Systems and methods for a wearable touch-sensitive device

• US 9,081,542 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2012
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Dickinson, Timothy, Alameh, Rachid M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moon, Seokyun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Acha, III, Josemarie G
• Application Number:
  US13/596,450
• Publication Number:
  US 20140062892A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04107 Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• 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 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• 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

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for controlling functions associated with a touch-sensitive device (100) capable of being worn by a user. The touch-sensitive device (100) includes a substrate (110) with an outside surface (112) and an inside surface (114) opposite from the outside surface (112). A first contact sensing component (120) generates a first signal upon detection of a first contact with the outside surface (112), and a second contact sensing component (130) generates a second signal upon detection of a second contact with the inside surface (114). A processor (140) may be configured to interface with the first contact sensing component (120) and the second contact sensing component (130) and perform operations including: analyzing the first signal and the second signal to determine that a predetermined condition is satisfied, and in response to the analyzing, initiating a function associated with the predetermined condition.

Claims

1. A touch-sensitive device capable of being worn by a user, comprising:

a display screen configured to display graphical information;

a substrate with an outside surface and an inside surface opposite from the outside surface, wherein the substrate is configured to support the display screen;

a first contact-sensing component coupled to the substrate and configured to generate a first signal responsive to detecting a first contact with at least a portion of the outside surface;

a second contact-sensing component coupled to the substrate and configured to generate a second signal responsive to detecting a second contact with at least a portion of the inside surface; and

a processor configured to interface with the first contact-sensing component and the second contact-sensing component, and to perform operations comprising;

responsive to determining, based upon an analysis of both the first signal and the second signal, that a predetermined condition is satisfied;

determining, based on the predetermined condition, a function from a plurality of different functions; and

initiating the function,

wherein determining that the predetermined condition is satisfied comprises;

determining whether the first contact corresponds to a first stationary contact or a first moving contact, wherein determining whether the first contact corresponds to the first moving contact comprises determining a direction of movement of the first contact relative to the outside surface of the substrate; and

determining whether the second contact corresponds to a second stationary contact or a second moving contact, wherein determining whether the second contact corresponds to the second moving contact comprises determining a direction of movement of the second contact relative to the inside surface of the substrate.

2. The touch-sensitive device of claim 1, wherein the first contact-sensing component comprises:

an array of discrete touch sensors.

3. The touch-sensitive device of claim 1, wherein the first contact-sensing component comprises:

a single, continuous touch sensor.

4. The touch-sensitive device of claim 1, wherein the second contact-sensing component comprises:

an array of discrete touch sensors.

5. The touch-sensitive device of claim 1, wherein the second contact-sensing component comprises:

a single, continuous touch sensor.

6. The touch-sensitive device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the first contact and the second contact are each maintained for a predetermined time interval.

7. The touch-sensitive device of claim 1, wherein the first contact-sensing component is part of the display screen, the display screen comprising a touch screen.

8. The touch-sensitive device of claim 7, wherein the touch screen is flexible.

9. The touch-sensitive device of claim 1, further comprising:

a shield disposed between the first contact-sensing component and the second contact-sensing component, the shield being configured to reduce a detection of the first contact by the second contact-sensing component.

10. The touch-sensitive device of claim 1, further comprising:

a shield disposed between the first contact-sensing component and the second contact-sensing component, the shield being configured to reduce a detection of the second contact by the first contact-sensing component.

19. The touch-sensitive device of claim 1, wherein the first contact and the second contact are overlapping in time.

20. The touch-sensitive device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first contact-sensing component or the second contact-sensing component is at least partially integrated into the substrate.

11. A method comprising:

receiving a first signal generated by a first contact-sensing component of a touch-sensitive device responsive to the first contact-sensing component detecting a first contact with at least a portion of an outside surface of a substrate of the touch-sensitive device, wherein the touch-sensitive device further comprises a display screen that is supported by the substrate and that is configured to display graphical information, and wherein the touch-sensitive device is capable of being worn by a user;

receiving a second signal generated by a second contact-sensing component of the touch-sensitive device responsive to the second contact-sensing component detecting a second contact with at least a portion of an inside surface of the substrate of the touch-sensitive device, the inside surface being opposite from the outside surface;

responsive to determining, based upon an analysis of both the first signal and the second signal, that a predetermined condition is satisfied;

determining, based on the predetermined condition, a function from a plurality of different functions; and

initiating the function,

wherein determining whether the predetermined condition is satisfied comprises;

determining that the first contact corresponds to a first stationary contact or a first moving contact, wherein determining whether the first contact corresponds to the first moving contact comprises determining a direction of movement of the first contact relative to the outside surface of the substrate; and

determining whether the second contact corresponds to a second stationary contact or a second moving contact, wherein determining whether the second contact corresponds to the second moving contact comprises determining a direction of movement of the second contact relative to the inside surface of the substrate.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the analysis of both the first signal and the second signal comprises:

determining that the first signal corresponds to a detection of a respective stationary contact at each of a plurality of locations on the outside surface, and

determining that the second signal corresponds to a detection of a stationary contact at one or more locations on the inside surface.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the analysis of both the first signal and the second signal comprises:

determining that the first signal corresponds to a detection of a respective stationary contact at each of at least two locations on the outside surface, the at least two locations on the outside surface being a predetermined distance apart, and

determining that the second signal corresponds to a detection of a moving contact at one or more locations on the inside surface.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the analysis of both the first signal and the second signal comprises:

determining that the first signal corresponds to a detection of a moving contact along a portion of the outside surface, and

determining that the second signal corresponds to a detection of a stationary contact at one or more locations on the inside surface.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the analysis of both the first signal and the second signal comprises:

determining that the first signal corresponds to a detection of a respective stationary contact at each of at least two locations on the outside surface, and

determining that the second signal corresponds to a detection of a respective stationary contact at each of at least two locations on the inside surface opposite from the at least two locations on the outside surface.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the analysis of both the first signal and the second signal comprises determining that the first contact and the second contact are each maintained for a predetermined time interval.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the first contact and the second contact are overlapping in time.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the analysis of both the first signal and the second signal comprises:

determining that at least one of the first contact or the second contact is associated with a value greater than a threshold value, the threshold value being associated with a detection of the first contact by the second contact-sensing component or a detection of the second contact by the first contact-sensing component.

21. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the first contact-sensing component or the second contact-sensing component is at least partially integrated into the substrate.

22. The method of claim 11, wherein the first contact-sensing component is part of the display screen, the display screen comprising a touch screen.

23. A non-transitory computer usable storage medium comprising computer-readable program code that, when executed, causes a processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a first signal generated by a first contact-sensing component of a touch-sensitive device responsive to the first contact-sensing component detecting a first contact with at least a portion of an outside surface of a substrate of the touch-sensitive device, wherein the touch-sensitive device further comprises a display screen that is supported by the substrate and that is configured to display graphical information, and wherein the touch-sensitive device is capable of being worn by a user;

receiving a second signal generated by a second contact-sensing component of the touch-sensitive device responsive to the second contact-sensing component detecting a second contact with at least a portion of an inside surface of the substrate of the touch-sensitive device, the inside surface being opposite from the outside surface;

responsive to determining, based upon an analysis of both the first signal and the second signal, that a predetermined condition is satisfied;

determining, based on the predetermined condition, a function from a plurality of different functions; and

initiating the function,

wherein determining whether the predetermined condition is satisfied comprises;

determining that the first contact corresponds to a first stationary contact or a first moving contact, wherein determining whether the first contact corresponds to the first moving contact comprises determining a direction of movement of the first contact relative to the outside surface of the substrate; and

determining whether the second contact corresponds to a second stationary contact or a second moving contact, wherein determining whether the second contact corresponds to the second moving contact comprises determining a direction of movement of the second contact relative to the inside surface of the substrate.