and direction parameters associated with the user touch event; and

displaying a cursor icon on the touchscreen at the determined location of the virtual mouse.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed cursor icon is configured to extend beyond a reach of a user'"'"'s finger during single-handed use.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the virtual mouse comprises detecting a touch event in a predetermined virtual mouse activation area of a touchscreen display of the computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the virtual mouse comprises automatically initiating activation upon detecting that the computing device is held in a manner consistent with single-handed use by the user.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining, while the virtual mouse is activated, whether a deactivation event is detected on the computing device; and

deactivating the virtual mouse in response to determining that the deactivation event is detected.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining, while the virtual mouse is activated, whether a deactivation event is detected on the computing device comprises determining whether a touch event is detected in the predetermined virtual mouse activation area.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the direction associated with the user touch event is based at least in part on an orientation of a major axis of an ellipse fitted to the touch area.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

determining the pressure parameter associated with the user touch event is based on at least one of an area of the ellipse fitted to the touch area, and a touch pressure; and

calculating a location of the virtual mouse comprises calculating a vector representing the location of the virtual mouse, wherein a magnitude of the calculated vector is based at least in part on the determined pressure parameter.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the vector representing the location of the virtual mouse comprises calculating a resultant vector of an equation:

c+kpf, wherein;

c represents a vector from an initial reference point to a center point of the ellipse fitted to the touch area;

k represents a scaling factor;

p represents the determined pressure parameter; and

f represents a vector corresponding to the orientation of the major axis of the ellipse fitted to the touch area.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein calculating the vector representing the location of the virtual mouse comprises calculating a resultant vector of an equation:

c+kp(c−

r), wherein;

c represents a vector from an initial reference point to a center point of the ellipse fitted to the touch area;

r represents a vector from the initial reference point to a corner of the touchscreen display that is closest to the center point of the ellipse;

k represents a scaling factor; and

p represents the determined pressure parameter, and f represents a vector corresponding to the orientation of the major axis of the ellipse fitted to the touch area.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a selection input is received while the projected cursor icon is located within a threshold distance of a Graphical User Interface (GUI) element displayed on the touchscreen; and

executing an operation associated with the GUI element in response to determining that the selection input is received while the projected cursor icon is located within a threshold distance of a Graphical User Interface (GUI) element displayed on the touchscreen.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising automatically deactivating the virtual mouse after execution of the operation associated with the GUI element.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting whether the projected cursor icon is positioned within a threshold distance from an operable Graphical User Interface (GUI) element displayed on the touchscreen; and

drawing the projected cursor icon to the operable GUI element in response to detecting that the cursor icon is positioned within the threshold distance.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting whether the projected cursor icon has moved more than a predetermined non-zero distance away from a currently-selected operable Graphical User Interface (GUI) element; and

deselecting the operable GUI element in response to detecting that the projected cursor icon has moved more than the predetermined non-zero distance from the currently-selected operable GUI element.

15. A computing device, comprising:

a touchscreen;

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the touchscreen and the memory, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

activating a virtual mouse during single-handed use of the computing device by a user;

determining a location of the virtual mouse on the touchscreen by;

identifying a touch area associated with a user touch event;

collecting touch data from the identified touch area;

determining pressure and direction parameters associated with the user touch event; and

calculating a position on the touchscreen based on the pressure and direction parameters associated with the user touch event; and

displaying a cursor icon on the touchscreen at the determined location of the virtual mouse,

wherein the projected cursor icon is positioned to extend beyond a reach of a user'"'"'s thumb or finger during single-handed use.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that the displayed cursor icon is configured to extend beyond a reach of a user'"'"'s finger during single handed use.

17. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that activating the virtual mouse comprises detecting a touch event in a predetermined virtual mouse activation area of a touchscreen display of the computing device.

18. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions such that activating the virtual mouse comprises automatically initiating activation upon detecting that the computing device is held in a manner consistent with single-handed use by the user.

19. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

determining, while the virtual mouse is activated, whether a deactivation event is detected on the computing device; and

deactivating the virtual mouse in response to determining that the deactivation event is detected.

20. The computing device of claim 19, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions such that determining, while the virtual mouse is activated, whether a deactivation event is detected comprises determining whether a touch event is detected in the predetermined virtual mouse activation area.

21. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions such that determining the direction associated with the user touch event is based at least in part on an orientation of a major axis of an ellipse fitted to the touch area.

22. The computing device of claim 21, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions such that:

determining the pressure parameter associated with the user touch event is based on at least one of an area of the ellipse fitted to the touch area, and a touch pressure; and

calculating a location of the virtual mouse comprises calculating a vector representing the location of the virtual mouse, wherein a magnitude of the calculated vector is based at least in part on the determined pressure parameter.

23. The computing device of claim 22, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions such that calculating the vector representing the location of the virtual mouse comprises calculating a resultant vector of an equation:

c+kpf, wherein;

c represents a vector from an initial reference point to a center point of the ellipse fitted to the touch area;

k represents a scaling factor;

p represents the determined pressure parameter; and

f represents a vector corresponding to the orientation of the major axis of the ellipse fitted to the touch area.

24. The computing device of claim 22, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions such that calculating the vector representing the location of the virtual mouse comprises calculating a resultant vector of an equation:

c+kp(c−

r), wherein;

c represents a vector from an initial reference point to a center point of the ellipse fitted to the touch area;

r represents a vector from the initial reference point to a corner of the touchscreen display that is closest to the center point of the ellipse;

k represents a scaling factor; and

p represents the determined pressure parameter, and f represents a vector corresponding to the orientation of the major axis of the ellipse fitted to the touch area.

25. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

determining whether a selection input is received while the projected cursor icon is located within a threshold distance of a Graphical User Interface (GUI) element displayed on the touchscreen; and

executing an operation associated with the GUI element in response to determining that the selection input is received while the projected cursor icon is located within a threshold distance of a Graphical User Interface (GUI) element displayed on the touchscreen.

26. The computing device of claim 25, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising automatically deactivating the virtual mouse after execution of the operation associated with the GUI element.

27. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

detecting whether the projected cursor icon is positioned within a threshold distance from an operable Graphical User Interface (GUI) element displayed on the touchscreen; and

drawing the projected cursor icon to the operable GUI element in response to detecting that the projected cursor icon is positioned within the threshold distance.

28. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

detecting whether the projected cursor icon has moved more than a predetermined non-zero distance away from a currently-selected operable Graphical User Interface (GUI) element; and

deselecting the operable GUI element in response to detecting that the projected cursor icon has moved more than the predetermined non-zero distance from the currently-selected operable GUI element.

29. A computing device, comprising:

a touchscreen;

means for activating a virtual mouse during single-handed use of the computing device by a user;

means for determining a location of the virtual mouse on the touchscreen comprising;

means for identifying a touch area associated with a user touch event;

means for collecting touch data from the identified touch area;

means for determining pressure and direction parameters associated with the user touch event; and

means for calculating a position on the touchscreen based on the pressure and direction parameters associated with the user touch event; and

means for displaying a cursor icon onto the touchscreen at the determined location of the virtual mouse.

30. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable instructions configured to cause a processor of a computing device to perform operations comprising:

activating a virtual mouse during single-handed use of the computing device by a user;

determining a location of the virtual mouse on a touchscreen by;

identifying a touch area associated with a user touch event;

collecting touch data from the identified touch area;

determining pressure and direction parameters associated with the user touch event; and

calculating a position on the touchscreen based on the pressure and direction parameters associated with the user touch event; and

displaying a cursor icon onto the touchscreen at the determined location of the virtual mouse.