Touch sensor contact information

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9298310-B2
Application number	US-201414476545-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 3, 2014
Priority date	Jan 26, 1998
Publication date	Mar 29, 2016
Grant date	Mar 29, 2016

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

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.

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.

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 c

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Westerman Wayne Carl
• Elias John Greer

Classifications

• G06V30/19173

  Classification techniques · CPC title

• G06F18/24137

  Distances to cluster centroïds · CPC title

• G06F3/0485

  Scrolling or panning · CPC title

• G06F3/041 Primary

  Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means · CPC title

• G06F3/04815

  Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional [3D], e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object · CPC title