Electronic device having managed input components

• US 9,411,442 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2012
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Alameh, Rachid M., Dickinson, Timothy, Zurek, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Olson, Jason
• Application Number:
  US13/569,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20140043295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,462 Days
• Field of Search: 345/175
• 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 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation

Abstract

There is described an electronic device having a touch-sensitive sensor and a piezoelectric sensor, and a method of operating the device. The electronic device detects an actuation of the touch-sensitive sensor, and a touch-sensitive signal is produced by the touch-sensitive sensor in response to detecting the actuation of the touch-sensitive sensor. Also, the electronic device detects an actuation of the piezoelectric sensor, and a piezoelectric signal is produced by the piezoelectric sensor in response to detecting the actuation of the piezoelectric sensor. Next, the electronic device determines whether the actuation of the touch-sensitive sensor is invalid based on the touch-sensitive signal and the piezoelectric signal. The electronic device then performs, or refrains from performing, an operation in response to determining that the actuation of the touch-sensitive sensor is invalid.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a user interface surface;

a touch-sensitive sensor associated with the user interface surface, the touch-sensitive sensor producing a touch-sensitive signal in response to an actuation of the touch-sensitive sensor at the user interface surface;

a piezoelectric sensor associated with the user interface surface, the piezoelectric sensor producing a piezoelectric signal in response to an actuation of the piezoelectric sensor; and

a processing component coupled to the touch-sensitive sensor and the piezoelectric sensor, the processing component configured to;

determine whether actuation of the touch-sensitive sensor is invalid based on both the touch-sensitive signal and the piezoelectric signal, the determining including comparing an indication of actuation at the user interface surface measured by the touch-sensitive signal with an indication of actuation at the user interface surface measured by the piezoelectric signal, the comparison demonstrating;

that the touch-sensitive signal indicates more user interaction than is indicated by the piezoelectric signal;

or

that the piezoelectric signal indicates more user interaction than is indicated by the touch-sensitive signal; and

perform, or refrain from performing, an operation of the electronic device in response to determining that the actuation of the touch-sensitive sensor is invalid.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the user interface surface is a surface of a touch pad or a touch screen.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the touch-sensitive sensor is at least one of a capacitive touch sensor, a resistive touch sensor, an acoustic sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a proximity sensor, or an optical sensor.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the actuation of the touch-sensitive sensor includes detections of user motion at or above a proximity of the user interface surface.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the actuation of the piezoelectric sensor includes detections of a force against one or more areas of the user interface surface.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, the processing component further configured to modify the operation of the electronic device based on the touch-sensitive signal and piezoelectric signal in response to determining that the actuation of the touch-sensitive sensor is invalid.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, the processing component further configured to modify the operation of the electronic device based on the piezoelectric signal, without regard to the touch-sensitive signal, in response to determining that the actuation of the touch-sensitive sensor is invalid.

8. A method of operating an electronic device having a touch-sensitive sensor, a piezoelectric sensor and a processing component, the method comprising:

detecting an actuation of the touch-sensitive sensor;

producing a touch-sensitive signal by the touch-sensitive sensor in response to detecting the actuation of the touch-sensitive sensor;

monitoring for an actuation of the piezoelectric sensor;

producing a piezoelectric signal by the piezoelectric sensor in response to detecting actuation of the piezoelectric sensor;

determining whether the actuation of the touch-sensitive sensor is invalid based on both the touch-sensitive signal and the piezoelectric signal, the determining including comparing the actuation measured by the touch-sensitive signal with the actuation measured by the piezoelectric signal, the comparison demonstrating;

that the touch-sensitive signal indicates more user interaction than is indicated by the piezoelectric signal;

or

that the piezoelectric signal indicates more user interaction than is indicated by the touch-sensitive signal; and

performing, or refraining from performing, an operation of the electronic device in response to determining that the actuation of the touch-sensitive sensor is invalid.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein detecting the actuation of the touch-sensitive sensor includes detecting user motion at or above a proximity of the user interface surface.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein monitoring the actuation of the piezoelectric sensor includes monitoring for a force against one or more areas of the user interface surface.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein performing, or refraining from performing, the operation of the electronic device further includes modifying the operation of the electronic device based on the touch-sensitive signal and the piezoelectric signal in response to determining that the actuation of the touch-sensitive sensor is invalid.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein performing, or refraining from performing, the operation of the electronic device further includes modifying the operation of the electronic device based on the piezoelectric signal, without regard to the touch-sensitive signal, in response to determining that the actuation of the touch-sensitive sensor is invalid.