Information Handling System Variable Capacitance Totem Input Management

• US 20180129335A1
• Filed: 11/09/2016
• Published: 05/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Stone, Larry A., Files, Jace W., Yildiz, Yagiz C.
• Granted Patent: US 10,139,951 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 3/04162 for exchanging data with external devices, e.g. smart pens, via the digitiser sensing hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0441 using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for receiving changes in electrical potential transmitted by the digitiser, e.g. tablet driving signals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0442 using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for transmitting changes in electrical potential to be received by the digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An information handling system touchscreen display interacts with totem devices by recognizing and tracking spectral signatures of the totem devices so that totem positions are reported as a single length, width and rotational orientation message to a host operating system. Ignore zones and hysteresis time periods are defined from the position message based upon totem context so that the host operating system processes touchscreen inputs with minimal latency and improved accuracy. Communication and battery charging are provided to the totem by the touchscreen display will illumination directed to the totem position.

Claims

1. An information handling system comprising:

a processor operable to execute instructions to process information;

a memory interfaced with the processor, the memory operable to store the information;

a display interfaced with the processor and memory, the display operable to present the information as visual images, the display having touchscreen operable to detect touch inputs made at the display;

a totem resting on the touchscreen, the totem having a body with a bottom surface and on or more contact surfaces extending from the bottom surface, one or more of the contact surfaces having a conductive interface to the body, the conductive interface biased to a non-conductive state and moveable to a conductive state by a force pressing on the totem body towards the display; and

a touch controller interfaced with the touchscreen and the processor, the touch controller operable to analyze touches detected at the touchscreen and to differentiate inputs based at least in part upon whether one or more of the contact surfaces have a conductive state or non-conductive state.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the touch controller comprises a digital signal processor having a spectral analysis engine tuned to differentiate the conductive state and non-conductive state.

3. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the touch controller ignores inputs associated with the totem unless predetermined of the contact surfaces have the conductive state.

4. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the one or more contact surfaces comprise plural feet and wherein the touch controller enforces an ignore zone extending from an outer periphery of the totem for a predetermined distance if plural of the predetermined feet have the conductive state.

5. The information handling system of claim 4 wherein the predetermined feet comprise plural feet distributed at the periphery of the totem, the conductive state indicating a user hand placed on the totem.

6. The information handling system of claim 4 wherein the conductive interface to the body comprises a spring disposed between each of the plural feet and the body, each spring biasing an associated of the plural feet to a non-conductive state.

7. The information handling system of claim 6 further comprising a battery disposed in the totem and providing a charge to each of the plural feet when in a conductive state.

8. The information handling system of claim 4 wherein the touch controller applies a first hysteresis if the plural feet have a first conductive state and a second hysteresis if the plural feet have a second conductive state.

9. A method for interfacing an information handling system with a totem device, the method comprising:

detecting one or more contact surfaces of the totem on a touchscreen display surface;

determining the totem in a conductive state if the one or more contact surfaces feet have a first capacitance;

determining the totem in a non-conductive state if the one or more contact surfaces have a second capacitance; and

responding to totem inputs in a first manner if a conductive state is determined and a second manner if a non-conductive state is determined.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

biasing the one or more contact surfaces away from a totem body; and

pressing the one or more contact surfaces towards the totem body to create the conductive state_;

the one or more contact surfaces having an increased capacitance when in proximity to the totem body.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the pressing the one or more contact surfaces towards the totem body to create the conductive state further comprises creating the conductive state by interfacing a charge from the totem body with the one or more contact surfaces.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the one or more contact surfaces comprises plural feet and the biasing the plural feet away from the totem body further comprises disposing a spring between each of the plural feet and the totem body.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the responding to totem inputs further comprises ignoring totem inputs in the non-conductive state.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

forwarding totem inputs to an operating system in the conductive state, the totem inputs forwarded as length, width and rotational orientation; and

ignoring touch inputs at the touchscreen display in the conductive state within a predetermined distance to a periphery of the totem.

15. An information handling system totem input device comprising:

a main body sized to accept inputs from an end user hand;

plural feet extending from the main body bottom surface;

plural biasing devices, each biasing device disposed between one of the plural feet and the main body and acting to separate the associated of the plural feet from the main body; and

a touch controller interfaced with a capacitive touch sensor and operable to detect first and second conductive states associated with the plural feet based at least in part upon the distance between the plural feet and the main body.

16. The information handling system totem input device of claim 15 further comprising a charge stored in the main body, the charge communicated to the plural feet at a predetermined distance between the main body and the plural feet.

17. The information handling system totem input device of claim 16 wherein the predetermined distance is triggered by a predetermined weight resting on the main body.

18. The information handling system totem input device of claim 16 wherein the charge comprises a battery disposed in the main body.

19. The information handling system totem input device of claim 16 wherein the predetermined distance depends at least in part upon the availability of camera images captured of the totem.

20. The information handling system totem input device of claim 15 wherein the touch controller is further operable to enforce ignore zones at the capacitive touch sensor based at least in part upon whether the first or second conductive state exists.