Suppressing Errant Motion Using Integrated Mouse and Touch Information

• US 20100117962A1
• Filed: 11/12/2008
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Westerman, Wayne Carl, Mullens, Christopher Tenzin
• Granted Patent: US 9,058,066 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/163
• 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 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

The suppression of errant motion regarding a mouse is disclosed. Mouse and touch information can be integrated to determine whether a gesture made on a surface of the mouse is errant, such as when a mouse is being moved and the fingers holding the mouse inadvertently move on the mouse surface. A gesture motion that is small relative to mouse motion can be considered errant and therefore at least partially suppressed, while a gesture motion that is large relative to mouse motion can be considered an intended gesture and therefore processed. Similarly, mouse and touch information can be integrated to determine whether a mouse motion is errant, such as when a robust gesture being made on the mouse surface inadvertently moves the mouse. A mouse motion that is small relative to gesture motion can be considered errant and therefore at least partially suppressed, while a mouse motion that is large relative to gesture motion can be considered an intended motion and therefore processed.

Claims

1. A method for suppressing an errant motion using mouse and touch information, comprising:

determining a mouse motion;

identifying a touch motion in a detected touch on a mouse surface;

comparing the determined mouse motion to the identified touch motion; and

suppressing at least a portion of the identified touch motion as errant if the identified touch motion is correlative with a portion of the determined mouse motion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the mouse motion comprises determining a mouse raw speed based on change in the (x, y) coordinates of the mouse over time.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining of the mouse motion comprises filtering the determined mouse raw speed to provide a mouse filtered speed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying of the touch motion comprises determining a touch speed based on change in the (x, y) coordinates in an image of the detected touch over time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparing of the determined mouse motion to the identified touch motion comprises:

determining the portion of the determined mouse motion; and

determining whether the identified touch motion is greater than the determined portion of the determined mouse motion.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the suppressing of at least a portion of the identified touch motion comprises setting the identified touch motion to zero if the identified touch motion is less than the portion of the determined mouse motion.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch motion is a scroll motion.

8. A method for suppressing errant motion using mouse and touch information, comprising:

determining a front edge of a detected touch on a mouse surface;

calculating a touch motion based on change in the (x, y) coordinates of the determined front edge in an image of the detected touch over time; and

determining whether the calculated touch motion is errant based on a mouse motion.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining of the front edge comprises:

extracting a centroid of the detected touch from the image of the detected touch;

extracting a major radius of the detected touch from the image of the detected touch; and

calculating an offset from the extracted centroid to the determined front edge based on the extracted major radius.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the calculating of the offset comprises:

determining whether the extracted major radius exceeds a saturation point at which system noise has an adverse effect; and

if so, adjusting the extracted major radius to a saturation value.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining whether the calculated touch motion is errant comprises:

determining whether the calculated touch motion is less than a portion of the mouse motion; and

if so, determining that the calculated touch motion is errant.

12. A method for suppressing errant motion using mouse and touch information, comprising:

applying a filter to an image of a detected touch on a mouse surface to distinguish between a motion in the detected touch and a touch detection error, the filter passing the detected touch for the motion and eliminating the detected touch for the touch detection error; and

determining whether the detected touch motion is errant based on a mouse motion.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the filter takes into account at least one of system noise or an erroneous image.

14. A computer readable medium comprising program code for suppressing an errant motion using integrated mouse and touch information, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

responsive to a mouse event, determining whether a touch motion is detected in a detected touch on a mouse surface; and

if so, suppressing at least a portion of the detected touch motion as errant if the detected touch motion is correlative to a portion of a mouse motion associated with the mouse event.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, where the determining whether the touch motion is detected comprises:

distinguishing between a finger movement and a finger flattening in the detected touch based on whether a tip of the finger moves over time, wherein the finger tip moves over time for the finger movement and remains stationary over time for the finger flattening;

ignoring the finger flattening; and

determining that the finger movement comprises a touch motion.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the suppressing of at least a portion of the detected touch motion comprises:

determining the mouse motion; and

comparing a portion of the determined mouse motion to the detected touch motion.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the determining of the mouse motion comprises:

determining whether the mouse event comprises intended mouse movement; and

if not, setting the mouse motion to an artificial motion value.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 14, the program code further for causing performance of a method comprising:

applying a filter to a centroid of an image of the detected touch to distinguish between movement in the detected touch and a touch detection error,

wherein the filter passes the centroid for the movement and eliminates the centroid for the touch detection error.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the mouse event is at least one of a mouse shift, a mouse click, a mouse wake-up, or a mouse lift.

20. A computing system comprising the computer readable medium of claim 14.

21. A computing system, comprising:

a mouse including

at least one motion sensor configured to detect a motion of the mouse, and

at least one input sensor configured to detect a touch motion in a input on a surface of the mouse; and

a processor in communication with the mouse and configured to compare the detected mouse motion with the detected touch motion, and suppress at least a portion of the detected touch motion if the detected touch motion is correlative with a portion of the detected mouse motion.

22. The computing system of claim 21, wherein the at least one input sensor is at least one touch sensor configured to detect the touch motion in a touch on the surface of the mouse.

23. The computing system of claim 22, wherein the at least one touch sensor is incorporated into a touch sensor panel disposed on the surface of the mouse.

24. The computing system of claim 21, wherein the mouse motion is detected for at least one of a mouse shift, a mouse click, a mouse wake-up, or a mouse lift.

25. A method for suppressing an errant motion using mouse and touch information, comprising:

determining a mouse motion;

identifying a touch motion in a detected touch on a mouse surface;

comparing the determined mouse motion to the identified touch motion; and

suppressing at least a portion of the determined mouse motion as errant if the determined mouse motion is correlative with a portion of the identified touch motion.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the determining of the mouse motion comprises determining a mouse raw speed based on change in the (x, y) coordinates of the mouse over time.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the identifying of the touch motion comprises determining a touch speed based on change in the (x, y) coordinates in an image of the detected touch over time.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the identifying of the touch motion comprises filtering the determined touch speed to provide a touch filtered speed.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the comparing of the determined mouse motion to the identified touch motion comprises:

determining the portion of the identified touch motion; and

determining whether the determined mouse motion is greater than the determined portion of the identified touch motion.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the suppressing of at least a portion of the determined mouse motion comprises setting the determined mouse motion to zero if the determined mouse motion is less than the portion of the identified touch motion.

31. The method of claim 25, wherein the touch motion is a rotate motion.

32. A method for suppressing an errant motion using integrated information, comprising:

determining a first motion;

determining a second motion;

comparing the determined first and second motions; and

suppressing at least a portion of the determined first motion as errant if the determined first motion is correlative with a portion of the determined second motion.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the first motion is a mouse motion and the second motion is a gesture motion.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the first motion is a gesture motion and the second motion is a mouse motion.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein the integrated information comprises mouse information indicative of a mouse motion and touch information indicative of a gesture motion.