Adaptive Graphical Keyboard Layout for Touch Input
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face difficulties with text entry on handheld devices due to the conventional graphical keyboard layout, which can lead to inaccuracies and physical discomfort when held in one hand, limiting the range of movement and increasing the likelihood of inadvertent input.
Innovation Solution
A computing device determines the usage mode and location based on touch inputs from multiple sensors, adjusting the graphical keyboard display to a unitary or split layout, and differentiating between intentional and inadvertent inputs to improve typing accuracy and comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a conventional graphical keyboard layout is used, then the keyboard structure is simple and easy to implement, but text entry accuracy decreases and physical discomfort increases when held in one hand
Solution Approach 1:
The keyboard layout dynamically adjusts its configuration based on detected usage modes. The system monitors touch sensor inputs to determine whether the device is being held in one-handed or two-handed mode, then automatically reconfigures the keyboard layout accordingly. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by providing optimized key positions for accuracy when needed, while maintaining a standard layout when simplicity suffices.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the spatial parameters of the keyboard layout (key positions, distribution, and arrangement) based on usage conditions. When one-handed mode is detected, the keyboard repositions keys to accommodate limited range of motion, improving text entry accuracy. When two-handed mode is detected, the layout returns to a conventional balanced configuration.
2Ease of operation
If the keyboard is held in one hand, then the device is easier to hold, but the range of movement is limited and inadvertent input increases
Solution Approach 1:
The keyboard layout dynamically reconfigures based on the detected holding mode. When one-handed holding is detected, the system adjusts key positions to fall within the limited range of motion of a single hand, maintaining input reliability. When two-handed holding is detected, the layout returns to a standard configuration, preserving ease of holding while enabling full keyboard access.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different keyboard layout configurations to different usage scenarios. In one-handed mode, keys are locally repositioned to be accessible within a smaller area, accommodating the limited range of motion. In two-handed mode, the full keyboard layout is available, leveraging the broader range of motion provided by both hands.
3Adaptability or versatility
If touch sensors are used to detect usage mode, then the system can adapt to user needs, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The touch sensors serve multiple functions: they detect both user input on the keyboard and the device's holding mode. By utilizing the existing touch sensor infrastructure for dual purposes, the system achieves usage mode detection and adaptation without adding dedicated hardware, thereby minimizing the increase in device complexity while maximizing adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own touch sensor infrastructure to automatically detect and adapt to the usage mode without requiring external sensors or additional hardware. The touch sensors self-serve the dual purpose of input detection and usage mode classification, reducing overall system complexity while enabling adaptive behavior.
Data Source
AI summary
In general, this disclosure describes techniques for providing a mechanism for facilitating text entry by a user interacting with a graphical keyboard displayed at a presence-sensitive screen of a computing device. For example, a computing device having a presence-sensitive screen and a housing, the housing further having a plurality of touch sensors, receives touch input at the touch sensors. The computing device determines a usage mode, based on the touch input. The computing device also displays, based on the usage mode, a graphical keyboard at the presence-sensitive screen. If the usage mode is a one-handed usage mode, a unitary graphical keyboard is displayed. If the usage mode is a two-handed usage mode, a split graphical keyboard is displayed.