Contact geometry tests

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9965094-B2
Application number	US-201113198036-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 4, 2011
Priority date	Jan 24, 2011
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

Touchscreen testing techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a piece of conductor (e.g., metal) is positioned as proximal to a touchscreen device and the touchscreen device is tested by simulating a touch of a user. This technique may be utilized to perform a variety of different testing of a touchscreen device, such as to test latency and probabilistic latency. Additional techniques are also described including contact geometry testing techniques.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
adjusting ground of a conductor that is external to a touchscreen device effective to obtain repeatable measurements, the conductor having a defined contact geometry that is consistent;
positioning the conductor as proximal to the touchscreen device, the conductor in a non-grounded state; and
testing the defined contact geometry of the conductor contacting the touchscreen device using data generated by the touchscreen device in order to test and differentiate between a light touch input and a hard touch input, said testing comprises using an electrical switch to alternate the conductor between a grounded state to emulate a touch event and the non-grounded state to emulate a non-touch event on the touchscreen device without moving the conductor subsequent to said positioning the conductor.

2. A method as described in claim 1 , wherein the testing includes centroid detection.

3. A method as described in claim 1 , wherein the testing includes contact geometry resolution calibration.

4. A method as described in claim 3 , wherein the contact geometry resolution calibration leverages data obtained from the touchscreen device that describes a height and width of the conductor as detected by the touchscreen device.

5. A method as described in claim 1 , wherein the testing includes detecting a palm rejection threshold indicating a size of the palm rejection threshold.

6. A method as described in claim 1 , wherein the testing includes determining linearity of a digitizer of the touchscreen device.

7. A method as described in claim 1 , wherein the testing includes determining a threshold size at which a contact geometry of an input of a single conductor is artificially divided into two or more connected components.

8. A method as described in claim 1 , wherein the conductor is not a body part.

9. A method as described in claim 1 , wherein the conductor is an electrically conductive metal.

10. A method as described in claim 1 , wherein the testing includes contact geometry recognition of the touchscreen device using the data generated by the touchscreen device.

11. A method comprising:
adjusting ground of a plurality of conductors that are external to a touchscreen device effective to obtain repeatable measurements, each of the conductors being an electrically conductive metal having a defined contact geometry that is consistent and having a size that is different, one to another;
positioning the plurality of conductors as proximal to the touchscreen device;
gathering data from the touchscreen device that describes the contacting of the plurality of conductors as a touch event and a non-touch event; and
testing the defined contact geometry of the conductor contacting the touchscreen device using the gathered data, in order to test and differentiate between a light touch input and a hard touch input, by using an electrical switch to alternate each of the plurality of conductors between a grounded state to emulate the touch event on the touchscreen device for each of the plurality of conductors and a non-grounded state to emulate the non-touch event on the touchscreen device for each of the plurality of conductors, said testing without moving the plurality of conductors subsequent to said positioning the plurality of conductors.

12. A method as described in claim 11 , wherein the testing includes contact geometry recognition of the touchscreen device.

13. A method as described in claim 11 , wherein the testing includes centroid detection.

14. A method as described in claim 11 , wherein the testing includes contact geometry resolution calibration.

15. A method as described in claim 14 , wherein the contact geometry resolution calibration leverages data obtained from the touchscreen device that describes a height and width of the conductor as detected by the touchscreen device.

16. A method as described in claim 11 , wherein the testing includes detecting a palm rejection threshold indicating a size of the palm rejection threshold.

17. A method as described in claim 11 , wherein the testing includes determining linearity of a digitizer of the touchscreen device.

18. A method as described in claim 11 , wherein the testing includes determining a threshold size at which a contact geometry of an input of a single conductor is artificially divided into two or more connected components.

19. A system comprising:
a conductor implemented to adjust ground of the conductor that is external to a touchscreen device effective to obtain repeatable measurements, the conductor being an electrically conductive metal having a defined geometry that does not change with a variable amount of pressure used to contact the touchscreen device, the conductor positioned proximal to the touchscreen device and implemented to move across a surface while contacting the touchscreen device;
an electric switch configured to alternate the conductor between a grounded state and a non-grounded state; and
a test module of a computing device configured to place the conductor against the touchscreen device for testing centroid detection of the touchscreen device using data generated by the touchscreen device responsive to the conductor being moved across the surface of the touchscreen device, the test module connected to the electric switch and further configured to:
communicate a command to the electric switch to place the conductor in the grounded state to emulate a touch event on the touchscreen device while the conductor is contacting the touchscreen device; and
communicate another command to the electric switch to place the conductor in the non-grounded state to emulate a non-touch event on the touchscreen device while the conductor is contacting the touchscreen device.

20. A system as described in claim 19 , wherein the defined geometry of the conductor having a first diameter that models a light touch input, and the system further comprising:
another conductor being an electrically conductive metal having a different geometry that does not change with a variable amount of pressure used to contact the touchscreen device, the other conductor positioned proximal to the touchscreen device and implemented to move across a surface while contacting the touchscreen device, the different geometry of the other conductor having a second diameter that models a hard touch input.

Assignees

• Uzelac Aleksandar
• Stevens David A
• Zhao Weidong
• Shigemitsu Takahiro
• Willoughby Briggs A
• Pierce John Graham
• Santiago Pravin Kumar
• Ranta Craig S
• Wright Timothy Allen
• Maier Jeffrey C
• Perry Robert T
• Kirilov Stanimir Naskov
• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Uzelac Aleksandar
• Stevens David A
• Zhao Weidong
• Shigemitsu Takahiro
• Willoughby Briggs A
• Pierce John Graham
• Santiago Pravin Kumar
• Ranta Craig S
• Wright Timothy Allen
• Maier Jeffrey C
• Perry Robert T
• Kirilov Stanimir Naskov

Classifications

• G06F3/0418 Primary

  for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment · CPC title

• G06F3/044

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G06F11/2221

  to test input/output devices or peripheral units · 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