Classification of touch input as being unintended or intended

• US 10,216,406 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2017
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Durojaiye, Olumuyiwa M., Abzarian, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Merkoulova, Olga V
• Application Number:
  US15/855,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20180121052A1
• Time in Patent Office: 426 Days
• 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 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

The techniques described herein implement a classification process to evaluate information associated with a tool input (e.g., from an input tool such as a pen or a stylus) and a user touch input (e.g., from a finger or a palm of a hand) to determine whether the user touch input is an intended or an unintended touch input. The information evaluated may be associated with an arrival of the tool input relative to an arrival of the user touch input. The information evaluated may also be associated with a movement of the tool input relative to a movement of the user touch input. In various implementations, the techniques may calculate an evaluation score and compare the evaluation score to a confidence classification threshold. If a confident classification cannot be achieved, the techniques further the classification process as more information associated with the inputs is received.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a touch surface configured to receive a plurality of inputs;

one or more processors communicatively coupled to the touch surface; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to;

implement a first classifier configured to evaluate information associated with a first input and a second input to determine;

whether the second input corresponds to an intended touch input or an unintended touch input; and

an inter-arrival distance between a first position at which the first input arrives at the touch surface and a second position at which the second input arrives at the touch surface; and

based at least on the first classifier being unable to determine whether the second input corresponds to an intended touch input or an unintended touch input, implement at least one subsequent classifier configured to evaluate additional information to determine whether the second input corresponds to an intended touch input or an unintended touch input, wherein the additional information evaluated is associated with movement of the first input relative to movement of the second input.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the first input comprises touch input based on contact from a finger of a user; and

the second input is based on contact from another finger or a palm of a hand of the user.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the first classifier evaluates the information to determine an inter-arrival time between a first time when the first input arrives at the touch surface and a second time when the second input arrives at the touch surface.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein:

if the inter-arrival time is less than an inter-arrival time threshold, then at least part of the evaluation of the first classifier indicates that the second input corresponds to the unintended touch input; and

if the inter-arrival time is greater than or equal to the inter-arrival time threshold, then at least part of the evaluation of the first classifier indicates that the second input corresponds to the intended touch input.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein:

if the inter-arrival distance is less than an inter-arrival distance threshold, then at least part of the evaluation of the first classifier indicates that the second input corresponds to the unintended touch input; and

if the inter-arrival distance is greater than or equal to the inter-arrival distance threshold, then at least part of the evaluation of the first classifier indicates that the second input corresponds to the intended touch input.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one subsequent classifier evaluates the additional information to determine a difference between a direction of movement of the first input and a direction of movement of the second input.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein:

if the difference is less than a direction difference threshold, then at least part of the evaluation of the at least one subsequent classifier indicates that the second input corresponds to the unintended touch input; and

if the difference is greater than or equal to the direction difference threshold, then at least part of the evaluation of the at least one subsequent classifier indicates that the second input corresponds to the intended touch input.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one subsequent classifier evaluates the additional information to determine a difference between a velocity of movement of the first input and a velocity of movement of the second input.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein:

if the difference is less than a velocity difference threshold, then at least part of the evaluation of the at least one subsequent classifier indicates that the second input corresponds to the unintended touch input; and

if the difference is greater than or equal to the velocity difference threshold, then at least part of the evaluation of the at least one subsequent classifier indicates that the second input corresponds to the intended touch input.

10. A method comprising:

implementing a first classifier configured to evaluate information associated with a first input and a second input to determine;

whether the second input corresponds to an intended touch input or an unintended touch input; and

an inter-arrival distance between a first position at which the first input arrives at a touch surface and a second position at which the second input arrives at the touch surface; and

based at least on the first classifier being unable to determine whether the second input corresponds to an intended touch input or an unintended touch input, implementing at least one subsequent classifier configured to evaluate additional information to determine whether the second input corresponds to an intended touch input or an unintended touch input, wherein the additional information evaluated is associated with movement of the first input relative to movement of the second input.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the first input comprises touch input based on contact from a finger of a user; and

the second input is based on contact from another finger or a palm of a hand of the user.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first classifier evaluates the information to determine an inter-arrival time between a first time when the first input arrives at the touch surface and a second time when the second input arrives at the touch surface.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

if the inter-arrival time is less than an inter-arrival time threshold, then at least part of the evaluation of the first classifier indicates that the second input corresponds to the unintended touch input; and

if the inter-arrival time is greater than or equal to the inter-arrival time threshold, then at least part of the evaluation of the first classifier indicates that the second input corresponds to the intended touch input.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein:

if the inter-arrival distance is less than an inter-arrival distance threshold, then at least part of the evaluation of the first classifier indicates that the second input corresponds to the unintended touch input; and

if the inter-arrival distance is greater than or equal to the inter-arrival distance threshold, then at least part of the evaluation of the first classifier indicates that the second input corresponds to the intended touch input.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one subsequent classifier evaluates the additional information to determine a difference between a direction of movement of the first input and a direction of movement of the second input.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

if the difference is less than a direction difference threshold, then at least part of the evaluation of the at least one subsequent classifier indicates that the second input corresponds to the unintended touch input; and

if the difference is greater than or equal to the direction difference threshold, then at least part of the evaluation of the at least one subsequent classifier indicates that the second input corresponds to the intended touch input.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one subsequent classifier evaluates the additional information to determine a difference between a velocity of movement of the first input and a velocity of movement of the second input.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

if the difference is less than a velocity difference threshold, then at least part of the evaluation of the at least one subsequent classifier indicates that the second input corresponds to the unintended touch input; and

if the difference is greater than or equal to the velocity difference threshold, then at least part of the evaluation of the at least one subsequent classifier indicates that the second input corresponds to the intended touch input.

19. One or more computer storage media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to:

implement a first classifier configured to evaluate information associated with a first input and a second input to determine;

whether the second input corresponds to an intended touch input or an unintended touch input; and

an inter-arrival distance between a first position at which the first input arrives at a touch surface and a second position at which the second input arrives at the touch surface; and

based at least on the first classifier being unable to determine whether the second input corresponds to an intended touch input or an unintended touch input, implement at least one subsequent classifier configured to evaluate additional information to determine whether the second input corresponds to an intended touch input or an unintended touch input, wherein the additional information evaluated is associated with movement of the first input relative to movement of the second input.

20. The one or more computer storage media of claim 19, wherein:

the first input comprises touch input based on contact from a finger of a user; and

the second input is based on contact from another finger or a palm of a hand of the user.