Bottom-up watershed dataflow method and region-specific segmentation based on historic data to identify patches on a touch sensor panel

• US 9,367,167 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2011
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Westerman, Wayne Carl, Strickon, Joshua A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Olson, Jason
• Application Number:
  US13/072,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20110175837A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,908 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345173-178, 178 18- 20
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/155 involving morphological operators

Abstract

The application of a watershed algorithm to pixels and their touch values obtained from a scan of a touch sensor panel to determine patches corresponding to images of touch is disclosed. Prior to applying the watershed algorithm, background pixels having little or no touch values can be eliminated. A primary merge algorithm can then merge adjacent patches together when the saddle point between them is shallow as compared to the peak represented by the patches. However, if two candidate patches for merging have a total number of pixels below a certain threshold, these two patches may not be merged under the assumption that the patches might have been caused by different fingertips. Conversely, if two candidate patches for merging have a total number of pixels above a certain threshold, these two patches can be merged under the assumption that the patches were caused by a single thumb or palm.

Claims

1. A method for identifying touch patches on a touch sensor panel, comprising:

measuring touch values of touch pixels on the touch sensor panel;

identifying a touch pixel having a largest touch value as representing a peak;

associating a plurality of touch pixels in an area surrounding the peak with a patch of touch pixels including the peak; and

selectively merging two or more non-overlapping patches of touch pixels into a single patch of touch pixels utilizing predetermined merging criteria upon determining that a number of touch pixels in at least one of the two or more touch patches is greater than a predetermined threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating those touch pixels in the area surrounding the peak having touch values within a predetermined amount of the touch value of the peak with the patch of touch pixels including the peak.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising decreasing the touch values of the touch pixel representing the peak, and increasing the touch values of touch pixels in the areas surrounding the peak having lowest touch values by predetermined amounts, prior to associating the plurality of touch pixels with the patch of touch pixels.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising deleting patches of touch pixels having less than a predetermined number of touch pixels aligned in a single dimension prior to selectively merging patches of touch pixels.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising eliminating touch pixels having touch values that are higher than their neighboring touch pixels by a predetermined amount prior to associating the plurality of touch pixels with the patch of touch pixels.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising deleting patches of touch pixels whose pixels are substantially linear prior to selectively merging patches of touch pixels.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising disregarding other merging criteria and keeping two patches of touch pixels separate if both patches are below a predetermined size value.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising merging two patches of touch pixels if a combined size of both patches is above a predetermined size value.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program code for identifying touch patches on a touch sensor panel, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

identifying a touch pixel on the touch sensor panel having a largest touch value as representing a peak;

determining a patch of touch pixels for the peak by associating a plurality of touch pixels in an area surrounding the peak with the patch of touch pixels; and

selectively merging two or more non-overlapping patches of touch pixels into a single patch of touch pixels utilizing predetermined merging criteria upon determining that a number of touch pixels in at least one of the two or more touch patches is greater than a predetermined threshold.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, the method further comprising associating those touch pixels in the area surrounding the peak having touch values within a predetermined amount of the touch value of the peak with the patch of touch pixels.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, the method further comprising decreasing the touch value of the touch pixel representing the peak, and increasing the touch values of touch pixels in the areas surrounding the peak having lowest touch values by predetermined amounts, prior to associating the plurality of touch pixels with the patch of touch pixels.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, the method further comprising deleting patches of touch pixels having less than a predetermined number of touch pixels aligned in a single dimension prior to selectively merging patches of touch pixels.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, the method further comprising eliminating touch pixels having touch values that are higher than their neighboring touch pixels by a predetermined amount prior to associating the plurality of touch pixels with the patch of touch pixels.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, the method further comprising deleting patches of touch pixels whose pixels are substantially linear prior to selectively merging patches of touch pixels.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, the method further comprising disregarding other merging criteria and keeping two patches of touch pixels separate if both patches are below a predetermined size value.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, the method further comprising merging two patches of touch pixels if a combined size of both patches is above a predetermined size value.

17. A touch-sensitive device comprising the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9.

18. A touch-sensitive device, comprising:

a touch sensor panel including a plurality of touch pixels; and

a panel processor for identifying touch patches on a touch sensor panel, the panel processor programmed for

receiving touch values obtained from the touch pixels,

identifying a touch pixel having a largest touch value as representing a peak,

associating a plurality of touch pixels in an area surrounding the peak with a patch of touch pixels including the peak, and

selectively merging two or more non-overlapping patches of touch pixels into a single patch of touch pixels utilizing predetermined merging criteria upon determining that a number of touch pixels in at least one of the two or more touch patches is greater than a predetermined threshold.

19. The touch-sensitive device of claim 18, the panel processor further programmed for decreasing the touch value of the touch pixel representing the peak, and increasing the touch values of touch pixels in the areas surrounding the peak having lowest touch values by predetermined amounts, prior to associating the plurality of touch pixels with the patch of touch pixels.

20. The touch-sensitive device of claim 18, the panel processor further programmed for deleting patches of touch pixels having less than a predetermined number of touch pixels aligned in a single dimension prior to selectively merging patches of touch pixels.

21. The touch-sensitive device of claim 18, the panel processor further programmed for eliminating touch pixels having touch values that are higher than their neighboring touch pixels by a predetermined amount prior to associating the plurality of touch pixels with the patch of touch pixels.

22. The touch-sensitive device of claim 18, the panel processor further programmed for deleting patches of touch pixels whose pixels are substantially linear prior to selectively merging patches of touch pixels.