Multi-touch detection

• US 8,754,866 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2012
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Evans, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Jimmy H
• Application Number:
  US13/717,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20130127761A1
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-158, 345173-178
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/876 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S15/872 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/87 Combinations of systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/497 Means for monitoring or calibrating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• 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 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves

Abstract

A multi-touch system is provided. The multi-touch system includes a multi-touch detection area generated by a mobile device and a first communication device, the mobile device and first or second communication device being movable relative to each other. The mobile device is operable to determine a first set of coordinates for a first detectable object within the multi-touch detection area as a function of: a distance between the mobile device and the first communication device, a distance between the mobile device and first detectable object, and a distance between the first communication device and first detectable object.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of mobile devices including a first mobile device and a second mobile device, the mobile devices configured to communicate on a wireless network, and the mobile devices stationed to define a detectable region based on respective locations of the mobile devices so that objects within the detectable region are detectable by each of the plurality of the mobile devices; and

a processor configured to;

communicate with the mobile devices;

define a detection area within the detectable region based on detection criteria;

detect entry and removal of a detectable object into the detection area;

define a coordinate system for the detection area;

determine a set of coordinates for the detectable object within the coordinate system, the set of coordinates indicative of a location of the detectable object in the detection area, the set of coordinates determined based on;

a distance between the first mobile device and the second mobile device,

a distance between the first mobile device and the detectable object, and

a distance between the second mobile device and the detectable object; and

control an application based on the set of coordinates determined for the detectable object.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to use a triangulation process to determine the set of coordinates for the detectable object.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of coordinates is a first set of coordinates, the detectable object is a first detectable object, and the processor is further configured to determine a second set of coordinates for a second detectable object entering the coordinate system based on:

a distance between the first mobile device and a third mobile device included among the mobile devices,

a distance between the first mobile device and the second detectable object, and

a distance between the third mobile device and the second detectable object, wherein the second set of coordinates is indicative of a location of the second detectable object in the detection area.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to control the application using the second set of coordinates.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the detection area is a multi-touch detection area that is used to detect the first detectable object and the second detectable object within the detection area substantially simultaneously.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein each of the first mobile device, the second mobile device, and the third mobile device includes a measuring device configured to determine a distance.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the mobile devices is a cellular telephone, a laptop computer, or a personal digital assistant.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein an application image of the application is displayed on a display device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the display device is configured to project a display of the application onto the detection area.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to control the display device to display the application.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to detect the removal of the detectable object from the detection area, and the processor is further configured to detect reintroduction of the detectable object into the detection area at the location substantially indicated by the set of coordinates, wherein the reintroduction of the detectable object occurs within a predetermined threshold time from the removal of the detectable object from the detection area.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the detection criteria defines a shape of the detection area, a size of the detection area, or a detectable area of the detection area based on a threshold value related to strength of detection.

13. A method comprising:

defining, using a processor, a detection area within a detectable region proximate to a plurality of mobile devices based on a detection criteria, wherein the plurality of mobile devices are arranged to define the detectable region in which objects are detectable by each of the plurality of the mobile devices;

defining, using the processor, a coordinate system to designate locations within the detection area;

determining, using the processor, a set of coordinates for a detectable object within the coordinate system using a distance from the detectable object to one of the mobile devices and a distance from the detectable object to another one of the mobile devices, and wherein the set of coordinates designates a location of the detectable object within the detection area based on the coordinate system; and

controlling an application using the processor and the set of coordinates.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the coordinate system is either a two-dimensional coordinate system or a three-dimensional coordinate system.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the set of coordinates is a first set of coordinates and the detectable object is a first detectable object, the method further comprising:

determining, using the processor, a second set of coordinates for a second detectable object within the coordinate system using a distance from the second detectable object to one of the mobile devices and a distance from the second detectable object to another one of the mobile devices, wherein the second set of coordinates designates a location of the second detectable object within the detection area; and

the processor controlling an application using the first set of coordinates and the second set of coordinates.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising, detecting removal of the detectable object from the detection area, and further detecting reintroduction of the detectable object into the detection area substantially at the location designated by the set of coordinates within a predetermined threshold time from the removal of the detectable object.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

updating the set of coordinates, using the processor, in response to the detectable object changing position in the coordinate system.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

displaying the application, by a display device, wherein an image on the display device is updated based on the set of coordinates of the detectable object in the detection area.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

detecting a change in the arrangement of the plurality of mobile devices and redefining the detection area based on changed positions of the mobile devices.

20. A non-transitory tangible machine readable storage medium comprising machine executable instructions executable by a processor, the non-transitory tangible machine readable storage medium comprising:

instructions executable by the processor to define a detection area within a detectable region based on a detection criteria, wherein the detectable region is cooperatively defined by a plurality of mobile devices based on respective positions of the mobile devices so that an object positioned within the detectable region is detected by each of the plurality of the mobile devices;

instructions executable by the processor to detect entry to the detection area, and exit from the detection area of the object;

instructions executable by the processor to establish a coordinate system to indicate a plurality of locations designated by coordinates within the detection area;

instructions executable by the processor to determine a set of coordinates for the object within the coordinate system using triangulation based on a distance from the object to two of the mobile devices wherein the set of coordinates define a location of the object in the detection area, the location being one of the plurality of locations; and

instructions executable by the processor to use the set of coordinates in connection with control of an application.