Input device with hand posture control

• US 9,552,068 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2013
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microchip Technology Germany GmbH (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Microchip Technology Germany GmbH (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Aubauer, Roland, Matokic, Johannes, Kaltner, Claus
• Primary Examiner(s): OLSON, JASON C
• Application Number:
  US13/975,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20140055396A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A gesture detection system according to embodiments includes an input device including a touch sensitive surface and a contact-free detection system; and a controller configured to determine characteristic parameters for the position in three-dimensional space of a user input object and select an operational mode of the input device based on the position of the user input object.

Claims

1. A gesture detection method, comprising:

detecting a touch position of an input object by a touch detection unit;

while the touch position is detected, selecting an input mode depending on characteristic parameters of the position of the input object or another input object, wherein the characteristic parameters of the position of the input object or the another input object are determined by a capacitive three-dimensional sensor system while the input object touches said touch position, wherein the capacitive three-dimensional sensor system comprises a transmission electrode and a plurality of detection electrodes arranged around the touch detection unit;

entering an input character based on the touch position and either after calculation of the characteristic parameters or according to the release of the respective touch.

2. The gesture detection method according to claim 1, wherein an input mode is switched upon detection of a parameter change detected by the capacitive three-dimensional sensor system.

3. The gesture detection method according to claim 1, wherein said parameters are determined by an elevation angle of the input object performing a touch.

4. The gesture detection method according to claim 1, wherein said input object is a hand and said characteristic parameters are determined from a second hand holding a mobile device, wherein lifting of a finger of the second hand causes a change of the characteristic parameters.

5. The gesture detection method according to claim 1, wherein said input object is a hand and said parameters are determined by an azimuth angle of the hand performing the touch.

6. The gesture detection method according to claim 3, wherein a first elevation angle selects a first input mode and a second elevation angle selects a second input mode.

7. The gesture detection method according to claim 5, wherein a first azimuth angle selects a first input mode and a second azimuth angle selects a second input mode.

8. A gesture detection system, comprising:

an input device including a capacitive touch sensitive surface comprising a plurality of electrodes arranged in rows and columns and a capacitive contact-free detection system, wherein the capacitive contact-free detection system is operable to select a most left and a most right column and a most upper and a most lower of the electrodes of the capacitive touch sensitive surface as receiving electrodes; and

a controller configured to determine characteristic parameters for a position in three-dimensional space of a user input object using said capacitive contact-free detection system and select an operational mode of the input device based on the position of the user input object, wherein the position is determined by the capacitive touch sensitive surface.

9. A gesture detection system in accordance with claim 8, wherein the input device or the connected system includes a graphical user interface.

10. A gesture detection system in accordance with claim 9, wherein determining the position in three-dimensional space of the user input object includes determining an azimuth angle of the user input object and selecting a character on the graphical user interface based on the azimuth angle.

11. A gesture detection system in accordance with claim 9, wherein determining the position in three-dimensional space of the user input object includes determining an elevation angle of the user input object and selecting a character on the graphical user interface based on the elevation angle.

12. A gesture detection system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to determine a position in three-dimensional space of a second user input object using said capacitive contact-free detection system and select an operational mode of the input device based on the position of the second user input object.

13. A gesture detection system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the operational mode of the input device includes displaying an options menu based on the position in three-dimensional space of the user input object.

14. A gesture detection system in accordance with claim 9, further comprising a dictionary accessible responsive to detection of typed text and the position in three-dimensional space of the user input object.

15. A gesture detection system in accordance with claim 14, further configured to provide one or more auto-completion options from the dictionary associated with the typed text based upon the position in three-dimensional space of the user input object.

16. An electronic device, comprising:

an input device including a touch sensitive surface and a capacitive contact-free detection system, wherein the capacitive contact-free detection system comprises a plurality of detection electrodes arranged around the touch sensitive surface;

a display device for displaying selections using the input device; and

a controller configured to determine parameters associated with a position in three-dimensional space of a user input object relative to the touch sensitive surface using said capacitive contact-free detection system and select an operational mode of the input device based on the position of the user input object.

17. An electronic device in accordance with claim 16, wherein determining parameters associated with the position in three-dimensional space of the user input object includes determining an azimuth angle of the user input object and selecting a character on the graphical user interface based on the azimuth angle.

18. An electronic device in accordance with claim 16, wherein determining parameters associated with the position in three-dimensional space of the user input object includes determining an elevation angle of the user input object and selecting a first or second character on the graphical user interface based on the elevation angle.

19. An electronic device in accordance with claim 16, wherein the controller is configured to determine parameters associated with a position in three-dimensional space of a second user input object and select an operational mode of the input device based on the position of the second user input object.

20. An electronic device in accordance with claim 16, wherein the operational mode of the input device includes displaying an options menu based on the position in three-dimensional space of the user input object.

21. An electronic device in accordance with claim 16, further comprising a dictionary accessible responsive to detection of typed text and the parameters.

22. An electronic device in accordance with claim 21, the controller further configured to provide one or more auto-completion options from the dictionary associated with the typed text based upon the parameters.

23. A method, comprising:

detecting a touch position of a user object by a touch detection unit,

detecting position-related parameters of the user input object in three-dimensional space using a capacitive three-dimensional detection system, wherein the touch detection unit shares some of its electrodes with the capacitive contact-free detection system such that the capacitive contact-free detection system is operable to select a most left and a most right column and a most upper and a most lower of the electrodes of the capacitive touch sensitive surface as receiving electrodes; and

selecting a mode of operation of an electronic device based on the touch position and the position-related parameters.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the mode of operation includes selecting first or second characters on a graphical user interface based on the position-related parameters.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the position-related parameters comprise an azimuth angle of the user input object.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the position-related parameters comprise an elevation angle of the user input object.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising detecting position-related parameters of a second user input object in three dimensional space and selecting a mode of operation of the electronic device based on the position-related parameters of the second user input object in three dimensional space.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising detecting position-related parameters of a second user input object in three dimensional space and selecting a mode of operation of the electronic device based on the position-related parameters of the second user input object in three dimensional space.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein selecting the mode of operation includes selecting one or more controls on the graphical user interface based on the position-related parameters.

30. The method of claim 23, further comprising accessing a dictionary responsive to detection of typed text and the position-related parameters.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising providing one or more auto-completion options from the dictionary associated with the typed text based upon the position-related parameters.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the touch position and the position-related parameters are determined using event-driven multiplexing.