Touch input tool and system

Abstract

A touch input tool for interacting with a capacitive touch screen display. The touch input tool includes a plurality of spaced apart conductive touch screen touch elements arranged to simultaneously operably engage a screen of the touch screen display at a corresponding plurality of discrete respective touch locations.

Description

[0001] Cross-referencing related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. non-provisional application No. 16 / 867,230 entitled “Touch Input Tool and System”, filed May 5, 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention generally relates to a touch input tool for a touch screen display, and more specifically, to a touch input tool capable of generating multiple input gestures. Background Technology

[0004] Electronic devices typically feature touchscreen displays to enable user interaction. Users can input information using simple or multi-touch gestures by employing input devices such as styluses or by touching the touchscreen display with one or more fingers. The large size and advanced hardware specifications of touchscreen displays make touchscreen devices important tools for improving work efficiency.

[0005] A common way for users to interact with touchscreen displays is through touch gestures using their fingers or the tip (tip) of a stylus. For example, the Microsoft Surface™ operating system can recognize gestures based on finger-based touch events and their corresponding descriptions, including: “Tap: Press and release”; “Slide or push: Use a slide or push gesture to move the displayed object under your finger”; “Quick swipe: Press, slide quickly, and then release”; “Touch and rotate: Slide your finger around a point on the content”; “Spin: Quickly twist to rotate the object”; “Pull apart: Spread the fingers of both hands”; “Push together: Bring the fingers of both hands together”; “Twist: Twist the object with two or more fingers, like turning a knob or a piece of paper”; “Pinch: Bring two fingers of one hand together”; “Squeeze: Bring three or more fingers of one hand together”; “Spread: Spread the fingers of one hand”; “Pin rotate: One finger pins the object in place while another finger drags the object around the pinned point.”

[0006] As can be seen from the list above, apart from basic click and drag gestures that can be performed using a stylus, most touchscreen interactions require finger-based gestures. Therefore, users who want to use a stylus usually have to switch to finger gestures to take advantage of advanced touchscreen features.

[0007] Styluses have been widely used as touch input tools on electronic devices with touchscreen displays. Styluses typically have a shaft and a tip. Most research related to styluses focuses on the accuracy of handwriting or on the methods of interacting with touchscreen displays via the pen tip.

[0008] Several touch input tools have been developed that enable the non-tip portion of a stylus to provide user input. One existing touch input tool features a flexible stylus that uses embedded sensors to measure the degree and angle of bending along its axis via fiber optic sensing. Another existing touch input tool interacts with an electric field sensor embedded around the screen bezel for proximity detection, allowing the sensor to detect the stylus's placement on the screen and trigger a smart menu display.

[0009] The aforementioned devices offer limited input functionality, are costly, and require computational resources in the form of custom hardware drivers. Therefore, a tool axis touchscreen interaction solution is needed that is cost-effective to manufacture and implement, compatible with existing touchscreen drivers, and supports tool axes for a range of different tool axis input gestures. Summary of the Invention

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, a touch input tool for interacting with a capacitive touchscreen display is provided. The touch input tool includes a plurality of spaced-apart conductive touchscreen elements, the plurality of spaced-apart conductive touchscreen elements being configured to simultaneously operably engage the screen of the touchscreen display at corresponding discrete touch positions.

[0011] In the aforementioned aspects, the touch input tool can provide an enhanced set of input gestures compared to the set of input gestures available using conventional touch input tools (such as capacitive styluses). This can improve the user experience of devices with touchscreen functionality, and in some examples, it can support a wider range of user inputs with less user interaction with the display, which in some applications can improve the lifespan of the touchscreen display, improve device performance, and / or reduce power consumption, etc.

[0012] In at least some of the foregoing aspects, the touch input tool includes a first conductive structure comprising a human contact interface and the touchscreen touch elements. The human contact interface and the touchscreen touch elements are configured such that a conductive path is set from each of the touchscreen touch elements to the human contact interface, such that when the human contact interface is in conductive contact with a person and the touchscreen touch elements touch the screen, the touchscreen touch elements are simultaneously operably engaged with the screen at the corresponding touch location.

[0013] In at least some of the foregoing aspects, the touch input tool is a stylus, and the touch element of the touchscreen is arranged along the axis of the stylus.

[0014] In at least some of the examples above, the first conductive structure includes three touchscreen touch elements, the three touchscreen touch elements being configured to provide a touchscreen touch pattern that indicates the orientation of the touch input tool relative to the touchscreen display when the three touchscreen touch elements are operably engaged with the screen.

[0015] In at least some of the foregoing aspects, the three touchscreen elements are arranged along the axis of the touch input tool, and the middle touchscreen element is asymmetrically located between the other two touchscreen elements.

[0016] In at least some of the foregoing aspects, at least one of the touchscreen touch elements is configured to provide a touch element pattern different from at least one other touchscreen touch element.

[0017] In at least some of the foregoing aspects, the touch input tool includes a second conductive structure, wherein the second conductive structure is electrically isolated from the first conductive structure, and the second conductive structure includes: a corresponding touch screen touch element for operably engaging the screen at a corresponding touch position; and a corresponding human contact interface disposed relative to the human contact interface of the first conductive structure such that the two human contact interfaces can be simultaneously contacted by the same hand of a user.

[0018] In at least some of the foregoing aspects, the touch input tool includes a third conductive structure electrically isolated from the first and second conductive structures, the third conductive structure including: a corresponding touchscreen touch element for operably engaging the screen at a corresponding touch position; and a corresponding human contact interface disposed relative to the human contact interface of the first conductive structure such that the two human contact interfaces can be simultaneously contacted by the same hand of a user.

[0019] In at least some of the foregoing aspects, the touchscreen element of the first conductive structure, the touchscreen element of the second conductive structure, and the touchscreen element of the third conductive structure are arranged along the axis of the touch input tool so as to simultaneously contact the screen when the touch input tool is placed on the screen, and the human contact interface is arranged along the axis.

[0020] In at least some of the foregoing aspects, the spaced-apart conductive touchscreen elements are each defined by a corresponding conductive ring structure located on the axis of the touch input tool.

[0021] In at least some of the foregoing aspects, the touch input tool includes a housing defining an axially extending internal channel and a conductive body extending within the internal channel, wherein a plurality of spaced-apart conductive touchscreen elements extend from the conductive body through corresponding openings defined along one side of the housing. In some examples, the touch input tool includes a conductive touch tip located at an end of the conductive body, the touch tip being electrically connected to the conductive body.

[0022] In at least some of the foregoing aspects, the touch input tool includes a plurality of additional spaced-apart conductive touchscreen elements extending from the conductive body through corresponding openings defined along the other side of the housing, the plurality of spaced-apart conductive touchscreen elements being configured to simultaneously operably engage the screen of the touchscreen display, the plurality of spaced-apart conductive touchscreen elements having a pattern different from the plurality of touchscreen elements.

[0023] In at least some of the foregoing aspects, the touch input tool comprises only passive electrical components for enabling operative engagement of touchscreen elements with the screen.

[0024] According to another aspect of the invention, a system is provided comprising a touch input tool as described above and an electronic device including a touchscreen display, the electronic device being configured to sense touch events on the touchscreen display and determine whether the touch events match touch input tool gesture patterns corresponding to a plurality of touchscreen touch elements simultaneously operably engaged with the touchscreen display.

[0025] In the above aspects, the plurality of touchscreen touch elements are electrically connected to a first human contact interface, the touch input tool includes another touchscreen touch element electrically connected to each other and electrically isolated from the first human contact interface, and a second human contact interface, the electronic device being configured to determine that a button click input has occurred if another touch event on the touchscreen display matches a touch input tool gesture pattern corresponding to the other touchscreen touch element operatively engaged with the touchscreen display.

[0026] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided, comprising: receiving a plurality of signals from a touch sensing system of a capacitive touchscreen display of an electronic device, the signals indicating relative touch positions corresponding to touch events on the touchscreen display; determining whether the touch positions of the touch events match corresponding touch patterns that are operable to engage when a plurality of spaced-apart touchscreen elements of the touch input tool are placed on the touchscreen display.

[0027] According to the above aspects, the method further includes causing the electronic device to perform a predetermined action if the touch position of the touch event matches the touch pattern.

[0028] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided, comprising: receiving from the touch sensing system a signal indicating a relative touch position corresponding to another touch event on the touchscreen display; and determining that a click input has occurred if the touch position of the other touch event matches a touch pattern corresponding to the placement operably engaging of another touchscreen touch element of the touch input tool on the touchscreen display.

[0029] According to the above, the method further includes determining the orientation of the touch input tool based on the touch position of the touch event. Attached Figure Description

[0030] The accompanying drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of this application, are shown by way of example.

[0031] Figure 1A This is a simplified prior art circuit diagram of a touch sensing subsystem employing a self-capacitance measurement mechanism.

[0032] Figure 1B yes Figure 1A A simplified prior art circuit diagram of a touch sensing subsystem, showing a human finger engaged with a mechanism.

[0033] Figure 2A This is a simplified prior art circuit diagram of a touch sensing subsystem employing a mutual capacitance measurement mechanism.

[0034] Figure 2B yes Figure 2A A simplified prior art circuit diagram of a touch sensing subsystem, showing a human finger engaged with the subsystem.

[0035] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of a touch input tool according to an embodiment of the present invention, the touch input tool having a rigid body supporting a plurality of spaced-apart conductive touch screen elements.

[0036] Figure 4A A conductive rubber structure is shown that can be cut and shaped to manufacture touch screen elements for touch input tools.

[0037] Figure 4B A copper strip is shown that can be cut and adhered to the rigid body of a touch input tool to form a touch screen element thereon.

[0038] Figure 4CA conductive coating is shown that can be used to draw touch elements on a rigid body of a touch input tool.

[0039] Figure 4D A perspective view is shown of a foil roll that can be used to provide touchscreen elements on a rigid body of a touch input tool.

[0040] Figure 5A A touch input tool including a touchscreen element is shown, which is placed on the screen of a touchscreen display of an electronic device in a generally vertical orientation.

[0041] Figure 5B It shows Figure 5A A touch input tool that is placed on the screen of a touchscreen display in a roughly horizontal orientation.

[0042] Figure 6 This is a block diagram of selected components of a touchscreen display system for an electronic device configured for use with the touch input tools described in this invention.

[0043] Figure 7A The image illustrates the placement and release gestures of a touch input tool in the form of a rigid lever relative to the screen of a touchscreen display.

[0044] Figure 7B The image shows a scanning axis gesture of a touch input tool in the form of a rigid lever relative to the screen of a touchscreen display.

[0045] Figure 7C The gesture illustrates the rotation axis of a touch input tool in the form of a rigid lever relative to the screen of a touchscreen display.

[0046] Figure 7D It shows a mapping of a set of actions to corresponding spatial and temporal combinations of tool axis gestures.

[0047] Figure 8A A touch input tool according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown, the touch input tool having a rigid body supporting a first plurality of square touch screen touch elements and a second plurality of circular touch screen touch elements.

[0048] Figure 8B A touch input tool according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown, the touch input tool having a rigid body supporting a square touch screen touch element, a star-shaped touch screen touch element and a circular touch screen touch element.

[0049] Figure 8C A touch input tool in the form of a touch input tool with a rigid body, according to an embodiment of the present invention, is shown. The rigid body supports a plurality of touch screen touch elements with asymmetrical spacing between them.

[0050] Figure 9 This is a perspective view of a touch input tool in the form of a stylus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] Figure 10 yes Figure 9 A perspective view of the upper shell of the touch input tool.

[0052] Figure 11 yes Figure 9 A perspective view of the touch input tool, in which the upper shell has been removed to fully reveal the internal conductive structure.

[0053] Figure 12A This is a schematic bottom plan view of a touch input tool according to an embodiment of the present invention, the touch input tool having a first plurality of touch screen touch elements and a second plurality of touch screen touch elements connected via a human contact interface.

[0054] Figure 12B yes Figure 12A A perspective view of the touch input tool.

[0055] Figure 13A and Figure 13B A tool axis click gesture is shown, performed using a touch input tool placed on the screen of a touchscreen display of an electronic device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0056] Figure 14 The invention illustrates a tool axis sliding gesture performed using a touch input tool placed on the screen of a touchscreen display of an electronic device, according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0057] Figure 15 This is a perspective view and cross-sectional view of another touch input tool according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] Figure 16 This is a state diagram of various tool axis gestures that can be performed from a fixed position on the screen of a touch screen display by a touch input tool according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] Figure 17 This is a block diagram representing an electronic device configured for use with the touch input tool described in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0060] In this invention, the term "electronic device" refers to an electronic device with computing capabilities. Examples of electronic devices include, but are not limited to: personal computers, laptops, tablet computers ("tablet computers"), smartphones, surface computers, augmented reality devices, automated teller machines (ATMs), point-of-sale (POS) terminals, etc.

[0061] In this invention, the term "display" refers to a hardware component of an electronic device having the function of displaying graphic images, text, and video content thereon. Non-limiting examples of displays include liquid crystal displays (LCDs), light-emitting diode (LED) displays, and plasma displays.

[0062] In this invention, "screen" refers to the user-facing outer layer of a touchscreen display.

[0063] In this invention, the term "touchscreen display" refers to a combination of a display and a touch sensing system capable of acting as an input device by receiving touch input. Non-limiting examples of touchscreen displays include capacitive touchscreens, resistive touchscreens, infrared touchscreens, and surface acoustic wave touchscreens.

[0064] In this invention, the term "device with touch screen functionality" refers to an electronic device equipped with a touch screen display.

[0065] In this invention, the term "touch event" refers to an event in which interaction between a physical object and the screen of a touchscreen display is detected. Figure 1A and Figure 1B A simplified prior art circuit diagram of the sensing element of a touchscreen sensing subsystem 10 employing a self-capacitance measurement mechanism is shown. In the system shown, a signal source 12 flows a current i through the screen area 14 of the touchscreen display. The capacitance 15 of the screen area 14 relative to ground can be measured as C by a sensor (not shown). S When a conductive object, such as a human finger 16, touches the screen area 14, the finger 16 acts as another capacitor, having a capacitance C between the screen area 14 and ground 18. H In this case, the equivalent capacitance of screen area 14 is the original screen capacitance C. H The capacitance C of a human finger H The sum of these two capacitors is because they are connected in parallel. Therefore, the equivalent value is C. S + C HFurthermore, the capacitance difference between the two conditions can be measured by a sensor. The capacitance difference between the two conditions serves as an indication that screen area 14 has been touched by a human finger 16 or another conductive object (e.g., a touch input tool). The touchscreen display includes an array of screen areas 14. Therefore, a touch sensing system operatively connected to the touchscreen display can detect the occurrence and location of a touch event on the screen based on the difference in self-capacitance at the corresponding screen area 14.

[0066] Figure 2A and Figure 2B A simplified prior art circuit diagram of a touchscreen sensing subsystem 20 employing mutual capacitance is shown. In the subsystem shown, a charge source 26 provides charge to a driving electrode 27. A sensing electrode 28 is located near the driving electrode 27. The driving electrode and the sensing electrode are located beneath the glass area 24 of the screen of a capacitive touchscreen display. The driving electrode 27 projects an electric field 22 onto the sensing electrode 28, which can be sensed by a sensor (not shown) connected to the sensing electrode 28. When a human finger 16 touches the glass 24, a portion of the electric field 22 is transferred to the human finger 16 as a second electric field 18. As a result, the strength of the first electric field 22 between the driving electrode and the sensing electrode 28 decreases. Therefore, the sensor detects the reduced electric field at the sensing electrode 28, thereby indicating that the screen area 14 of the screen is being touched by a human finger or other object (e.g., a touch input tool).

[0067] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a touch input tool for interacting with a capacitive touchscreen display is provided. The touch input tool is configured to interact simultaneously with the screen of the touchscreen display and a user to generate one or more screen touch events. The touch input tool has a rigid body supporting a plurality of spaced-apart conductive touchscreen elements, the conductive touchscreen elements being fixed relative to each other at discrete positions. Figure 3A touch input tool 1000 according to an exemplary embodiment is shown. The touch input tool 1000 takes the form of a pen-shaped stylus and has a rigid body 1012 extending along an elongated axis 1014 from a first axial end 1016 to a second axial end 1018. The rigid body 1012 includes an elongated shaft 1010 extending along the elongated axis 1014 and located between the first end 1016 and the second end 1018 of the body 1012. In an exemplary embodiment, the shaft 1010 is configured to support a user gripping the stylus and is cylindrical or cuboid in shape along its length. The touch input tool 1000 may have a tapered tip 1025 disposed at one or more of the axial ends 1016, 1018 of the body 1012. The tip 1025 can be used to actuate user interface elements on a touchscreen display. In some examples, the touch input tool 1000 may also incorporate a writing pen. For example, the touch input tool 1000 may have an ink dispensing writing tip at the end opposite to the tip 1025.

[0068] exist Figure 3 In an exemplary embodiment, the touch input tool 1000 includes a conductive structure 1039 supported along an axis 1010. The conductive structure 1039 includes a conductive human contact interface, generally indicated by a dashed ellipse 1040, and a screen interface, generally indicated by a dashed ellipse 1017. The conductive human contact interface 1040 and the screen interface 1017 may be positioned, for example, along opposite sides of the axis 1010. Figure 3 In the example, the conductive structure 1039 consists of multiple conductive ring structures 1019A, 1019B, 1019C, and 1019D (e.g., Figure 3 In example 4), these conductive ring structures are arranged at a fixed distance from each other along the length of axis 1010. Conductive structure 1039 also includes elongated conductive elements 1015 extending along the length of axis 1010 to electrically connect conductive ring structures 1019A, 1019B, 1019C, and 1019D. Figure 3 In the example, an elongated conductive element 1015 extends beyond the electrically connected conductive ring structures 1019A, 1019B, 1019C, and 1019D at a portion of the shaft 1010, providing additional surface area for human contact. Each of the conductive ring structures 1019A, 1019B, 1019C, and 1019D defines a corresponding touchscreen touch element 1020A, 1020B, 1020C, and 1020D (collectively referred to as touch element 1020). The touch elements 1020 collectively form a screen interface 1017 and are configured to operatively engage the screen of the touchscreen display at respective discrete locations. Figure 3As shown in the example, the touch elements are evenly spaced apart from each other. That is, the spacing between touch elements 1020A and 1020B is “d1”, the spacing between touch elements 1020B and 1020C is also “d1”, and the spacing between touch elements 1020C and 1020D is also “d1”.

[0069] exist Figure 3 In the example, the human contact interface 1040 is provided by regions of an elongated strip 1015 and conductive ring structures 1019A, 1019B, 1019C, and 1019D, which are typically positioned along opposite sides of the regions defining touchscreen touch elements 1020A, 1020B, 1020C, and 1020D on axis 1010. Therefore, conductive structure 1039 provides: four discrete touchscreen touch elements 1020A, 1020B, 1020C, and 1020D, each operably engaging the screen of a touchscreen display at a corresponding discrete touch location; the human contact interface 1040 engageable by a user; and conductive paths between the human contact interface 1040 and the discrete touchscreen touch elements 1020A, 1020B, and 1020C. In some examples, the touch input tool tip 1025 can be electrically connected to the human contact interface 1040, enabling the tip 1025 to provide touch input independently of discrete touchscreen touch elements 1020A, 1020B, 1020C, 1020D.

[0070] exist Figure 3 In the example, a person touches the interface 1040, which is electrically connected to all touchscreen elements 1020, to enable detectable tool touch events via the touchscreen display when the touch input tool 1000 is placed on the screen of the touchscreen display. In an exemplary embodiment, the touch input tool 1000 is a passive device because it does not have an internal power supply and does not include any active electrical components. The touch input tool functions solely based on a conductive structure that includes touch elements that can be discretely coupled to the touchscreen display to generate recognizable touch patterns. The touch input tool 1000 can take... Figure 3 In addition to the configurations shown, several alternative examples will be described below.

[0071] Figures 4A to 4D Various conductive materials that can be used to manufacture conductive structure 1039 are shown. Figure 4A Conductive rubber structures 40 that can be cut and shaped to manufacture ring structures 1019A, 1019B, 1019C and 1019D are shown. These ring structures define touch elements 1020 and are mounted at discrete locations on the rigid body 1012 of the touch input tool 1000. Figure 4BA copper strip 42 is shown, which can be cut at discrete locations and adhered to the rigid body 1012 of the touch input tool 1000 to form loop structures 1019A, 1019B, 1019C, and 1019D thereon. In one embodiment, the copper strip 42 comprises a multilayer conductive copper strip. Figure 4C Conductive coating 44 is shown, which can be used to draw ring structures 1019A, 1019B, 1019C and 1019 at discrete locations on the rigid body 1012 of the touch input tool 1000. Figure 4D A foil strip 46 is shown, which can be adhered at discrete locations to the rigid body 1012 of the touch input tool 1000 to form ring structures 1019A, 1019B, 1019C, and 1019D thereon. Conductive strips other than copper and foil can also be used in various examples. The elongated conductive element 1015 can also be formed from one or more of conductive rubber, conductive strips (e.g., copper or foil), conductive coating, or other conductive elements fixed to or supported within the rigid body 1012.

[0072] In an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device 100 is configured such that the touch element 1020 of the touch input tool 1000 can provide touch input to the touchscreen display 45. In this respect, Figure 5A and Figure 5B Examples are shown in which a touch input tool 1000 is placed on a portion of a touchscreen display 45 such that an elongated axis 1014 of axis 1010 is parallel to the viewing surface of the screen 48 of the touchscreen display 45. A plurality of touch elements 1020 spaced apart along axis 1010 are simultaneously and discretely operably engaged with the screen 48 of the touchscreen display 45.

[0073] Figure 6 Selected hardware and software components of a touchscreen display system 110 of an electronic device 100 are shown for detecting and processing information regarding the interaction between the touch element 1020 of a touch input tool 1000 and a touchscreen display 45. The hardware components of the touchscreen display system 110 include the touchscreen display 45, which includes a display 128 and a touch sensing system 112. The touch sensing system 112 includes a capacitive screen 48 and components for detecting touch interactions with the screen 48.

[0074] In an exemplary embodiment, the touchscreen display 45 is a capacitive touchscreen display, such as the one described above. Figure 1A and Figure 1BThe described surface capacitive touchscreen has an array of charge storage elements monitored by the monitoring circuitry of the touch sensing system 112. When a conductive object capable of absorbing a small amount of charge is operatively engaged with the screen 48, the touch sensing system 112 generates a signal indicating a touch contact point that signifies a touch event. In an exemplary embodiment, the touch contact point (also referred to as a "touch contact point") corresponds to the touch sensing resolution of the touchscreen display and refers to the smallest screen area where touch input can be detected.

[0075] about Figure 3 The touch input tool 1000, with its axis 1010 positioned close to the screen 48, allows the touch elements 1020 to operatively engage the screen 48 at discrete touch locations corresponding to tool touch events. Thus, a tool touch event is a combination of multiple touch element touch events, each occurring at a corresponding discrete touch location. Depending on the size and shape of the respective touch element 1020 and the touch resolution of the touchscreen display 45, each touch location will result in one or more touch contact points. Operable engagement of the screen at the touch location occurs when a conductive path is established from the touch location to the user (via a conductive path provided by the touch element 1020 and the human contact interface 1040), and this conductive path absorbs a sufficient amount of charge to be detected by the touch sensing system 112.

[0076] In some examples, the touchscreen display 45 can be as described above regarding Figure 2A and Figure 2B The described projection capacitive touchscreen display, in which operable engagement of the touch element 1020 with the screen 48 occurs when the touch element 1020 is sufficiently close to the screen to be detected, and may not require actual physical contact.

[0077] Therefore, in an exemplary embodiment, the touch sensing system 112 generates signals indicating the contact point between the object specified by the touch event and the screen of the display 128. These signals are processed by software components of the touchscreen display system 110, which, in an exemplary embodiment, may be part of the operating system (OS) software 118 of the electronic device 100. For example, the OS software 118 may include a touchscreen driver 114 configured to convert signals from the touch sensing system 112 into spatial coordinate information specifying the physical location of the touch contact point for a touch event on the screen of the display 128. For example, as... Figure 5A and Figure 5BAs shown, when the touch input tool 1000 is placed on the touch screen display 45, the touch screen driver 114 generates touch pattern data 115, which includes a set of X and Y coordinates, each X and Y coordinate defining a touch contact point, and the touch contact point corresponds to the corresponding touch position of each touch element in the touch element 1020 of axis 1010 relative to the defined coordinate system of the touch screen display 45.

[0078] In at least some examples, the touch pattern data 115 may also include an indication of the pressure applied by the touch element 1020 at the touch contact point.

[0079] In an exemplary embodiment, touch pattern data 115 for touch events generated by the touchscreen driver 114 is provided to the user interface (UI) module 116 of the OS software 118. The UI module 116 associates time information (e.g., start time) with the touch pattern data for touch events to generate touch pattern data that includes spatial coordinate information of the touch position of each touch element 1020 and time information. The UI module 116 is configured to determine whether the touch pattern data matches a touch pattern in a set of candidate touch patterns, each candidate touch pattern corresponding to a corresponding touch input action commonly referred to as a gesture.

[0080] In an exemplary embodiment, in addition to detecting and recognizing traditional finger and stylus tip gestures such as the Microsoft Surface™ gestures described above, the UI module 116 is configured to identify touch input tool gestures that match the touch pattern corresponding to the interaction between the axis 1010 of the touch input tool 1000 and the screen of the display 128, based on touch pattern data.

[0081] In an exemplary embodiment, components of OS 118 (e.g., UI module 116) interact with UI components of other software programs (e.g., other applications 120) to coordinate the content displayed in the viewing area on display 128.

[0082] Refer again Figure 5A and Figure 5B The general detection of tool axis gestures by the touchscreen display system 110 will now be described. As mentioned above, Figure 5A and Figure 5B Each example is shown in which the tool axis 1010 is located on the screen 48, and the touch element 1020 is simultaneously and discretely operably engaged with the screen 48.

[0083] exist Figure 5A and Figure 5BIn each example, the touch sensing system 112 generates signals indicating one or more touch contact points at a corresponding touch location corresponding to each of the touch elements 1020A, 1020B, 1020C, and 1020D. These signals are provided to the touchscreen driver 114, which generates corresponding touch pattern data for the UI module 116. The UI module 116 determines that a tool touch event corresponding to a tool axis gesture has occurred based on the pattern data matching known patterns of touch positions aligned along four axes with corresponding inter-element spacing d1.

[0084] Reference Figures 7A to 7C A more detailed explanation of the types of tool axis gestures. Figures 7A to 7C In each example, the human user interacts with the human contact interface 1040 via an electric touch.

[0085] Gesture 1: "Tool axis placement gesture". Figure 7A A touch input tool 1000 is shown positioned above screen 48 of touchscreen display 45. The touch input tool 1000 extends approximately parallel to screen 48 along its axis 1010 and moves (lowers) in the direction of arrow 70 until touchscreen touch element 1020 operatively engages screen 48 along its axis 1110. This is categorized as a "tool axis placement gesture" by UI module 116.

[0086] Gesture 2: "Tool axis removal gesture". For example... Figure 7A As shown, following gesture 1, the touch input tool 1000 is lifted off the screen 48 in the direction of arrow 72 to remove the touchscreen touch element 1020 along its axis 1110, rendering it inoperable to engage with the screen 48. This is categorized as a "tool axis removal gesture" by UI module 116.

[0087] Gesture 3: "Tool axis drag gesture". Figure 7B A tool axis movement gesture is illustrated, corresponding to the dragging of a touch input tool 1000 along the screen 48 in the direction of arrow 74 in a linear direction perpendicular to its axis 1014, wherein the touchscreen element 1020 is simultaneously operably engaged with the screen 48 along its axis 1110. The touch input tool 1000 ends at a new position on the screen 48, where it is parallel to but spaced apart from its original position on the screen 48. This is categorized as a "tool axis drag gesture" by UI module 116.

[0088] Gesture 4: "Tool axis rotation gesture". Figure 7CA tool axis movement gesture is shown, corresponding to the rotation of the touch input tool 1000 relative to the screen 48 in the direction of arrow 76, wherein the touch screen element 1020 is simultaneously operably engaged with the screen 48 along its axis 1110. The rotation of the touch input tool 1000 can be clockwise or counterclockwise. This is categorized as a "tool axis rotation gesture" by the UI module 116.

[0089] In an exemplary embodiment, gestures 1 through 4 indicated above are examples of possible "core" gestures. In some examples, UI module 116 is configured to detect and classify additional gestures based on the occurrence of multiple core gestures within a defined time period. Some examples of these additional gestures include:

[0090] Gesture 5: "Tool axis placement and removal gesture". Within a defined threshold time period (e.g., 2 seconds), gesture 1 ("tool axis placement gesture") and then gesture 2 ("tool axis placement and removal gesture") will be classified as "tool axis placement and removal gesture" by UI module 116.

[0091] Gesture 6: "Tool axis drag and remove gesture". Within a defined threshold time period (e.g., 2 s), gesture 3 ("Tool axis drag gesture"), followed by gesture 2 ("Tool axis place and remove gesture") will be classified as "Tool axis drag and remove gesture" by UI module 116.

[0092] The list above is a non-exhaustive list of possible gestures.

[0093] Figure 7D The diagram illustrates non-limiting examples of different combinations of gestures that UI module 116 can detect. As shown in item 2, a tool axis placement gesture is detected, followed by a tool axis dragging gesture (item 4), a tool axis rotation gesture (item 6), or a tool axis removal gesture (item 8). In the case of tool axis placement and dragging gestures, the orientation of the dragging motion relative to the screen orientation (e.g., left, right, up, down) and the timing of any subsequent removal options are determined. Figure 7D As shown, when the tool axis placement-drag-remove gesture is categorized into one of four movement directions and compared with a threshold time for tool removal, the tool axis placement-drag-remove gesture can express eight different input possibilities, each of which can enable the UI module 116 to perform the corresponding predetermined action A1 to A8. Furthermore, the distance and position of the drag gesture can provide another input, which can determine the parameters of any action A1 to A8.

[0094] Similarly, based on the rotation direction (CCW - counterclockwise, CW - clockwise) and the time interval between the rotation gesture and the remove gesture, a different set of actions (actions A9 to A12) can be associated with the tool axis place-rotate-remove gesture. Based on the time interval between the place gesture and the remove gesture, a different set of actions (actions A13 to A14) can be associated with the tool axis place-remove gesture.

[0095] Furthermore, tool axis drag and rotation gestures can be combined to define tool axis interaction areas with non-rectangular or circular shapes. Additionally, as described above, in some examples, the amount of pressure applied by the touch element 1020 can also be included in the attribute set regarding touch location and touch event measurements, and used by the UI module to further differentiate touch events.

[0096] Apart from Figure 7D In addition to the attributes shown, further motion inputs can be added by considering additional temporal, spatial, and pressure attributes of tool axis input gestures. However, from a practical standpoint, the intuitiveness of gestures may decrease as the number of input possibilities increases. In some examples, one or both of UI module 116 and application 120 may be user-configurable to support user customization of tool axis gesture combinations associated with different actions, thereby allowing the number and complexity of available tool axis input gestures to be adjusted according to user preferences.

[0097] As can be seen from the list above, touch input tool gestures can be categorized based on the position, orientation, and timing of the tool touch event. The touch coordinate information included in the touch pattern data 115 includes information about the position, orientation, and shape of the object causing the touch event, as well as timing information about the touch event. The UI module 116 can use this information to categorize touch events into specific tool axis gestures within a set of possible gestures, each with a corresponding predefined touch pattern.

[0098] Turn again Figure 5A and Figure 5B In an exemplary embodiment, the UI module 116 is configured to assign one or both of position and orientation information to a detected tool axis placement gesture. In this regard, Figure 5A The "vertical tool axis placement gesture" is shown. Figure 5B The "horizontal tool axis placement gesture" is shown. Figure 5A and Figure 5BIn the example shown, the electronic device 100 is illustrated in what is generally referred to as a “vertical orientation mode,” wherein the shorter dimension of the rectangular touchscreen display 45 defines the width of the primary viewing area 55 (e.g., the distance from the left edge to the right edge), and the longer dimension of the rectangular touchscreen display 45 defines the height (e.g., the distance from the top edge to the bottom edge of the primary viewing area). In an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device 100 may also operate in a “horizontal orientation mode,” wherein the shorter dimension of the rectangular touchscreen display 45 defines the vertical height of the primary viewing area 55, and the longer dimension of the rectangular touchscreen display 45 defines the horizontal width of the primary viewing area 55. Figure 5A The dashed vertical line 41 is a vertical virtual line that divides the main viewing area of ​​the touch screen display 45 into the right viewing area 56 and the left viewing area 54, and represents the touch pattern corresponding to the vertical tool axis placement gesture.

[0099] exist Figure 5A In this embodiment, the touch input tool 1000 is placed on the screen of the touchscreen display 45 such that axis 1010 is substantially parallel to and roughly coincides with the touch pattern axis represented by the vertical virtual line 51. In the illustrated example, the UI module 116 determines that the touch pattern data corresponds to the touch pattern axis 51 of the vertical tool axis placement gesture. Because the touch pattern data extends along the vertical center line of the touchscreen display 45, the UI module 116 can also determine that the tool axis placement gesture corresponds to a "vertical tool axis, screen center placement gesture". In an exemplary embodiment, the UI module 116 supports some deviation between the orientation of the touch input tool 1000 and the touch pattern represented by the virtual vertical line 51. For example, the touchscreen UI module 116 may consider an angle of up to + / −20 degrees between the elongated axis of the touch input tool 1000 and the vertical virtual line 51 as a negligible angle. Therefore, the touch input tool 1000 is positioned such that the rows of the touch screen touch elements 1020 are parallel to or deviate from the parallel line by up to a threshold orientation deviation amount (e.g., 20 degrees), which is considered to match the touch pattern represented by the virtual vertical line 51, which corresponds to the vertical tool axis placement gesture.

[0100] Similarly, Figure 5B The dashed horizontal line 59 is a virtual horizontal line representing the touch pattern of a horizontal tool axis placement gesture on the main viewing area 55 of the touch screen display 45. The placement of the touch input tool 1000 on the virtual line 59, or the placement where the deviation angle between the elongated axis of the axis 1010 of the touch input tool 1000 and the touch pattern represented by the horizontal virtual line 59 is up to a defined orientation deviation threshold (e.g., 20 degrees), is considered to be substantially or approximately horizontally placed in the center position of the touch input tool 1000 on the main viewing area of ​​the touch screen display 45.

[0101] In addition to or replacing angular tolerances defined for orientation deviation, UI module 116 can also be configured to apply distance deviation thresholds when determining the proximity of a tool axis gesture relative to a displayed marker (e.g., a boundary between display areas). For example, if the touch position of the nearest touch element 1020 of axis 1010 is within a distance deviation threshold of any portion of the marker (e.g., within a horizontal distance of up to 20% of the total screen width and a vertical distance of up to 20% of the total screen width), UI module 116 may consider axis 1010 to be placed at or coincide with the displayed marker. In some examples, the distance deviation threshold may be based on the average or average length of the touch position of touch element 1020 of axis 1010 relative to the length of the marker. In some examples, defined angular orientation deviation thresholds and distance deviation thresholds may be applied when determining whether a tool axis placement is located at or coincides with a displayed marker having associated position and orientation characteristics (e.g., determining whether the touch position coordinates of a tool axis placement gesture fall within an orientation deviation threshold and a distance threshold of the separator).

[0102] The spatial deviation thresholds described above are examples. Other thresholds can be used, and in some examples, they may be user-defined. Deviation thresholds can also be applied when classifying movement gestures; for example, in some embodiments, tool axis drag gestures do not need to be perfectly linear and can support threshold levels that include on-screen rotation of axis 1010 during movement. Similarly, tool axis rotation gestures do not need to be perfect rotation and can support threshold levels that include linear on-screen dragging of axis 1010 during movement. In some examples, on-screen movements exceeding both on-screen rotation and linear on-screen movement thresholds can be classified as a combined on-screen “tool axis drag and rotation gesture.”

[0103] In an exemplary embodiment, the touch pattern classification performed by the UI module 116 can be a multi-step process, wherein the relative touch position defined in the touch pattern data is used for general core gesture detection (e.g., "tool axis placement gesture"), and then the orientation and position of the touch pattern data in the entire UI display coordinate system are used for further refinement of the classification (e.g., "vertical tool axis placement gesture", "vertical tool axis, screen center placement gesture", or "vertical tool axis placement gesture coinciding with the boundary between display areas"). As noted above with respect to gestures 5 and 6, in some examples, the change of touch pattern data over time is used to detect and classify movement-based gestures based on combinations of core gestures.

[0104] In an exemplary embodiment, UI module 116 is configured to perform a corresponding action from a set of predetermined actions based on at least one of the detected tool axis gesture type and position. For example, UI module 116 may be configured to change the display layout of information on display 128 by providing instructions to display driver 118 of OS 108. The manner in which the display layout is changed will depend on the type of the detected tool axis gesture. In an exemplary embodiment, components of OS 108 (e.g., UI module 116) interact with UI components of other software programs (e.g., other applications 120) to coordinate the content displayed in the viewing area on display 128.

[0105] Figure 3 An exemplary embodiment of the touch input tool 1000 shown includes a conductive structure 1039 having a row of identical touchscreen touch elements 1020 spaced equally apart. The touchscreen touch elements 1020 all have surfaces of similar shape and size that operatively engage with the touchscreen display 45. However, in other exemplary embodiments, touch elements 1020 having one or both of non-uniform (e.g., asymmetrical spacing) and non-uniform shapes may be included in the conductive structure 1039 of the touch input tool 1000. In an exemplary embodiment, the size and shape of the individual touch element 1020 and the touch resolution of the touchscreen display 45 are configured such that touch contact points generated with respect to a touch location can be compared to a set of touch element touch patterns (each touch element touch pattern corresponding to a different touch location shape and size), thereby enabling the UI module 116 to distinguish the different shapes and sizes of the touch elements 1020.

[0106] In this regard, according to another exemplary embodiment, Figures 8A to 8C Different configurations of touch elements located on axis 1010 of the respective touch input tools 1000A to 1000C are provided. Touch input tools 1000A to 1000C can be identical to touch input tool 1000, differing only in the shape, size, and spacing of the touch elements, as described below. In this respect, Figure 8AA touch input tool 1000A according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The touch input tool 1000A has a first plurality (e.g., two) of square touchscreen touch elements 1022 and a second plurality (e.g., three) of circular touchscreen touch elements 1024 arranged in a row on a rigid body 1110. When the touch input tool 1000A is placed on the screen 48 of a touchscreen display 45, a touch sensing system 112 detects the touchscreen touch elements (1022, 1024). Each of the square touchscreen touch elements 1022 has a touch position defined by a corresponding plurality of touchscreen contact points 1023, while each of the circular touchscreen touch elements 1025 has a touch position defined by a corresponding plurality of touchscreen contact points 1025.

[0107] The touch sensing system 112 detects touchscreen contact points 1023 and 1025 corresponding to the touch positions of the corresponding touch elements 1022 and 1024, and generates corresponding signals. The touchscreen driver 114 converts the signals from the touch sensing system 112 into touch pattern data 115, which includes spatial touch coordinates indicating the physical positions (X and Y coordinates) of the corresponding touchscreen contact points 1023 and 1025 on the screen of the touchscreen display 45. The UI module 116 detects the touch positions of two square touch elements 1022 and three circular touch elements based on the coordinates of the touchscreen contact points 1023 and the size and shape of the touch positions. The UI module 116 compares the size and shape of the touch positions with the dataset of touch element patterns to determine that the touch pattern data 115 includes two rectangular touch elements 1022 and three circular touch elements 1024 arranged in a row. Therefore, in Figure 8A In the case where multiple coordinates corresponding to the touchscreen contact points 1023 of each of the touch elements 1022 match a square shape pattern, the UI module 116 determines that the touch pattern data for the shape of the touchscreen touch elements 1022 is square. Similarly, multiple coordinates corresponding to the touchscreen contact points 1025 of each of the touch elements 1024 match a circular shape pattern, therefore the UI module 116 determines that the touch pattern data for the shape of the touchscreen touch elements 1024 is circular. For Figure 8A The touch input tool 1000A and UI module 116 can determine the position and shape of two square touch screen touch elements 1022 and the position and shape of three circular touch screen touch elements 1024.

[0108] exist Figure 8BIn this case, the touch input tool 1000B includes square touchscreen touch elements 1022, star-shaped touchscreen touch elements 1026, and circular touchscreen touch elements 1024 arranged in a row on the rigid body 1110. The shape of the touch position of the square touch element 1022 and the circular touch element 1024 is defined by contact points 1023 and 1025, as described above. Figure 8A As described. Additionally, the star-shaped touchscreen element 1026 can be considered to be defined by a plurality of touchscreen contact points 1027. When the touch input tool 1000B is placed on the screen of the touchscreen display, the touchscreen contact points 1027 are detected by the touch sensor 112 and converted into coordinates by the touchscreen driver 114. The UI module 116 compares the coordinates corresponding to the touchscreen contact points 1027 provided by the touchscreen driver 114 with a star pattern. If the multiple coordinates corresponding to the touchscreen contact points 1027 match a star pattern, the UI module 116 determines that the shape of the touchscreen element 1026 is star-shaped. Figure 8B The UI module 116 can determine the presence of three touchscreen touch elements with shapes of square, star, and circle, respectively, in the touch input tool 1000. Among other things, the UI module 116 can use different touch element patterns to determine the orientation of touch tools 1000A and 1000B. The UI module 116 also knows the position of the touchscreen touch elements (1022, 1024, 1026).

[0109] Figure 8C A touch input tool 1000C, similar to the touch input tool 1000 described above, is shown, except that multiple touch screen touch elements 1020A, 1020B, 1020C, and 1020D (collectively referred to as "1020") of the same shape and size are unevenly spaced in a row. For example, the distance between touch screen touch elements 1020A and 1020B is d1, the distance between touch screen touch elements 1020B and 1020C is d2, and the distance between touch screen touch elements 1020C and 1020D is d3. In general, for n+1 touch elements, there are n distances between them, where the last distance is denoted as... The distances d1, d2...d between adjacent touchscreen elements 120 n (collectively referred to as "d") can be equal or different. When a touchscreen touch element engages with the screen of a touchscreen display, the different intervals (d) between adjacent touchscreen touch elements 1020 define the touch pattern of the touch input tool. For example, the different intervals between touch elements 1020 can be used to determine the orientation of a touch input tool (e.g., touch input tool 1000C) when placed on the touchscreen screen. Figure 8CIn the illustrated embodiment, d1 and d2 are equal, while d3 is greater than d1 and d2. In other embodiments, different combinations of different shapes of touchscreen elements and different spacing between them can be used.

[0110] Therefore, in an exemplary embodiment, the actions performed by the UI module 116 or any other software component based on the tool touch pattern can be a function of the shape, size, and relative spacing of the touchscreen touch elements of the touch tool, as well as the position and orientation of the touch tool. In some examples, the corresponding touch positions of different shapes of touchscreen touch elements, such as square, round, and star-shaped touchscreen touch elements (1022, 1024, 1026), can trigger different actions of various components of the operating system 108 and applications running on the electronic device. For example, if an application receives an indication from the UI module 116 that a star-shaped touchscreen touch element has been detected in a specific area within its application window, the application can be configured to open a context menu. As another example, if a round touchscreen touch element 1024 is detected within the boundary of the application window, the application window can be closed. Thus, when touchscreen touch elements of different shapes are engaged with the screen of the touchscreen display 45, many modifications to the layout or content of the touchscreen display 45 can be achieved through touchscreen touch elements of different shapes.

[0111] Furthermore, in some exemplary embodiments, the electronic device 100 may be configured such that touch tools with different touch element configurations can trigger different actions using the same touch tool placement gesture.

[0112] In some embodiments, the touchscreen element is not part of the touch input tool, but rather part of an accessory that can be attached to the touch input tool. For example, the conductive structure 1039 and its touchscreen element 1020 may be formed on a sleeve or cap that slides onto an existing pen or stylus.

[0113] In some embodiments, touchscreen elements are customized and used to uniquely identify a touch tool by forming a unique touch pattern. For example, the shape of the touchscreen elements and the spacing between them can be uniquely defined to identify a touch tool associated with a unique user. In this case, the touch input tool can be used, for example, as a digital signature for a document. In other embodiments, a unique touch pattern can be used instead of biometric technology to unlock the touchscreen display of an electronic device. In other embodiments, a unique touch pattern can be formed on the touch input tool and used to unlock electronic devices, such as smart locks.

[0114] Figures 9 to 11A touch input tool 2000 according to another exemplary embodiment is shown. Similar to touch input tool 1000, touch tool 2000 is also a passive input tool in the shape of a stylus, which operates by providing a conductive path from a plurality of discrete screen touch elements positioned along axis 2010 to the human user. However, touch input tool 2000 has a housing 2100 (or casing) that houses an internal conductive structure 2200. Figure 9 The fully assembled Touch Input Tool 2000 is shown; Figure 10 Only half of the casing 2100 is shown; Figure 11 A touch input tool 2000 with one half of housing 2100 removed is shown. Housing 2100 defines an elongated internal channel extending axially between a first axial end 2116 and an opposing second axial end 2118. Housing 2100 is made of a non-conductive material, such as a thermosetting, thermoplastic, or any other suitable non-conductive material. In one embodiment, housing 2100 consists of two axially extending half-shells 2100A and 2100B. During assembly, the two half-shells (2100A, 2100B) are separated, exposing the hollow interior of housing 2100, the size and shape of which are designed to accommodate a conductive structure 2200 therein, such as... Figure 11 As shown. In some embodiments, the two half-shells (2100A, 2100B) are secured together using thermal adhesive and / or mechanical fasteners to enclose the conductive structure 2200 within a hollow internal channel. The conductive structure 2200 includes an elongated rigid conductive body 2210 extending axially within the hollow internal channel of the shaft 2100 between a first axial end 2216 and a second axial end 2218. The body 2210 of the conductive structure 2200 supports a plurality of radially extending first conductive elements 2220 and second conductive elements 2240.

[0115] In the illustrated embodiment, shaft 2010 has a cuboid shape defining a first pair of parallel sides and a second pair of parallel sides. For example... Figure 9 and Figure 11 As shown, a first group 2225 of first conductive elements 2220 (e.g., five) protrudes through corresponding openings 2120 defined along one side of the housing 2100. The first group 2225 of first conductive elements 2220 is arranged in a row and spaced apart such that when the shaft 2010 is placed on the touchscreen display 45, each of the first conductive elements 2220 can be discretely and operably engaged with the screen 48, wherein the first group 2225 of touchscreen touch elements 2220 faces the screen 48. In the illustrated example, all the first conductive elements 2220 have the same screen touch surface size and shape (e.g., small circles in the illustrated figures) and are equidistant from each other. Similarly, as... Figure 11As shown, the second set of first conductive elements 2220 extends through a corresponding opening 2120 defined along the side of the housing 2100 opposite to the first set 2225. In the illustrated embodiment, the second set of first conductive elements 2220 defines the same touch position pattern as the first set 2225, but on the opposite side of the axis 2010.

[0116] In addition, such as Figure 9 and 11 As shown, a group of 2245 second conductive elements 2240 (e.g., three) extend through a corresponding opening 2140 defined along another side of the housing 2100, perpendicular to the side from which the first group of 2225 first conductive elements 2240 extend. This group of 2245 second conductive elements 2420 is also arranged in a row and equally spaced, such that when the shaft 2010 is placed on the touchscreen display 45, each of the second conductive elements 2240 can be discretely and operably engaged with the screen 48, wherein the group of 2245 touchscreen touch elements 2240 faces the screen 48. In the illustrated example, all the second conductive elements 2240 have the same screen touch surface size and shape (e.g., a rectangle in the illustrated figures) and are equally spaced relative to each other. Although not shown in the figures, another group of second conductive elements 2240 may also extend through a corresponding opening 2120 defined along the side of the housing 2100 opposite to the group 2245. In the illustrated embodiment, another group of second conductive elements 2240 defines the same touch position pattern as group 2245, but on the opposite side of axis 2010.

[0117] In the case of touch tool 2000, either the first conductive element 2220 or the second conductive element 2240 can be used as a human contact interface. Similarly, any group of first conductive elements 2220 or second conductive elements 2240 located on one side of axis 2010 can be used as a screen interface, wherein a single conductive element 2220 or 2240 serves as a corresponding discrete touchscreen touch element. In some examples, housing 2100 includes another opening 2150 at the end of housing 2100, supporting a conductive tip 2250 extending through it. Tip 225 can be connected to conductive structure 2200.

[0118] In use, to implement the touch tool placement gesture, the user presses the stylus 2000 through the housing 2100 while simultaneously touching at least one of the first conductive element 2220 or the second conductive element 2240. The touch input tool 2000 is then placed on the screen of the touchscreen display 45 with one side of its axis 2010. A corresponding set of the first conductive elements 2220 or the second conductive elements 2240 is detected by the touch sensing system 112, which generates corresponding signals. The touchscreen driver 114 converts the signals into touch pattern data including coordinates corresponding to the touch position on the screen and provides the touch pattern data to the UI module 116. The UI module 116 identifies the touch patterns and axis stylus gestures as described above, which can be used to modify the content or layout of the touchscreen display. Furthermore, the different shapes of the conductive elements 2220 and 2240 allow the UI module 116 to distinguish when different sides of the touch input tool 2000 have been placed on the touchscreen. For example, if the UO module 116 detects placement on the side having a set of first conductive elements 2220, a first action can be performed; if the UO module 116 detects placement on the side having second conductive elements 2240, a different second action can be performed. In some examples, patterns of conductive elements of different shapes can be provided on all four sides of the touch input tool 2000 to provide additional functionality.

[0119] In the exemplary embodiments described above, all screen touch elements positioned along the touch tool axis are part of the same conductive structure. According to a further exemplary embodiment, a touch input tool comprising multiple discrete electrically isolated conductive structures is described, each structure including a human contact interface and one or more touchscreen touch elements. In addition to the gestures supported by the above embodiments, this configuration can also support other tool axis gestures. Specifically, exemplary embodiments of the touch input tool described below support gestures including button interactions (e.g., single and double clicks), as well as scrolling interactions conventionally performed by sliding a finger or scrolling a trackball or mouse on a touchscreen or touchpad.

[0120] refer to Figure 12A and Figure 12B This shows another example of a stylus-type touch input tool 3000. Figure 12A The screen engagement side of axis 3010 of the touch input tool 3000 is shown. Figure 12BThe opposite sides of shaft 3010 are shown. Similar to touch input tool 1000, touch input tool 3000 has a rigid body in the form of an elongated shaft 3010, which supports a first conductive structure 3039. Similar to the conductive structure 1039 described above, the first conductive structure 3039 includes a conductive human contact interface 3040 and a screen interface, the screen interface including spaced-apart touchscreen elements 3020A, 3020B, and 3020C. In the example shown, the first conductive structure 3039 consists of a plurality of conductive ring structures 3019 (e.g., Figure 12A and 12B In example 3), these conductive ring structures 3019 are arranged at a fixed distance from each other along the length of the axis 3010. The conductive structure 3039 includes an elongated conductive element 3015 extending along the length of the axis 3010 to electrically connect the conductive ring structures 3019. Each conductive ring structure in the conductive ring structures 3019 defines a corresponding touchscreen touch element among the touchscreen touch elements 3020A, 3020B, and 3020C.

[0121] The human contact interface 3040 of the first conductive structure 3039 is provided by the area of ​​the elongated strip 3015 and the conductive ring structure 3019, which are generally positioned along opposite sides of the area defining the touch screen touch elements 3020A, 3020B, and 3020C of the axis 3010. Therefore, the first conductive structure 3039 provides three discrete touch screen touch elements 3020A, 3020B, and 3020C, each operably engaging the screen 48 of the touch screen display at a respective discrete touch location, and all electrically coupled to the common human contact interface 3040.

[0122] In addition to the first conductive structure 3039, the shaft 3010 also supports a spaced-apart second conductive structure 3070, a third conductive structure 3080, and a fourth conductive structure 3090. The multiple conductive structures 3039, 3070, 3080, and 3090 are electrically isolated from each other along the shaft 301. The second conductive structure 3070, the third conductive structure 3080, and the fourth conductive structure 3090 can each form a conductive ring structure having the same size and shape as the conductive ring structure 3019. In this respect, each of the second conductive structure 3070, the third conductive structure 3080, and the fourth conductive structure 3090 defines a corresponding touchscreen element 3020D, 3020E, and 3020F, which are arranged axially along the shaft, in a row with touch elements 3020A, 3020B, and 3020C. The conductive structures 3070, 3080, and 3090 also serve as corresponding human contact interfaces. In the example shown, the spacing between the corresponding touch elements is fixed as follows: the spacing between touch elements 3020A and 3020B is “d1”; the spacing between touch elements 3020B and 3020C is “d2”; the spacing between touch elements 3020A and 3020D is “d3”; the spacing between touch elements 3020D and 3020E is “d4”; and the spacing between touch elements 3020E and 3020F is “d5”.

[0123] In an exemplary embodiment, the spacing between touch elements is selected such that the UI module 116 can detect a unique touch pattern for each possible combination of touch events of the conductive structures 3039, 3070, 3080, and 3090. Touch events of the conductive structures 3039, 3070, 3080, and 3090 occur when the touch elements of the conductive structures are operatively engaged with the screen 48, and the user is also in electrical contact with the corresponding conductive structures 3039, 3070, 3080, and 3090. In some examples, the touchscreen touch elements 3020A, 3020B, and 3020C of the first conductive element 3039 are spaced at different distances, i.e., d1 ≠ d2. In some examples, d3 ≠ d1 ≠ d2 ≠ d4, and d4 = d5. In some examples, the spacing difference between the touchscreen touch elements of the first conductive element 3039 allows the UI module 116 to determine the orientation and direction of the touch input tool 3000 when it is placed on the screen of the touchscreen display 45.

[0124] refer to Figure 13A and Figure 13B , Figure 14 as well as Figure 15 describe Figure 12A and Figure 12B How to use the Touch Input Tool 3000. First, refer to... Figure 13A and Figure 13B This describes a single button click action or a "tool axis click gesture." Figure 13A In this case, the touch input tool 3000 is placed on the screen 48 of the touch screen display 45 of the electronic device 100. Figure 13A In the process, the first conductive structure 3039 is touched by the user's finger 16B. The touch sensing system 112 senses touch events of touch events of each of the touchscreen touch elements 3020A, 3020B, and 3020C, including the first conductive structure 3039, and generates corresponding signals. Based on these signals, the touchscreen driver 114 generates touch pattern data for the touch event, which includes coordinates specifying the touch position of each of the touch elements 3020A, 3020B, and 3020C. By comparing the touch pattern data with a dataset of touch patterns, the UI module 116 can determine that the axis 3010 of the touch input tool 3000 is placed on the display, and also determines its orientation and direction based on the different intervals between the elements 3020A, 3020B, and 3020C in question. This represents the UI module 116's determination of the tool axis placement gesture.

[0125] In an exemplary embodiment, the UI module 116 is configured to interpret a user's contact with another of the conductive structures 3070, 3080, and 3090, while the conductive structure 3039 is operatively engaged with the screen 48 as a "tool axis click" gesture. For example, in Figure 13A In this configuration, when the first conductive structure 3039 is touched by the user's finger 16B, the second user's finger 16A subsequently contacts one of the conductive structures, namely the fourth conductive structure 3090. As discussed above, conductive structures 3070, 3080, and 3090, and their corresponding touch elements 3020D, 3020E, and 3020F, are electrically isolated from each other and electrically isolated from the first conductive element 3039 along the axis 3010. Therefore, in Figure 13A In the example, the touch sensing system 112 detects another touch event corresponding to the touch element 3020F of the fourth conductive structure 3090 and generates a corresponding signal. The touchscreen driver 114 processes the signal and generates touch pattern data, which includes coordinates indicating the position of the touch element 3020F of the fourth conductive structure 3090. This additional touch pattern data is provided to the UI module 116.

[0126] Based on earlier touch pattern data generated regarding the first conductive structure 3039, the UI module 116 knows the orientation (including direction) of the touch input tool 3000. Therefore, the UI module 116 can determine that the fourth conductive structure 3090 has been touched by the user based on another touch pattern data and predefined information about the configuration of the touch input tool 3000. The UI module 116 determines that a tool axis click gesture or a tool axis click and hold gesture has been performed. In some examples, the UI module 116 can start a timer and wait for the earlier of two events: the timer expires, or the person removes contact with the fourth conductive structure 3090 of the touchscreen. Figure 13B In this context, a touch event corresponding to the fourth conductive structure 3090 of the touchscreen is terminated by lifting (removing) the user's finger 16A from the fourth conductive structure 3090. As before, this removal touch event is detected by the touch sensing system 112, and the coordinates of the conductive structure 3090 are provided to the UI module 116. If the UI module 116 detects a removal touch event before the timer expires, the UI module 116 infers a tool axis click gesture involving the second conductive structure 3090 of the touchscreen. If no removal touch event is detected within the defined timer period, the UI module 116 infers a tool axis click and hold gesture involving the conductive structure 3090.

[0127] Touch events generated by different touchscreen touch elements 3020D, 3020E, and 3020F of conductive elements 3070, 3080, and 3090 can produce different functions and actions at the electronic device 100 based on the timing and sequence of these touch events relative to each other and relative to the touch event corresponding to the first conductive structure 3039. For example, a touch event corresponding to the fourth conductive structure 3090 can be interpreted as a left mouse button click of a conventional mouse. A screen touch event corresponding to the user's contact with the second conductive structure 3070 can be interpreted as a right mouse button click. A screen touch event corresponding to the user's contact with the third conductive structure 3080 can be interpreted as a mouse wheel event or the middle button of a three-button mouse. The UI module 116 can provide indications of tool axis click gestures to the operating system 108 or an application. Tool axis click gesture indications can include identifiers of the actuated touchscreen touch elements. Based on this element, the operating system or application can accordingly modify the content or layout presented on one or more viewing areas or application windows.

[0128] As mentioned above Figure 13AAs shown, when a "tool axis click gesture" continues for more than a threshold period, it will be classified as a "tool axis click and hold gesture" by UI module 116. Tool axis click and hold gestures can be used by some applications for special operations (such as selecting text) or for game applications. In some examples, it can be combined with the tool axis gestures described above (such as tool axis drag gestures) to highlight areas or perform other actions.

[0129] Now refer to Figure 13A and Figure 14 Describe another tool axis gesture using the Touch Input Tool 3000. As described above, Figure 13A A "tool axis clock gesture" is illustrated, in which a user touches the fourth conductive structure 3090 to generate a touch event at touch element 3020F during the same time that the user also touches the first conductive element 3039 (which generates touch events including three touch elements 3020A, 3020B, and 3020C). As discussed above, the timing information of the touch events is tracked by the UI module 116 (e.g., the start time, duration, and end time of each touch event). In an exemplary embodiment, the UI module is configured to detect the user moving their finger 16A from the fourth conductive structure 3090 (e.g., the first conductive element 3020A, the second conductive element 3020B, and the third conductive element 3020C). Figure 13A (As shown) Slide to the third conductive structure 3080, then to the second conductive structure 3070 (as shown) Figure 14 The touch event corresponds to the touch event shown. In this case, the UI module 116 will detect the touch event at the touch position corresponding to the fourth conductive structure 3090, then at the touch position corresponding to the third conductive structure 3080, and subsequently at the touch position corresponding to the second conductive structure 3070. When these three touch events occur within a defined duration, the UI module 116 is configured to determine which "tool axis slide gesture" occurred in the first axial direction. The tool axis slide gesture can also occur in the reverse order when the finger 16A slides from the second conductive structure 3070 to the third conductive structure 3080, and then to the fourth conductive structure 3090.

[0130] In some examples, the detection of a tool axis swipe gesture can be performed by the operating system 108 (or a further application) or may depend on the position, orientation, and direction of the tool axis swipe gesture, as well as the action of the content presented on the display 128. For example, a tool axis swipe gesture can be used to manipulate slider controls, such as volume control in a multimedia application. In other applications, a tool axis swipe gesture can be used to scroll through the content of a viewing area or application window.

[0131] Therefore, in addition to the tool axis gestures mentioned above relating to the touch input tool 1000, in the exemplary embodiment, the touch input tool 3000 may also support the following gestures.

[0132] Gesture 7: “Tool axis click gesture”. Gesture 1 (“Tool axis placement gesture”) is triggered by a first conductive structure (e.g., first conductive structure 3039) located on tool axis 3010, followed by another touch event triggered by another conductive structure (e.g., structure 3070, 3080, or 3090). In an exemplary embodiment, the other touch event must terminate within a defined duration (e.g., indicating that the user has removed their finger from the other conductive structure).

[0133] Gesture 8: "Tool axis click and hold gesture". Gesture 1 ("Tool axis placement gesture") is triggered by a first conductive structure (e.g., first conductive structure 3039) located on tool axis 3010, followed by another touch event triggered by another conductive structure (e.g., structure 3070, 3080, or 3090), wherein the other touch event exceeds a defined duration (e.g., indicating that the user has held their finger on the other conductive structure).

[0134] Gesture 9: "Tool axis click and hold and drag gesture". Gesture 1 ("Tool axis placement gesture"), then gesture 8 ("Tool axis click and hold gesture"), then gesture 3 ("Tool axis drag gesture").

[0135] Gesture 10: "Tool axis click and hold and rotate gesture". Gesture 1 ("Tool axis placement gesture"), then gesture 8 ("Tool axis click and hold gesture"), then gesture 4 ("Tool axis rotation gesture").

[0136] Gesture 10: "Tool axis slide gesture". Gesture 1 ("Tool axis placement gesture"), followed by a series of touch events at multiple additional conductive structures 3070, 3080, or 3090 within a defined time threshold.

[0137] Touch input tools with multiple discrete conductive structures can have a variety of configurations, not just one like... Figure 12A and Figure 12B The configuration shown in the exemplary touch input tool 3000. For example, as described above regarding... Figures 9 to 11 The structure of the described touch input tool 2000 can be modified to include multiple discrete conductive structures, each discrete conductive structure including one or more corresponding touch elements. In this respect, Figure 15Another touch input tool 2000A, similar to touch input tool 2000, is shown, except that touch input tool 2000A does not include the single conductive structure 2200 housed within housing 2100, but includes two discrete conductive structures 2039 and 2070, each defining a corresponding touchscreen element. The two discrete conductive structures 2039 and 2070 are connected to a non-conductive housing by a flexible tube and are electrically isolated from each other by a non-conductive structure 2072.

[0138] Figure 16 State diagram 1500 summarizes at least some tool axis gestures between a touch input tool and a touchscreen display, as described in this invention. At 1510, a tool axis placement gesture positions the touch input tool on the screen of the touchscreen display in a stationery mode, while the user maintains contact with a conductive structure (e.g., 1039 or 3039) including a first plurality of touchscreen touch elements. Multiple tool axis movement gestures are grouped in group 1500A. At 1520, the axis of the touch input tool can be dragged or slid along the screen; this is referred to as a tool axis dragging gesture. Alternatively, at 1530, the axis of the tool can be rotated; this is described as a tool axis rotation gesture. Multiple tool axis click / swipe gestures are grouped in group 1500B. When a user touches a conductive structure (e.g., 3039) comprising a first plurality of touchscreen elements from a fixed position 1510, an axis click gesture (indicated at 1540) occurs when one of the other conductive structures (e.g., 3020D, 3020E, 3020F) having corresponding touchscreen elements is touched and released as described above. If one of the other conductive structures is touched and held, a tool axis click and hold gesture is detected at 1560. In the case where the other conductive structures are touched sequentially by a finger (e.g., a finger slides along the other conductive structures from one touchscreen element to at least a second touchscreen element), a tool axis slide gesture is detected at 1550.

[0139] The touch input tool described in this article is passive and does not require a power source such as a battery. In at least some examples, the touch input tool provides a low-cost solution for enhancing the axis of an interactive capacitive stylus. A conductive material is applied to the stylus axis in a specific pattern so that the axis can be detected when placed on a capacitive touchscreen. In some examples, interactions on the stylus, such as button clicks or swipes, are supported, which is impossible with typical passive capacitive styluses. Interactions with the axis on a tablet, such as rotating and dragging the stylus, are also supported.

[0140] Figure 17This is a block diagram of an exemplary simplified processing device 170 that can be used to implement electronic device 100. Processing device 170 can be used to execute machine-readable instructions to implement the methods and examples described herein. Other processing units suitable for implementing the embodiments described herein may be used, and these units may include components different from those discussed below. Although Figure 17 A single instance of each component is shown, but multiple instances of each component may exist in the processing device 170.

[0141] Processing device 170 may include one or more processing units 172, such as processors, microprocessors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), special-purpose logic circuits, tensor processing units, neural processing units, hardware accelerators, or combinations thereof. Processing device 170 may also include one or more input / output (I / O) interfaces 174 that can support connection to one or more suitable input devices 184 and / or output devices 186. Processing device 170 may include one or more network interfaces 176 for wired or wireless communication with networks (e.g., intranets, internet, P2P networks, WANs, and / or LANs) or other nodes. Network interfaces 176 may include wired links (e.g., Ethernet cables) and / or wireless links (e.g., one or more antennas) for intranet and / or internet communication.

[0142] Processing device 170 may also include one or more storage units 178, which may include mass storage units such as solid-state drives, hard disk drives, disk drives, and / or optical disk drives. Processing device 170 may include one or more memories 180, which may include volatile or non-volatile memories (e.g., flash memory, random access memory (RAM), and / or read-only memory (ROM)). Non-transient memory 180 and / or storage units 178 may store software program 113, which includes instructions for execution by processing unit 172 to, for example, implement the examples described in this invention. Software program 113 may include software instructions for implementing operating system 108 (as described above, operating system 108 may include touchscreen driver 114, UI module 116, and display driver 118, as well as other OS components) and other applications / functions 120. In some other examples, one or more datasets and / or modules may be provided by external memory (e.g., an external drive that communicates with the processing device 170 via wired or wireless communication) or by transient or non-transient computer-readable media. Examples of non-transient computer-readable media include RAM, ROM, erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, CD-ROM, or other portable storage.

[0143] In some examples, the touch pattern corresponding to the touch input gesture described above can be stored in storage unit 178 and / or memory 180.

[0144] A bus 182 may exist, providing communication between components of the processing device 170, including the processing unit 172, I / O interface 174, network interface 176, storage unit 178, and / or memory 180. The bus 182 may be any suitable bus architecture, including, for example, a memory bus, a peripheral bus, or a video bus.

[0145] exist Figure 17 In this device, input device 184 and output device 186 include touch screen display 45, which performs both input and output functions.

[0146] Although the present invention describes methods and processes by steps performed in a certain order, one or more steps in the methods and processes may be omitted or modified as appropriate. Where appropriate, one or more steps may be performed in an order other than that described.

[0147] Although the invention has been described at least partially in relation to the method, those skilled in the art will understand that the invention also relates to various components, whether hardware components, software, or any combination of both, for performing at least some aspects and features of the described method. Accordingly, the technical solutions of the invention can be embodied in the form of a software product. Suitable software products can be stored in pre-recorded storage devices or other similar non-volatile or non-transitory computer-readable media, including DVDs, CD-ROMs, USB flash drives, removable hard drives, or other storage media. The software product includes instructions tangibly stored thereon that enable processing devices (e.g., personal computers, servers, or network devices) to perform examples of the methods disclosed herein.

[0148] The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit of the claims. The exemplary embodiments described are to be regarded in all respects as illustrative rather than restrictive. Features selected from one or more of the foregoing embodiments may be combined to create alternative embodiments not explicitly described, and features suitable for such combinations will be understood within the scope of the invention.

[0149] Furthermore, all values ​​and sub-ranges within the scope of the disclosure are disclosed. Additionally, although the systems, devices, and processes disclosed and illustrated herein may include a specific number of elements / components, these systems, devices, and components may be modified to include more or fewer such elements / components. For example, although any disclosed element / component may be a single quantity, the embodiments disclosed herein may be modified to include multiple such elements / components. The subject matter described herein is intended to cover and include all suitable technical variations.

Claims

1. A touch input tool for interacting with a capacitive touchscreen display, characterized in that, The touch input tool includes a plurality of spaced-apart conductive touch screen elements, which are configured to simultaneously and operably engage the screen of the touch screen display at corresponding discrete touch positions. The touch input tool includes a first conductive structure, the first conductive structure including a human contact interface and the touch screen touch element, the human contact interface and the touch screen touch element being configured such that a conductive path is set from each of the touch screen touch elements to the human contact interface, such that when the human contact interface is in conductive contact with a person and the touch screen touch element touches the screen, the touch screen touch element is simultaneously operablely engaged with the screen at the corresponding touch position. The touch input tool includes a second conductive structure, wherein the second conductive structure is electrically isolated from the first conductive structure, and the second conductive structure includes: a corresponding touch screen element for operably engaging the screen at a corresponding touch position; and a corresponding human contact interface disposed relative to the human contact interface of the first conductive structure, such that two contact interfaces can be simultaneously contacted by the same hand of the user.

2. The touch input tool according to claim 1, characterized in that, The touch input tool is a stylus, and the touch element of the touch screen is arranged along the axis of the stylus.

3. The touch input tool according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first conductive structure includes three touchscreen elements among the touchscreen touch elements, the three touchscreen touch elements being configured to provide a touchscreen touch pattern that indicates the orientation of the touch input tool relative to the touchscreen display when the three touchscreen touch elements are operably engaged with the screen.

4. The touch input tool according to claim 3, characterized in that, The three touchscreen elements are arranged along the axis of the touch input tool, with the middle touchscreen element asymmetrically positioned between the other two touchscreen elements.

5. The touch input tool according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least one of the touchscreen touch elements is configured to provide a touch element pattern different from at least one other touchscreen touch element.

6. The touch input tool according to claim 1, characterized in that, The touch input tool includes a third conductive structure electrically isolated from the first and second conductive structures. The third conductive structure includes: a corresponding touch screen element for operably engaging the screen at a corresponding touch position; and a corresponding human contact interface disposed relative to the human contact interface of the first conductive structure, such that the two human contact interfaces can be simultaneously touched by the same hand of the user.

7. The touch input tool according to claim 6, characterized in that, The touchscreen elements with the first conductive structure, the second conductive structure, and the third conductive structure are arranged along the axis of the touch input tool so that they simultaneously contact the screen when the touch input tool is placed on the screen, and the human contact interface is arranged along the axis.

8. The touch input tool according to claim 1, characterized in that, The spaced-apart conductive touchscreen elements are each defined by a corresponding conductive ring structure located on the axis of the touch input tool.

9. The touch input tool according to claim 1, characterized in that, The touch input tool includes a housing defining an axially extending internal channel and a conductive body extending within the internal channel, wherein a plurality of spaced-apart conductive touchscreen elements extend from the conductive body through corresponding openings defined along one side of the housing.

10. The touch input tool according to claim 9, characterized in that, The touch input tool includes a conductive touch tip located at the end of the conductive body, the touch tip being electrically connected to the conductive body.

11. The touch input tool according to claim 9, characterized in that, The touch input tool includes a plurality of additional spaced conductive touchscreen elements that extend from the conductive body through corresponding openings defined along the other side of the housing. The additional spaced conductive touchscreen elements are configured to simultaneously operably engage the screen of the touchscreen display. The additional spaced conductive touchscreen elements have a different pattern than the plurality of touchscreen elements.

12. The touch input tool according to claim 1, characterized in that, The touch input tool comprises only passive electrical components for enabling the touchscreen element to operably engage with the screen.

13. A system, characterized in that, The invention includes the touch input tool of claim 1 and an electronic device including a touch screen display, the electronic device being configured to sense touch events on the touch screen display and determine whether the touch events match touch input tool gesture patterns corresponding to the plurality of spaced-apart conductive touch screen touch elements that are simultaneously operably engaged with the touch screen display, and the touch events being able to correspond to the engagement state of the touch screen touch elements of the first conductive structure and the second conductive structure in the touch input tool.

14. The system according to claim 13, characterized in that, The plurality of touchscreen touch elements are electrically connected to a first human contact interface, the touch input tool includes another touchscreen touch element electrically connected to each other and electrically isolated from the first human contact interface, and a second human contact interface, the electronic device being configured to determine that a button click input has occurred if another touch event on the touchscreen display matches a touch input tool gesture pattern corresponding to the other touchscreen touch element operably engaged with the touchscreen display.

15. A method, characterized in that, include: Multiple signals are received from the touch sensing system of a capacitive touchscreen display of an electronic device, the signals indicating a relative touch position corresponding to a touch event on the touchscreen display; Determine whether the touch position of the touch event matches the corresponding touch pattern simultaneously with multiple spaced conductive touch elements of the touch input tool on the touch screen display; The touch input tool includes a plurality of spaced-apart conductive touch screen elements, which are configured to simultaneously and operably engage the screen of the touch screen display at corresponding discrete touch positions. The touch input tool includes a first conductive structure, the first conductive structure including a human contact interface and the touch screen touch element, the human contact interface and the touch screen touch element being configured such that a conductive path is set from each of the touch screen touch elements to the human contact interface, such that when the human contact interface is in conductive contact with a person and the touch screen touch element touches the screen, the touch screen touch element is simultaneously operablely engaged with the screen at the corresponding touch position. The touch input tool includes a second conductive structure, wherein the second conductive structure is electrically isolated from the first conductive structure, and the second conductive structure includes: a corresponding touch screen element for operably engaging the screen at a corresponding touch position; and a corresponding human contact interface disposed relative to the human contact interface of the first conductive structure, such that two contact interfaces can be simultaneously contacted by the same hand of the user.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, This includes causing the electronic device to perform a predetermined action if the touch location of the touch event matches the touch pattern.

17. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, include: Receive a signal from the touch sensing system indicating the relative touch position corresponding to another touch event on the touchscreen display; When the touch position of the other touch event matches the touch pattern corresponding to the operable engagement of another touch element of the touch input tool with the touch screen display, it is determined that a click input has occurred.

18. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, This includes determining the orientation of the touch input tool based on the touch location of the touch event.

19. A computer program, characterized in that, The computer program includes instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 15 to 18.

20. A computer-readable medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 15 to 18.

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