Touch Gesture Detection Using Vibration and Stationarity Validation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing touch gesture detection systems in mobile devices face issues with mechanical button fragility, unreliable capacitive sensors due to environmental electrical charge, and high energy consumption, leading to false positives and incompatibility with certain devices.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a processing unit coupled with an accelerometer and an electrostatic charge variation sensor to detect touch gestures by filtering vibration signals through a high-pass filter, identifying peaks and stationarity conditions, and validating gestures based on predefined thresholds and variance signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If mechanical buttons are used for touch gesture detection, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to structural weakness and breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical buttons with an accelerometer-based detection system that uses vibration signals to identify touch gestures. The processing unit analyzes vibration patterns generated when a user touches the device, eliminating moving mechanical parts while maintaining touch detection functionality. This substitution resolves the contradiction by providing both ease of operation and improved reliability through a solid-state solution.
2Ease of manufacture
If capacitive sensors are used for touch gesture detection, then ease of manufacture is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to environmental electrical charge disturbances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes capacitive sensing with accelerometer-based vibration detection. Instead of measuring electrical charge changes on the screen surface, the system detects mechanical vibrations generated by user touch through the device housing. This approach eliminates susceptibility to environmental electrical charges while maintaining ease of manufacture through integration of standard accelerometer components.
3Use of energy by moving object
If traditional vibration-based touch detection is used, then energy consumption is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates due to false positives from environmental vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by analyzing specific characteristics of vibration signals rather than treating all vibrations equally. The processing unit examines the frequency spectrum, amplitude patterns, and temporal characteristics of detected vibrations to distinguish genuine touch gestures from environmental noise. This selective analysis maintains low energy consumption while significantly improving measurement precision through targeted signal processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs feedback mechanisms where the processing unit continuously monitors vibration signals and adjusts detection thresholds based on learned patterns of genuine touches versus environmental disturbances. By analyzing the relationship between vibration characteristics and user interactions, the system refines its detection accuracy over time while maintaining energy efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces false positives, lowers energy consumption, and expands gesture recognition capabilities, making it suitable for various devices while maintaining high accuracy.
Implementation Method 1
an accelerometer, operatively coupled to the processing unit, configured to detect a vibration at said detection surface and generate a corresponding vibration signal
Implementation Method 2
calculating a filtered vibration signal by filtering, through a high-pass filter, the vibration signal
Data Source
AI summary
System for detecting a touch gesture of a user on a detection surface, comprising: a processing unit; and an accelerometer to detect a vibration at the detection surface and generate a vibration signal. The processing unit is configured to: acquire the vibration signal, detect, in the vibration signal, a signal characteristic which can be correlated to the touch gesture of the user, detect, in the vibration signal, a stationarity condition preceding and/or following the detected signal characteristic, and validate the touch gesture in the event that both the signal characteristic and the stationarity condition have been detected. An electrostatic charge sensor may also be used as a further parameter to validate the touch gesture.