Touchscreen testing

• US 8,988,087 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2011
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Uzelac, Aleksandar, Stevens, David A., Zhao, Weidong, Shigemitsu, Takahiro, Willoughby, Briggs A., Pierce, John Graham
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tung X
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALLGOOD, ALESA M
• Application Number:
  US13/154,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20120187956A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,387 Days
• Field of Search: 324/661, 324/662, 324/681, 324/686, 324/688, 345173-178
• US Class Current: 324/686
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/28 Testing of electronic circuits, e.g. by signal tracer EMC, EMP or similar testing of electronic circuits G01R31/002; testing for short-circuits, discontinuities, leakage or incorrect line connection G01R31/50; checking computers or computer components G06F11/00; checking static stores for correct operation G11C29/00 ; testing receivers or transmitters of transmission systems H04B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2829 Testing of circuits in sensor or actuator systems testing of apparatus for measuring electric or magnetic variables G01R35/00; testing of indicating or recording apparatus G01D; in airbag systems B60R21/0173; checking gas analysers G01N33/007; monitoring or fail-safe circuits for electromagnets H01F7/1844
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/006 Electronic inspection or testing of displays and display drivers, e.g. of LED or LCD displays testing individual LED's G01R31/2635; testing lamps G01R31/44; testing of optical features of LCD displays G02F1/1309

Abstract

Touchscreen testing techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a conductor is placed proximal to a touchscreen device and the touchscreen device is tested by simulating a touch of a user by placing the conductor in a grounded state and lack of a touch by the user by placing the conductor in an ungrounded state.

Claims

1. A method comprising positioning a conductor as proximal to a touchscreen device having at least one touch sensor, the conductor not included as a part of the at least one touch sensor, the conductor including a metal contact;

and testing the touchscreen device by simulating a touch of a user by placing the conductor in a grounded state without moving the conductor as positioned by the positioning and lack of touch by the user by placing the conductor in an ungrounded state without moving the conductor as positioned by the positioning.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the placing of the conductor in the ungrounded state is performed while the conductor is in contact with the touchscreen device yet simulates the lack of the touch by the user.

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the placing in the grounded state and the ungrounded state is performed using an electrical switch driven by a computing device to perform the testing.

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the testing further comprises collecting data from the touchscreen device.

5. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising adjusting grounding of the conductor.

6. A method as described in claim 5, wherein the adjusting is performed to reduce ghost touches and missed touch reports.

7. A method as described in claim 6, wherein the adjusting is based on establishing a passive minimum and maximum and establishing an active minimum and maximum of values described in data received from digitizers of the touchscreen device and using the established passive minimum and maximum and established active minimum and maximum to select a grounding condition.

8. A method as described in claim 6, wherein the adjusting is performed by varying an amount of grounding material.

9. A method as described in claim 8, wherein the adjusting performed by varying the amount of grounding material is performed without receiving data from digitizers of the touchscreen device that reference amplitudes of touches.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a conductor configured to contact a touchscreen device at a user touch input location sensed by one or more touch sensors, the conductor not being a constituent element of the touchscreen device, the conductor including a metal contact, and the touchscreen device comprising;

a display;

the one or more touch sensors; and

a touch module configured to process inputs provided by the one or more touch sensors;

an electrical switch that is electrically coupled to the conductor; and

one or more modules communicatively coupled to the electrical switch, the one or more modules configured to test the touchscreen device by;

causing the electrical switch to place the conductor in a grounded state when contacting the touchscreen device to emulate a touch by a user; and

causing the electrical switch to place the conductor in an ungrounded state when contacting the touchscreen device to emulate lack of a touch by the user.

11. An apparatus as described in claim 10, wherein an amount of grounding in the grounding state applied by the conductor is adjusted to reduce ghost touches and missed touch reports.

12. An apparatus as described in claim 10, wherein the one or more modules communicatively coupled to the electrical switch are configured to perform the testing by collecting data from digitizers of the touchscreen device.

13. An apparatus as described in claim 12, wherein the data references amplitudes of touches.

14. A method comprising:

adjusting grounding of a conductor to be applied against a user touch input area of a capacitive touchscreen device having at least one touch sensor, the conductor not being direct current coupled to the at least one touch sensor, the conductor including a metal contact; and

testing the touchscreen device by simulating a touch of a user by grounding the conductor using an electrical switch.

15. A method as described in claim 14, wherein testing further comprises placing the conductor in an ungrounded state to simulate a lack of the touch by the user.

16. A method as described in claim 15, wherein the placing of the conductor in the ungrounded state is performed while the conductor is in contact with the user touch input area of the touchscreen device yet simulates the lack of the touch by the user.

17. A method as described in claim 14, wherein the adjusting is performed to reduce ghost touches and missed touch reports.

18. A method as described in claim 17, wherein the adjusting is based on a passive minimum and maximum and an active minimum and maximum of values described in data received from digitizers of the touchscreen device that reference amplitudes of touches.

19. A method as described in claim 14, wherein the adjusting is performed by varying an amount of grounding material.

20. A method as described in claim 19, wherein the adjusting performed by varying the amount of grounding material is performed without receiving data from digitizers of the touchscreen device that reference amplitudes of touches.