Contact tracking and identification module for touch sensing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9342180-B2
Application number	US-47957309-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 5, 2009
Priority date	Jan 26, 1998
Publication date	May 17, 2016
Grant date	May 17, 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 providing a control signal of a computing system including a touch sensitive surface, the method comprising:
obtaining first positions of multiple contacts corresponding to touch objects concurrently on or near the surface at a first time, the first positions including a first position of a first contact and a first position of a second contact;
obtaining second positions of the multiple contacts corresponding to the touch objects concurrently on or near the surface at a second time after the first time, the second positions including a second position of the first contact and a second position of the second contact;
determining a single rotational velocity based on the first position of the first contact, the first position of the second contact, the second position of the first contact, and the second position of the second contact; and
providing the rotational velocity as a control signal of the computing system.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
manipulating a graphical object on a display screen of the computing system based on the control signal.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the rotational velocity includes identifying the first contact as a thumb contact, identifying the second contact as a finger contact, and wherein determining the velocity is further based on the identification of the thumb and finger contacts.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the rotational velocity includes determining an angle between a first line and a second line, wherein the first line is a line between the first position of the first contact and the first position of the second contact, and the second line is a line between the second position of the first contact and the second position of the second contact.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the first positions includes obtaining a first position of a third contact, obtaining the second positions includes obtaining a second position of the third contact, and determining the rotational velocity includes excluding the first and second positions of the third contact from the determination of the rotational velocity.

6. An apparatus for providing a control signal of a computing system, the apparatus comprising:
a touch sensitive surface;
a tracking module that obtains first positions of multiple contacts corresponding to touch objects concurrently on or near the surface at a first time, the first positions including a first position of a first contact and a first position of a second contact, and that obtains second positions of the multiple contacts corresponding to the touch objects concurrently on or near the surface at a second time after the first time, the second positions including a second position of the first contact and a second position of the second contact;
a motion component extraction module that determines a single rotational velocity based on the first position of the first contact, the first position of the second contact, the second position of the first contact, and the second position of the second contact; and
a control signal generator that provides the rotational velocity as a control signal of the computing system.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising:
a display screen for displaying a graphical object, wherein the graphical object is manipulated based on the control signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising:
a contact identification module that identifies the first contact as a thumb contact and identifies the second contact as a finger contact, wherein determination of the rotational velocity by the motion component extraction module is further based on the identification of the thumb and finger contacts.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein determining the rotational velocity by the motion component extraction module includes determining an angle between a first line and a second line, wherein the first line is a line between the first position of the first contact and the first position of the second contact, and the second line is a line between the second position of the first contact and the second position of the second contact.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein obtaining the first positions includes obtaining a first position of a third contact, obtaining the second positions includes obtaining a second position of the third contact, and determining the rotational velocity includes excluding the first and second positions of the third contact from the determination of the rotational velocity.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed by an apparatus including a touch sensitive surface causes the apparatus to perform a method of providing a control signal of a computing system, the method comprising:
obtaining first positions of multiple contacts corresponding to touch objects concurrently on or near the surface at a first time, the first positions including a first position of a first contact and a first position of a second contact;
obtaining second positions of the multiple contacts corresponding to the touch objects concurrently on or near the surface at a second time after the first time, the second positions including a second position of the first contact and a second position of the second contact;
determining a single rotational velocity based on the first position of the first contact, the first position of the second contact, the second position of the first contact, and the second position of the second contact; and
providing the rotational velocity as a control signal of the computing system.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11 , the method further comprising:
manipulating a graphical object on a display of the computing system based on the control signal.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein determining the rotational velocity includes identifying the first contact as a thumb contact, identifying the second contact as a finger contact, and wherein determining the velocity is further based on the identification of the thumb and finger contacts.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein determining the rotational velocity includes determining an angle between a first line and a second line, wherein the first line is a line between the first position of the first contact and the first position of the second contact, and the second line is a line between the second position of the first contact and the second position of the second contact.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein obtaining the first positions includes obtaining a first position of a third contact, obtaining the second positions includes obtaining a second position of the third contact, and determining the rotational velocity includes excluding the first and second positions of the third contact from the determination of the rotational velocity.

16. A method of providing a control signal of a computing system including a touch sensitive surface, the method comprising:
obtaining first positions of multiple contacts corresponding to touch objects concurrently on or near the surface at a first time, the first positions including a first position of a first contact and a first position of a second contact;
obtaining second positions of the multiple contacts corresponding to the touch objects concurrently on or near the surface at a second time after the first time, the second positions including a second position of th

Assignees

• Westerman Wayne
• Elias John G
• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Westerman Wayne
• Elias John G

Classifications

• G06V30/19173

  Classification techniques · CPC title

• G06F18/24137

  Distances to cluster centroïds · CPC title

• G06F3/0488

  using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures · CPC title

• H03K17/9622

  using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard · CPC title

• G06F2203/04101

  2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup · CPC title