Sensor array touchscreen recognizing finger flick gesture and other touch gestures

• US 8,717,303 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2007
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Advanced Touchscreen and Gesture Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Lester F. Ludwig
• Inventors: Ludwig, Lester F.
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, PREMAL R
• Application Number:
  US11/761,978
• Publication Number:
  US 20070229477A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,520 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/184, 341/34, 178/20.04
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/00 Details of electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0058 Transmission between separate instruments or between individual components of a musical system G10H1/0083 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0066 using a MIDI interface
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/348 Switches actuated by parts of the body other than fingers
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/46 Volume control
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/521 Hall effect transducers or similar magnetic field sensing semiconductor devices, e.g. for string vibration sensing or key movement sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/525 Piezoelectric transducers for vibration sensing or vibration excitation in the audio range; Piezoelectric strain sensing, e.g. as key velocity sensor; Piezoelectric actuators, e.g. key actuation in response to a control voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/095 Spint zither, i.e. mimicking any neckless stringed instrument in which the strings do not extend beyond the sounding board
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/101 Spint koto, i.e. mimicking any traditional asian-style plucked zither with movable bridges
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/115 Spint sitar, i.e. mimicking any long-necked plucked string instrument with a large number of additional non-playable sympathetic resonating strings or an additional gourd-like resonating chamber
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/145 Spint guitar keyboard, i.e. mimicking a combination of a guitar-like instrument, with or without strings, and a piano-like keyboard, e.g. with white and black keys arranged like on a piano
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/271 Spint gong, i.e. mimicking circular flat, nippled or bowl-shaped metallic percussion instruments G10H2230/321 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/18 using a string, e.g. electric guitar mechanical features G10D1/085
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/26 : using electric feedback
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 84/10 : Feedback

Abstract

Touchscreen user interfaces for controlling software applications, computers, devices, machinery, and process environments with at least finger flick touch gestures. Such user interfaces can be manipulated by users and provide a wide range of uses with computer applications, assistance to the disabled, and control of electronic devices, machines, and processes. Enhancements can include velocity and pressure sensing capabilities. The touchscreen can be realized with a transparent touch sensor array positioned over a visual display. Dynamically assigned labels can be provided by the visual display. Gestures other than finger flicks can be recognized. Multitouch capabilities can be included that are responsive to additional contact, for example by other parts of a user hand. Displayed visual content, including visual content selection, motion, and sizing, can be controlled by finger flicks and other touch gestures. Finger movement trajectories can be tracked, and pluralities of control parameters can be associated with each gesture.

Claims

1. A method of controlling visual output produced by an application, the method comprising:

sensing a contiguous region of contact from at least a portion of a human hand on a surface of a transparent touchpad, the transparent touchpad comprising a sensor array comprising a plurality of sensors, each sensor having a unique spatial location and an associated unique address, the transparent touch pad for positioning over a visual display, the sensing comprising generation of sensor measurement values associated with each of the plurality of sensors;

identifying a plurality of sensor spatial locations having associated sensor measurement values responsive to the sensed contiguous region of contact;

measuring a change in at least one of the associated sensor measurement values;

interpreting the measured change in sensor measurement values as a touch gesture;

deriving a value of at least one control parameter for the contiguous region of contact responsive to the measured change in sensor measurement values by performing a calculation on the associated sensor measurement values; and

assigning at least one derived control parameter to a specific control signal,

wherein the at least one control parameter is associated with the touch gesture;

wherein the touch gesture comprises a finger flick touch gesture recognized from sequential dynamics among postures derived from pressure profiles.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein sensing the contact comprises determining the pressure values and coordinates for selected pixels associated with the sensor array comprised by the transparent touchpad.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a pressure distribution for the region of contact.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a pattern for the region of contact.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising using pattern recognition to identify the pattern.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the contiguous region of measurement values associated with the sensed region of contact includes comprises identifying a point of contact for the sensed region of contact relative to the surface of the transparent touchpad.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the contiguous region of measurement values associated with the sensed contact comprises measurement values that exceed a threshold.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising tracking a trajectory of movement of the portion of the human hand contacting the surface of the transparent touchpad.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein dynamically assigned labels are provided by the visual display.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one control parameter is responsive to a geometric center of the contiguous region of measurement values.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one control parameter is responsive to a center of pressure of the contiguous region of measurement values.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one control parameter is responsive to an average pressure of the contiguous region of measurement values.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one control parameter is responsive to a total size of the contiguous region of measurement values.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one control parameter is responsive to a second-order geometric moment of the contiguous region of measurement values.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one control parameter is responsive to a higher-order geometric moment of the contiguous region of measurement values.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one control parameter is responsive to a second-order pressure moment of the contiguous region of measurement values.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one control parameter is responsive to a higher-order pressure moment of the contiguous region of measurement values.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising the sensing of at least a second contiguous region of contact from another portion of a human hand on a surface of the transparent touchpad.

19. The method of claim 18, deriving a value of at least another control parameter responsive the second contiguous region of contact which can be used by a software application.

20. An apparatus for controlling visual output produced by an application, the apparatus comprising:

a transparent touchpad having a contiguous region sensing contact from at least a portion of a human hand on a surface of the transparent touchpad, the transparent touch pad comprising a sensor array having a plurality of sensors, each sensor having a unique spatial location and an associated unique address, the transparent touchpad for positioning over a visual display, the sensing comprising generation of sensor measurement values associated with each of the plurality of sensors;

a plurality of sensor spatial locations having associated sensor measurement values responsive to the sensed contiguous region of contact;

a value of at least one control parameter for the contiguous region of contact responsive to a measured change in at least one of the associated sensor measurement values, the value obtained by performing a calculation on the associated sensor measurement values and interpreting the results as signifying a touch gesture, wherein the at least one control parameter is associated with the touch gesture; and

at least one derived control parameter assigned to a specific control signal;

wherein the touch gesture comprises a finger flick touch gesture recognized from sequential dynamics among postures derived from pressure profiles.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the transparent touch pad senses the contact by determining the pressure values and coordinates for selected pixels associated with the portion of the human hand on the surface of the transparent touchpad.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the transparent touch pad further determines a pressure distribution for the region of contact.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the transparent touch pad further identifies a pattern for the region of contact.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the transparent touch pad defines defining the contiguous region of measurement values associated with the sensed region of contact comprises identifying a point of contact for the sensed region of contact relative to the surface of the transparent touchpad.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein dynamically assigned labels are provided by the visual display.

26. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein defining the contiguous region of measurement values associated with the sensed contact comprises measurement values that exceed a threshold.

27. The apparatus of claim 20, the transparent touch pad further tracks a trajectory of movement of the portion of the human hand contacting the surface of the transparent touchpad.

28. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein at least one control parameter is responsive to a geometric center of the contiguous region of measurement values.

30. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein at least one control parameter is responsive to an average pressure of the contiguous region of measurement values.

31. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein at least one control parameter is responsive to a total size of the contiguous region of measurement values.

32. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the transparent touch pad further senses at least a second contiguous region of contact from another portion of a human hand on a surface of the transparent touchpad, and the apparatus further derives a value of at least another control parameter responsive the second contiguous region of contact which can be used by the software application.

29. The apparatus of 20, wherein at least one control parameter is responsive to a center of pressure of the contiguous region of measurement values.

33. An apparatus comprising:

a transparent touch sensor array comprising a plurality of transparent sensors positioned over a display associated with the apparatus to form a transparent touch pad, wherein the transparent touch sensor array is capable of sensing contact with one or more fingers on a corresponding contiguous region on the transparent touch pad, wherein each transparent sensor of the plurality of transparent sensors has a corresponding spatial location, associated address, and is configured to provide associated sensor measurement values;

a plurality of control parameters associated with a set of gestures, each of the set of gestures associated with a measured change to at least one of the associated sensor measurement values, the set of gestures including a finger-flick touch gesture, wherein at least one of the plurality of control parameters is derived from recognizing the finger-flick touch gesture from sequential dynamics among postures derived from pressure profiles; and

a plurality of control signals associated with the plurality of control parameters; and

wherein the set of gestures correspond to interactions with displayed visual content of an application operating on the apparatus.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the postures are derived from a single continuous touching of the transparent touch sensor array.

35. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the display is configured to dynamically provide at least one label at a corresponding spatial location of at least one of the plurality for transparent sensors in response to the control signals.

36. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the controlling displayed visual content comprises controlling at least one of a selection, a motion, and a sizing of the displayed visual content.