Suppressing errant motion using integrated mouse and touch information

• US 9,058,066 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2008
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Westerman, Wayne Carl, Mullens, Christopher Tenzin
• Primary Examiner(s): Sasinowski, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US12/269,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20100117962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,407 Days
• Field of Search: 345/163, 345/175, 345/173
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 input device and touch information, comprising:

determining an input device motion;

identifying a touch motion in a detected touch on an input device surface;

comparing the determined input device motion to the identified touch motion; and

suppressing at least a portion of the identified touch motion based on the comparison of the identified touch motion to at least a portion of the determined input device motion;

wherein comparing at least the portion of the determined input device motion to the identified touch motion comprises determining whether the identified touch motion is greater than the portion of the determined input device motion.

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

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining of the input device motion comprises filtering the determined input device raw speed to provide an input device 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 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 input device motion.

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

7. A method for suppressing errant motion using input device and touch information, comprising:

determining a front edge of a detected touch on an input device surface;

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

determining whether the calculated touch motion is errant based on a comparison of the touch motion to detected input device motion;

wherein determining whether the calculated touch motion is errant comprises determining whether the calculated touch motion is less than a portion of the detected input device motion.

8. The method of claim 7, 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.

9. The method of claim 8, 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.

10. A method for suppressing errant motion using input device and touch information, comprising:

applying a filter to an image of a detected touch on an input device 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 comparison of the detected touch motion to detected input device motion;

wherein the comparison of the detected touch motion to the detected input device motion comprises determining whether the detected touch motion is less than the detected input device motion.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the filter takes into account at least one of system noise or an erroneous image.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program code for suppressing an errant motion using integrated input device and touch information, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

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

if so, suppressing at least a portion of the detected touch motion based on the comparison of the detected touch motion to at least a portion of an input device motion associated with the input device event;

wherein the comparison of the detected touch motion to at least the portion of the input device motion associated with the input device event comprises determining whether the detected touch motion is less than the portion of the input device motion associated with the input device event.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, 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.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the suppressing of at least a portion of the detected touch motion comprises:

determining the input device motion; and

comparing a portion of the determined input device motion to the detected touch motion.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the determining of the input device motion comprises:

determining whether the input device event comprises intended input device movement; and

if not, setting the input device motion to an artificial motion value.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, 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.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the input device event is at least one of an input device shift, an input device click, an input device wake-up, or an input device lift.

18. A computing system comprising the non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12.

19. A computing system, comprising:

an input device including

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

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

a processor in communication with the input device and configured to

compare the detected input device motion with the detected touch motion, and

suppress at least a portion of the detected touch motion based on the comparison of the detected touch motion to at least a portion of the detected input device motion;

wherein comparing the detected touch motion to at least the portion of the detected input device motion comprises determining whether the detected touch motion is less than the portion of the detected input device motion.

20. The computing system of claim 19, 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 input device.

21. The computing system of claim 20, wherein the at least one touch sensor is incorporated into a touch sensor panel disposed on the surface of the input device.

22. The computing system of claim 19, wherein the input device motion is detected for at least one of an input device shift, an input device click, an input device wake-up, or an input device lift.

23. A method for suppressing an errant motion using input device and touch information, comprising:

determining an input device motion;

identifying a touch motion in a detected touch on an input device surface;

comparing the determined input device motion to the identified touch motion; and

suppressing at least a portion of the determined input device motion based on the comparison of the determined input device motion to at least a portion of the identified touch motion;

wherein comparing the determined input device motion to at least the portion of the identified touch motion comprises determining whether the determined input device motion is greater than the portion of the identified touch motion.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the determining of the input device motion comprises determining an input device raw speed based on change in the (x, y) coordinates of the input device over time.

25. The method of claim 23, 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.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the identifying of the touch motion comprises filtering the determined touch speed to provide a touch filtered speed.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the suppressing of at least a portion of the determined input device motion comprises setting the determined input device motion to zero if the determined input device motion is less than the portion of the identified touch motion.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein the touch motion is a rotate motion.

29. 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 based on a comparison of the determined first motion to at least a portion of the determined second motion;

wherein comparing the determined first motion to at least the portion of the determined second motion comprises determining whether the portion of the determined second motion is greater than the determined first motion.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the first motion is an input device motion and the second motion is a gesture motion.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the first motion is a gesture motion and the second motion is an input device motion.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the integrated information comprises input device information indicative of an input device motion and touch information indicative of a gesture motion.