Adaptive touch sensor interface

• US 9,244,604 B1
• Filed: 11/05/2010
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lewbel, Hannah Rebecca, Manyam, Vijay, MacIntosh, Eric Allan
• Primary Examiner(s): Yodichkas, Aneeeta
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fox, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US12/940,831
• Time in Patent Office: 1,908 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 715/866
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A touch sensor on a device is configured to accept user input in the form of touches. Control areas on the touch sensor may be designated to correspond to keys on a keyboard or other commands. These control areas may be arranged on either side of the touch sensor to allow the user to activate control areas with their thumbs while holding the device. Size and spacing of the keys may vary dynamically in response to environmental conditions, user interactions, and so forth. Thus, the area of a control on the touch sensor may be larger when operated in a high vibration or motion environment, such as on a train, walking, and so forth. Additionally or alternatively, the position of control areas may dynamically change to adjust to the user.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

a display coupled to the processor;

a touch sensor coupled to the processor;

a motion sensor coupled to the processor;

an adaptive user interface module stored in the memory and configured to execute on the processor to;

determine an ambient motion of the electronic device based at least in part upon output from the motion sensor;

determine that the determined ambient motion meets or exceeds a dynamically varying ambient motion threshold;

detect activation of a key, of a keyboard, a predetermined number of times during a predetermined time interval;

at least partly in response to determining that the determined ambient motion meets or exceeds the dynamically varying ambient motion threshold and detecting the activation of the key the predetermined number of times during the predetermined time interval, adjust a size of a control area designated on the touch sensor such that the size of the control area is adjusted to be proportionate to an amount of the determined ambient motion; and

adjust a user interface presented on the display based at least in part on the determined ambient motion.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a control presented on the display, the control having a size corresponding to the size of the control area.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the control area comprises a soft keyboard key on a soft keyboard presented on the display.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the soft keyboard includes a plurality of soft keyboard keys distributed proximate to an exterior edge of the display to form a split keyboard.

5. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein soft keyboard keys of the soft keyboard that are assigned to a left hand of the user are distributed proximate to a left side of the display and soft keyboard keys of the soft keyboard that are assigned to a right hand of the user are distributed proximate to a right side of the display.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the ambient motion comprises motion imposed upon the electronic device independent of direction by the user.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the ambient motion comprises vibration or acceleration exceeding the dynamically varying threshold.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the user interface based at least in part on the determined ambient motion comprises presenting a reduced set of control areas on the user interface.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the user interface based at least in part on the determined ambient motion comprises presenting additional control areas on the user interface.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is an electronic book reader, and wherein the display comprises an electrophoretic display.

11. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the dynamically varying threshold is based at least on a relationship of a user of the electronic device to an environment in which the user is interacting with the electronic device.

12. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors of a device to perform acts comprising:

determining an amplitude of ambient motion of the device based at least in part upon output from a motion sensor coupled to the one or more processors;

determining that the amplitude of ambient motion meets or exceeds an ambient motion threshold;

detecting, via a touch sensor coupled to the one or more processors, activation of a key, of a keyboard, a predetermined number of times during a predetermined time interval; and

at least partly in response to determining that the amplitude of ambient motion meets or exceeds the ambient motion threshold and detecting the activation of the key the predetermined number of times during the predetermined time interval, adjusting dynamically dimensions of the control area such that a size of the control area is proportionate at least in part to the amplitude of ambient motion.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein a relatively high amplitude of ambient motion is associated with a greater control area size than a relatively low amplitude of ambient motion.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, further comprising adjusting a user interface presented on a display coupled to the one or more processors to a presentation mode corresponding to the amplitude of ambient motion.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein the presentation mode, when the amplitude of the ambient motion is below the ambient motion threshold, comprises additional controls as compared to the presentation mode when the amplitude of the ambient motion is at or above the ambient motion threshold.

16. An electronic device comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

a touch sensor coupled to the processor and configured to provide a control area associated with a particular command;

a display displaying a user interface corresponding to the control area associated with the particular command; and

an adaptive user interface module stored in the memory and configured to execute on the processor to;

determine a control area centroid of the control area on the touch sensor;

receive a touch input on the touch sensor within the control area associated with the particular command;

determine an estimated input centroid of the touch input within the control area;

determine a first displacement between the control area centroid and the estimated input centroid in a first dimension;

determine a second displacement between the control area centroid and the estimated user input centroid in a second dimension;

reposition the control area such that the control area centroid is within a pre-determined distance of the estimated input centroid, the repositioning of the control area comprises;

moving at least a portion of the control area in the first dimension based at least on the first displacement, and

moving at least a portion of the control area in the second dimension based at least on the second displacement; and

at least in part in response to repositioning the control area, reposition the user interface.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the estimated input centroid comprises a geometric center.

18. The electronic device of claim 16, further comprising a motion sensor coupled to the processor, and wherein the adaptive user interface module is further configured to execute on the processor to:

determine an ambient motion of the electronic device based at least in part upon output from the motion sensor;

adjust a control area designated on the touch sensor such that a size of the control area is proportionate at least in part to the ambient motion; and

adjust a user interface presented on a display coupled to the processor to a presentation mode corresponding to the determined ambient motion.

19. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the touch sensor comprises an interpolating force sensitive resistor array.

20. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the touch sensor comprises an optical receiver.

21. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

designating a control area associated with a particular command to accept a touch input on a touch sensor;

displaying a user interface corresponding to the control area;

determining a control area centroid of the control area;

receiving a touch input within the control area associated with the particular command on the touch sensor;

determining an estimated input centroid based at least in part upon the touch input;

determining a first displacement between the determined control area centroid and the estimated input centroid in a first dimension;

determining a second displacement between the determined control area centroid and the estimated input centroid in a second dimension;

positioning the control area on a surface of the touch sensor such that the control area centroid is within a pre-determined distance of the estimated input centroid, the positioning comprising;

moving at least a portion of the control area in the first dimension based at least on the first displacement; and

moving at least a portion of the control area in the second dimension based at least on the second displacement; and

repositioning the user interface, at least in part in response to positioning the control area on the surface of the touch sensor.

22. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 21, wherein the touch input on the touch sensor is associated with the particular command based at least in part upon proximity to the control area centroid of the control area assigned to the particular command.

23. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 21, further comprising:

determining an ambient motion of a device associated with the touch sensor based at least in part upon output from a motion sensor coupled to the one or more processors; and

adjusting a size of the control area such that the size of the control area is proportionate at least in part to the ambient motion.