Command set for touchpad pen-input mouse

• US 6,061,051 A
• Filed: 01/17/1997
• Issued: 05/09/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cirrus Logic Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Tritech Microelectronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Ng, Maisy Mun Lan, Chan, Chow Fong, Geng, Xia, Lim, Swee Hock Alvin, Ong, Eng Yue
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US08/785,726
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/173, 345/174, 345/175, 178/18, 178/19
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

A method and system for issuing pen-input commands from a computer system to a controller for a touchpad to initialize the controller to the desired operating mode for the touchpad. The touchpad may emulate the function of a mouse pointing device or provide absolute coordinates of a pointed object such as human finger, a stylus, or a pen upon the touchpad. The pen-input commands will set the autocursor mode and boundaries for the edgezone and the deadzone upon the touchpad, the times for the presence detect signal to create the stroke signal, the threshold of movement of the pointed object upon the touchpad necessary to send the mouse protocols to the computer system, the mode of the pen-input mouse controller is to operate, whether the pen-input mouse controller is to send the mouse protocol or the pen-input computer interface protocol to the computer system, the averaging algorithm to used by the absolute coordinate calculator, the minimum pressure required to activate the touchpad, the parameters for the autocursor mode operation, and the time parameters for the autopower save circuit.

Claims

1. A touchpad-computer system communication method to permit a computer system to command a touchpad controller to configure the operating parameters of said touchpad controller to emulate the functions of a mouse pointing device to control a cursor upon a display screen of said computer system as a pointed object is moved on a touchpad connected to said touchpad controller, if a mouse mode is selected and to initialize said touchpad controller to provide absolute coordinates of the pointed object as it moved on said touchpad if a pen-input mode is selected, comprising the steps of:

a) transmitting a single configuration command of a plurality of configuration commands from a computer system to a pen-input mouse controller to configure said pen-input mouse controller;

b) interpreting said single configuration command;

c) configuring said pen-input mouse controller as requested by said computer system; and

d) transmitting a response code from said pen-input mouse controller to said computer system as required by said single configuration command;

whereby said plurality of configuration commands comprises;

a set autocursor mode command to activate an autocursor mode, deactivate said autocursor mode, to set said autocursor mode to move the cursor only and to set said autocursor mode to move said cursor and an object upon the display screen attached to said cursor;

a set edgezone boundary command to establish a first boundary between a workzone and an edgezone upon said touchpad;

a set first minimum edge movement threshold command to set a value of the absolute digital codes at which the autocursor mode is be conditionally activated, wherein said set first minimum edge movement threshold command contains the value of a minimum distance between a last sampling of the absolute digital codes prior to the pointed object crossing the boundary of the edgezone and a first sampling of the absolute digital codes subsequent to crossing said boundary of the edgezone to conditionally activate the autocursor mode;

a set second minimum edge movement threshold command to set a value of the absolute digital codes at which the autocursor mode is be unconditionally activated, wherein said set second minimum edge movement threshold command contains the value of the minimum distance from said first sampling of the absolute digital codes subsequent to crossing said boundary of the edgezone to a second sampling of the absolute digital codes subsequent to crossing said boundary of the edgezone to unconditionally activate the autocursor mode;

a set constrained speed command to establish a constrained speed component of autocursor digital codes to move said cursor upon said display screen in a constrained motion direction;

a set free speed command to establish a free speed component of said autocursor digital codes to move said cursor upon said display screen in a free motion direction; and

a set deadzone boundary command to establish the boundary between the edgezone and the deadzone, wherein said set deadzone boundary command contains the value of the absolute coordinates for this boundary.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said plurality of configuration commands further comprises:

a set autopower save time command to establish the amount of time that the pointed object must be not in contact for the autopower save circuitry to create the autopower save signal to power down the pen-input mouse controller, wherein said set autopower save time command contains a code that indicates the amount of time that the pen must not be in contact with the touchpad.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said plurality of configuration commands further comprises:

a) a set first finger on time command to establish the amount of time that the pointed object must on the touchpad surface to establish the stroke signal that contains the single click, double click, move, press, and drag mouse operations;

b) a set second finger off time command to establish the amount of time that the pointed object must off the touchpad surface to establish the stroke signal that contains the single click, double click, move, press, and drag mouse operations;

c) a set third finger on time command to establish the amount of time that the pointed object must on the touchpad surface to establish the stroke signal that contains the double click, press, and drag mouse operations;

d) set fourth finger off time command to establish the amount of time that the pointed object must off the touchpad surface to establish the stroke signal that contains the double click.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said plurality of configuration commands further comprises:

a) set minimum mouse movement threshold to set the minimum increment in the value of relative motion digital codes that will be reported to the computer system; and

b) set pen input mode to change the operation of the pen-input mouse controller to either the pen-input mode, if mouse mode is selected to report the absolute relative motion digital codes to the computer system and to the mouse mode if pen-input is selected to report to the relative motion digital codes to the computer system.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said plurality of configuration commands further comprises:

a) set three dimensional mode to set the pen-input mouse controller to report either the relative motion digital codes if selected and the absolute coordinate digital codes and the pressure digital codes if selected, wherein the pressure digital codes will contain the vertical information and may be used to sense the distance the pointed object is from the surface of the touchpad for a capacitive touchpad or the pressure the pointed object upon the touchpad for a resistive touchpad; and

b) set selected mouse protocol mode command to instruct the pen-input mouse controller to transmit the relative motion digital codes according to a selected industry standard mouse protocol.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said plurality of configuration commands further comprises:

a) set average algorithm command to instruct the pen-input mouse controller an averaging algorithm of the set of averaging algorithms to use during the pen-input mode, wherein said algorithm will establish the absolute coordinate digital codes; and

b) set pressure threshold command set the minimum pressure of the pointed object upon the touchpad necessary to activate the touchpad and have the pen-input mouse controller report the mouse motion digital codes or the absolute coordinate digital codes.

7. A touchpad-computer communication system to transfer digital codes between a computer system and touchpad controller, wherein said digital codes include a plurality of configuration commands that instruct said touchpad controller to assume one of a set of operating modes, a set of mouse motion digital codes, and a set of pen-input digital codes, comprising:

a) Computer system communication adapter coupled to said computer system to transmit said plurality of input commands to the touchpad controller from said computer system, and to receive the mouse motion digital codes and the pen-input digital codes form the touchpad controller to said computer system;

b) A communication medium to convey the digital codes between the touchpad controller and the computer system adapter; and

c) The touchpad controller that will detect a presence of a pointed object upon a surface, convert said presence to a set of digital codes that indicate absolute location and force of said pointed object upon said surface,

if a pen input mode is selected and to a speed and direction set of digital codes that conform to industry standard computer input mouse protocols,

if a mouse mode is selected and transmit such codes through the communication medium, and

receive the plurality of pen input commands to configure the operating parameters of said touchpad controller;

whereby said plurality of configuration commands comprise;

a set autocursor mode command to activate an autocursor mode, deactivate said autocursor mode, to set said autocursor mode to move the cursor only and to set said autocursor mode to move said cursor and an object upon the display screen attached to said cursor;

a set edgezone boundary command to establish a first boundary between a workzone and an edgezone upon said touchpad;

a set first minimum edge movement threshold command to set a value of the absolute digital codes at which the autocursor mode is be conditionally activated, wherein said set first minimum edge movement threshold command contains the value of a minimum distance between a last sampling of the absolute digital codes prior to the pointed object crossing the boundary of the edgezone and a first sampling of the absolute digital codes subsequent to crossing said boundary of the edgezone to conditionally activate the autocursor mode;

a set second minimum edge movement threshold command to set a value of the absolute digital codes at which the autocursor mode is be unconditionally activated, wherein said set second minimum edge movement threshold command contains the value of the minimum distance from said first sampling of the absolute digital codes subsequent to crossing said boundary of the edgezone to a second sampling of the absolute digital codes subsequent to crossing said boundary of the edgezone to unconditionally activate the autocursor mode;

a set constrained speed command to establish a constrained speed component of autocursor digital codes to move said cursor upon said display screen in a constrained motion direction;

a set free speed command to establish a free speed component of said autocursor digital codes to move said cursor upon said display screen in a free motion direction; and

a set deadzone boundary command to establish the boundary between the edgezone and the deadzone, wherein said set deadzone boundary command contains the value of the absolute coordinates for this boundary.

8. The communication system of claim 7 wherein said plurality of configuration commands further comprises:

a set autopower save time command to establish the amount of time that the pointed object must be not in contact for the autopower save circuitry to create the autopower save signal to power down the pen-input mouse controller, wherein said set autopower save time command contains a code that indicates the amount of time that the pen must not be in contact with the touchpad.

9. The communication system of claim 7 wherein said plurality of configuration commands further comprises:

a) a set first finger on time command to establish the amount of time that the pointed object must on the touchpad surface to establish the stroke signal that contains the single click, double click, move, press, and drag mouse operations;

b) a set second finger off time command to establish the amount of time that the pointed object must off the touchpad surface to establish the stroke signal that contains the single click, double click, move, press, and drag mouse operations;

c) a set third finger on time command to establish the amount of time that the pointed object must on the touchpad surface to establish the stroke signal that contains the double click, press, and drag mouse operations;

d) set fourth finger off time command to establish the amount of time that the pointed object must off the touchpad surface to establish the stroke signal that contains the double click.

10. The communication system of claim 7 wherein said plurality of configuration commands further comprises:

a) set minimum mouse movement threshold to set the minimum increment in the value of the relative motion digital codes that will be reported to the computer system; and

b) set pen input mode to change the operation of the pen-input mouse controller to either the pen-input mode, if mouse mode is selected to report the absolute relative motion digital codes to the computer system and to the mouse mode if pen-input is selected to report to the relative motion digital codes to the computer system.

11. The communication system of claim 7 wherein said plurality of configuration commands further comprises:

a) set three dimensional mode to set the pen-input mouse controller to report either the relative motion digital codes if selected and the absolute coordinate digital codes and the pressure digital codes if selected, wherein the pressure digital codes will contain the vertical information and may be used to sense the distance the pointed object is from the surface of the touchpad for a capacitive touch pad or the pressure the pointed object upon the touchpad for a resistive touchpad; and

b) set selected mouse protocol mode command to instruct the pen-input mouse controller to transmit the relative motion digital codes according to a selected industry standard mouse protocol.

12. The communication system of claim 7 wherein said plurality of configuration commands further comprises:

a) set average algorithm command to instruct the pen-input mouse controller an averaging algorithm of the set of averaging algorithms to use during the pen-input mode, wherein said algorithm will establish the absolute coordinate digital codes; and

b) set pressure threshold command set the minimum pressure of the pointed object upon the touchpad necessary to activate the touchpad and have the pen-input mouse controller report the mouse motion digital codes or the absolute coordinate digital codes.

13. The system of claim 7 wherein the mouse motion digital codes define a direction and a speed for a cursor to move upon a display screen of said computer system.

14. The system of claim 7 wherein the pen-input digital codes define absolute coordinates of a pointed object upon said touchpad connected to said touchpad controller.