Methods and apparatus to associate a detected presence of a conductive object

• US 9,360,961 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2011
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Parade Technologies, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Parade Technologies, Ltd.
• Inventors: Peterson, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Sitta, Grant
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bogale, Amen
• Application Number:
  US13/240,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20130076643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,720 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178, 178/18.06
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 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 3/044 by capacitive means

Abstract

A method and apparatus determine a plurality of attribute values of a first detected presence, determine another plurality of attribute values of a second detected presence, and associate the first detected presence with the second detected presence based on the plurality of attribute values and the other plurality of attribute values.

Claims

1. A method of associating presences that are previously and subsequently detected by a touch sensing module, comprising:

detecting a first presence during a first scan performed at a first time, including obtaining a first plurality of signal values associated with the first presence;

determining a first plurality of attribute values for a set of attributes associated with the first detected presence according to the first plurality of signal values, wherein the set of attributes includes at least one of;

a two-dimensional shape, a sum of signal values, a peak signal value, a three-dimensional shape, and a velocity of a corresponding detected presence;

detecting a second presence during a second scan performed at a second time that is subsequent to the first time, including obtaining a second plurality of signal values associated with the second presence;

determining a second plurality of attribute values for the set of attributes associated with the second detected presence according to the second plurality of signal values;

determining a plurality of differences for the set of attributes based on the first and second plurality of attribute values;

determining a similarity level between the first and second presences, including

combining the plurality of differences according to a plurality of weight factors;

when the similarity level satisfies a predetermined criterion;

associating the first detected presence with the second detected presence; and

determining a path of a conductive object based on the association of the first detected presence with the second detected presence, comprising;

determining that the conductive object is located at a first position of the first detected presence at the first time; and

determining that the conductive object is located at a second position of the second detected presence at the second time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of attributes includes at least two of:

a two-dimensional shape of detected presence, a sum of signal values reflecting detected presence, a peak signal value of detected presence, an orientation of detected presence, a three-dimensional shape of detected presence, a position of detected presence, and a velocity of detected presence.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the first plurality of attribute values for the set of attributes associated with the first detected presence includes:

determining a first attribute value of the first plurality of attribute values before a position of the first detected presence is calculated; and

determining a second attribute value of the first plurality of attribute values after the position of the first detected presence is calculated;

wherein determining the second plurality of attribute values for the set of attributes associated with the second detected presence includes;

determining a first attribute value of the other plurality of attribute values before a position of the second detected presence is calculated; and

determining a second attribute value of the other plurality of attributes after the position of the second detected presence is calculated.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising excluding an association between the second detected presence and a third detected presence based on a third plurality of attribute values for the set of attributes associated with the third detected presence and the second plurality of attribute values of the second detected presence.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the similarity level is determined based on a level of similarity between the first plurality of attribute values and the second plurality of attribute values.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the similarity level is determined based on a sum of the plurality of differences.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a processing device further comprising;

(1) an attribute tracker configured to;

determining a first plurality of attribute values for a set of attributes associated with a first detected presence according to a first plurality of signal values, wherein the first presence is detected during a first scan performed at a first time, wherein the set of attributes includes at least one of;

a two-dimensional shape, a sum of signal values, a peak signal value, a three-dimensional shape, and a velocity of a corresponding detected presence; and

determining a second plurality of attribute values for the set of attributes associated with a second detected presence according to a second plurality of signal values, wherein the second presence is detected during a second scan performed at a second time that is subsequent to the first time;

(2) a presence associator coupled with the attribute tracker and configured to;

determine a plurality of differences for the set of attributes based on the first and second plurality of attribute values;

determine a similarity level between the first and second presences, including combining the plurality of differences according to a plurality of weight factors; and

when the similarity level satisfies a predetermined criterion;

associate the first detected presence with the second detected presence;

and determine a path of a conductive object, wherein the path includes a first position of the first detected presence on the path and a second position of the second detected presence, and that the conductive object is located at the respective position of the first and second detected presences at the first and second times, respectively.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the set of attributes includes at least two of:

a two-dimensional shape of detected presence, a sum of signal values reflecting detected presence, a peak signal value of detected presence, an orientation of detected presence, a three-dimensional shape of detected presence, a position of detected presence, and a velocity of detected presence.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a presence detector coupled with the attribute tracker, the presence detector configured to detect the first detected presence before the presence detector detects the second detected presence; and

a position calculator coupled with the presence detector, the position calculator configured to calculate a position of the first detected presence before the position calculator calculates the position of the second detected presence.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the attribute tracker is configured to:

determine at least one of the plurality of attribute values of the second detected presence before the position calculator calculates the position of the second detected presence; and

determine at least another of the plurality of attribute values of the second detected presence after the presence detector detects the second presence.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the presence associator is configured to exclude an association of the second detected presence with a third detected presence based on a third plurality of attribute values for the set of attributes associated with the third detected presence and the second plurality of attribute values of the second detected presence.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the presence associator is configured to associate the first detected presence with the second detected presence at least partially based on a level of similarity between the first plurality of attribute values and the second plurality of attribute values.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the presence associator is configured to determine the similarity level based on the level of similarity between the first plurality of attribute values and the second plurality of attribute values.

14. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the presence associator is configured to determine the similarity level based on a sum of the plurality of differences.

15. A sensing system comprising:

a plurality of sensor elements configured to detect a first plurality of touch presences during a first plurality of scans performed at a first plurality of times and a second touch presence during a second scan performed at a second time subsequent to the first plurality of times, respectively, wherein a respective first plurality of signal values is obtained for each of the first plurality of touch presences, and a second plurality of signal values is obtained for the second presence; and

a processing device coupled to the plurality of sensor elements,

the processing device further comprising;

(1) an attribute tracker configured to;

for each of the first plurality of touch presences, determine a respective first plurality of attribute values for a set of attribute values associated with the respective first touch presence according to the respective first, plurality of signal values, wherein the set of attributes includes at least one of;

a two-dimensional shape, a sum of signal values, a peak signal value, a three-dimensional shape, and a velocity of a corresponding detected presence, and

determine a second plurality of attribute values for the set of attribute associated with the second touch presence according to the second plurality of signal values; and

(2) a presence associator configured to;

calculate a respective similarity value for each of the first plurality of touch presences based on a plurality of weight factors associated with the set of attributes, wherein the respective similarity value reflects a level of similarity between the respective first plurality of attribute values of the respective first touch presence and the second plurality of attributes values of the second touch presence; and

when one of the similarity values satisfies a predetermined criterion;

associate one of the first plurality of touch presences with the second touch presence based on the similarity value associated with the one of the first plurality of touch presences;

determine a path traveled by the conductive object; and

determine that a same conductive object made the one of the first plurality of touch presences at a first location on the path and the second touch presence at a second location on the path.

16. The sensing system of claim 15, wherein the set of attributes includes at least two of:

a two-dimensional shape of a touch, a sum of signal values of the touch, a peak signal value of the touch, an orientation of the touch, a three-dimensional shape of the touch, a position of the touch, and a velocity of the touch.

17. The sensing system of claim 16, wherein the attribute tracker is configured to:

for each of the first plurality of touch presences;

determine a first attribute value of the respective first plurality of attribute values for a first attribute of the set of attributes before a position of the respective first touch presence is obtained;

determine a second attribute value of the respective first plurality of attribute values for a second attribute of the set of attributes after the position of the respective first touch presence is obtained; and

determine a third attribute value of the second plurality of attribute values for the first attribute before a position of the second touch presence is calculated; and

determine a fourth attribute value of the second plurality of attribute values for the first attribute after the position of the second touch presence is calculated.

18. The sensing system of claim 15, wherein the presence associator is configured to:

for each of the first plurality of touch presences;

determine a plurality differences for the set of attributes based on the respective first plurality of attribute values and the second plurality of attribute values; and

determine the similarity value between the respective first touch presence and the second presence, including combining the plurality of differences according to the plurality of weight factors.