Input location correction based on device motion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12099684-B2
Application number	US-202318231649-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 8, 2023
Priority date	Sep 21, 2021
Publication date	Sep 24, 2024
Grant date	Sep 24, 2024

Abstract

An electronic device includes a housing, a display at least partially within the housing, a cover positioned over the display and defining an input surface of the electronic device, a motion sensing system configured to detect a motion of the electronic device, and a touch sensor configured to detect, within a time window after the motion of the electronic device is detected, a contact of an input member of a user on the input surface of the electronic device. The electronic device is configured to determine, for a time prior to the detection of the contact, a relative motion between the input member and the input surface. In accordance with a determination that a characteristic of the relative motion satisfies a threshold condition, the electronic device may determine a second input location based at least in part on the location of the contact and the relative motion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
a housing;
a cover defining an input surface of the electronic device;
a motion sensing system configured to detect a motion of the electronic device;

wherein:
the electronic device is configured to:
determine a relative motion between an input member and the input surface for a time prior to detecting a contact between the input member and the input surface;
detect the contact between the input member and the input surface at a contact location of the input surface;
in accordance with a first determination that a characteristic of the relative motion does not satisfy a threshold condition, determine a first input location based on the contact location;
in accordance with a second determination that the characteristic of the relative motion satisfies the threshold condition, determine a second input location based at least in part on the contact location and the relative motion.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:
the input member is a finger of the user;
determining the relative motion comprises:
receiving motion data from a wearable electronic device coupled to the user; and
determining the relative motion based on the received motion data from the wearable electronic device;

the characteristic of the relative motion is a distance moved by the user's finger along a direction parallel to the input surface; and
the threshold condition is a threshold distance.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein determining the relative motion between the input member and the input surface comprises detecting motion of the user's wrist.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the motion of the user's wrist is detected using an accelerometer of a wearable electronic device.

5. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein determining the relative motion between the input member and the input surface further comprises:
detecting the motion of the electronic device; and
determining the relative motion between the input member and the input surface based at least in part on the motion of the user's wrist and the motion of the electronic device.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:
the electronic device further comprises a camera; and
determining the relative motion between the input member and the input surface comprises:
capturing, with the camera, video of the input member; and
analyzing the video of the input member to determine the relative motion between the input member and the input surface.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , comprising:
a display, wherein:
the cover is positioned over the display;
in accordance with a third determination that the first input location corresponds to a location of an end-call button displayed on the display, the electronic device is configured to end a telephone call; and
in accordance with a fourth determination that the second input location corresponds to the location of the end-call button, the electronic device is configured to display, on the display, a confirmatory button that is larger than the end-call button.

8. A method for determining an input location on a surface of an electronic device, comprising:
selecting an input-location correction model from a plurality of input-location correction models;
detecting a contact by an input member of a user on the surface at a contact location;
determining, for a time prior to the detection of the contact, a motion of the electronic device;
in accordance with a first determination that a characteristic of the motion does not satisfy a threshold condition, determining a first input location based on the contact location; and
in accordance with a second determination that the characteristic of the motion satisfies the threshold condition, determining a second input location based at least in part on the contact location and the motion of the electronic device, the determining comprising:
providing the motion of the electronic device and the contact location to the selected input-location correction model; and
receiving, as output from the selected input-location correction model, the second input location.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein:
the method further comprises detecting a usage context of the electronic device; and
the input-location correction model is selected from the plurality of input-location correction models based at least in part on the usage context of the electronic device.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the usage context corresponds to travel in a vehicle.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein:
the method further comprises detecting a location of the electronic device; and
the input-location correction model is selected from the plurality of input-location correction models based at least in part on the location of the electronic device.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising, in accordance with a third determination that the second input location corresponds to a location of a virtual button on a display associated with the surface, performing an action associated with the virtual button.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein:
the input-location correction model is a first input-location correction model;
the contact is a first contact;
the contact location is a first contact location;
the motion of the electronic device is a first motion of the electronic device; and
the method further comprises:
after receiving the second input location, detecting a change in a usage context of the electronic device;
in response to detecting the change in the usage context of the electronic device, selecting a second input-location correction model from the plurality of input-location correction models, the second input-location correction model different from the first input-location correction model;
detecting a second contact by the input member of the user on the surface;
determining, for a time prior to the detection of the second contact, a second motion of the electronic device; and
in accordance with a third determination that a characteristic of the second motion satisfies the threshold condition, determining, using the second input-location correction model, a third input location based at least in part on a location of the second contact and the second motion of the electronic device.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein:
the first input-location correction model applies a first distance offset to the first contact to determine the second input location; and
the second input-location correction model applies a second distance offset, different from the first distance offset, to determine the third input location.

15. A method for determining an input location on a surface of an electronic device, comprising:
detecting a contact of an input member at a contact location of the surface;
determining, for a time prior to the detection of the contact, a distance moved by the input member relative to the surface;
in accordance with a first determination that the distance moved by the input member relative to the surface does not satisfy a threshold condition, determining a first input location based on the contact location; and
in accordance with a second determination that the distance moved by the input member relative to surface satisfies the threshold condition, determining a second input location based at least in part on the contact location and the distance moved by the input member relative to the surface.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein determining the distance moved by the input member relative to the surfa

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Meyer Adam S
• Lerner Mitchell R

Classifications

• B60K35/22

  Display screens · CPC title

• B60K37/00

  Dashboards (as road-vehicle superstructure sub-units B62D25/14) · CPC title

• B60K35/10

  Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor · CPC title

• G06T2207/30196

  Human being; Person · CPC title

• G06T2207/10016

  Video; Image sequence · CPC title