Methods and devices for determining user input location based on device support configuration

• US 8,941,623 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2010
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Alberth, William, Thorson, Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H
• Assistant Examiner(s): CRAWLEY, KEITH L
• Application Number:
  US12/844,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20120026135A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,645 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179, 178 1801- 2004
• US Class Current: 345/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1636 Sensing arrangement for detection of a tap gesture on the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves

Abstract

Methods and devices are provided for determining location of an input on a surface of a device using a plurality of acoustic sensing elements. An exemplary method comprises determining a current support configuration of the device, selecting a device acoustic signature corresponding to the current support configuration, measuring acoustic response corresponding to the input at each acoustic sensing element of the plurality of acoustic sensing elements, and determining the location of the input based on the measured acoustic responses and the selected device acoustic signature for the current support configuration.

Claims

1. A method for determining a location of an input on a surface of a device, the location determined using a plurality of acoustic sensing elements, the method comprising:

determining a current support configuration of the device from a plurality of possible support configurations for the device, each possible support configuration having a respective device acoustic signature used to resolve the location of the input on the surface of the device;

selecting a device acoustic signature corresponding to the current support configuration;

obtaining at each acoustic sensing element of the plurality of acoustic sensing elements a measured acoustic response corresponding to the input, resulting in measured acoustic responses for the input; and

determining the location of the input based on the measured acoustic responses and the selected device acoustic signature for the current support configuration.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the current support configuration comprises identifying a best fit support configuration from the plurality of possible support configurations for the device.

3. The method of claim 1, the input being provided by a user, wherein determining the current support configuration of the device comprises determining a hand of the user currently holding the device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

selecting the device acoustic signature corresponding to the current support configuration comprises selecting acoustic signatures for the respective acoustic sensing elements corresponding to the hand currently holding the device; and

determining the location of the input comprises determining the location of the input based on the measured acoustic response at a respective acoustic sensing element and the selected acoustic signature for the respective acoustic sensing element.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the current support configuration of the device further comprises determining a current orientation for the device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

selecting the device acoustic signature corresponding to the current support configuration comprises selecting acoustic signatures for the respective acoustic sensing elements corresponding to the hand currently holding the device with the current orientation; and

determining the location of the input comprises determining the location of the input based on the measured acoustic response at a respective acoustic sensing element and the selected acoustic signature for the respective acoustic sensing element.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the current support configuration of the device comprises determining the current support configuration based on a verified input location for the input.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the current support configuration comprises:

determining a plurality of possible input locations for the input using the measured acoustic responses and the device acoustic signatures for the possible support configurations;

identifying a best fit possible input location of the plurality of possible input locations closest to the verified input location; and

identifying a best fit support configuration corresponding to the best fit possible input location as the current support configuration.

9. The method of claim 8, the device including a touch panel having the input provided thereon, wherein determining the current support configuration of the device further comprises determining the verified input location using the touch panel.

10. A device comprising:

a plurality of acoustic sensing elements; and

a control module coupled to the plurality of acoustic sensing elements, wherein the control module is configured to;

identify a current support configuration for the device from a plurality of possible support configurations for the device, each possible support configuration having a respective device acoustic signature used to resolve a location of an input on a surface of the device;

obtain measured acoustic responses from the plurality of acoustic sensing elements corresponding to an input on a surface of the device, the measured acoustic responses comprising a measured acoustic response corresponding to the input at each acoustic sensing element of the plurality of acoustic sensing elements; and

determine the location of the input based on the measured acoustic responses and a device acoustic signature corresponding to the current support configuration.

11. The device of claim 10, further comprising a touch panel coupled to the control module, the input overlying the touch panel, wherein the control module is configured to:

determine an input location for the input using the touch panel; and

identify the current support configuration based on the input location.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the control module is configured to:

determine possible input locations for the input using the measured acoustic responses and the device acoustic signatures for the possible support configurations; and

identify a best fit support configuration corresponding to a best fit input location of the possible input locations as the current support configuration.

13. The device of claim 12, further comprising a touch panel coupled to the control module, the input overlying the touch panel, wherein the control module is configured to:

determine a verified input location for the input using the touch panel; and

identify the best fit input location based on differences between the possible input locations and the verified input location.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein the control module is configured to identify the current support configuration for the device by determining a hand of a user providing the input that is currently holding the device.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein identifying the current support configuration further comprises determining a current orientation for the device.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the control module is configured to determine the location of the input based on the measured acoustic responses and a device acoustic signature corresponding to the hand of the user currently holding the device with the current orientation.

17. A method for resolving inputs on a surface of a device capable using a plurality of acoustic sensing elements, the device including the plurality of acoustic sensing elements, the method comprising:

obtaining a first device acoustic signature corresponding to a first support configuration for the device, the first device acoustic signature reflecting first acoustic responses measured by respective acoustic sensing elements of the plurality of acoustic sensing elements resulting from first known inputs at known first locations on the surface of the device while the device was held in the first support configuration;

obtaining a second device acoustic signature corresponding to a second support configuration for the device, the second device acoustic signature reflecting second acoustic responses measured by respective acoustic sensing elements of the plurality of acoustic sensing elements resulting from second known inputs at known second locations on the surface of the device while the device was held in the second support configuration;

determining a first input location for a first input on the surface of the device using the first device acoustic signature;

determining a second input location for the first input using the second device acoustic signature;

obtaining a verified location for the first input; and

when a difference between the first input location and the verified location is less than a difference between the second input location and the verified location, determining a second input location for a subsequent input on the surface of the device using the first device acoustic signature.

18. The method of claim 17, the first input being imparted on a touch panel of the device, wherein obtaining the verified location for the first input comprises determining a third input location for the first input using the touch panel.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising obtaining a measured acoustic response resulting from the first input at each acoustic sensing element of the plurality of acoustic sensing elements, wherein:

determining the first input location comprises determining the first input location using the first device acoustic signature and the measured acoustic response at each acoustic sensing element; and

determining the second input location comprises determining the second input location using the second device acoustic signature and the measured acoustic response at each acoustic sensing element.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising obtaining a second measured acoustic response resulting from the subsequent input at each acoustic sensing element of the plurality of acoustic sensing elements, wherein:

determining the second input location comprises determining the second input location using the first device acoustic signature and the second measured acoustic response at each acoustic sensing element.