CN105760020B

CN105760020B - Mobile device rejection of unintentional touch sensor contact

Info

Publication number: CN105760020B
Application number: CN201610104458.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: L.克里什纳墨菲; D.格劳曼; S.沙马; J.H.威廉斯
Original assignee: Intel Corp
Current assignee: Intel Corp
Priority date: 2011-09-30
Filing date: 2011-09-30
Publication date: 2020-01-21
Anticipated expiration: 2031-09-30
Also published as: CN105760020A

Abstract

Mobile device rejection of unintentional sensor contact. An embodiment of a mobile device comprises: a first touch sensor for detecting a contact of a user of the mobile device to obtain a gesture input of the user; a memory for storing an indicator of unintentional contact with the first touch sensor; and a processor for evaluating contact with the first touch sensor. The processor compares contact with the first touch sensor to an indicator of unintentional contact to determine whether the contact is unintentional, and the mobile device rejects the contact as input to the mobile device if the contact is determined to be unintentional and accepts the contact as input to the mobile device if the contact is determined to be intentional.

Description

Mobile device rejection of unintentional touch sensor contact

Technical Field

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to the field of electronic devices, and more particularly to mobile device rejection of unintentional touch sensor contact.

Background

Mobile devices, including cellular telephones, smart phones, Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs), handheld computers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and other similar devices, may include one or more touch sensors for operating such that inputs are entered into the mobile device.

Such a mobile device will typically be held in the hand for operation. In many cases, the holding of the device will be followed by input into one or more applications or services or reading information from the screen of the mobile device.

However, depending on the placement of the touch sensor on the mobile device, the holding of the device in the user's hand may inadvertently make contact with the touch sensor. In this case, the mobile device will typically detect a touch on the touch sensor when the user of the device does not intend to do any action and may not in fact know that the touch sensor is contacted. This can result in erroneous entry of the mobile device by the user.

Drawings

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a mobile device that provides rejection of unintentional contact to a touch sensor.

Fig. 2 illustrates rejection of stationary location contact by an embodiment of a mobile device.

FIG. 3 illustrates the rejection of accidental contact as input by an embodiment of the mobile device.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an embodiment of elements of a mobile device that provide rejection of inadvertent contact with a touch sensor.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of a process for transforming sensor data to represent user intent and perception based on contact areas.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a mobile device that provides rejection of inadvertent contact with a touch sensor.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to mobile device rejection of unintentional touch sensor contact.

As used herein:

by "mobile device" is meant a mobile electronic device or system, including cellular telephones, smart phones, Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs), handheld computers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and other similar devices.

By "touch sensor" is meant a sensor configured to provide an input signal generated by physical contact of a user, proximity of a user, or both (which may be generally referred to as contact with a touch sensor), including a sensor that detects contact of a thumb or other finger of a user of a device or system (which includes a mobile device). The touch sensor may include, but is not limited to, a capacitive sensor that may detect contact of a finger or hand on the capacitive sensor. Touch sensors may include sensors that are used for a number of different purposes in the operation of a device or system.

By "side touch sensor" is meant a touch sensor that detects contact by a user (which includes the user's finger or hand) on at least one side of a device or system (which includes a mobile device). The side touch sensors include a touch sensor physically positioned at least partially at least one side of the mobile device, or a side touch sensor that detects contact with a user on a side of the mobile device without being physically positioned on the side of the mobile device.

When using a mobile device with touch sensors on the sides, sometimes a user may inadvertently interact with the sensors. For example, when a user rests the device against the user's palm to simply read information about the touch screen or uses the thumb of the hand supporting the device to interact with the touch screen. In such a case, for example, the palm of the user's hand may easily wrap around the lower end of the touch sensor, for example, causing it to appear as a touch on the side touch sensor.

In another example, the user may simply rest the user's finger on the sensor, or the index finger on the edge of the sensor, to hold the device, for example when reading from the screen. This type of unintentional touch with the touch sensor may become more frequent if the length of the touch sensor on the side of the mobile device is longer. In this case, the sensor may register an unintentional interaction in the lower portion of the sensor when the user intentionally interacts with the upper portion of the sensor.

If not solved, these unintentional interactions can become problematic in at least two scenarios. In a first scenario, a user actively attempts to interact with a touch screen of a mobile device. In this case, the detected unintentional touch sensor motion may conflict with the touch screen motion and may cause the system to, for example, randomly respond to either of the two inputs or generate an error condition, thereby creating a distraction to the user experience of the mobile device.

In a second scenario (where the mobile device utilizes a longer touch sensor), there may be both intentional contact on the upper portion of the sensor and unintentional contact with the lower portion of the sensor. In operation, any of a plurality of touches (one of which is intended and one of which is unintended) with the touch sensor can be randomly triggered, thereby also causing a disruption to the user experience with the mobile device.

In some embodiments, the mobile device provides rejection of unintentional touch sensor contact. In some embodiments, the mobile device addresses the issue of inadvertent contact with the side touch sensor by recognizing user intent and masking out inadvertent interactions with the touch sensor.

In some embodiments, an apparatus, system or method provides for analyzing the shape and movement characteristics of a resting finger/palm of a user in order to filter out these signals and thereby avoid unintended gestures. In some embodiments, the method includes analyzing different long-term statistics of features extracted from relevant sensor readings during the interaction. If the long-term statistics suggest that the interaction is fixed (and thus unintentional), the interaction is suppressed. In this way, conflicts with any intentional user interaction (e.g., touch screen interaction or effective finger interaction on a long sensor) are prevented.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a mobile device that provides rejection of inadvertent contact with a touch sensor. In some embodiments, the mobile device 100 provides rejection of finger and hand resting positions on the touch sensor. In some embodiments, the mobile device 100 includes a screen 105 for viewing displayed information, which may include a touch screen that provides for both presenting data and images to a user and receiving input from a user. In some embodiments, the mobile device 100 further includes a side touch sensor 110 for receiving input from a user in the form of gestures from a user's thumb or other finger.

In some embodiments, the mobile device 100 provides rejection of the resting position of the user's 115 finger or hand on the side touch sensor. In some embodiments, the mobile device includes indicia of unintentional contact of the mobile device 120, which may be stored in non-volatile memory, where the mobile device uses statistical analysis of the contact on the touch sensor 110 to determine whether the contact should be a rejection of the unintentional contact on the touch sensor.

In some embodiments, the touch sensor 110 may include a capacitive sensor and may also include other sensors, such as a light sensor. See, for example, U.S. patent application No. 12/650,582 (photo-capacitive thumb control of pressure sensors) filed 12/31/2009; U.S. patent application No. 12/646,220 (contoured thumb touch sensor device), filed 12/23/2009.

Fig. 2 illustrates rejection of stationary location contact by an embodiment of a mobile device. In some embodiments, mobile device 200 includes a side touch sensor (hidden in this figure). In operation, a hand 210 of a user of the mobile device 200 may inadvertently contact a side touch sensor when the hand is in the rest position 220 to hold the mobile device 200.

In some embodiments, the mobile device provides rejection of the contact based on a statistical analysis of the contact over a period of time. For example, in this illustration, the contact point 225 is a large area on the side touch sensor, and the contact will tend to be substantially non-moving. In some embodiments, statistical analysis of these and related factors is used to determine that a contact is inadvertent and reject signals from the side touch sensor of the contact.

FIG. 3 illustrates the rejection of accidental contact as input by an embodiment of the mobile device. In some embodiments, the mobile device 300 includes a side touch sensor (hidden in this figure). In this example, the side touch sensor may be long enough in length that inadvertent contact is possible on the bottom of the side touch sensor. In operation, a hand 310 of a user of mobile device 300 contacts the side touch sensor at multiple locations when the hand is in an active position for control input 320. In this illustration, a user's thumb contacts the side touch sensor at a first point 330 to provide input to the mobile device 300. However, because of the length of the side touch sensor, the particular size of the user's hand, and the particular manner in which the mobile device 300 is held in the user's hand, the user's hand may also contact the side touch sensor at the second point 335. In this case, the second contact 335 may be constant, but may also occur intermittently as the user changes the first contact point 330 to provide input to the mobile device 300.

In some embodiments, the mobile device provides rejection of the second contact point 335 based on a statistical analysis of the contact over a period of time. For example, in this illustration, the second contact point 335 is positioned in a lower region of the side touch sensor and is in addition to the first contact point 330. In some embodiments, statistical analysis (including the knowledge that there are two contact points and the second contact point remains at the lower end of the side touch sensor) is used to determine that the second contact 335 is inadvertent and reject the signal from the side touch sensor of that contact.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an embodiment of elements of a mobile device that provide rejection of inadvertent contact with a touch sensor. In some embodiments, mobile device 400 includes side touch sensors 425 for use in providing input to the mobile device through gestural manipulation of a user's thumb or other finger. In some embodiments, mobile device 400 further includes one or more processors 430 for processing signals and commands, including inputs received from the side touch sensors.

In some embodiments, mobile device 400 includes a control module or algorithm 435 for rejecting inadvertent contact with side touch sensor 425. In some embodiments, the mobile device collects data generated by side touch sensors 425 from contact with such sensors and performs statistical analysis on such contact over a period of time. In some embodiments, the statistical analysis includes, but is not limited to:

(1) the size of the point of contact is determined, where, for example, a large point of contact may be an indicator of a user's hand surrounding mobile device 400 and making inadvertent contact with side touch sensor 425.

(2) The movement of the contact points is determined, where, for example, the lack of movement of certain contact points may be an indicator that the user's hand is in a stationary position and contact with the side touch sensor 425 is used to hold the mobile device.

(3) Determining the shape of the point of contact on side touch sensor 425, where the shape may be indicative of a hand surrounding mobile device 400, for example; and

(4) the number of contact points on side touch sensor 425 is determined, where, for example, a second contact point on a lower portion of side touch sensor 425 below the first contact point may be an indicator of inadvertent contact with the side touch sensor when providing input to mobile device 400.

The mobile device may further comprise: for example, one or more transmitters and receivers 406 for wirelessly transmitting and receiving data, and one or more antennas 404 for such data transmission and reception; a memory 440 for storing data; a user interface 442, including a Graphical User Interface (GUI), for communication between the mobile device 400 and a user of the device; display circuitry or a controller 444 for providing a visual display to a user of the mobile device 400; and positioning circuitry or components including (GPS) circuitry or components 446.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of a process for transforming sensor data to represent user intent and perception based on a contact region. In some embodiments, when the mobile device becomes operational 500, the mobile device may continue normal operation, which includes receiving sensor input 505. In some embodiments, the sensor input comprises input from a side touch sensor.

In some embodiments, indicators of unintentional contact with the side touch sensor have been developed 515, which may include empirical development of such indicators based on mobile device usage. In some embodiments, if the mobile device detects contact with the side touch sensor 510, there is a comparison of the shape and movement characteristics to the indicators of the unintentional contact 520.

In some embodiments, query 530 is conducted to determine how the contact with the side touch sensor compares to an indicator of unintentional contact, including, but not limited to, the following:

the shape and size of the contact area 535, e.g., a large contact area that appears to take the shape of a hand surrounding the mobile device;

minimal movement of the contact area 540, e.g., indicating a hand holding the mobile device in a resting position; and

whether there are multiple contact points 545, e.g., indicating that there is a first contact point that provides input to the mobile device, and a second contact, e.g., a contact point on a lower portion of the side touch sensor, that indicates a portion of the user's hand holding the mobile device while performing a gesture with the thumb or other finger of the user's hand.

In some embodiments, if the comparison of the sensor contact to the indicator of unintentional contact to the side touch sensor concludes that the contact is intentional, the contact is accepted and interpreted as a gesture input to the side touch sensor 550. If the comparison of the sensor contact to the indicator of unintentional contact to the side touch sensor yields a conclusion that the contact is unintentional, then the contact is ignored as an unintentional contact with the side touch sensor and there is no input to the mobile device 555.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a mobile device that provides rejection of inadvertent contact with a touch sensor. In this illustration, certain standard and well-known components that are not germane to the present description are not shown. According to some embodiments, the mobile device 600 includes an interconnect or crossbar 605 or other communication means for communicating data. Device 600 may include a processing element such as one or more processors 610 coupled with interconnect 605 for processing information. The processors 610 may include one or more physical processors and one or more logical processors. For simplicity, interconnect 605 is illustrated as a single interconnect, but may represent multiple different interconnects or buses and the component connections to such interconnects may vary. The interconnect 605 shown in fig. 6 is an abstraction that represents any one or more separate physical buses, point-to-point connections, or both, connected by suitable bridges, adapters, or controllers.

In some embodiments, device 600 includes one or more touch sensors 670. In some embodiments, touch sensor 670 may include a capacitive sensor 672 and may include a side touch sensor, such as side touch sensor 425 as illustrated in fig. 4. In some embodiments, device 600 provides rejection of inadvertent contact with the side touch sensor based on an analysis of the contact area (which includes, for example, an analysis of the size, shape, and movement of the contact area and the number of contact areas present).

In some embodiments, device 600 further includes a Random Access Memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device or element as main memory 614 for storing information and instructions to be executed by processor 610. The RAM memory includes: dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), which requires refreshing of memory contents; and Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), which does not require refreshing of contents, but at increased cost. The DRAM memory may include: a Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM) including a clock signal for a control signal; and extended data output dynamic random access memory (EDO DRAM). In some embodiments, the memory of the system may include certain registers or other special purpose memory. Device 600 may also include a Read Only Memory (ROM)616 or other static storage device for storing static information and instructions for processor 610. Device 600 may include one or more non-volatile memory elements 618, including flash memory, for storing certain elements. In some embodiments, the ROM memory 616 or non-volatile memory 618 can include data that stores indicia of unintentional contact 620 for use in rejecting contact with the touch sensor (which is determined to be unintentional contact by a user of the device 600).

Device 600 may also be coupled to an output display 640 via interconnect 605. In some embodiments, display 640 may include a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) or any other display technology for displaying information or content to a user. In some environments, the display 640 may include a touch screen that also serves as at least a portion of an input device. In some environments, the display 640 may be or include an audio device, such as a speaker for providing audio information.

One or more transmitters or receivers 645 may also be coupled to the interconnect 605. In some embodiments, device 600 may include one or more ports 650 for receiving or transmitting data. The device 600 may further include one or more antennas 655 for receiving data via radio signals.

The apparatus 600 may also include a power device or system 660, which may include a power supply, a battery, a solar cell, a fuel cell, or other system or device for providing or generating electrical power. The power provided by the power device or system 660 may be distributed to the elements of the device 600 as desired.

In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough explanation of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form. Intermediate structures may exist between the illustrated components. The components described or illustrated herein may have additional inputs or outputs not shown or described.

Various embodiments may include various processes. These processes may be performed by hardware components or may be embodied in computer-program or machine-executable instructions, which may be used to cause a general-purpose or special-purpose processor or logic circuits programmed with the instructions to perform the processes. Alternatively, the processes may be performed by a combination of hardware and software.

Portions of various embodiments may be provided as a computer program product, which may include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer program instructions, which may be used to program a computer (or other electronic devices) for execution by one or more processors to perform a process according to some embodiments. The computer-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, floppy diskettes, optical disks, compact disk read-only memories (CD-ROMs), and magneto-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), Random Access Memories (RAMs), erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), magnetic or optical cards, flash memory, or other type of computer-readable medium suitable for storing electronic instructions. Moreover, embodiments may also be downloaded as a computer program product, wherein the program may be transferred from a remote computer to a requesting computer.

Many of the methods are described in their most basic form, but procedures can be added to or deleted from any of the methods and information can be added or subtracted from any of the described messages without departing from the basic scope of the invention. Many additional modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The specific embodiments are not provided to limit the invention but to illustrate it. The scope of embodiments of the present invention is not to be determined by the specific examples provided above but only by the claims below.

If element "A" is considered to be coupled to or with element "B", element A may be directly coupled to element B or indirectly coupled through, for example, element C. When the specification or claims specify that a component, feature, structure, process, or characteristic a "contributes" to a component, feature, structure, process, or characteristic B, this means that "a" is at least a partial cause of "B" but that at least one other component, feature, structure, process, or characteristic that contributes to the contribution of "B" may also be present. If the specification indicates that a component, feature, structure, process, or characteristic "may", "might", or "could" be included, that particular component, feature, structure, process, or characteristic is not required to be included. If the specification or claim refers to "a" or "an" element, that does not mean there is only one of the element described.

An embodiment is an implementation or example of the inventions. Reference in the specification to "an embodiment," "one embodiment," "some embodiments," or "other embodiments" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least some embodiments, but not necessarily all embodiments. The various appearances of "an embodiment," "one embodiment," or "some embodiments" are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiments. It should be appreciated that in the foregoing description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims are hereby expressly incorporated into this description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention.

Claims

1. A computing device that can be used in distinguishing between intended touch contacts and unintended touch contacts, the computing device comprising:

a touch sensor;

a processor; and

a storage device capable of storing instructions to be executed by the processor, the instructions capable of causing performance of operations when executed by the processor, the operations comprising:

detecting a user's touch by a side touch sensor;

comparing data relating to at least the touch to one or more metrics to determine whether the touch is intended or unintended, wherein the data comprises at least one of a size of the touch, a shape of the touch, a motion of the touch, or a point of contact relating to the touch;

accepting the touch if one or more metrics identify the touch as intentional; and

rejecting the touch if the one or more metrics identify the touch as unintentional,

wherein the touch is unintentional if the point of contact, when compared to the one or more indicators, indicates that the touch is in one or more non-contact areas near the touch sensor.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the side touch sensor further detects simultaneous multiple touches by the user, wherein at least a first touch of the multiple touches is identified as intentional, and wherein at least a second touch of the multiple touches is identified as unintentional, wherein the second touch is identified as unintentional touch that potentially causes a disturbance in a user's usage experience.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein acceptance of the touch comprises responding to an input associated with the touch, wherein rejection of the touch comprises ignoring the input associated with the touch based on a statistical analysis of the data.

4. The computing device of claim 3, wherein the touch is unintentional if the size, when compared to the one or more metrics, indicates that the touch is caused by a finger or palm of the user.

5. The computing device of claim 3, wherein the touch is unintentional if the shape, when compared to the one or more metrics, indicates that the touch is caused by a finger or palm of the user.

6. The computing device of claim 3, wherein the touch is unintentional if the motion, when compared to the one or more metrics, indicates that the touch is caused by a stationary finger or a stationary palm of the user.

7. A method for distinguishing between intended and unintended touch contacts, the method comprising:

detecting a user's touch by a side touch sensor;

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising detecting, by the side touch sensor, a simultaneous plurality of touches by the user, wherein at least a first touch of the plurality of touches is identified as intentional, and wherein at least a second touch of the plurality of touches is identified as unintentional, wherein the second touch is identified as an unintentional touch that potentially causes a disturbance in a user's use experience.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein accepting the touch comprises responding to an input associated with the touch, wherein rejecting the touch comprises ignoring the input associated with the touch based on a statistical analysis of the data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the touch is unintentional if the size, when compared to the one or more metrics, indicates that the touch is facilitated by the user's finger or palm.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the touch is unintentional if the shape, when compared to the one or more indicators, indicates that the touch is facilitated by the user's finger or palm.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the touch is unintentional if the motion, when compared to the one or more metrics, indicates that the touch is caused by a stationary finger or a stationary palm of the user.

13. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

detecting a user's touch by a side touch sensor;

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise detecting, by the side touch sensor, a simultaneous plurality of touches by the user, wherein at least a first touch of the plurality of touches is identified as intentional, and wherein at least a second touch of the plurality of touches is identified as unintentional, wherein the second touch is identified as unintentional touch that potentially causes a disturbance in a user's use experience.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein accepting the touch comprises responding to an input associated with the touch, wherein rejecting the touch comprises ignoring the input associated with the touch based on a statistical analysis of the data.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the touch is unintentional if the size, when compared to the one or more metrics, indicates that the touch was caused by the user's finger or palm.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the touch is unintentional if the shape, when compared to the one or more indicators, indicates that the touch is facilitated by the user's finger or palm.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the touch is unintentional if the motion, when compared to the one or more metrics, indicates that the touch is caused by a stationary finger or a stationary palm of the user.

19. An apparatus for distinguishing between intended and unintended touch contacts, the apparatus comprising:

means for detecting a user's touch by a side touch sensor;

means for comparing at least data related to the touch to one or more metrics to determine whether the touch is intended or unintended, wherein the data comprises at least one of a size of the touch, a shape of the touch, a motion of the touch, or a point of contact related to the touch;

means for accepting the touch if one or more metrics identify the touch as intentional; and

means for rejecting the touch if the one or more indicators identify the touch as unintentional,

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising means for detecting, by the side touch sensor, a simultaneous plurality of touches by the user, wherein at least a first touch of the plurality of touches is identified as intentional, and wherein at least a second touch of the plurality of touches is identified as unintentional, wherein the second touch is identified as unintentional, potentially, causing a distracting unintentional touch in a user's use experience.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein accepting the touch comprises responding to an input associated with the touch, wherein rejecting the touch comprises ignoring the input associated with the touch based on a statistical analysis of the data.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the touch is unintentional if the size, when compared to the one or more metrics, indicates that the touch is facilitated by a finger or palm of the user.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the touch is unintentional if the shape, when compared to the one or more indicators, indicates that the touch is facilitated by the user's finger or palm.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the touch is unintentional if the motion, when compared to the one or more metrics, indicates that the touch is caused by a stationary finger or a stationary palm of the user.