Touch sensor contact information

• US 9,298,310 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2014
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Westerman, Wayne Carl, Elias, John Greer
• Primary Examiner(s): Olson, Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abebe, Sosina
• Application Number:
  US14/476,545
• Publication Number:
  US 20150029152A1
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 178 1801- 2004
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/24137 Distances to cluster centroïds
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0235 using chord techniques G06F3/0234 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/19173 Classification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1983 Syntactic or structural pattern recognition, e.g. symbolic string recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/107 : Static hand or arm
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9622 : using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960725 : Charge-transfer

Abstract

Apparatus and methods are disclosed for simultaneously tracking multiple finger and palm contacts as hands approach, touch, and slide across a proximity-sensing, multi-touch surface. Identification and classification of intuitive hand configurations and motions enables unprecedented integration of typing, resting, pointing, scrolling, 3D manipulation, and handwriting into a versatile, ergonomic computer input device.

Claims

1. A method of selecting input of a computing system including a touch sensing surface, the method comprising:

detecting a set of multiple contacts touched down on the surface;

determining a number of the contacts;

determining whether the contacts are in motion across the surface;

determining whether the contacts are decelerating across the surface, based on a change in average speed of the contacts across the surface; and

selecting an input based on the number of contacts, whether the contacts are in motion across the surface, and whether the contacts are decelerating across the surface.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

detecting a liftoff of a first subset of one or more contacts of the set, wherein a second subset of one or more contacts of the set remains touched down; and

determining a motion of the first subset prior to the liftoff;

wherein selecting the input includes selecting, while the first subset remains lifted off from the surface after the liftoff, one of a plurality of a post-liftoff states, wherein the selection is determined by first information including the motion of the first subset prior to the liftoff.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the input is selected prior to the liftoff, the method further comprising:

generating the input based on the motion of the first subset prior to the liftoff.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein generating the input is based on the set of contacts.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining whether the input is a currently-selected input at the time of the liftoff, wherein the first information includes the determination that the input is currently-selected at the time of the liftoff.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein one of the post-liftoff states includes terminating the input, wherein terminating the input is selected based on determining whether the one or more contacts are decelerating.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein terminating the input is selected if the motion of the first subset is determined to be paused prior to the liftoff.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein terminating the input is selected if the motion of the first subset is determined to be decelerating prior to the liftoff.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein one of the post-liftoff states includes continuing a motion of the input.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

adjusting the continued motion of the input based on the second subset.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein adjusting the continued motion includes adjusting the continued motion based on a motion of the second subset.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein adjusting the continued motion based on the motion of the second subset includes adjusting the continued motion based on a translation motion of the second subset.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting one or more liftoffs of the one or more contacts in the second subset, wherein adjusting the continued motion includes terminating the continued motion in response to detecting that all of the one or more contacts in the second subset have lifted off.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

detecting a touchdown of one or more contacts after the liftoff of the first subset; and

terminating the input in response to detecting the touchdown of the one or more contacts after the liftoff of the first subset.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein continuing the motion of the input is selected if the motion of the first subset is determined to be moving at a constant speed prior to the liftoff.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein continuing the motion of the input is selected if the motion of the first subset is determined to be greater than a predetermined acceleration prior to the liftoff.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein a speed of the continuing motion of the input is based on the motion of the first subset prior to the liftoff.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the speed of the continuing motion of the input is set to a same speed as the motion of the first subset prior to the liftoff.

19. The method of claim 3, wherein the input includes one of a cursor motion, a scroll motion, and a drag motion.

20. The method of claim 3, wherein generating the input includes initiating the input based on one of a synchronized motion of the first subset and a synchronized touchdown of the first subset.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein generating the input includes generating a motion of the input while the first subset remains touched down after the initiating of the input, and the motion of the input while the first subset remains touched down is based on a combination of motions of contacts in the first and second subsets.

22. The method of claim 2, wherein the motion of the first subset prior to the liftoff of the first subset is an amount of change in direction of the first subset.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein selecting the one of the plurality of post-liftoff states includes selecting termination of the input in response to a determination that the amount of change in direction is greater than a predetermined curve threshold.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable program instructions executable to perform a method of selecting input of a computing system including a touch sensing surface, the method comprising:

detecting a set of multiple contacts touched down on the surface;

determining a number of the contacts;

determining whether the contacts are in motion across the surface;

determining whether the contacts are decelerating across the surface, based on a change in average speed of the contacts across the surface; and

selecting an input based on the number of contacts, whether the contacts are in motion across the surface, and whether the contacts are decelerating across the surface.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, the method further comprising:

detecting a liftoff of a first subset of one or more contacts of the set, wherein a second subset of one or more contacts of the set remains touched down; and

determining a motion of the first subset prior to the liftoff;

wherein selecting the input includes selecting, while the first subset remains lifted off from the surface after the liftoff, one of a plurality of a post-liftoff states, wherein the selection is determined by first information including the motion of the first subset prior to the liftoff.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the input is selected prior to the liftoff, the method further comprising:

generating the input based on the motion of the first subset prior to the liftoff.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, further comprising:

determining whether the input is a currently-selected input at the time of the liftoff, wherein the first information includes the determination that the input is currently-selected at the time of the liftoff.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein one of the post-liftoff states includes terminating the input, wherein terminating the input is selected based on determining whether the one or more contacts are decelerating.

25. An apparatus comprising:

a touch sensing surface; and

an input system that

detects a set of multiple contacts touched down on the surface;

determines a number of the contacts;

determines whether the contacts are in motion across the surface;

determines whether the contacts are decelerating across the surface, based on a change in average speed of the contacts across the surface; and

selects an input based on the number of contacts, whether the contacts are in motion across the surface, and whether the contacts are decelerating across the surface.

30. The apparatus of claim 25, the method further comprising:

detecting a liftoff of a first subset of one or more contacts of the set, wherein a second subset of one or more contacts of the set remains touched down; and

determining a motion of the first subset prior to the liftoff;

wherein selecting the input includes selecting, while the first subset remains lifted off from the surface after the liftoff, one of a plurality of a post-liftoff states, wherein the selection is determined by first information including the motion of the first subset prior to the liftoff.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the input is selected prior to the liftoff, the method further comprising:

generating the input based on the motion of the first subset prior to the liftoff.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, further comprising:

determining whether the input is a currently-selected input at the time of the liftoff, wherein the first information includes the determination that the input is currently-selected at the time of the liftoff.

33. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein one of the post-liftoff states includes terminating the input, wherein terminating the input is selected based on determining whether the one or more contacts are decelerating.