Ambient Light Gesture Sensing for High-Noise Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gesture sensing systems are hindered by noise caused by ambient light, leading to reduced resolution and effectiveness, particularly in devices with decreasing sizes where additional components are undesirable.
Innovation Solution
A gesture sensing device that utilizes a processor to determine motion based on ambient light levels and distance, switching between ambient light and reflected light modes to improve signal-to-noise ratio, eliminating the need for costly noise cancellation elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional gesture sensing systems use reflected light from an illumination source, then gesture detection can be achieved, but ambient light noise increases the minimum detectable signal and reduces resolution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful ambient light noise into a beneficial signal by inverting the detection approach. Instead of measuring reflected light from an illumination source (which suffers from ambient light noise), the system measures the attenuation of ambient light caused by the presence of the hand. This transforms the ambient light from a harmful factor into the primary detection signal, eliminating the need for active illumination and associated noise problems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the conventional light detection approach. Conventional systems illuminate the target and detect reflected light; this system allows ambient light to pass through the target (hand) and detects the attenuation caused by the hand's presence. This inversion fundamentally changes how gestures are detected, turning the hand from an occluding object into the detection medium itself.
2Measurement precision
If noise cancellation elements are added to cancel ambient light noise, then gesture detection accuracy improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the need for noise cancellation components by converting the ambient light from a harmful noise factor into the primary detection signal. By measuring light attenuation through the hand rather than reflected light from an illumination source, the system inherently rejects ambient light variations as the detection basis, making additional noise cancellation electronics unnecessary.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the detection function from the conventional reflected light measurement approach and relocates it to ambient light attenuation measurement. This extraction removes the dependency on active illumination sources and their associated noise cancellation requirements, simplifying the overall device architecture.
3Measurement precision
If active illumination is used for gesture detection, then spatial information can be obtained, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the system self-powered by utilizing the existing ambient light environment rather than requiring active illumination. The hand itself serves as the light modulator, attenuating ambient light in its presence. This eliminates the need for battery-powered illumination sources, significantly reducing power consumption while maintaining detection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the passive ambient light into an active detection medium, eliminating the need for active illumination sources. By measuring how the hand attenuates ambient light, the system obtains spatial information without consuming additional power for illumination, turning the environment's existing light into a useful resource.
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
The solution enables accurate and cost-effective gesture detection in high ambient light environments, conserves power by using existing ambient light, and adapts sensing modes to environmental conditions, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing false detections.
Implementation Method 1
the light sensor 104 is able to receive a portion of the light 106 from the illumination source 102 that has reflected off of the object 99 and back to the light sensor 104
Implementation Method 2
a light sensor 104 for receiving light
Data Source
AI summary
A gesture sensing device includes one or more sensors and a processor for processing sensed voltages output from the sensors based on ambient light and/or reflected light received by the sensors. The processor determines an ambient light level and/or a distance between the target and the sensors such that, if the ambient light level exceeds an ambient light threshold and/or the distance is less than a distance threshold, the processor determines the motion of a target relative to the sensors based on the ambient light instead of the reflected light.