Thresholds for determining feedback in computing devices

• US 9,977,499 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Westerman, Wayne C., Kerr, Duncan, Cieplinski, Avi E., Bernstein, Jeffrey T., Vieta, William M., Missig, Julian K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zheng, Xuemei
• Application Number:
  US14/399,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20150116205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,894 Days
• 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 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

The present application is related to a computer for providing output to a user. The computer includes a processor and an input device in communication with the processor. The input device includes a feedback surface and at least one sensor in communication with the feedback surface, the at least one sensor configured to detect a user input to the feedback surface. The processor varies a down-stroke threshold based on a first factor and varies an up-stroke threshold based on a second factor. The down-stroke threshold determines a first output of the computing device, the up-stroke threshold determines a second output of the computing device, and at least one of the first factor or the second factor are determined based on the user input.

Claims

1. A method for varying an output of a computing device, comprising:

receiving a user input comprising a force input applied by a user to an input device in communication with the computing device;

determining, by a processor in communication with the input device, an anticipated touch gesture input associated with the force input, the anticipated touch gesture input comprising movement of at least one of the user'"'"'s fingers in contact with the input device along a path;

determining, by the processor, whether the force input crosses a down-stroke threshold specifically associated with the anticipated touch gesture input and, in response to the force input crossing the down-stroke threshold, providing a first haptic output; and

determining, by the processor, whether the force input subsequently crosses an upstroke threshold specifically associated with the anticipated touch gesture input, and in response to the force input crossing the up-stroke threshold, providing a second haptic output;

wherein

a magnitude of at least one of the first haptic output or the second haptic output is based on a type of the anticipated touch gesture input.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the force input comprises at least one of an input force magnitude applied to the input device, an input velocity applied to the input device, an input yank applied to the input device, or an input acceleration applied to the input device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the up-stroke threshold is set at a percentage of the down-stroke threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the processor further determines an environmental parameter, chosen from the group of;

an acceleration of the computing device;

or

an angle of the computing device; and

at least one of the up-stroke threshold or down-stroke threshold are varied based on the environmental parameter.

5. A computer for providing a haptic output to a user, the computer comprising:

a processor;

a haptic device in communication with the processor and configured to provide a first haptic output and a second haptic output; and

an input device in communication with the processor, the input device comprising;

a feedback surface coupled to the haptic device; and

at least one sensor in communication with the feedback surface, the at least one sensor configured to detect a user input gesture comprising;

a force input provided by the user to the feedback surface, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to detect whether the force input crosses a down-stroke threshold and an up-stroke threshold; and

a movement of a touch input from at least a first location of the feedback surface to a second location of the feedback surface;

wherein

the processor anticipates a touch gesture based on the touch input and varies the down-stroke threshold based on a first characteristic of the force input and varies the upstroke threshold based on a second characteristic of the force input;

the down-stroke threshold is associated with the first haptic output of the haptic device;

the up-stroke threshold is associated with the second haptic output of the haptic device; and

at least one of the first characteristic of the force input or the second characteristic of the force input are determined based on the anticipated touch gesture.

6. The computer of claim 5, wherein

the first characteristic of the force input is chosen from the group consisting of an input force, an input velocity, an input acceleration, or an input yank;

and

the second characteristic of the force input is chosen from the group consisting of the input force, the input velocity, the input acceleration, or the input yank.

7. The computer of claim 5, wherein the first haptic output is movement of the feedback surface in at least one direction.

8. The computer of claim 7, wherein the computer further comprises a display in communication with the processor and the first haptic output is associated with a visual output displayed on the display.

9. The computer of claim 5, wherein the second haptic output is associated with movement of the feedback surface in at least one direction parallel to the feedback surface.

10. The computer of claim 5, wherein the down-stroke threshold and the up-stroke threshold determine the user input gesture required to activate the first haptic output, and the second haptic output, respectively.

11. The computer of claim 5, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a position sensor and a force sensor.

12. The computer of claim 5, wherein at least one of the first haptic output or the second haptic output includes disabling a haptic response of the input device.

13. The computer of claim 5, wherein at least one of the first characteristic of the force input or the second characteristic of the force input is an active application executing on the computer.

14. The computer of claim 5, wherein the feedback surface is a portion of a key of a keyboard.

15. The computer of claim 5, wherein the feedback surface is a track pad.

16. A method for varying an output of an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a first sensor signal corresponding to a touch input applied by a user to an input device in communication with the electronic device, the first sensor signal comprising an input force associated with the touch input;

anticipating, by the processor, a gesture input based on the touch input;

receiving, by the processor, a second sensor signal from the input device;

enabling, by the processor, a first threshold for the input device and a second threshold for the input device based, at least in part, on the anticipated gesture input;

wherein

the first threshold determines a first haptic output and is associated with a magnitude of the input force and the gesture input; and

the second threshold determines a second haptic output and is associated with the input force and the gesture input.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first haptic output and the second haptic output are haptic feedback produced by the input device.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first haptic output and the second haptic output are associated with a visual output displayed by the electronic device.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the gesture input is associated with multiple fingers simultaneously touching the input device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein at least one of the first haptic output or the second haptic output are varied based on a count of fingers simultaneously touching the input device.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein at least one of the first haptic output or the second haptic output are varied based on the movement.