User input utilizing dual line scanner apparatus and method

• US 8,538,097 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2011
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Validity Sensors Incorporated (Synaptics Incorporated)
• Inventors: Russo, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Bali, Vikkram
• Application Number:
  US13/014,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20120189166A1
• Time in Patent Office: 965 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 382/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0338 Fingerprint track pad, i.e. fingerprint sensor used as pointing device tracking the fingertip image
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface

Abstract

A user input method and apparatus may comprise a two line object imaging sensor having a primary line scan-sensor providing a primary line scan-sensor output and a secondary line scan-sensor providing a secondary line scan-sensor output, representing pixels in a current primary scan row and a current secondary scan row, and adapted to scan an object; storing for each scan time each current primary line scan-sensor output and each current secondary line scan-sensor output and a correlation unit correlating at least one of the current representations of pixels in a primary line sensor output with stored representations and the current representations of pixels in a secondary line sensor output with stored representations and, the correlation unit providing as an output a motion indicator.

Claims

1. A user input apparatus comprising:

a two line object imaging sensor having a primary line scan-sensor providing a primary line scan-sensor output and a secondary line scan-sensor providing a secondary line scan-sensor output, each representing, respectively, the pixels in a current primary scan row of pixels and a current secondary scan row of pixels, the primary line scan-sensor and the secondary line scan-sensor each adapted to scan an object;

a storage apparatus storing for each scan time each current primary line scan-sensor output to maintain a plurality of stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for a plurality of past primary line scan sensor outputs and storing each current secondary line scan-sensor output to maintain a plurality of stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for a plurality of past secondary line scan sensor outputs;

a correlation unit correlating at least one of the current representations of pixels in a primary line scan-sensor output with stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for respective ones of the plurality of past secondary line scan-sensor outputs and the current representations of pixels in a secondary line scan-sensor output with stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for respective ones of the plurality of past primary line scan-sensor outputs; and

,

the correlation unit providing as an output a motion indicator comprising a direction and amplitude of the motion of the object being scanned in a coordinate system coplanar with the primary and secondary line scan-sensors and aligned to the primary line scan sensor and the secondary line scan-sensor.

2. The user input apparatus of claim 1 wherein the correlation unit correlates the current representations of pixels in the primary line scan-sensor output with stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for respective ones of the plurality of past primary line scan sensor outputs.

3. The user input apparatus of claim 1 wherein the correlation unit correlates the current representations of pixels in the secondary line scan sensor output with stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for a preceding secondary line scan-sensor output.

4. The user input apparatus of claim 1 wherein the correlation unit output is operatively connected to a user device user interface.

5. The user input apparatus of claim 1 wherein the correlation unit creates a correlation score for each correlation performed by the correlation unit and provides the correlation unit output based upon evaluation of the correlation scores.

6. The user input apparatus of claim 5 wherein the correlation scores include a down correlation score, an up correlation score, and a sideways correlation score.

7. The user input apparatus of claim 1 wherein the motion indicator is computed using a velocity of the object.

8. The user input apparatus of claim 1 wherein the motion indicator is computed without using a velocity of the object.

9. A method of providing a user input, the method comprising:

providing a primary line scan-sensor output and a secondary line scan-sensor output, via a two line object imaging sensor having a primary line scan-sensor and a secondary line scan-sensor, each output representing, respectively, the pixels in a current primary scan row of pixels and a current secondary scan row of pixels, utilizing the primary line scan-sensor and the secondary line scan-sensor to scan an object;

storing in a storage apparatus, for each scan time, each current primary line scan-sensor output to maintain a plurality of stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for each of a plurality of past primary line scan-sensor outputs and storing in a storage apparatus, for each scan time, each current secondary line scan-sensor output to maintain a plurality of stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for each of a plurality of past secondary line scan-sensor outputs;

correlating with a correlating unit at least one of the current representations of pixels in the primary line scan-sensor output with stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for respective ones of the plurality of past secondary line scan-sensor outputs and the current representations of pixels in a secondary line scan-sensor output with stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for respective ones of the plurality of past primary line scan-sensor outputs; and

,

providing as an output of the correlation unit a motion indicator of a direction and amplitude of the motion of the object being scanned in a coordinate system coplanar with the primary line scan-sensor and secondary line scan-sensor and aligned to the primary line scan-sensor and the secondary line scan-sensor.

10. The method of claim 9 and further comprising correlating with the correlating unit the current representations of pixels in the primary line scan-sensor output with stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for respective ones of the plurality of past primary line scan-sensor outputs.

11. The method of claim 9 and further comprising correlating with the correlation unit the current representations of pixels in the secondary line scan sensor output with stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for a preceding secondary line scan-sensor output.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising providing to a user device user interface the correlation unit output.

13. The method of claim 9 and further comprising creating via the correlation unit a correlation score for each correlation performed by the correlation unit and providing the correlation unit output based upon evaluation of the correlation scores.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the correlation scores comprise a down correlation score, an up correlation score, and a sideways correlation score.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the motion indicator is computed using a velocity of the object.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the motion indicator is computed without using a velocity of the object.

17. A user input apparatus comprising:

a two line object imaging sensor having a primary line scan-sensor providing a primary line scan-sensor output and a secondary line scan-sensor providing a secondary line scan-sensor output, each representing, respectively, the pixels in a current primary line scan row of pixels and a current secondary line scan row of pixels, the primary line scan-sensor and the secondary line scan-sensor each adapted to scan an object;

a storage apparatus storing for each scan time each current primary line scan-sensor output to maintain a plurality of stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for a plurality of past primary line scan-sensor outputs and storing each current secondary line scan-sensor output to maintain a plurality of stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for a plurality of past secondary line scan-sensor outputs;

a correlation unit correlating at least one of the current representations of pixels in a primary line scan-sensor output with stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for respective ones of the plurality of past secondary line scan-sensor outputs and the current representations of pixels in a secondary line scan-sensor output with stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for respective ones of the plurality of past primary line scan-sensor outputs;

the correlation unit providing as a correlation unit output a motion indicator comprising a direction and amplitude of motion of the object being scanned in a coordinate system coplanar with the primary line scan-sensor and the secondary line scan-sensor and aligned to the primary line scan-sensor and the secondary line scan-sensor;

wherein the correlation unit creates a correlation score for each correlation performed by the correlation unit and provides the correlation unit output based upon evaluation of the correlation scores; and

wherein the correlation scores include a down correlation score, an up correlation score, and a sideways correlation score.

18. A method of providing a user input, the method comprising:

providing a primary line scan-sensor output and a secondary line scan-sensor output, via a two line object imaging sensor having a primary line scan-sensor and a secondary line scan- sensor, each output representing, respectively, the pixels in a current primary scan row of pixels and a current secondary scan row of pixels, the primary line scan-sensor and the secondary line scan-sensor scanning an object;

storing in a storage apparatus, for each scan time, each current primary line scan-sensor output to maintain a plurality of stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for each of a plurality of past primary line scan-sensor outputs and storing in a storage apparatus, for each scan time, each current secondary line scan-sensor output to maintain a plurality of stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for each of a plurality of past secondary line scan- sensor outputs;

correlating with a correlating unit at least one of the current representations of pixels in the primary line scan-sensor output with stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for respective ones of the plurality of past secondary line scan-sensor outputs and the current representations of pixels in the secondary line scan-sensor output with stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for respective ones of the plurality of past primary line scan-sensor outputs;

providing as an output of the correlation unit a motion indicator of a direction and amplitude of the motion of the object being scanned in a coordinate system coplanar with the primary line scan-sensor and secondary line scan-sensor and aligned to the primary line scan sensor and the secondary line scan-sensor;

creating via the correlation unit a correlation score for each correlation performed by the correlation unit and providing the correlation unit output based upon evaluation of the correlation scores; and

wherein the correlation scores comprise a down correlation score, an up correlation score, and a sideways correlation score.

19. A non-transitory tangible machine readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method of providing user input, the method comprising:

receiving a primary line scan-sensor output and a secondary line scan-sensor output each from a two line object imaging sensor having a primary line scan-sensor and a secondary line scan-sensor, representing, respectively, the pixels in a current primary scan row of pixels and a current secondary scan row of pixels, the primary line scan-sensor and the secondary line scan- sensor scanning an object;

storing for each scan time, each current primary line scan-sensor output to maintain a plurality of stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for each of a plurality of past primary line scan sensor outputs and storing, for each scan time, each current secondary line scan-sensor output to maintain a plurality of stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for each of a plurality of past secondary line scan sensor outputs;

correlating at least one of the current representations of pixels in the primary line scan sensor output with stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for respective ones of the plurality of past secondary line scan sensor outputs and the current representations of pixels in the secondary line scan sensor output with stored representations of pixels in a row of pixels for respective ones of the plurality of past primary line scan sensor outputs;

providing a motion indicator of a direction and amplitude of the motion of the object being scanned in a coordinate system coplanar with the primary line scan-sensor and secondary line scan-sensor and aligned to the primary line scan sensor and the secondary line scan-sensor;

creating a correlation score for each correlation performed and providing the motion indicator based upon evaluation of the correlation scores; and

wherein the correlation scores comprise a down correlation score, an up correlation score, and a sideways correlation score.