Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING SAME
FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY
[0001] The present disclosure relates to electronic devices including, but not
limited to, portable electronic devices having touch-sensitive displays and
their
control.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Electronic devices, including portable electronic devices, have gained
widespread use and may provide a variety of functions including, for example,
telephonic, electronic messaging and other personal information manager (PIM)
application functions. Portable electronic devices include several types of
devices
including mobile stations such as simple cellular telephones, smart telephones
(smart phones), Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), tablet computers, and
laptop
computers, with wireless network communications or near-field communications
connectivity such as BluetoothC) capabilities.
[0003] Portable electronic devices such as PDAs, or tablet computers are
generally intended for handheld use and ease of portability. Smaller devices
are
generally desirable for portability. A touch-sensitive display, also known as
a
touchscreen display, is particularly useful on handheld devices, which are
small and
may have limited space for user input and output. The information displayed on
the display may be modified depending on the functions and operations being
performed. Improvements in electronic devices with displays are desirable.
SUMMARY
[0004] A method includes detecting a first touch at a first touch location on
a
touch-sensitive display, detecting a second touch at a second touch location
on the
touch-sensitive display, and when a first distance from the first touch
location to the
second touch location meets a distance threshold and a second distance from
the
previous touch location to the first touch location does not meet the distance
threshold, determining that the second touch is a new touch. An electronic
device
includes a touch-sensitive display, and a processor coupled to the touch-
sensitive
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display to detect a first touch at a first touch location on the touch-
sensitive display,
detect a second touch at a second touch location on the touch-sensitive
display, and
when a first distance from the first touch location to the second touch
location
meets a distance threshold and a second distance from a previous touch
location to
the first touch location does not meet the distance threshold, identify the
second
touch as a new touch. A method includes detecting a first touch at a first
touch
location on a touch-sensitive display, detecting a second touch at a second
touch
location on the touch-sensitive display, detecting a third touch at a third
touch
location on the touch-sensitive display, and identifying that the third touch
is a new
touch or is the associated with the second touch based on the first touch
location,
the second touch location, and the third touch location.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a portable electronic device in accordance
with an example embodiment.
[0006] FIG. 2 illustrates examples of touch locations on a touch-sensitive
display
of an electronic device in accordance with the disclosure.
[0007] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling the portable
electronic device in accordance with the disclosure.
[0008] FIG. 4 illustrates examples of touch locations on a touch-sensitive
display
of an electronic device in accordance with the disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0009] The following describes an electronic device and a method that includes
detecting a first touch at a first touch location on a touch-sensitive
display,
detecting a second touch at a second touch location on the touch-sensitive
display,
and when a first distance from the first touch location to the second touch
location
meets a distance threshold and a second distance from the previous touch
location
to the first touch location does not meet the distance threshold, determining
that
the second touch is a new touch.
[0010] For simplicity and clarity of illustration, reference numerals may be
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repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.
Numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of the embodiments
described herein. The embodiments may be practiced without these details. In
other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been
described in detail to avoid obscuring the embodiments described. The
description
is not to be considered as limited to the scope of the embodiments described
herein.
[0011] The disclosure generally relates to an electronic device, which is a
portable or non-portable electronic device in the embodiments described
herein.
Examples of portable electronic devices include mobile, or handheld, wireless
communication devices such as pagers, cellular phones, cellular smart-phones,
wireless organizers, personal digital assistants, wirelessly enabled notebook
computers, tablet computers, mobile internet devices, and so forth. Examples
of
non-portable electronic devices include electronic white boards, smart boards
utilized for collaboration, built-in displays in furniture or appliances, and
so forth.
The electronic device may be a portable electronic device without wireless
communication capabilities, such as a handheld electronic game, digital
photograph
album, digital camera, media player, e-book reader, and so forth.
[0012] A block diagram of an example of an electronic device 100 is shown in
FIG. 1. The electronic device 100, which may be a portable electronic device,
includes multiple components, such as a processor 102 that controls the
overall
operation of the electronic device 100. The electronic device 100 presently
described optionally includes a communication subsystem 104 and a short-range
communications 132 module to perform various communication functions,
including
data and voice communications. Data received by the electronic device 100 is
decompressed and decrypted by a decoder 106. The communication subsystem
104 receives messages from and sends messages to a wireless network 150. The
wireless network 150 may be any type of wireless network, including, but not
limited to, data wireless networks, voice wireless networks, and networks that
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support both voice and data communications. A power source 142, such as one or
more rechargeable batteries or a port to an external power supply, powers the
electronic device 100.
[0013] The processor 102 interacts with other components, such as Random
Access Memory (RAM) 108, memory 110, a display 112 with a touch-sensitive
overlay 114 operably connected to an electronic controller 116 that together
comprise a touch-sensitive display 118, one or more actuators 120, one or more
force sensors 122, an auxiliary input/output (I/O) subsystem 124, a data port
126,
a speaker 128, a microphone 130, short-range communications 132, and other
device subsystems 134. User-interaction with a graphical user interface is
performed through the touch-sensitive overlay 114. The processor 102 interacts
with the touch-sensitive overlay 114 via the electronic controller 116.
Information,
such as text, characters, symbols, images, icons, and other items that may be
displayed or rendered on an electronic device, is displayed on the touch-
sensitive
display 118 via the processor 102. The processor 102 may interact with an
orientation sensor such as an accelerometer 136 to detect direction of
gravitational
forces or gravity-induced reaction forces, for example, to determine the
orientation
of the electronic device 100.
[0014] To identify a subscriber for network access, the electronic device 100
may
optionally use a Subscriber Identity Module or a Removable User Identity
Module
(SIM/RUIM) card 138 for communication with a network, such as the wireless
network 150. Alternatively, user identification information may be programmed
into memory 110.
[0015] The electronic device 100 includes an operating system 146 and software
programs or components 148 that are executed by the processor 102 and are
typically stored in a persistent, updatable storage such as the memory 110.
Additional applications or programs may be loaded onto the electronic device
100
through the wireless network 150, the auxiliary I/O subsystem 124, the data
port
126, the short-range communications subsystem 132, or any other suitable
subsystem 134.
[0016] A received signal, such as a text message, an e-mail message, or web
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page download, is processed by the communication subsystem 104 and input to
the
processor 102. The processor 102 processes the received signal for output to
the
display 112 and/or to the auxiliary I/O subsystem 124. A subscriber may
generate
data items, for example e-mail messages, which may be transmitted over the
wireless network 150 through the communication subsystem 104, for example.
[0017] The touch-sensitive display 118 may be any suitable touch-sensitive
display, such as a capacitive, resistive, infrared, surface acoustic wave
(SAW)
touch-sensitive display, strain gauge, optical imaging, dispersive signal
technology,
acoustic pulse recognition, and so forth, as known in the art. A capacitive
touch-
sensitive display includes a capacitive touch-sensitive overlay 114. The
overlay 114
may be an assembly of multiple layers in a stack which may include, for
example, a
substrate, a ground shield layer, a barrier layer, one or more capacitive
touch
sensor layers separated by a substrate or other barrier, and a cover. The
capacitive
touch sensor layers may be any suitable material, such as patterned indium tin
oxide (ITO).
[0018] The display 112 of the touch-sensitive display 118 includes a display
area
in which information may be displayed, and a non-display area extending around
the periphery of the display area. Information is not displayed in the non-
display
area, which is utilized to accommodate, for example, electronic traces or
electrical
connections, adhesives or other sealants, and/or protective coatings around
the
edges of the display area.
[0019] One or more touches, also known as touch contacts or touch events, may
be detected by the touch-sensitive display 118. The processor 102 may
determine
attributes of the touch, including a location of a touch. Touch location data
may
include an area of contact or a single point of contact, such as a point at or
near a
center of the area of contact. A signal is provided to the controller 116 in
response
to detection of a touch. A touch may be detected from any suitable contact
member, such as a finger, thumb, appendage, or other items, for example, a
stylus,
pen, or other pointer, depending on the nature of the touch-sensitive display
118.
The controller 116 and/or the processor 102 may detect a touch by any suitable
contact member on the touch-sensitive display 118. Multiple simultaneous
touches
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may be detected.
[0020] One or more gestures may also be detected by the touch-sensitive
display
118. A gesture, such as a swipe, also known as a flick, is a particular type
of touch
on a touch-sensitive display 118 and may begin at an origin point and continue
to
an end point. A gesture may be identified by attributes of the gesture,
including
the origin point, the end point, the distance travelled, the duration, the
velocity, and
the direction, for example. A gesture may be long or short in distance and/or
duration. Two points of the gesture may be utilized to determine a direction
of the
gesture. A gesture may also include a hover. A hover may be a touch at a
location
that is generally unchanged over a period of time or is associated with the
same
selection item for a period of time.
[0021] An optional force sensor 122 or force sensors is disposed in any
suitable
location, for example, between the touch-sensitive display 118 and a back of
the
electronic device 100 to detect a force imparted by a touch on the touch-
sensitive
display 118. The force sensor 122 may be a force-sensitive resistor, strain
gauge,
piezoelectric or piezoresistive device, pressure sensor, or other suitable
device.
Force as utilized throughout the specification refers to force measurements,
estimates, and/or calculations, such as pressure, deformation, stress, strain,
force
density, force-area relationships, thrust, torque, and other effects that
include force
or related quantities.
[0022] Force information related to a detected touch may be utilized to select
information, such as information associated with a location of a touch. For
example, a touch that does not meet a force threshold may highlight a
selection
option, whereas a touch that meets a force threshold may select or input that
selection option. Selection options include, for example, displayed or virtual
keys of
a keyboard; selection boxes or windows, e.g., "cancel," "delete," or "unlock";
function buttons, such as play or stop on a music player; and so forth.
Different
magnitudes of force may be associated with different functions or input. For
example, a lesser force may result in panning, and a higher force may result
in
zooming.
[0023] Touch locations on a touch-sensitive display 118 of an electronic
device
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100 are shown in FIG. 2. The electronic device 100 includes a housing 202 and
the
housing 202 and the touch-sensitive display 118 enclose components such as the
components shown in FIG. 1. The touch locations illustrated may be touch
locations of touches detected by the touch-sensitive display 118 and reported
to the
processor 102 of the electronic device 100. For the purpose of this example,
one
touch at a touch location 204 is reported to the processor 102 of the
electronic
device 100, and the other touch at a touch location 206 is reported to the
processor
102 in the next report to the processor 102. In other words, the touches are
not
detected simultaneously. The touches are detected and the touch locations are
reported in consecutive reports from the touch-sensitive display 118 to the
processor 102.
[0024] The touch at the touch location 204 and the touch at the touch location
206 may be associated with a single touch such as a gesture on the touch-
sensitive
display 118. Alternatively, the touches at the touch locations 204, 206 may be
separate touches. The touches at the touch locations 204, 206 may be separate
touches that are reported in consecutive reports from the touch-sensitive
display
118 when a user alternately touches using thumbs or fingers on the touch-
sensitive
display 118 when typing utilizing a virtual keyboard, for example. Incorrect
identification of the touches as a single touch may cause two separate touches
to
be reported from an operating system layer to an application layer as a swipe.
Incorrect identification of the touches as two separate touches may cause a
single
swipe to be reported as two separate touches. The application layer provides
services that support applications such as software for file transfers,
database
access, and email.
[0025] A flowchart illustrating a method of determining when a touch, such as
the touch at the touch location 206, is a new touch is shown in FIG. 3. The
method
may be carried out by software executed, for example, by the processor 102.
Coding of software for carrying out such a method is within the scope of a
person of
ordinary skill in the art given the present description. The method may
contain
additional or fewer processes than shown and/or described, and may be
performed
in a different order. Computer-readable code executable by at least one
processor
of the portable electronic device to perform the method may be stored in a
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computer-readable medium. New touches include separate touches and distinct
touches. A new touch is not part of a separate or distinct touch, for example,
which
separate or distinct touch occurs at a different time or occurs at a different
location
than the location of the new touch.
[0026] When a touch is detected 302, the process continues at 304. A touch
may be detected when touch data including a touch location is reported by the
controller 116 to the processor 102, for example, to an operating system
layer. The
controller 116 may filter data by reporting touch locations when the location
differs
from the last-reported touch location by at least a threshold value. When the
location of a touch, determined from a scan of the touch-sensitive display
118, is
not changed or does not change by a distance that meets the threshold, the
location is not reported to the operating system layer. The difference meets
the
threshold when the difference is equal to or greater than the threshold. The
threshold value may be any suitable numerical value such that a touch location
that
is sufficiently different from the previously reported touch location is
reported to the
processor 102, and a touch location that is equal or very close to the
previously
reported touch location is ignored or not reported. The threshold is utilized
to
reduce the number of reported touch locations to the operating system layer,
reducing signal traffic. The threshold is set at a suitable value to reduce
reports of
touch locations that differ by a very small distance from the previously
reported
touch location resulting, for example, from noise or jitter, while reporting
changes
in touch locations that result from movement of the touch relative to the
touch-
sensitive display 118.
[0027] When a touch was previously detected based on the last report from the
controller 116 to the processor 102 at 304, the process continues at 306. The
last
report is the report that immediately precedes the report when the touch is
detected at 302. When a touch was not detected in the last report from the
controller 116, the touch detected at 302 is identified 312 as a new touch,
and the
new touch is reported to the application layer.
[0028] The distance between the location of the touch detected at 302 and the
location of the previously detected touch is determined 306. The distance is
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determined based on the touch data when the touch is detected at 302 and the
previous touch data from the last report. The duration of time between receipt
of
the report when the touch is detected at 302 and receipt of the last report is
also
determined at 306.
[0029] When the distance determined at 306 meets a distance threshold 308, the
process continues at 310. When the distance determined at 306 does not meet
the
distance threshold 308, the touch detected at 302 is identified 318 as
associated
with the previous touch detected in the last report. The distance meets the
distance threshold when the distance is equal to or greater than the
threshold. The
distance threshold value may be any suitable numerical value such that
detected
touches that are located close together are identified as associated with the
previous touch. A threshold that is too high may lead to separate or distinct
touches that are incorrectly identified as a gesture. A threshold that is too
low may
lead to gestures that are incorrectly identified as separate or distinct
touches.
[0030] When the time determined at 306 meets a time threshold at 310, the
touch detected at 302 is identified 312 as a new touch. Thus, when the
distance
between the touches meets a distance threshold and the time between reports
meets a time threshold, the touch detected at 302 is identified 312 as a new
touch
and the previous touch is determined to have ended. The new touch may be
reported to the application layer. The time may meet the time threshold when
the
time is equal to or greater than the threshold. The time threshold value may
be
any suitable numerical value such that when the reports are spaced apart in
time,
touches that are not located close together are identified as separate
touches. This
identification is based on the assumption that a touch that does not move for
a
threshold period of time is unlikely to suddenly move a large distance in the
short
time period between scans of the touch-sensitive display 118.
[0031] When the time determined at 306 does not meet the time threshold at
310, a distance between the locations of the two previously detected touches
is
determined 314. The distance is determined based on the touch data received
from the last two reports, prior to detecting the touch at 302. The distance
may be
a linear distance from point to point, for example. Touch data from two prior
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reports is utilized to determine the distance at 314. When the distance
determined
at 314 meets the distance threshold at 316, the touch detected at 302 is
identified
318 as associated with the previous touch detected in the last report. When
the
distance determined at 314 does not meet the distance threshold at 316, the
touch
detected at 302 is identified 312 as a new touch and the previous touch is
determined to have ended. The distance threshold may be the same distance
threshold utilized at 308. Thus, the touch detected at 302 is identified as a
new
touch or as associated with the previous touch based on two previously
reported
touch locations and the touch location reported at 302. This determination is
based
on the assumption that the speed of movement of a touch is unlikely to change
such that a touch that previously moved a short distance, moves a large
distance in
the short time period between scans of the touch-sensitive display 118.
[0032] Examples of touch locations on a touch-sensitive display 118 of an
electronic device 100 are shown in FIG. 4. For the purpose of this example, a
touch
is detected and the touch location 402 is reported to the processor 102.
Another
touch is detected and the touch location 404 is reported in the next report to
the
processor 102. Another touch is detected and the touch location 406 is
reported in
the next report to the processor 102. The touches are detected and the
locations
402, 404, 406 are reported in three consecutive reports to the processor 102.
Touch information including the touch locations 402, 404, 406 and the time of
receipt of the reports of the touches, or time of detection, is temporarily
stored in
memory, such as RAM 108. Touch information may be stored for the touches and
may be discarded or deleted from memory when the associated touch ends. Touch
information may also be discarded when the number of touch reports exceeds a
predetermined number such that touch information for the oldest touch report
is
discarded when a new touch report is saved.
[0033] When the touch is detected at the touch location 406, the touch at the
location 404 that was detected in the last report from the controller 116 to
the
processor 102 is utilized to determine whether the touch 406 is a new touch or
is
associated with the previously detected touch. The distance between the touch
location 406 and the touch location 404 is determined and the time between the
reports when the touches at the touch locations 404, 406 are detected is
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determined.
[0034] For the purpose of this example, the distance between the touch
location
406 and the touch location 404 meets the distance threshold. When the time
meets the time threshold, the touch at the touch location 406 is identified as
a new
touch. When the time does not meet the time threshold, the distance between
the
two previous touches at the touch locations 402, 404 is determined. When the
distance between the touch locations 402, 404 meets the distance threshold,
the
touch at the touch location 406 is identified as associated with the previous
touch at
the touch location 404. When the distance between the touch locations 402, 404
does not meet the distance threshold, the touch at the touch location 406 is
identified as a new touch, separate of the touch at the touch location 404. In
the
example illustrated in FIG. 4, the distance between the two previous touch
locations
402, 404 is small and does not meet the distance threshold. The touch 406 is
identified as a new touch.
[0035] The portable electronic device 100 illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 is
one
example of an electronic device and other electronic devices may be utilized.
[0036] A method includes detecting a first touch at a first touch location on
a
touch-sensitive display, detecting a second touch at a second touch location
on the
touch-sensitive display, and when a first distance from the first touch
location to the
second touch location meets a distance threshold and a second distance from
the
previous touch location to the first touch location does not meet the distance
threshold, determining that the second touch is a new touch.
[0037] An electronic device includes a touch-sensitive display, and a
processor
coupled to the touch-sensitive display to detect a first touch at a first
touch location
on the touch-sensitive display, detect a second touch at a second touch
location on
the touch-sensitive display, and when a first distance from the first touch
location to
the second touch location meets a distance threshold and a second distance
from a
previous touch location to the first touch location does not meet the distance
threshold, identify the second touch as a new touch.
[0038] A method includes detecting a first touch at a first touch location on
a
touch-sensitive display, detecting a second touch at a second touch location
on the
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touch-sensitive display, detecting a third touch at a third touch location on
the
touch-sensitive display, and determining that the third touch is a new touch
or is
identified as associated with the second touch based on the first touch
location, the
second touch location, and the third touch location.
[0039] Utilizing information including the time between detecting touches or
receipt of reports including touch locations, and the touch locations of
previously
detected touches, the electronic device may identify when a touch is a new
touch
and identify when a touch is associated with the previously detected touch
with
improved accuracy. Thus, touch location data is more accurately interpreted.
[0040] The present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms. The
scope of the claims should not be limited by the embodiments set forth in the
examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the
description as a whole.
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