Force sensing and inadvertent input control of an input device

• US 10,416,799 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2015
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• 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, Cox, Brian R., Marshall, James C., Protasio Ribeiro, Flavio
• Primary Examiner(s): Mistry, Ram A
• Application Number:
  US14/729,793
• Publication Number:
  US 20160357296A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,567 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• 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 amounts of force applied by an object to an outer surface;

one or more position sensors configured to detect proximity of the object to respective locations of the outer surface; and

a force control module implemented at least partially in hardware, the force control module configured to;

determine a likelihood that a contact made by the object was unintentional based on an amount of time that passes after proximity is detected by the one or more position sensors before an amount of force exceeding a threshold is detected by the at least one force sensor; and

block from processing reports from the at least one force sensor for the contact made by the object responsive to the determination that initiating the contact by the object was unintentional.

2. A system as described in claim 1, wherein the reports from the at least one force sensor are captured backward in time from a buffer responsive to detection of the proximity of the object by the one or more position sensors.

3. A system as described in claim 1, wherein the force control module is configured to block from processing position reports from the one or more position sensors responsive to the determination that initiating the contact by the object was unintentional.

4. A system as described in claim 1, wherein the force control module is configured to employ a plurality of thresholds to detect the likelihood that the contact made by the object was unintentional, use of the plurality of thresholds dependent on whether user interaction has been detected within a predefined amount of time.

5. A system as described in claim 1, further comprising a haptic feedback mechanism, wherein the force control module is configured to initiate haptic feedback of the haptic feedback mechanism responsive to a determination that initiating the contact by the object was intentional, to support inadvertent input mitigation.

6. A system as described in claim 1, wherein the force control module is configured to calculate a rise time by:

recording a first time at which the amount of force in the force signature reaches a first threshold value;

recording a second time at which the amount of force in the force signature reaches a second threshold value that is higher than the first threshold value; and

calculating a slope based on the recorded first and second times.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a force sensor configured to detect an amount of force applied by an object to an outer surface;

a position sensor configured to detect proximity of the object to respective locations of the outer surface; and

a force control module implemented at least partially in hardware, the force control module configured to;

determine a likelihood that a contact made by the object was unintentional based on an amount of time that passes after the object is detected as being proximal to the outer surface by the position sensor, before the amount of force detected by the force sensor exceeds a threshold and based on whether the amount of force detected by the at least one force sensor is less than a force threshold; and

block from processing a report from the position sensor for the contact made by the object, responsive to the determination that initiating the contact by the object was unintentional.

8. An apparatus as described in claim 7, wherein the force control module is configured:

to distinguish the object from a second object; and

to detect a corresponding proximity and a corresponding amount of force for the second object.

9. An apparatus as described in claim 8, wherein the force control module is configured to distinguish the object from the second object by correlating the detection of the proximity of the object and subsequent detection of contact by the position sensors with the amount of force applied by the object to the outer surface detected by the force sensor.

10. An apparatus as described in claim 7, wherein the force control module is configured to block from processing a report from the force sensor for the contact made by the object, responsive to the determination that initiating the contact by the object was unintentional.

11. An apparatus as described in claim 7, further comprising a haptic feedback mechanism, wherein the force control module is configured to initiate haptic feedback of the haptic feedback mechanism responsive to a determination that initiating the contact by the object was intentional.

12. An apparatus as described in claim 7, wherein the force control module is configured to permit processing of the report from the position sensor by a computing device responsive to a determination that initiating the contact by the object was intentional.

13. A system comprising:

a force sensor configured to detect an amount of force applied by an object to an outer surface;

a position sensor configured to detect a location and movement of the object with respect to the outer surface; and

a force control module implemented at least partially in hardware, the force control module configured to;

determine a likelihood that a contact made by the object was unintentional based on an amount of time that passes after proximity is detected by the one or more position sensors before an amount of force exceeding a first threshold is detected by the at least one force sensor

block from processing reports from the force sensor for the contact made by the object responsive to the determination that initiating the contact by the object was unintentional.

14. A system as described in claim 13, wherein the force control module determines that it is likely the object intended to initiate the contact if the object is not moving and the amount of force is above the first threshold.

15. A system as described in claim 13, further comprising a haptic feedback mechanism, wherein the force control module is configured to initiate haptic feedback of the haptic feedback mechanism responsive to the amount of force being below a second threshold.

16. A system as described in claim 13, further comprising a haptic feedback mechanism, wherein the force control module is configured to initiate haptic feedback of the haptic feedback mechanism responsive to a determination that initiating the contact by the object was intentional.

17. A system as described in claim 13, wherein the force control module is configured to permit processing of the reports by a computing device responsive to a determination that initiating the contact by the object was intentional.

18. A method for identifying an inadvertent input captured by a touch-enabled device, the method comprising:

receiving a first signal indicative of proximity of an object to an outer surface of the touch-enabled device, the proximity being detected by at least one position sensor, the at least one position sensor being configured to detect proximity of the object to the outer surface before contact is made between the object and the outer surface; and

receiving a second signal indicative of an amount of force applied by the object to the outer surface of the touch-enabled device, the amount of force being detected by at least one force sensor;

examining the first signal in relation to both the second signal and an amount of time during which proximity was detected before contact was made between the object and the outer surface to determine a likelihood that the contact made was an inadvertent input.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising upon determining that the contact made was an inadvertent input, blocking from processing the second signal for the inadvertent input through use of a confidence bit.