The sole user interaction for my app is through the accelerometer, so there is never a reason for the user to touch the screen. What I need is the ability to elevate a non-touch event so that the system recognizes it as user interaction, delaying the screen timeout. Either that or I need to be able to manually extend the timer.
I have already read (and commented on) the thread about disabling the timeout. That is not what I need. The interaction my users are performing is very explicit (turning it over 180 degrees) so it won't happen if it is set down or stuck in their pocket (unless they are riding a rollercoaster.
Currently, the device is constantly shutting down when the user is in the middle of actively using my app.
Have you tried flipping UserIdleDetectionMode from enabled to disabled again to see if it resets the timer? If that works you could do it in response to your application events.
Otherwise there is no means of simulating user events, so I would say you are out of luck on this one for the moment.