Force inputs and cursor control

• US 10,222,889 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2015
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Picciotto, Carl E., Edgar, Robbie, Marshall, James C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zheng, Xuemei
• Application Number:
  US14/729,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20160357297A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,371 Days
• 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 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Inadvertent input control techniques are described. In one or more implementations, techniques are described that leverage force to determine a likelihood that a user intended to provide an input, e.g., a selection input (e.g., a “click”), gesture, lift off, and so forth. This is usable to identify taps, hovers, continuation of movement of a drag operation, and so on. Implementations are also discussed that leverage an n-manifold in the product space of contact size and signal strength that is usable to define a likelihood of whether a contact includes an application of force. A variety of other examples are also described, including cursor stability techniques that leverage force in order to control movement of a cursor.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one force sensor configured to detect an amount of force applied by an object to an outer surface;

one or more position sensors configured to detect movement of the object with respect to the outer surface;

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon instructions that, responsive to execution by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive, from the at least one force sensor, a force signature that results from contact by the object with the outer surface;

determine, based on the force signature, that the amount of force applied by the object to the outer surface is above a first predefined force threshold and at or above a second predefined force threshold, the second predefined force threshold being greater than the first predefined force threshold;

calculate, based on the force signature, an amount of time between the force applied by the object to the outer surface exceeding the first predefined force threshold and the force applied by the object to the outer surface meeting or exceeding the second predefined force threshold; and

control a cursor such that the cursor is held stationary relative to movement of the object responsive to a determination that the amount of force applied by the object to the outer surface is above the first predefined force threshold and at or above the second predefined force threshold, and that the amount of time is below a predefined time threshold.

2. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to determine the amount of force based on a rise in force used to initiate a selection input.

3. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to determine the amount of force based on a decrease in force used to terminate a selection input by lifting the object away from the outer surface.

4. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable by the one or more processors to move the cursor in response to movement of the object when the amount of force is below the first or second predefined force threshold.

5. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the first and second predefined force threshold are defined as a slope in the amount of force over the amount of time.

6. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the at least one force sensor, the one or more position sensors, and the outer surface are part of a trackpad.

7. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the at least one force sensor uses a piezo to detect the amount of force.

8. The system as described in claim 1, wherein the one or more position sensors are capacitive sensors.

9. An apparatus comprising:

at least one force sensor configured to detect an amount of force applied by an object to an outer surface;

one or more position sensors configured to detect movement of the object with respect to the outer surface;

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon instructions that, responsive to execution by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive, from the at least one force sensor, a force signature that results from contact by the object with the outer surface;

determine, based on the force signature, that the amount of force detected by the object to the outer surface is above a first predefined force threshold and at or above a second predefined force threshold, the second predefined force threshold being greater than the first predefined force threshold;

calculate, based on the force signature, an amount of time between the force applied by the object to the outer surface exceeding the first predefined force threshold and the force applied by the object to the outer surface meeting or exceeding the second predefined force threshold; and

control a gain factor that maps a velocity of the movement of the object to a velocity of a cursor displayed in a user interface based at least in part on the amount of force applied by the object to the outer surface being above the first predefined force threshold and at or above the second predefined force threshold, and the amount of time being below a predefined time threshold.

10. The apparatus as described in claim 9, wherein the control of the gain factor causes the cursor to remain generally stationary due to movement detected during a press or release of the object from contacting the outer surface.

11. The apparatus as described in claim 10, wherein the movement is caused by a shift in a centroid detected for the object by the one or more position sensors caused by the press or release of the object.

12. The apparatus as described in claim 9, wherein the at least one force sensor uses a piezo to detect the amount of force.

13. The apparatus as described in claim 9, wherein the one or more position sensors are capacitive sensors.

14. A method of controlling cursor movement using an input device, the method comprising:

detecting an amount of force applied by an object to an outer surface of the input device by at least one force sensor;

receiving, from the at least one force sensor, a force signature that results from contact by the object to the outer surface;

determining, based on the force signature, that the amount of force applied by the object to the outer surface is above a first predefined force threshold and at or above a second predefined force threshold, the second predefined force threshold being greater than the first predefined force threshold;

calculating, based on the force signature, an amount of time between the force applied by the object to the outer surface exceeding the first predefined force threshold and the force applied by the object to the outer surface meeting or exceeding the second predefined force threshold;

detecting movement of the object with respect to the outer surface of the input device using one or more position sensors; and

overriding the detected movement of the object responsive to the determination that the amount of force applied by the object to the outer surface is above the first predefined force threshold and at or above the second predefined force threshold, and that the amount of time is below a predefined time threshold.

15. The method as described in claim 14, further comprising determining the amount of force based on a rise in force used to initiate a selection input.

16. The method as described in claim 14, further comprising determining the amount of force based on a decrease in force used to terminate a selection input by lifting the object away from the outer surface.

17. The method as described in claim 14, further comprising registering the movement of the object responsive to a determination that the amount of force is below the first or second predefined force threshold.

18. The method as described in claim 14, wherein the first and second predefined force threshold are defined as a slope in the amount of force over the amount of time.

19. The method as described in claim 14, wherein the at least one force sensor, the one or more position sensors, and the outer surface are part of a trackpad.

20. The method as described in claim 14, wherein the at least one force sensor uses a piezo to detect the amount of force.