Glove touch detection for touch devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9778742-B2
Application number	US-201313895110-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2013
Priority date	Jun 12, 2012
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods of glove touch detection are described. One method performs a first scan to detect an object proximate to a sense array. The first scan comprises a first sensitivity parameter. The method compares touch data from the first scan against a plurality of thresholds. The method performs a second scan to detect a touch event when the first scan's touch data exceeds a glove saturation threshold of the plurality of thresholds. The second scan comprising a second sensitivity parameter that is different than the first sensitivity parameter. The method reports a glove touch event when the first scan's touch data does not exceed the glove saturation threshold and exceeds a glove-reporting threshold of the plurality of thresholds.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
at a touch sensitive device comprising a sense array having a plurality of sensor electrodes:
operating in a glove mode, including performing a first scan of the sense array to detect an object proximate to the sense array using a first sensitivity parameter;
comparing first touch data from the first scan against a first plurality of thresholds including a gloved-finger reporting threshold and a glove saturation threshold;
in accordance with a determination that the first touch data does not exceed the gloved-finger reporting threshold, forgoing reporting of a touch event;
in accordance with a determination that the first touch data exceeds the gloved-finger reporting threshold and does not exceed the glove saturation threshold, reporting a glove touch event; and
in accordance with a determination that the first touch data from the first scan exceeds the glove saturation threshold, operating in a non-glove mode, including:
performing a second scan of the sense array to detect a finger touch using a second sensitivity parameter;
comparing second touch data from the second scan against a finger reporting threshold, wherein the finger reporting threshold is greater than the glove saturation threshold; and
in accordance with a determination that the second touch data from the second scan exceeds the finger reporting threshold, reporting a finger touch event;

wherein operating in the glove mode includes aggregating capacitance results from a first number of scans to generate the first touch data; and
wherein the first number of scans exceeds a second number of scans utilized to generate the second touch data while in the non-glove mode.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
prior to performing the first scan of the sense array:
performing a third scan of the sense array to detect at least one of a hover event or a stylus event using a third sensitivity parameter, wherein the third sensitivity parameter has increased sensitivity relative to the first sensitivity parameter;
comparing third touch data from the third scan against a hover saturation threshold, wherein the hover saturation threshold is less than the gloved-finger reporting threshold; and
in accordance with a determination that the third touch data from the third scan does not exceed the hover saturation threshold, reporting a hover event.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the touch sensitive device is in a hover detect mode during the third scan.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second sensitivity parameter has decreased sensitivity relative to the first sensitivity parameter.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein comparing the second touch data from the second scan against the finger reporting threshold further includes comparing the second touch data from the second scan against a second plurality of thresholds that includes an initial reporting threshold and the finger reporting threshold.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
reporting a finger touch event in accordance with a determination that the second touch data from the second scan exceeds both the finger reporting threshold and the initial reporting threshold.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the first scan comprises performing a first mutual-capacitance scan to measure first mutual capacitances between pairs of the plurality of electrodes using the first sensitivity parameter, and wherein performing the second scan comprises performing a second mutual-capacitance scan to measure second mutual capacitances between pairs of the plurality of electrodes using the second sensitivity parameter.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first mutual-capacitance scan is performed concurrently with a first self-capacitance scan and the second mutual-capacitance scan is performed concurrently with a second self-capacitance scan, and wherein self-capacitance data from the first and second self-capacitance scans is used with mutual-capacitance data from the first and second mutual-capacitances scans to detect the touch event corresponding to the gloved touch.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in accordance with the determination that the first touch data from the first scan exceeds the glove saturation threshold, determining whether a mode change is appropriate based on one or more detection criteria; and
in accordance with a determination that the mode change is appropriate, operating in the non-glove mode;
wherein the one or more detection criteria include one or more of:
a criterion that a timeout period for the glove mode has completed;
a criterion that an acceleration exceeds an acceleration threshold; and
a criterion that third touch data from a confirmation scan exceeds a touch threshold.

10. A touch sensitive device comprising:
a sense array having a plurality of sensor electrodes;
memory; and
a processing element coupled to the memory and the sense array, wherein the processing element is configured to:
operate in a glove mode, including performing a first scan of the sense array to detect an object proximate to the sense array using a first sensitivity parameter;
compare first touch data from the first scan against a first plurality of thresholds including a gloved-finger reporting threshold and a glove saturation threshold;
in accordance with a determination that the first touch data does not exceed the gloved-finger reporting threshold, forgo reporting a touch event;
in accordance with a determination that the first touch data exceeds the gloved-finger reporting threshold and does not exceed the glove saturation threshold, report a glove touch event; and
in accordance with a determination that the first touch data from the first scan exceeds the glove saturation threshold, operate in a non-glove mode, including:
performing a second scan of the sense array to detect a finger touch using a second sensitivity parameter;
comparing second touch data from the second scan against a finger reporting threshold, wherein the finger reporting threshold is greater than the glove saturation threshold; and
in accordance with a determination that the second touch data from the second scan exceeds the finger reporting threshold, reporting a finger touch event;

wherein operating in the glove mode includes aggregating capacitance results from a first number of scans to generate the first touch data; and
wherein the first number of scans exceeds a second number of scans utilized to generate the second touch data while in the non-glove mode.

11. The touch sensitive device of claim 10 , wherein the processing element is further configured to:
prior to performing the first scan of the sense array:
perform a third scan of the sense array to detect at least one of a hover event or a stylus event using a third sensitivity parameter, wherein the third sensitivity parameter has increased sensitivity relative to the first sensitivity parameter;
compare third touch data from the third scan against a hover saturation threshold, wherein the hover saturation threshold is less than the gloved-finger reporting threshold; and
in accordance with a determination that the third touch data from the third scan does not exceed the hover saturation threshold, report a hover event.

12. The touch sensitive device of claim 11 , wherein the touch sensitive device is in a hover detect mode during the third scan.

13. The touch sensitive device of claim 10 , wherein the second sensitivity parameter has decreased sensitivity relative to the first sensitivity parameter.

14. The touch sensitive device of claim 10 , wherein co

Assignees

• Parade Tech Ltd

Inventors

• Tate Daniel
• Yarosh Andriy
• Slezinskyy Oleh

Classifications

• G06F3/014 Primary

  Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves · CPC title

• G06F3/044

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G06F3/0446

  using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes · CPC title

• G06F3/0442

  using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for transmitting changes in electrical potential to be received by the digitiser · CPC title

• G06F3/041662

  using alternate mutual and self-capacitive scanning · CPC title