Detecting tap-based user input on a mobile device based on motion sensor data

• US 9,696,859 B1
• Filed: 06/17/2014
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Heller, Geoffrey Scott, Savastinuk, Paul Aksenti
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yeung, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US14/307,470
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1636 Sensing arrangement for detection of a tap gesture on the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• 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 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A computing device can detect first and second device motions within a first time period. The first and second device motions may be separated by a second time period. The computing device can determine that the second time period is within a specified time range. The computing device can determine that first and second motion metrics for the first and second device motions, respectively, are likely indicative of first and second taps, respectively, on a surface of the computing device. The computing device can determine that a first coordinate frame of the computing device associated with the first tap is within a range of angular degrees from a second coordinate frame of the computing device associated with the second tap. The computing device can further determine the first tap and the second tap as part of a double tap gesture.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

a device housing;

at least one touchscreen display;

at least one rotational motion sensor internal to the computing device, between the device housing and the at least one touchscreen display;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to;

display content within a first region of the at least one touchscreen display;

receive first sensor data, from the at least one rotational motion sensor, representing a first rotational motion of the computing device occurring within a first time period;

receive second sensor data, from the at least one rotational motion sensor, representing a second rotational motion of the computing device occurring within a second time period after the first time period;

determine a first amount of force applied to a second region of the device housing opposing the first region occurring within the first time period;

determine a second amount of force applied to the second region occurring within the second time period;

determine, from the first sensor data, a first rotational axis associated with the first rotational motion;

determine, from the second sensor data, a second rotational axis associated with the second rotational motion;

determine that a number of degrees of difference between the first rotational axis and the second rotational axis satisfies a first symmetry threshold;

determine that a difference in magnitude between the first amount of force and the second amount of force satisfies a second symmetry threshold;

determine that the computing device has received a selection of the content as a double tap based at least in part on the number of degrees of difference satisfying the first symmetry threshold and the difference in magnitude satisfying the second symmetry threshold; and

perform an action on the computing device corresponding to the selection of the content.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the instructions upon being executed further cause the computing device to:

determine at least one jerk sample based at least in part on a rate of change computation of at least one rotational acceleration value of the first sensor data for at least one axis corresponding to the computing device; and

determine the first amount of force based at least in part on a quadratic mean computation for the at least one jerk sample.

14. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising a second sensor, wherein the instructions upon being executed further cause the computing device to:

capture third sensor data within the first time period using the second sensor;

capture fourth sensor data within the second time period using the second sensor; and

analyze the third sensor data and the fourth sensor data to determine that the selection of the content was intentional.

15. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the instructions upon being executed further cause the computing device to:

determine that the first rotational motion corresponds to a first tap;

determine that the second rotational motion corresponds to a second tap; and

determine that the first tap and the second tap correspond to a double tap gesture associated with the selection of the content.

16. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the instructions upon being executed further cause the computing device to:

determine that the first rotational motion corresponds to a first tap to the second region; and

determine that the second rotational motion corresponds to a second tap to the second region.

3. A method comprising:

displaying content within a first region of at least one display screen of a computing device;

detecting a first device motion occurring within a first time period;

detecting a second device motion occurring within a second time period after the first time period;

determining a first amount of force applied to a second region of the computing device opposing the first region occurring within the first time period;

determining a second amount of force applied to the second region occurring within the second time period;

determining that a first rotational axis associated with the first device motion is within a range of angular degrees from a second rotational axis associated with the second device motion;

determining that the first amount of force is within a range of magnitudes of the second amount of force;

determining that the computing device has received a selection of the content as a double tap based at least in part on the first device motion being within the range of angular degrees from the second rotational axis and the first amount of force being within the range of magnitudes of the second amount of force; and

performing an action on the computing device corresponding to the selection of the content.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving rotational data from at least one device sensor of the computing device, wherein the rotational data includes a plurality of rotational acceleration values;

determining at least one jerk sample based at least in part on a second derivative computation of at least one of the rotational acceleration values for at least one axis corresponding to the computing device; and

determining the first amount of force based at least in part on a quadratic mean computation for the at least one jerk sample.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining a range of quadratic mean computations corresponding to the second device motion;

determining that a length of time associated with the range of quadratic mean computations is greater than a first time threshold; and

determining that the length of time is smaller than a second time threshold, the second time threshold being greater than the first time threshold, wherein the length of time is bounded by the first time threshold and the second time threshold.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining that the first device motion corresponds to a first tap;

determining that the second device motion corresponds to a second tap; and

determining that the first tap and the second tap correspond to the double tap gesture associated with the selection of the content.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining that the first device motion corresponds to a first tap to the second region; and

determining that the second device motion corresponds to a second tap to the second region.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining the second region as a quadrant of a back outer surface of a device housing of the computing device.

17. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

capturing first sensor data within the first time period;

capturing second sensor data within the second time period; and

analyzing the first sensor data and the second sensor data to determine that the selection was intentional.

9. A computing device, comprising:

at least one display screen;

at least one processor; and

memory storing instructions that, upon being executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to;

display content within a first region of the at least one display screen;

detect a first rotational motion occurring within a first time period;

detect a second rotational motion occurring within a second time period after the first time period;

determine a first amount of force applied to a second region of the computing device opposing the first region occurring within the first time period;

determine a first rotational axis associated with the first rotational motion;

determine a second amount of force applied to the second region occurring within the second time period;

determine a second rotational axis associated with the second rotational motion;

determine that the first rotational axis and the second rotational axis are within a range of angular degrees of each other;

determine that the first amount of force and the second amount of force are within a range of magnitudes of each other;

determine that the computing device has received a selection of the content as a double tap based at least in part on the first rotational motion and the second rotational motion being within the range of angular degrees of each other and the first amount of force and the second amount of force being within the range of magnitudes of each of other; and

perform an action on the computing device corresponding to the selection of the content.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:

receive rotational data from at least one device sensor of the computing device, wherein the rotational data includes a plurality of rotational acceleration values;

determine at least one jerk sample based at least in part on a second derivative computation of the at least one of the rotational acceleration values for at least one axis corresponding to the computing device; and

determine the first amount of force based at least in part on a quadratic mean computation over the at least one jerk sample.

11. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the instructions upon being executed further cause the computing device to:

determine a range of quadratic mean computations corresponding to the second rotational motion;

determine that a length of time associated with the range of quadratic mean computations is greater than a first time threshold; and

determine that the length of time is smaller than a second time threshold, the second time threshold being greater than the first time threshold,

wherein the length of time is bounded by the first time threshold and the second time threshold.

12. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the instructions upon being executed further cause the computing device to:

determine that the first rotational motion corresponds to a first tap;

determine that the second rotational motion corresponds to a second tap; and

determining that the first tap and the second tap correspond to a double tap gesture associated with the selection of the content.

13. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the instructions upon being executed further cause the computing device to:

determine that the first rotational motion corresponds to a first tap to the second region; and

determine that the second rotational motion corresponds to a second tap to the second region.

18. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the instructions upon being executed further cause the computing device to:

capture first sensor data within the first time period;

capture second sensor data within the second time period; and

analyze the first sensor data and the second sensor data to determine that the selection of the content was intentional.

19. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the instructions upon being executed further cause the computing device to:

determine the second region as a quadrant of a back outer surface of a device housing of the computing device.