Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Eliyahu Barel

On Haran

Amir Zyskind

Eran Arbel

Ying Zheng

Ahia Peretz

Michael Orlovsky

Uri Ron

David William Voth

Christopher Andrew Whitman

Ilan Geller

Ahia Perez

Arthur Gershfeld

The disclosure provides for, at a host computing device, a method of interacting with a target computing device. The method includes receiving one or more sonic waveforms from the target computing device at a microphone subsystem of the host computing device. The host computing device determines an identity of the target computing device via processing of the one or more sonic waveforms. In response to said identity determination, the method includes (1) initializing a wireless data link for communication between the host computing device and the target computing device, and (2) entering a mode of host-target interactivity in which the host computing device and the target computing device interact via the wireless data link.

Sonic initiation of device interactivity

Computing devices and methods for determining a force applied to a user input device are disclosed. In one example, a computing device comprises a user input device comprising a touch surface, a haptic actuator coupled to the touch surface, and an accelerometer coupled to the touch surface. The computing device receives a touch input from the touch surface and drives the haptic actuator with a force detection driving signal to cause an acceleration in the touch surface. The computing device measures the acceleration using a signal from the accelerometer and uses at least the acceleration to determine a force of the touch input on the touch surface.

Touch surface force determination

Methods, systems and computer program products provide touch screen erasing. A touch device includes an eraser detector that configured to analyze one or more blobs comprising a plurality of detected signals caused by a conductive pattern in or on an eraser type of touch instrument in proximity to the touch device. Each detected signal may have an associated intensity and location on the touch device. A position detector is configured to detect a position of an eraser based on the locations of the plurality of detected signals. An orientation detector is configured to detect an orientation of the eraser based on the intensities of the plurality of detected signals. An eraser reporter is configured to report the position and orientation of the eraser to a content source (e.g., an application and/or operating system providing displayed content).

Method and system for touch screen erasing

Examples are disclosed that relate to mitigating unintended OLED display emissions arising from a proximity sensor emitter located behind an OLED display panel. One example provides a display device comprising an OLED display panel, a proximity sensor having a proximity sensor emitter positioned behind one or more OLED pixels of the OLED display panel with respect to a viewing surface of the OLED display panel, and a proximity emitter mask positioned between the proximity sensor emitter and the one or more OLED pixels to shield the one or more OLED pixels from the proximity sensor emitter.

Positioning proximity sensor behind OLED display

A computing device comprises a microphone, a trackpad, and a haptic actuator coupled to the trackpad. A memory stores instructions executable by a processor to drive the haptic actuator with a driving signal to generate a first trackpad sonic output. The first trackpad sonic output is measured using a signal from the microphone of the computing device. A sonic variance is determined by comparing the first trackpad sonic output to a target trackpad sonic output. The sonic variance is used to adjust the driving signal for the haptic actuator to an adjusted driving signal. The haptic actuator is driven with the adjusted driving signal to cause a second trackpad sonic output from the trackpad different from the first trackpad sonic output.

Computing device with haptic trackpad

One example provides a display device comprising a display panel, a touch sensor, an ambient light sensor, a processor, and storage. The storage comprises instructions executable by the processor to monitor an ambient light signal received from the ambient light sensor, detect, in combination with a call event, a threshold change in the ambient light signal that is indicative of the display device being proximate to a body of a user, and based at least on detecting the threshold change in the ambient light signal, modify an operation of the display device.

Determining user proximity using ambient light sensor

Keyboard and trackpad configurations and related methods utilize data from one or more bending sensors to determine a force applied to the touch receiving surface. In one example, a method for determining a force applied to a touch receiving surface of a force-sensing trackpad in a keyboard includes using at least data from a bending sensor to determine that the keyboard is bending. At least on condition of determining that the keyboard is bending, the method includes adjusting a spring constant value to an adjusted spring constant value, and using the adjusted spring constant value to determine the force applied to the touch receiving surface.

Keyboard with force-sensing trackpad

Implementations for validating sensors using external device(s) are provided. One aspect includes a computing system comprising a first ambient light sensor system; and processing circuitry and memory storing instructions that causes the processing circuitry to: detect the external device in vicinity of the computing device, wherein the external device comprises a second ambient light sensor system; determine an orientation of the first ambient light sensor system; receive information describing an orientation of and sensor data of the second ambient light sensor system; determine a relative orientation based at least upon the orientation of the first ambient light sensor system and the information describing the orientation of the second ambient light sensor system; and perform correction of sensor data of the first ambient light sensor system based at least upon the relative orientation and the information describing the sensor data of the second ambient light sensor system.

Sensor validation using external devices

Keyboard and trackpad configurations and related methods utilize data from one or more bending sensors to adjust a driving signal for a haptic actuator on a haptic trackpad. In one example, a method for adjusting a driving signal for a haptic actuator on a force-sensing haptic trackpad in a deformable keyboard includes using at least data from a bending sensor to determine that the keyboard is bending. At least on condition of determining that the keyboard is bending, the method includes using the data from the bending sensor to adjust an initial haptic driving signal to an adjusted haptic driving signal. The haptic actuator is driven with the adjusted driving signal to generate haptic output via a touch receiving surface of the force-sensing haptic trackpad.

Keyboard with haptic trackpad

One or more display color characteristics of an electronic device are managed using a light detecting sensor configured to output multiple color channels in a predefined color space. The light detecting sensor in the electronic device senses ambient light and outputs measurements in visible color channels of the predefined color space to characterize the sensed ambient light. A ratio of one or more measurements of one of the visible color channels to one or more measurements of another of the visible color channels is determined. At least one light source generating at least a portion of the sensed ambient light is classified based at least in part on the determined ratio, wherein the determined ratio indicates a color temperature component of the sensed ambient light. The one or more display color characteristics of the electronic device are adjusted based at least in part on the classifying operation.

Light source classifier

An active stylus includes a haptic feedback subsystem, an accelerometer, and a controller that controls the haptic feedback subsystem to generate a haptic pulse having predefined haptic characteristics. The controller receives a detected acceleration profile from the accelerometer. The detected acceleration profile is caused at least partially by propagation of the haptic pulse through a stylus body of the active stylus, and caused at least partially by attenuation of the haptic pulse by an external object contacting the stylus body. A current usage state of the active stylus is identified based at least in part on a comparison between the detected acceleration profile and a acceleration context model.

Stylus usage state identification from acceleration profile

A stylus comprising a housing and a nib portion configured to be attached to the housing and to extend out from the housing, wherein the nib portion comprises at a tip area an integrated conductive tip electrode and at least one integrated conductive ring electrode surrounding the tip electrode at least partially and electrically isolated from the tip electrode.

Stylus nib design and accuracy improvement

One example provides a method enacted on a display device comprising an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display panel and a light sensor positioned behind the OLED display panel with respect to a viewing surface of the OLED display panel. The method comprises receiving data samples from the light sensor and determining a temporal location for each of one or more non-emissive states of the OLED display panel. The method further comprises determining an ambient light characteristic using one or more data samples acquired during the one or more non-emissive states of the OLED display panel and adjusting an emission characteristic of the OLED display panel based at least in part on the ambient light characteristic determined.

Sensing ambient light from behind OLED display

A stylus placed in a docking station is used as a joystick by setting up a self-capacitance or mutual capacitance between the stylus and the docking port and measuring changes in that mutual capacitance as the stylus is moved by the user. The mutual capacitance is set up using electrodes and/or the housing of the stylus and the changes may be measured either from the stylus or from the docking station.

Growing community of inventors

Rosh-Ha′ayin, Israel

Eliyahu Barel