THRESHOLD BASED COORDINATE DATA GENERATION PROVIDING TAP ASSIST

• US 20170371484A1
• Filed: 06/23/2016
• Published: 12/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Original Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Inventors: Fleck, David Charles, Tower, Daniel Lee, Ohi, Charles Heart
• Granted Patent: US 10,452,197 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment

Abstract

A method for operating a sensor surface includes detecting an initial position of a stylus relative to the sensor surface, determining initial coordinate values based on the detected initial position of the stylus, and communicating the initial coordinate values for further processing. The method further includes determining subsequent coordinate values based on a subsequent position of the stylus detected after detecting the initial position and, based on a characteristic of the initial or subsequent position detection, modifying the subsequent coordinate values to represent a position that is different than the subsequent position of the stylus. The subsequent coordinate values may be modified to be the same as the initial coordinate values that represent the initial position of the stylus. The modified coordinate values are communicated for further processing. Also disclosed are embodiments of a sensor surface and a computer-readable medium having executable code stored thereon that implement the described methods.

Claims

1. A method for operating a sensor surface, comprising:

detecting an initial position of a stylus relative to the sensor surface;

determining initial coordinate values based on the detected initial position of the stylus;

communicating the initial coordinate values for further processing;

determining subsequent coordinate values based on a subsequent position of the stylus detected after detecting the initial position;

based on a characteristic of the initial or subsequent position detection, modifying the subsequent coordinate values to represent a position that is different than the subsequent position of the stylus; and

communicating the modified coordinate values for further processing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the modified coordinate values are communicated to an application program or an operating system for further classification of stylus movement based on the modified coordinate values in place of the determined subsequent coordinate values.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the subsequent coordinate values are modified by firmware operating in circuitry of the sensor surface, and the modified coordinate values are communicated by the firmware to an application program for further processing.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the subsequent coordinate values are modified by a device driver that enables interaction of an application program with the sensor surface, and the modified coordinate values are communicated by the device driver to the application program for further processing.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the subsequent coordinate values based on a characteristic of the initial or subsequent position detection includes comparing the characteristic with a threshold.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein comparing the characteristic with a threshold includes setting a flag when the characteristic meets or exceeds the threshold.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising initially setting the flag to indicate that the characteristic has not met or exceeded the threshold.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the characteristic is a distance between the initial coordinate values and the subsequent coordinate values and the threshold is a threshold distance, and wherein the subsequent coordinate values are modified while the distance between the subsequent coordinate values and the initial coordinate values remains within the threshold distance.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the characteristic is elapsed time between determination of the initial coordinate values and the subsequent coordinate values and the threshold is a threshold time, and wherein the subsequent coordinate values are modified while the elapsed time remains within the threshold time.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the characteristic includes both a distance between the initial coordinate values and the subsequent coordinate values and elapsed time between determination of the initial coordinate values and the subsequent coordinate values, and the threshold includes a threshold distance and a threshold time, and wherein the subsequent coordinate values are modified while the distance between the subsequent coordinate values and the initial coordinate values remains within the threshold distance and the elapsed time remains within the threshold time.

11. The method of claim 5, further comprising setting or modifying the threshold based on a friction characteristic of the stylus in contact with the sensor surface.

12. The method of claim 5, further comprising setting or modifying the threshold based on a situational usage of one or both of the stylus or the sensor surface.

13. The method of claim 5, further comprising setting or modifying the threshold based on a parameter representing a stylus tip of the stylus.

14. The method of claim 5, further comprising setting or modifying the threshold based on a parameter of the sensor surface, wherein the parameter represents a characteristic of the surface contacted by the stylus.

15. The method of claim 5, further comprising ceasing modification of the subsequent coordinate values in response to the characteristic of the initial or subsequent position detection exceeding the threshold, and thereafter communicating the determined subsequent coordinate values for further processing.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the subsequent coordinate values are modified by replacing the subsequent coordinate values with the initial coordinate values.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the subsequent coordinate values based on a characteristic of the initial or subsequent position detection includes comparing the characteristic with a threshold that is set or modified based on a friction characteristic of the stylus in contact with the sensor surface, wherein the friction characteristic is determined based on a material of the sensor surface contacted by the stylus.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the subsequent coordinate values based on a characteristic of the initial or subsequent position detection includes comparing the characteristic with a threshold that is set or modified based on a situational usage of one or both of the stylus or the sensor surface.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the situational usage is a known or detected handedness of a user holding the stylus.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the situational usage includes a detected tilt of the stylus with respect to the sensor surface.

21. A position detecting device, comprising:

a sensor surface providing an interface for interaction with a stylus; and

circuitry configured to detect and report a position of the stylus relative to the sensor surface;

wherein, in operation, the circuitry is configured to;

detect an initial position of the stylus relative to the sensor surface;

determine initial coordinate values based on the detected initial position;

report the initial coordinate values for further processing;

detect a subsequent position of the stylus relative to the sensor surface; and

based on a dynamically modifiable coordinate value reporting process, report alternate coordinate values for further processing, wherein the alternate coordinate values are not determined from the subsequent position of the stylus.