Touch screen apparatus for recognizing a touch gesture

• US 9,304,677 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2012
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Advance Touchscreen And Gesture Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Advanced Touchscreen and Gesture Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Ludwig, Lester F.
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, PREMAL R
• Application Number:
  US13/473,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20120235940A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,420 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178, 178 1801- 1808
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

A touch-based user interface system comprising an arrangement for scanning a tactile sensor array to produce a corresponding array of measurement values that are presented to a processor for computation. The computation produces a plurality of running sums created from selected measurement values or functions of selected measurement values. A post-scan computation algorithm derives at least three independently-adjustable interactive control parameters responsive to at least displacements or angles the contact of a single area of threshold contact or threshold proximity. The system provides output control signals responsive to the independently-adjustable interactive control parameters. In one aspect of the invention, n algorithmic element for handling of regions of threshold contact or threshold proximity having non-convex shapes. In another aspect of the invention, an algorithmic element calculates the rate of change of one or more of the independently-adjustable interactive control parameters. Other aspects of the invention include shape and gesture recognition.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

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

wherein sensors at a plurality of sensor spatial locations are configured to provide 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 based 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 of the control parameters is assigned to a specific control signal;

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

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein sensor measurement values responsive to the sensed contiguous region of contact exceed a threshold.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch screen further tracks a trajectory of movement of the portion of the human hand contacting the surface of the transparent touch screen.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one control parameter is responsive to a geometric center of the contiguous region of contact.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one control parameter is responsive to a total size of the contiguous region of contact.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch screen further senses at least a second contiguous region of contact from another portion of the human hand on the touch screen, and the apparatus further derives a value of at least another control parameter responsive to the second contiguous region of contact.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one control parameter assigned to the specific control signal comprises a particular control parameter.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the particular control parameter is assigned to the specific control signal using stored control signal assignment information.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein a plurality of different assignments is stored for the particular control parameter.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the particular control parameter is dynamically assigned to the specific control signal for a specific purpose in a programmable manner under selectable stored program control.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the particular control parameter is dynamically assigned to the specific control signal in a programmable manner.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a touch screen having a contiguous region sensing contact from at least a portion of a human hand on a surface of the touch screen, the touch screen comprising a display and a sensor array comprising a plurality of sensors, each of the plurality of sensors configured with a unique spatial location and an associated unique address, each of the plurality of sensors configured to generate sensor measurement values;

wherein sensors at a plurality of sensor spatial locations are configured to provide associated sensor measurement values responsive to the 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 based 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 of the control parameters is assigned to a specific control signal;

wherein the touch gesture is recognized from sequential dynamics among hand contact patterns from a first posture associated with a first portion of a user hand at a first location on the touch screen to a second posture associated with a second portion of the user hand at a second location on the touch screen, wherein the first portion of the user hand and the second portion of the user hand are different.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the associated sensor measurement values responsive to the contiguous region of contact exceed a threshold.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus is further configured to track a trajectory of movement of the portion of the human hand contacting the surface of the touch screen.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one control parameter is responsive to a geometric center of the contiguous region of contact.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one control parameter is responsive to a total size of the contiguous region of contact.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the touch screen is further configured to sense at least a second contiguous region of contact from another portion of a human hand on a surface of the touch screen, and the apparatus is configured to derive a value of at least another control parameter responsive to the second contiguous region of contact.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the touch gesture comprises a plurality of finger postures executed sequentially without breaking contact with the touch screen.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the touch gesture employs a continuous grammar.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus is configured to respond to a velocity of touch gestures.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one control parameter assigned to the specific control signal comprises a particular control parameter.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the particular control parameter is assigned to the specific control signal using stored control signal assignment information.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein a plurality of different assignments is stored for the particular control parameter.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the particular control parameter is dynamically assigned to the specific control signal for a specific purpose in a programmable manner under selectable stored program control.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the particular control parameter is dynamically assigned to the specific control signal in a programmable manner.