Touch panel false touch identification

Abstract

An example gesture detection method includes detecting a first touch on a touch panel at a first time, where the first touch covers a first region of the touch panel, and then determining whether the first touch is within a trajectory region surrounding a fingerprint sensing region. The method includes determining whether a first touch is within a fingerprint sensing region, the fingerprint sensing region including a sensing surface of a fingerprint sensor. The method includes determining a first portion of the fingerprint sensing area covered by a first touch, and determining whether the first portion exceeds a first threshold. The first threshold is a majority of the fingerprint sensing area. The method includes determining a second portion of the entire first region within the fingerprint sensing region, and determining whether the second portion exceeds a second threshold, where the second threshold is a portion indicating a majority of the region associated with the corresponding touch. The method includes determining whether the first touch is valid based on determining that the second portion exceeds a second threshold.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to a system and method for touch detection, and in a particular embodiment, to a system and method for touch panel false touch identification. Background Art

[0002] Gestures such as touches can be detected by various devices (including, for example, touch panels). Capacitive touch sensing has become one of the means of detecting a user's touch on such devices. Since the human body is a good conductor, when a part of the human body (such as a fingertip) approaches a capacitive touch panel, the capacitance generated between the transparent electrode of the capacitive touch panel and the human body may change due to electrostatic effects. By measuring the change in capacitance of the sensing line on the capacitive touch panel, the location of the touch point is determined.

[0003] In a typical capacitive touch panel, a touch event is usually determined to be triggered by a user's finger or palm based on the size of the area pressed or touched by the user.

[0004] However, in some devices, the user's unintentional touch may be registered as the user's touch or gesture. That is, some unintentional touches can be registered as touches on some functional touch panels of the control device (such as scanning fingerprints on a fingerprint sensor on the touch panel). For example, when a user operates a capacitive touch panel, although the user usually touches the touch panel with a small area of ​​fingertips, the user is also prone to press the touch panel with a finger pulp (such as the edge of a finger or the entire end of a finger, not just the tip of the finger) to produce a large area press. Moreover, when the user accidentally puts the palm on the touch panel, the palm is usually not completely attached to the touch panel to generate a real large area touch, but only the side of the little finger or the tendon of the thumb contacts the touch panel. Although these touch areas are larger than the touch area of ​​the fingertips, they are not necessarily larger than the touch area of ​​the finger pulp. Therefore, if only the size of the touched area is used to determine whether the touch event is triggered by a finger or a palm, it is difficult to accurately determine whether the touch event is a meaningful touch. Therefore, meaningless touches cannot be effectively filtered out, and it is difficult to implement a real false touch rejection function. Summary of the invention

[0005] In an embodiment, a gesture detection method includes: detecting a first touch on a touch panel at a first time, wherein the first touch covers a first area of ​​the touch panel. The method includes: determining whether the first touch is within a track area surrounding a fingerprint sensing area; and in response to determining that the first touch is within the track area, determining whether the first touch is within a fingerprint sensing area, the fingerprint sensing area including a sensing surface of a fingerprint sensor. The method includes: in response to determining that the first touch is within the fingerprint sensing area, determining a first portion of the fingerprint sensing area covered by the first touch, and determining whether the first portion exceeds a first threshold. The first threshold is a majority of the fingerprint sensing area. The method includes: in response to determining that the first portion exceeds the first threshold, determining a second portion of the entire first area within the fingerprint sensing area, and determining whether the second portion exceeds a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is a portion indicating a majority of the area associated with the corresponding touch. The method includes: determining whether the first touch is valid based on determining that the second portion exceeds the second threshold.

[0006] In an embodiment, an electronic device includes: a touch panel; and a fingerprint sensor; and a processor, coupled to a memory storing a program, the program including instructions to be executed in the processor. The instructions, when executed, cause the processor to detect a first touch on the touch panel, the first touch covering a first area of ​​the touch panel. The program includes instructions for the following items: defining a track area around a fingerprint sensing area on the touch panel; and determining whether the first touch is within the track area around the fingerprint sensing area. The program includes instructions for the following items: in response to determining that the first touch is within the track area, determining whether the first touch is within the fingerprint sensing area, wherein the fingerprint sensing area includes a sensing surface of the fingerprint sensor. The program includes instructions for the following items: in response to determining that the first touch is within the fingerprint sensing area, determining a first portion of the fingerprint sensing area covered by the first touch, and determining whether the first portion exceeds a first threshold, the first threshold being a majority of the fingerprint sensing area; and in response to determining that the first portion exceeds the first threshold, determining a second portion of the entire area within the fingerprint sensing area and determining whether the second portion exceeds a second threshold. The second threshold is a portion indicating a majority of the area associated with the corresponding touch. The program includes instructions for determining whether the first touch is valid based on determining that the second portion exceeds the second threshold.

[0007] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure, as claimed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] For a more complete understanding of the present invention and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0009] Figures 1A to 1Cis a schematic diagram of different types of touch events for an electronic device according to some embodiments;

[0010] Figure 2A is a detailed flow chart of an improved gesture detection method capable of filtering panel false touches according to some embodiments;

[0011] Figure 2B It is also a detailed flow chart of an improved gesture detection method capable of filtering panel false touches according to some embodiments;

[0012] Figure 3 is a visual diagram of a coordinate checking method with example touch events according to some embodiments;

[0013] FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C is a visual diagram of a region checking method with example touch events according to some embodiments;

[0014] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of components of an electronic device according to some embodiments; and

[0015] Figure 6 A flow chart is illustrated illustrating a method for operating a gesture detection system according to some embodiments.

[0016] Unless otherwise indicated, corresponding numbers and symbols in the different figures generally refer to corresponding parts. The figures are drawn to clearly illustrate the relevant aspects of the embodiments and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The edges of features drawn in the figures do not necessarily indicate the end of the scope of the features. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The making and use of various embodiments are discussed in detail below. However, it should be understood that the various embodiments described herein are applicable to various specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed only illustrate specific ways to make and use the various embodiments and should not be interpreted in a limited scope.

[0018] Technologies that have both a touch panel and a fingerprint sensor (e.g., smartphones, tablets, some laptops, etc.) are difficult to activate from a sleep state due to false touches. For example, an involuntary or unintentional touch (called a false touch) that occurs near or on a fingerprint sensor of an electronic device may wake the device from a battery-saving sleep state. These types of involuntary touch events may occur in a variety of ways. One type of unintentional touch event may occur when an object repeatedly contacts an electronic device (e.g., when the electronic device is stored in a wallet or pocket with an object). Another type of involuntary touch event may occur when the palm of a user covers a large area of ​​the touch panel and fingerprint sensor of an electronic device. In another type of involuntary touch, a large conductive material / object may contact the touch panel and cover the fingerprint sensor. The embodiments of the present disclosure described herein implement a gesture detection method that is capable of filtering false touch events and overcoming the above and other problems.

[0019] The inventors of the present application have identified that more than 100 gesture detection methods are limited in their ability to identify false touch events. In other words, current gesture detection methods do not reject certain false touch events in a manner that saves power consumption of the electronic device. Therefore, embodiments of detecting false touch events in sleep mode and preventing the device from activating to save battery are described in more detail.

[0020] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the present application relates to a gesture detection method, which is capable of detecting false touch events of an electronic device including a touch panel and a fingerprint sensor. The gesture detection method filters touch events and classifies the events as valid attempts to potentially wake up the electronic device from a sleep state or invalid attempts to wake up the electronic device. When the touch event is classified as an invalid attempt, the device continues to be in a sleep state.

[0021] More details of the embodiments are given below. FIG. 2A to FIG. 2B and Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the system embodiment will be used Figure 5 describe.

[0022] Figures 1A to 1C Three different scenarios for distinguishing between valid touch attempts and false contacts with a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0023] like Figure 1A As illustrated, the electronic device 100 has a touch panel 101 with a fingerprint sensing area 104 as an example.

[0024] Embodiments of the present application may be applied to any type of touch panel. In one or more embodiments, the touch panel 101 may include a resistive touch panel. The resistive touch panel may include multiple layers separated by tiny insulating points, including a flexible top layer and a rigid bottom layer. When pressure is applied to the top layer, the top layer contacts the bottom layer, causing the current to change and accurately locate the touch location. In one or more embodiments, the touch panel 101 may include a capacitive touch panel. A capacitive touch panel may include a transparent conductive layer that stores charge. When a conductive object such as a finger touches the screen, it destroys the electrostatic field, thereby enabling the touch location to be detected. In one or more embodiments, the touch panel 101 may include an optical touch panel. An optical touch panel may use an infrared light sensor placed around the edge of the screen. When the touch interrupts the infrared beam, the sensor detects the interruption and identifies the touch location. In one or more embodiments, the touch panel 101 may include a surface acoustic wave touch panel, which relies on ultrasonic waves sent on the surface of the screen. When the interfering wave is touched, the receiving transducer detects the change, thereby determining the precise touch location. These different touch panel technologies meet different applications and provide users with intuitive interactive input methods.

[0025] The fingerprint sensing area 104 includes an input / output surface for a fingerprint sensor. In various embodiments, the fingerprint sensing area 104 may include any type of fingerprint sensor that provides location information. In some embodiments, the fingerprint sensing area 104 may obtain location information from the touch sensing layer of the touch panel 101 instead of the fingerprint sensor. In various embodiments, the fingerprint sensor may be a capacitive scanner, an ultrasonic scanner, a thermal scanner, an optical scanner, and a combination thereof. Capacitive scanners measure the differences in charge caused by the ridges and valleys of a fingerprint. When a finger touches the scanner, the capacitive sensor detects these differences and creates an electronic image. Ultrasonic scanners use ultrasonic waves to map unique fingerprint patterns. The ultrasonic pulses emitted by these scanners bounce differently depending on the ridges and valleys, forming a detailed 3D image of the fingerprint. Thermal scanners detect the thermal patterns left by the valleys of the fingerprint. They use an array of tiny thermal sensors to measure temperature changes and create thermal images. Optical scanners use light to capture images of fingerprints. When a finger is placed on the scanner surface, light illuminates the ridges and valleys, and a digital camera captures the reflected pattern. In all of these types, the captured fingerprint data is compared to a stored database for identification or authentication purposes.

[0026] Ideally, when the user is not using the device, the device enters a sleep or inactive mode to consume fewer resources. When the user wants to wake up the device, the user's finger contacts the fingerprint sensing area 104, and in response, the device switches to an active state. Ideally, there are no other contacts with the electronic device, and the user does not contact the fingerprint sensing area 104. However, in actual field use, many different scenarios arise. The user may accidentally contact the fingerprint sensing area 104 when removing content from the wallet, and / or a third object may contact the fingerprint sensing area 104. In fact, these contacts can occur not only within the fingerprint sensing area 104, but also outside other parts of the touch panel 101 of the electronic device 100. The embodiments disclosed in the present application, which are further discussed in more detail, describe different ways to detect erroneous contacts so that the electronic device does not return to the active mode, which will drain the battery without providing improved performance to the user. Using the embodiments of the present disclosure, erroneous contacts are detected, so that the electronic device can be prevented from being activated, thereby improving battery life. Instead of looking at each touch individually, the embodiments of the present application review a series of touches within a time window to find out the user's intention, thereby activating the electronic device more accurately only when expected.

[0027] Refer again Figure 1A , an electronic device 100 has a touch panel 101 having a track area 102 defined around a fingerprint sensing area 104. In various embodiments, the track area 102 may be approximately 2x to 10x the size of the fingerprint sensing area 104. The method is triggered when a user contacts the touch panel 101. If there is no contact with the touch panel 101, the touch panel will remain in a low power mode.

[0028] Figure 1A A touch event 106 is illustrated, which is a series of touch sensing measurements obtained by the touch panel 101 over a time window. During this touch event 106, an object contacts the touch panel and appears to move along a first path 108 without passing through the fingerprint sensing area 104. The first instance of a touch in the time series occurs outside the track area 102, and the finger never enters the fingerprint sensing area 104. Based on reviewing the series of touches over the time window, it is clear that the user did not intend to activate the device. If the user intended to activate the device, then they would directly access the fingerprint sensing area 104. Therefore, in this scenario, the gesture detection method will determine that the finger touch is invalid. Once it is determined to be an invalid touch, there is no attempt to wake up the electronic device.

[0029] Figure 1B is a diagram illustrating a specific type of touch event when, for example, a user attempts to locate a fingerprint sensor and the panel is accidentally touched according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Unlike the previous scenario, the second touch event 106B in the time series originates within the track area 102 and then moves into the fingerprint sensing area 104 along the example second path 110. As described above, the gesture detection method can be triggered when the user contacts the track area 102, that is, when a touch is detected in the track area 102. Based on the series of touches over the time window of reviewing the second touch event 106B, it is likely that the user did intend to activate the device, but did not immediately locate the fingerprint sensing area 104. Since the first touch was within the track area 102, in this scenario, the gesture detection algorithm determines that the finger touch is valid. Figure 1B This scenario is depicted where the event has moved through the flowchart of FIG. 2 to block 216 and then subsequently through the coordinate and area checks of block 216 .

[0031] Figure 1C is a diagram illustrating specific types of touch events solved in a gesture detection method capable of filtering false touches of a panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 1C Another scenario is illustrated where the user's touch follows a different path. Again, once a touch is detected in the track area 102, the touch panel 101 identifies a third touch event 106C. The third touch event 106C illustrates that the touch originates from inside the track area 102, moves along an example third path 112 into the fingerprint sensing area 104, and then follows another example fourth path 114 back to the fingerprint sensing area 104 and into the track area 102. Based on the series of touches over the time window of reviewing the third touch event 106C, it is likely that the user did not intend to activate the device, but rather the finger accidentally passed through the fingerprint sensing area 104.

[0033] Therefore, in this scenario, the gesture detection method determines that the finger touch is again invalid. Figure 2A Depicted Figure 1C A scenario where the event has moved through the flowchart to box 216, but then fails the coordinate and area check of box 216 (due to the touch moving back to the fingerprint sensing area 104), and then moves along the path to box 218, i.e., the invalid state block.

[0034] All of the above scenarios can be solved by a gesture detection method that can filter out false touches on the panel. In an embodiment, the gesture detection method can be implemented as follows: Figure 2A Depicted flowchart.

[0035] Figure 2A is a flowchart illustrating a gesture detection method capable of filtering panel false touches according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] According to the method, whether a touch event is a valid touch or an invalid touch is determined based on the coordinates and area check of the track area surrounding the fingerprint sensing area. Touches first detected outside the track area are considered invalid, while contacts first detected inside the track area are further analyzed to determine whether they are valid. As previously described, the gesture detection method of the present disclosure can be applied to various touch panels, such as capacitive touch panels, resistive touch panels, and infrared touch panels. The gesture detection method of the present disclosure can also be applied to various fingerprint sensors, such as optical scanners, capacitive scanners, ultrasonic scanners, etc.

[0037] Invalid or accidental touches may be caused unintentionally by the user, such as by placing a large area of ​​his / her palm on the touch panel, or by a small area of ​​the side of the user's little finger or the tendon portion of the user's thumb contacting the touch panel, or by a separate object contacting the touch panel when the electronic device is stored in a container (such as a wallet or pocket), or may even occur when a large amount of fluid or conductive objects contact the touch panel.

[0038] The gesture detection method filters touch events by first defining a track zone around the fingerprint sensing area of ​​the electronic device. The method then waits for a touch event to occur on the touch panel of the electronic device. Once a touch event is detected on the electronic device, the gesture detection method goes through multiple steps to determine the coordinate set of the touch event and the area covered by the touch. If the touch event is determined to have coordinates within the track zone of the electronic device, the gesture detection method proceeds to determine whether the coordinates of the touch are within the fingerprint sensing area.

[0039] If the coordinates of the touch event are determined to be within the fingerprint sensing area, the gesture detection method uses the area covered by the touch event to help filter false touch events. If a large portion of the fingerprint sensing area is covered by the area of ​​the touch event, and a large area of ​​the touch event is confined to the fingerprint sensing area (meaning that the track area is not covered by a large area of ​​the touch event), then the touch event will be marked as a valid attempt to unlock the electronic device.

[0040] The gesture detection method of the present embodiment benefits by including three specific scenarios. The first specific scenario occurs when a touch event is first detected outside the track area of ​​the electronic device and then moves into the track area. This type of touch event will be marked as an invalid attempt to wake up the electronic device because the user rarely, if ever, makes a touch event for this scenario in order to wake up the electronic device. The second specific scenario occurs when the touch event originates from within the track area and then moves into the fingerprint sensing area. This scenario will be marked as a valid attempt to wake up the electronic device because this scenario usually does occur. And the third specific scenario included in the gesture detection method occurs when the touch event originates from inside the fingerprint sensor area, moves outward into the track area, and then moves back into the fingerprint sensing area of ​​the electronic device. This type of touch event will be marked as an invalid attempt to wake up the electronic device because the user rarely, if ever, makes these touch sequences to try to wake up the electronic device.

[0041] Reference Figure 2A , schematically illustrates the process of the gesture detection method capable of filtering false touches of the panel in an embodiment. Figure 2A The gesture detection method can be described as a state machine with four possible states: ready state, start state, normal state and invalid state. Figure 2A When the gesture detection method of the touch event is processed, multiple coordinate and area checks are performed, which will cause the state machine to change to other states. Whenever a touch is not detected on the touch panel, the state machine will wait in the ready state for a touch to occur.

[0042] Starting from the ready state, the gesture detection method waits for a touch to occur on the touch panel of the electronic device. When the touch event is processed by the gesture detection method and the state is changed, the touch event is constructed and updated. When a touch occurs on the touch panel, a new touch event is initiated, and the gesture detection method checks the coordinates and area of ​​the first touch on the touch panel. After a set time frame (e.g., 10 milliseconds), the system scans the touch panel as long as the touch continues on the touch panel. The touch event then stores the coordinates and area of ​​the first touch therein. If the coordinates of the first touch of the touch event are found to be within the track area, and the coordinate and area check meets its conditions, the state machine will move to the start state, where the touch panel will be scanned again (the scan that occurs after the time frame has passed) for a second touch to compare with the first touch of the touch event.

[0043] When performing a coordinate check, in order for a touch to pass the coordinate check, the touch must have coordinates within the fingerprint sensing area. If the touch passes the coordinate check condition, an area check is performed. When performing an area check, in order for a touch to pass the area check, the area of ​​the fingerprint sensing area must be fully covered by the area of ​​the touch, and most of the area covered by the touch must be confined to the fingerprint sensing area. According to the system's area check, a large area touch is likely to be caused by a situation where the user inadvertently places his palm on the touch panel. Such a touch event can be directly determined as a meaningless touch, and the touch coordinate set is not reported. Figure 3 and FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C Coordinate checking and area checking are further described in the discussion of FIG. , and example touches are depicted in the accompanying figures.

[0044] If the first touch of the touch event exceeds the track area, the touch event is considered invalid, the information of the touch event is cleared from the memory, and the process stays in box 212 (preparation state) to detect subsequent touch events (such as using Figure 1A If the first touch of the touch event is within the track area and the coordinate and area checks fail, the touch event is also considered invalid, the information of the touch event is cleared from the memory, and the process remains in box 212 to detect subsequent touch events (such as using Figure 1A explained).

[0045] If the result of the determination in block 212 is negative (e.g., the area check fails, or the touch is removed), then this indicates that the sensed touch does not adequately cover the fingerprint sensing area. For example, this may be because the user accidentally touched the screen near the fingerprint sensing area but did not intentionally place the finger directly or adequately within the fingerprint sensing area (this is Figure 1A ), or the sensed touch includes a relatively large area that is not within the fingerprint sensing area (such as the case depicted in FIG. Figure 1C In other words, the touch area is either too small inside the fingerprint sensing area or too large outside the fingerprint sensing area, so the touch event is determined to be an accidental or invalid touch. On the other hand, if the area check passes, the touch may be considered valid (such as Figure 1B If the touch is determined to be a valid touch by both the coordinate and area checks, this moves the system to block 214 to the start state.

[0046] Once the state changes to the startup state, a new scan is performed on the touch panel, and the coordinates and area information of the second touch are determined. The second touch is not necessarily a new touch, but the same touch that may move on the touch panel. In order to determine whether the second touch is a new touch, an additional processing step is performed to compare the overlap of the area covered by the first touch with the area covered by the second touch. This new set of touch coordinates and touch areas scanned in the startup state is stored in the touch event together with the information of the first touch. Then, a coordinate and area check is performed on the second touch of the touch event, and if the conditions of the coordinate and area check are met and there is a large overlap in the areas of the first contact and the second contact (for example, more than 90% of the same area is covered), the touch event is considered valid and the state machine will change to the normal state (box 216).

[0047] If the result of the determination of block 214 is negative (e.g., the area check fails, or the touch is removed), the system is moved to the invalid state (block 218). This state waits for the touch to be removed from the touch panel, and once the touch is removed, the touch event information is cleared from the memory, and the system moves back to block 212 (ready state) and waits for a new touch on the touch panel.

[0048] If the result of the determination in block 214 is positive, and the areas of the first touch and the second touch have a large overlap (e.g., greater than 90% of the same area is covered), the system enters a normal state (block 216). In the normal state, a third set of touch coordinates and touch areas is found by scanning the touch panel again (during a subsequent scan that occurs after the time frame has passed), and the information of the third touch is stored in the touch event together with the first touch information and the second touch information.

[0049] If the third set of touch coordinates and touch areas found by scanning the touch panel again passes the coordinate and area check, and the areas of the second touch and the third touch have a large overlap (e.g., greater than 90% of the same area is covered), the host may wake up from the sleep state (e.g., unlock the electronic device). If the touch is removed from the fingerprint sensor area during the time that the method is in box 216 (in a normal state), the system will determine that the unlock attempt is invalid and stop the process of waking up the device. The system will then enter the invalid state (box 218), where it will wait for the touch to be removed (in the case of a failed area check), and then return to box 212 and wait for a touch to occur on the touch panel of the electronic device.

[0050] To reiterate, once the state machine is in the normal state, the third touch stored in the touch event will perform a coordinate and area check. If the coordinate and area checks have passed their conditions, and the areas of the second and third touches have a large overlap (e.g., greater than 90% of the same area is covered), then the normal state check passes. If the normal state check passes, the wake-up signal can wake up the host to potentially unlock the electronic device using the fingerprint scanner.

[0051] If the checks for the normal state do not all pass, the state machine moves to the invalid state, where the same procedure as detailed above for when the state machine moves to the invalid state can be implemented.

[0052] Above and Figure 2A The illustrated gesture detection method occurs within a time frame of approximately 10 milliseconds per scan. If a touch event enters the normal state of the gesture detection method, three touch scans have been performed. This scenario would correspond to a gesture detection method that takes a total of approximately 30 milliseconds to determine the validity of the touch event's intent to wake up the electronic device. There are other ways to implement Figure 2A A gesture detection method is provided, and one such implementation will be described below.

[0053] Reference Figure 2B , schematically illustrates another example of the process of the gesture detection method capable of filtering false touches of the panel in an embodiment. Figure 2B Included with Figure 2A All steps are the same, except for block 218 (invalid state). Instead of using Figure 2A Invalid status box, Figure 2B Contains a state machine consisting of only three states: ready state, start state, and normal state. Figure 2B Rather than causing the state machine to enter an invalid state due to a failure of a check performed in the Startup state or the Normal state, the Gesture Detection method simply moves the state back to the Prepared state without adding the step of an invalid state.

[0054] For the sake of brevity, Figure 2B The rest of the flowchart will not be described in detail because, apart from what has been detailed above, the steps are the same as Figure 2A same. Figure 2B The gesture detection method depicted in the flowchart of Figure 2A The implementation depicted in the flowchart takes approximately the same amount of time.

[0055] Figure 3 and FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C It is illustrated in FIG. 2A to FIG. 2B The coordinates ( Figure 3 ) and region ( FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C) check. The coordinate check is intended to ensure that any potential touch on the touch area is within the fingerprint sensor area and is accomplished by checking the coordinates determined for the touch event. The area check is intended to check the amount of area overlap that occurs within the fingerprint sensor area and the track area defined around the fingerprint sensor area. This check is intended to rule out events that may be accidental touches by a palm or some other large object. If a potential touch event covers too much of the track area, the touch will be marked as invalid due to the determination that the touch originated from an object that was too large to be classified as a finger attempting to unlock the electronic device.

[0056] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of coordinate checking, such as FIG. 2A to FIG. 2B The gesture detection method is illustrated in FIG. Figure 3 , an electronic device 300 has a touch panel 301 having a track area 302 defined around a fingerprint sensing area 304. The coordinate check checks whether the finger touch event is within the fingerprint sensing area 304. An example finger touch 306 is depicted as occurring within the fingerprint sensing area 304, and will be determined to have touch coordinates within the fingerprint sensing area 304. Therefore, the example finger touch 306 will pass the coordinate check. A different example finger touch 308 is depicted as occurring outside the fingerprint sensing area 304, and will be determined to not have touch coordinates within the fingerprint sensing area 304. Therefore, the example finger touch 308 will not pass the coordinate check (due to being completely outside the fingerprint sensing area 304).

[0057] Gesture detection methods benefit from including coordinate checks such as Figure 3 The gesture detection method was further improved by implementing a region check. FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C Various example touch events and their corresponding regions and how the region check will classify the corresponding touch events are illustrated.

[0058] Figure 4A is a diagram illustrating an example of a region check, such as FIG. 2A to FIG. 2B The area check determines whether the touch is an intentional touch by quantifying the touch area within the fingerprint sensing area 404 and the track area 402 (defined within the touch panel 401). For an intentional touch, most of the touch area should be within the fingerprint sensing area 404. Figure 4AIn the example embodiment, the area check performed will look at the amount of area of ​​the fingerprint sensing area 404 covered by the touch. To classify a touch event as passing the area check, two conditions must be met. The first condition is that the amount of area of ​​the fingerprint sensing area 404 covered by the touch area 406 must be greater than a predefined amount, such as 40%, 50%, 75%, or 90% of the fingerprint sensing area 404. The second condition of the area check will compare the amount of touch area within the track area 402 to the total touch area 406. If the percentage of touch area within the track area is less than a second predefined amount, such as 40%, 50%, or 65%, then the second condition is met. If these conditions are met, then the touch event will pass the area check. Based on the area check, a touch event that produces a touch area 406 will be marked as a valid finger touch and a valid attempt to unlock the electronic device because the touch in the fingerprint sensor covers a quantifiable amount of area, while the touch area covers an insignificant amount of the track area.

[0059] Figure 4B is a diagram illustrating an example of a region check, such as FIG. 2A to FIG. 2B The gesture detection method is implemented in Figure 4B In the embodiment, the area of ​​the fingerprint sensing area 404 covered by the touch area 408 is determined. This can be performed using technologies such as capacitive sensing, such as mutual sensing and / or self sensing in some embodiments. The touch panel 401 defines a tracking area 402 therein. The area of ​​the fingerprint sensing area 404 occupied by the touch area 408 is compared to the total area of ​​the fingerprint sensing area to determine the partial occupancy of the fingerprint sensing area 404. If the partial occupancy is below a predefined amount, such as 50%, 75% or 95%, the touch is marked as an invalid finger touch because a large part of the fingerprint sensing area 404 is not covered by the touch area 408 and therefore does not pass the area check, so the touch event will be a failed unlock attempt of the electronic device.

[0060] Figure 4A is a diagram illustrating an example of a region check, such as FIG. 2A to FIG. 2B The gesture detection method is implemented in Figure 4BIn contrast to the example of , the area check performed on this example will produce very different results. As in the previous example, device 400 includes a track area 402 and a fingerprint sensing area 404 defined within touch panel 401. However, the user's touch occupies touch area 410. The touch area 410 within track area 402 is much larger than the area of ​​fingerprint sensing area 404 covered by the touch. The occupancy fraction for this case is much higher than 1. Therefore, although the fingerprint sensing area 404 is completely covered (and will pass the first condition of the area check), it is clear that the touch covers a large amount of track area 402. Based on this, it does not appear that the user intends to unlock the device (or access the fingerprint sensor), so this reading may be caused by an object that is much larger than a finger (such as a palm). Therefore, the area check will not pass, and the gesture detection method marks the touch event as an invalid unlock attempt. Therefore, in various embodiments, in response to determining that the partial occupancy is greater than a second threshold such as 1, 1.1, 1.2, or 1.5, it is assumed that the user's intention is not to touch the fingerprint sensing area 404.

[0061] To clarify the purpose of area inspection, in this embodiment, Figure 2A The area checks performed in blocks 212, 214, and 216 of FIG. 2 are used to filter meaningless touch events with touch areas that are too large or too small to filter out more types of potentially meaningless touch events. The filtering of meaningless touch events is further addressed by imposing the condition that any removal of a touch event from the touch panel will cause the method to enter an invalid state (block 218) from block 216 without having to wait to see if the finger potentially moves back into the fingerprint sensor area in a subsequent scan (this behavior actually never occurs, and the system benefits more from its exclusion than from including this possibility in the gesture detection method (this scenario is described above in Figure 1C ). Therefore, compared with more conventional gesture detection methods, this embodiment can effectively filter more types of meaningless touch events. Since false touch events are more effectively filtered, the electronic device will not receive so many invalid wake-up signals, which will help the electronic device save battery power.

[0062] Figure 5 A component diagram of an electronic device 500 having a touch-sensitive display with a fingerprint sensor configured to detect and distinguish various types of contacts using gesture detection methods stored in the device's memory (firmware) according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Figure 5 It is illustrated that the electronic device 500 may include a processor 510, a sensor 520, a display 540, a touch panel 550, a fingerprint sensor 560, and a memory 530, which may be electronically coupled to each other via a bus.

[0063] The memory 530 can be programmed for short-term and / or long-term memory storage. The memory 530 can include various programs to be executed in the processor 510. The memory 530 can include volatile and non-volatile memory. The memory 530 is designed to retain information generated by the processor 510 so that it can be called at a later time. The memory 530 can also store a false touch filtering algorithm (such as the flowchart depicted in Figure 2) for the processor 510 to perform false touch detection based on the touch panel 550 sensor information from the sensor 520.

[0064] Touch panels and fingerprint sensors of electronic devices are designed to register user input via touches on their surfaces. Figure 5 A scenario is depicted where the display 540, touch panel 550, and fingerprint sensor 560 are integrated into one component. In other embodiments, the touch panel 550, fingerprint sensor 560, and display 540 may be separate components. Sensor 520 may include a touch panel and a fingerprint sensor as well as other sensors such as a gyroscope, an accelerometer, an ambient light sensor, various light sensors. One or more sensors may be integrated together. In an embodiment, the touch panel 550 may also include a touch sensor.

[0065] The processor 510 analyzes information based on user input and executes, for example, a series of executable scripts stored in the memory 530. The processor 510 may include an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) device, a system on a chip (SOC), or any other processing unit known in the art. In various embodiments, the processor 510 may include multiple separate computing units (such as cores integrated within a processor) or different separate processing chips. In other embodiments, some processing may be integrated with the sensor 520.

[0066] As described above, the processor 510, when executed, analyzes the grouping of touch values ​​generated from the matrix of touch sensitive areas in the touch panel. Information collected from the sensor 520 and the touch panel 550 (in this depiction integrated with the display 540) is used to determine whether the analyzed touch values ​​define a valid touch event within the fingerprint sensor 560 to potentially unlock the electronic device. Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0067] In an embodiment, a method includes detecting a touch on a touch panel, wherein the touch covers an area of ​​the touch panel (box 610). The method includes determining whether the touch is within a track area surrounding a fingerprint sensing area (box 620). The method includes determining whether the touch is within the fingerprint sensing area (box 630). The method includes determining a first portion of the fingerprint sensing area covered by the touch, and determining whether the first portion exceeds a first threshold (box 640). The first threshold may be a majority of the fingerprint sensing area, such as substantially a majority such as a plurality of. For example, in an embodiment, the first threshold may be approximately 40% of the fingerprint sensing area, and in an embodiment exceeds 50%.

[0068] The method includes determining a second portion of the total area within the fingerprint sensing region, and determining whether the second portion exceeds a second threshold (block 650). The second threshold is a portion that indicates a majority (e.g., substantially a majority such as a plurality) of the area (in this case, the first area) associated with the corresponding touch. For example, in embodiments, the second threshold may be approximately 40%, and in embodiments exceeds 65%.

[0069] The method includes determining whether the first touch is valid based on determining that the second portion exceeds the second threshold (block 660).

[0070] The various blocks described above may be implemented, for example, using the Figure 2A For example, in an embodiment, block 620 may be implemented as Figure 2A Frame 212 in.

[0071] Example embodiments of the present invention are described below. Other embodiments are also contemplated by the entirety of this specification and the claims filed herein.

[0072] Example 1. A gesture detection method includes: detecting a first touch on a touch panel at a first time, wherein the first touch covers a first area of ​​the touch panel. The method includes: determining whether the first touch is within a track area surrounding a fingerprint sensing area; and in response to determining that the first touch is within the track area, determining whether the first touch is within a fingerprint sensing area, the fingerprint sensing area including a sensing surface of a fingerprint sensor. The method includes: in response to determining that the first touch is within the fingerprint sensing area, determining a first portion of the fingerprint sensing area covered by the first touch, and determining whether the first portion exceeds a first threshold. The first threshold is a majority of the fingerprint sensing area. The method includes: in response to determining that the first portion exceeds the first threshold, determining a second portion of the entire first area within the fingerprint sensing area, and determining whether the second portion exceeds a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is a portion indicating a majority of the area associated with the corresponding touch. The method includes: determining whether the first touch is valid based on determining that the second portion exceeds the second threshold.

[0073] Example 2. The gesture detection method according to Example 1, further comprising: in response to determining that the second portion does not exceed the second threshold, reporting the first touch as an invalid touch.

[0074] Example 3. The gesture detection method according to one of Examples 1 or 2, further comprising: in response to determining that the first touch moves outside the fingerprint sensing area and then moves back inside the fingerprint sensing area, reporting the first touch as an invalid touch.

[0075] Example 4. The gesture detection method according to one of Examples 1 to 3 further includes: in response to reporting the first touch as valid, determining a second touch covering a second area of ​​the touch panel at a second time, and determining whether the second touch is valid.

[0076] Example 5. A gesture detection method according to one of Examples 1 to 4, wherein determining whether the second touch is valid includes: determining that a third portion of the fingerprint sensing area covered by the second touch exceeds a first threshold; determining that a fourth portion of the entire second area within the fingerprint sensing area exceeds a second threshold; and determining that a first overlap of the first touch with the second touch is greater than a third threshold.

[0077] Example 6. The gesture detection method according to one of Examples 1 to 5 further includes: in response to reporting the first touch and the second touch as valid, determining a third touch covering a third area of ​​the touch panel at a third time, and determining whether the third touch is valid.

[0078] Example 7. A gesture detection method according to one of Examples 1 to 6, wherein determining whether the third touch is valid includes: determining that a fifth portion of the fingerprint sensing area covered by the third touch exceeds a first threshold; determining that a sixth portion of the entire third area within the fingerprint sensing area exceeds a second threshold; and determining that a second overlap of the second touch with the third touch is greater than a third threshold.

[0079] Example 8. The gesture detection method according to one of Examples 1 to 7, further comprising: waking up the electronic device in response to determining that the first touch, the second touch, and the third touch are valid.

[0080] Example 9. A gesture detection method according to one of Examples 1 to 8, wherein the first threshold exceeds 50% of the fingerprint sensing area, the second threshold exceeds 65% of the associated first area, second area or third area, and the third threshold exceeds 90%.

[0081] Example 10. The gesture detection method according to one of Examples 1 to 9, further comprising: in response to determining that the first touch has left the touch panel, reporting the first touch as an invalid touch.

[0082] Example 11. An electronic device includes: a touch panel; and a fingerprint sensor; and a processor, coupled to a memory, the program including instructions to be executed in the processor. The instructions, when executed, cause the processor to detect a first touch on the touch panel, the first touch covering a first area of ​​the touch panel. The program includes instructions for the following items: defining a track area around a fingerprint sensing area on the touch panel; and determining whether the first touch is within the track area around the fingerprint sensing area. The program includes instructions for the following items: in response to determining that the first touch is within the track area, determining whether the first touch is within the fingerprint sensing area, wherein the fingerprint sensing area includes a sensing surface of the fingerprint sensor. The program includes instructions for the following items: in response to determining that the first touch is within the fingerprint sensing area, determining a first portion of the fingerprint sensing area covered by the first touch, and determining whether the first portion exceeds a first threshold, the first threshold being a majority of the fingerprint sensing area; and in response to determining that the first portion exceeds the first threshold, determining a second portion of the entire area within the fingerprint sensing area and determining whether the second portion exceeds a second threshold. The second threshold is a portion indicating a majority of the area associated with the corresponding touch. The program includes instructions for the following items: based on determining that the second portion exceeds the second threshold, determining whether the first touch is valid.

[0083] Example 12. The device of example 11, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the processor to report the first touch as an invalid touch in response to determining that the second portion does not exceed the second threshold.

[0084] Example 13. The device of one of examples 11 or 12, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the processor to report the first touch as an invalid touch in response to the first touch moving outside the fingerprint sensing area and then moving back inside the fingerprint sensing area.

[0085] Example 14. A device according to one of Examples 11 to 13, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the processor to determine a second touch covering a second area of ​​the touch panel at a second time in response to reporting the first touch as valid, and determine whether the second touch is valid.

[0086] Example 15. A device according to one of Examples 11 to 14, wherein the instructions for determining whether the second touch is valid include instructions for the following items: in response to determining that a third portion of the fingerprint sensing area covered by the second touch exceeds a first threshold, a fourth portion of the entire second area within the fingerprint sensing area exceeds a second threshold, and a first overlap of the first touch with the second touch is greater than a third threshold, determining that the second touch is valid.

[0087] Example 16. A device according to one of Examples 11 to 15, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the processor to, in response to reporting the first touch and the second touch as valid, determine a third touch covering a third area of ​​the touch panel at a third time, and determine whether the third touch is valid.

[0088] Example 17. A device according to one of Examples 11 to 16, wherein the instructions for determining whether the third touch is valid include instructions for the following items: in response to determining that a fifth portion of the fingerprint sensing area covered by the third touch exceeds a first threshold, a sixth portion of the entire third area within the fingerprint sensing area exceeds a second threshold, and a second overlap of the first touch with the second touch is greater than a third threshold, determining that the third touch is valid.

[0089] Example 18. The device of one of Examples 11 to 17, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the processor to wake up the electronic device in response to determining that the first touch, the second touch, and the third touch are valid.

[0090] Example 19. A device according to one of Examples 11 to 18, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the processor to determine that the first threshold exceeds 50% of the fingerprint sensing area, the second threshold exceeds 65% of the associated first area, second area, or third area, and the third threshold exceeds 90%.

[0091] Example 20. The device of one of Examples 11 to 19, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the processor to report the touch as an invalid touch in response to determining that the touch has left the electronic device.

[0092] Although the present invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments, the description is not intended to be interpreted in a limiting sense. Various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments and other embodiments of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the description. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to cover any such modifications or embodiments.

Claims

1. A gesture detection method, comprising: detecting a first touch on the touch panel at a first time, the first touch covering a first area of ​​the touch panel; determining whether the first touch is within a track area surrounding a fingerprint sensing area; In response to determining that the first touch is within the track area, determining whether the first touch is within the fingerprint sensing area, the fingerprint sensing area comprising a sensing surface of a fingerprint sensor; In response to determining that the first touch is within the fingerprint sensing area, determining a first portion of the fingerprint sensing area covered by the first touch, and determining whether the first portion exceeds a first threshold, the first threshold being a majority of the fingerprint sensing area; In response to determining that the first portion exceeds the first threshold, determining a second portion of the entire first area within the fingerprint sensing region and determining whether the second portion exceeds a second threshold, the second threshold being a portion indicative of a majority of an area associated with a corresponding touch; as well as Based on determining that the second portion exceeds the second threshold, a determination is made as to whether the first touch is valid.

2. The gesture detection method according to claim 1, further comprising: In response to determining that the second portion does not exceed the second threshold, reporting the first touch as an invalid touch.

3. The gesture detection method according to claim 1, further comprising: In response to determining that the first touch moves outside the fingerprint sensing area and then moves back inside the fingerprint sensing area, the first touch is reported as an invalid touch.

4. The gesture detection method according to claim 1, further comprising: In response to reporting the first touch as valid, determining a second touch covering a second area of ​​the touch panel at a second time, and determining whether the second touch is valid.

5. The gesture detection method according to claim 4, wherein determining whether the second touch is valid comprises: determining that a third portion of the fingerprint sensing area covered by the second touch exceeds the first threshold, determining that a fourth portion of the entire second area within the fingerprint sensing region exceeds the second threshold, and It is determined that a first overlap of the first touch with the second touch is greater than a third threshold.

6. The gesture detection method according to claim 5, further comprising: In response to reporting the first touch and the second touch as valid, determining a third touch covering a third area of ​​the touch panel at a third time, and determining whether the third touch is valid.

7. The gesture detection method according to claim 6, wherein determining whether the third touch is valid comprises: determining that a fifth portion of the fingerprint sensing area covered by the third touch exceeds the first threshold; determining that a sixth portion of the entire third area within the fingerprint sensing region exceeds the second threshold; as well as It is determined that a second overlap of the second touch with the third touch is greater than the third threshold.

8. The gesture detection method according to claim 6, further comprising: In response to determining that the first touch, the second touch, and the third touch are valid, waking up the electronic device.

9. The gesture detection method according to claim 5, wherein the first threshold exceeds 50% of the fingerprint sensing area, the second threshold exceeds 65% of the associated first area, second area or third area, and the third threshold exceeds 90%.

10. The gesture detection method according to claim 1, further comprising: In response to determining that the first touch has left the touch panel, the first touch is reported as an invalid touch.

11. An electronic device, comprising: Touch panel and fingerprint sensor; A processor coupled to a memory storing instructions to be executed in the processor, the instructions when executed causing the processor to: detecting a first touch on the touch panel, the first touch covering a first area of ​​the touch panel; defining a tracking area around a fingerprint sensing area on the touch panel; determining whether the first touch is within the track area surrounding the fingerprint sensing area; In response to determining that the first touch is within the track area, determining whether the first touch is within the fingerprint sensing area, the fingerprint sensing area comprising a sensing surface of a fingerprint sensor; In response to determining that the first touch is within the fingerprint sensing area, determining a first portion of the fingerprint sensing area covered by the first touch, and determining whether the first portion exceeds a first threshold, the first threshold being a majority of the fingerprint sensing area; as well as In response to determining that the first portion exceeds the first threshold, determining a second portion of the entire area within the fingerprint sensing region and determining whether the second portion exceeds a second threshold, the second threshold being a portion indicative of a majority of the area associated with a corresponding touch; as well as Based on determining that the second portion exceeds the second threshold, a determination is made as to whether the first touch is valid.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to report the first touch as an invalid touch in response to determining that the second portion does not exceed the second threshold.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to report the first touch as an invalid touch in response to the first touch moving outside the fingerprint sensing area and then moving back inside the fingerprint sensing area.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to determine, in response to reporting the first touch as valid, a second touch covering a second area of ​​the touch panel at a second time and determine whether the second touch is valid.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the instructions for determining whether the second touch is valid include instructions for: The second touch is determined to be valid in response to determining that: a third portion of the fingerprint sensing area covered by the second touch exceeds the first threshold, a fourth portion of all the second regions within the fingerprint sensing area exceeds the second threshold, and A first overlap between the first touch and the second touch is greater than a third threshold.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to, in response to reporting the first touch and the second touch as valid, determine a third touch covering a third area of ​​the touch panel at a third time, and determine whether the third touch is valid.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the instructions for determining whether the third touch is valid include instructions for: The third touch is determined to be valid in response to determining that: a fifth portion of the fingerprint sensing area covered by the third touch exceeds the first threshold; A sixth portion of the entire third area within the fingerprint sensing region exceeds the second threshold; and A second overlap between the second touch and the third touch is greater than the third threshold.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to wake up the electronic device in response to determining that the first touch, the second touch, and the third touch are valid.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to determine that the first threshold exceeds 50% of the fingerprint sensing area, the second threshold exceeds 65% of the associated first area, second area, or third area, and the third threshold exceeds 90%.

20. The device of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to report the touch as an invalid touch in response to determining that the touch has left the electronic device.

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