Force sensing touch screen

• US 9,262,002 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2010
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Momeyer, Brian, Beckwith, Kevin M., Nelson, Hui-Ya L., Schevciw, Andre Gustavo P., Oliveira, Louis Dominic, Heimbigner, Wade L., Forutanpour, Babak
• Primary Examiner(s): Boddie, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): EARLES, BRYAN E
• Application Number:
  US12/939,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20120105358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,931 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-177
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A computing device includes a touch screen display with a plurality of force sensors, each of which provides a signal in response to contact with the touch screen display. Using force signals from the plurality of force sensors, a characteristic of the contact is determined, such as the magnitude of the force, the centroid of force and the shear force. The characteristic of the contact is used to select a command which is processed to control the computing device. For example, the command may be related to manipulating data displayed on the touch screen display, e.g., by adjusting the scroll speed or the quantity of data selected in response to the magnitude of force, or related to an operation of an application on the computing device, such as selecting different focal ranges, producing an alarm, or adjusting the volume of a speaker in response to the magnitude of force.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving signals from a plurality of force sensors coupled between a touch screen display and a housing of a computing device, the signals received in response to contact with the touch screen display, wherein the plurality of force sensors are arranged around a perimeter of a bottom surface of the touch screen display;

receiving signals from a touch sensor on the touch screen display;

determining a shear force from the contact with the touch screen display using the signals from the plurality of force sensors and the signals from the touch sensor, the shear force being parallel to a plane defined by the touch screen display, wherein determining the shear force comprises;

determining a centroid of force of the contact using the signals received from the plurality of force sensors;

determining an area of contact using the signals received from the touch sensor on the touch screen display;

determining a centroid of the area of contact; and

using a difference between the centroid of the area of contact and the centroid of force to determine the shear force;

using the shear force from the contact to select a command; and

processing the command to control the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of force sensors are resistive force sensors.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the command comprises manipulating data displayed on the touch screen display.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein manipulating data displayed on the touch screen display comprises controlling a speed of scrolling data displayed on the touch screen display in response to a magnitude of force.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein manipulating data displayed on the touch screen display comprises controlling a quantity of data on the touch screen display that is selected in response to a magnitude of force.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the command comprises controlling an operation of an application on the computing device.

7. The method of claim 6, the method further comprising determining a rate of change in a magnitude of force, wherein controlling the operation of the application comprises at least partially reversing a selected action in response to the rate of change of the magnitude of force being greater than a threshold.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein controlling the operation of the application comprises selecting between a foreground object and a background object displayed on the touch screen display in response to a magnitude of force applied to the touch screen display.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein controlling the operation of the application comprises selecting a focal range for a camera on the computing device in response to a magnitude of force applied to the touch screen display.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein controlling the operation of the application comprises producing an alarm indicating potential damage to the touch screen display in response to a magnitude of force over the area of contact being greater than a threshold.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein controlling the operation of the application comprises locking the computing device in response to a magnitude of force being greater than a threshold and a location of contact on the touch screen display.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein controlling the operation of the application comprises disabling the touch sensor on the touch screen display in response to a magnitude of force being greater than a threshold and a location of contact on the touch screen display.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the touch sensor is at least one of a capacitive touch sensor and a resistive touch sensor.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein controlling the operation of the application comprises using a magnitude of force and the centroid of force to control the computing device while the touch sensor on the touch screen display is disabled.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein controlling the operation of the application comprises variably adjusting at least one of a speaker volume, audio frequency equalization, active noise cancellation, dynamic range compression, limiting, and gain control in response to a magnitude of force applied to the touch screen display.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of force sensors detect finger movement through a protective element.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the protective element is a pocket of a garment or a holder.

18. A computing device, comprising:

a housing;

a touch screen display comprising a display and a plurality of force sensors coupled between the housing and the display, wherein the plurality of force sensors are arranged around a perimeter of a bottom surface of the touch screen display, wherein the touch screen display further comprises a touch sensor coupled to the display;

a processor connected to the plurality of force sensors, and the touch sensor;

memory connected to the processor; and

software held in the memory and run in the processor to cause the processor to determine a shear force from a contact with the touch screen display using signals received from the plurality of force sensors and signals received from the touch sensor, the shear force being parallel to a plane defined by the touch screen display, to use the shear force from the contact to select a command, and to process the command to control the computing device, wherein the software held in the memory and run in the processor causes the processor to determine a centroid of force of the contact using the signals received from the plurality of force sensors, determine an area of contact using the signals from the touch sensor, determine a centroid of the area of contact, and to determine the shear force as a difference between the centroid of the area of contact and the centroid of force.

19. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the plurality of force sensors are resistive force sensors.

20. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the software held in the memory and run in the processor causes the processor to select a command to control a speed of scrolling data displayed on the display in response to a magnitude of force.

21. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the software held in the memory and run in the processor causes the processor to select a command to control a quantity of data on the display that is selected in response to a magnitude of force.

22. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the software held in the memory and run in the processor causes the processor to determine a rate of change in a magnitude of force, and to cause the processor to select a command to at least partially reverse a selected action in response to the rate of change of the magnitude of force being greater than a threshold.

23. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the software held in the memory and run in the processor causes the processor to select a command to select between a foreground object and a background object displayed on the display in response to a magnitude of force.

24. The computing device of claim 18, further comprising a camera with a selectable focal range, wherein the software held in the memory and run in the processor causes the processor to select a command to select a focal range for the camera in response to a magnitude of force.

25. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the software held in the memory and run in the processor causes the processor to select a command to produce an alarm indicating potential damage to the display in response to a magnitude of force over the area of contact being greater than a threshold.

26. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the software held in the memory and run in the processor causes the processor to select a command to lock the computing device in response to a magnitude of force being greater than a threshold and a location of contact on the touch screen display.

27. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the software held in the memory and run in the processor causes the processor to select a command to disable the touch sensor in response to a magnitude of force being greater than a threshold and a location of contact on the touch screen display.

28. The computing device of claim 27, wherein the touch sensor is at least one of a capacitive touch sensor and a resistive touch sensor.

29. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the software held in the memory and run in the processor causes the processor to control the computing device with a magnitude of force and the centroid of force while the touch sensor in the touch screen display is disabled.

30. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the software held in the memory and run in the processor causes the processor to adjust at least one of volume of a speaker, audio frequency equalization, active noise cancellation, dynamic range compression, limiting, and gain control in response to a magnitude of force applied to the touch screen display.

31. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the plurality of force sensors detect finger movement through a protective element.

32. The computing device of claim 31, wherein the protective element is a pocket of a garment or a holder.

33. A system comprising:

means for receiving force measurements from a plurality of locations of a touch screen display in response to contact with the touch screen display, wherein the means for receiving force measurements are arranged around a perimeter of a bottom surface of the touch screen display;

means for receiving signals from a touch sensor on the touch screen display;

means for determining a shear force from the contact with the touch screen display using force measurements from the plurality of locations and the signals from the touch sensor, the shear force being parallel to a plane defined by the touch screen display, wherein the means for determining the shear force comprises;

means for determining a centroid of force of the contact using signals received from the means for receiving force measurements;

means for determining an area of contact using the signals received from the touch sensor on the touch screen display;

means for determining a centroid of the area of contact; and

means for using a difference between the centroid of the area of contact and the centroid of force to determine the shear force;

means for selecting a command based on the shear force from the contact;

means for processing the command.

34. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including program code stored thereon, comprising:

program code to determine a shear force from a contact with a touch screen display using signals received from a plurality of force sensors arranged around a perimeter of a bottom surface of the touch screen display and signals received from a touch sensor on the touch screen display, the shear force being parallel to a plane defined by the touch screen display, wherein the program code to determine the shear force comprises;

program code to determine a centroid of force of the contact using the signals received from the plurality of force sensors;

program code to determine an area of contact using the signals received from the touch sensor on the touch screen display;

program code to determine a centroid of the area of contact; and

program code to use a difference between the centroid of the area of contact and the centroid of force to determine the shear force;

program code to use the shear force from the contact to select a command; and

program code to process the command.