Capacitive Dongle for Touch Displays
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In applications like aircraft dashboards where display devices are densely packed, traditional electrical connections are cumbersome, and wireless links face interference issues, making it difficult to efficiently communicate with capacitive touch surfaces without hardware modifications.
Innovation Solution
A capacitive dongle that operates on a capacitive touch surface by transmitting and receiving signals at specific frequencies, using a ring-shaped conductive metal part and suction cup for placement, enabling communication without substantial hardware changes, and employing envelope detection and synchronous demodulation for data exchange.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional electrical connections are used to communicate with display devices, then reliable data exchange is achieved, but the arrangement becomes cumbersome and complicates the dashboard layout
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical electrical connection system with a capacitive coupling system. The dongle uses a conductive element that couples capacitively to the touch surface conductors, eliminating the need for physical electrical connectors and wires, thereby simplifying the dashboard arrangement while maintaining communication reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The touch surface itself serves as an intermediary medium for data transmission. Instead of direct electrical connections between devices, the capacitive touch surface acts as a communication channel, allowing data exchange through capacitance variations detected by the dongle
2Ease of operation
If wireless links are used to communicate with display devices, then installation simplicity is improved, but radioelectric interference occurs which is incompatible with aeronautical use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the electromagnetic wireless communication system with a capacitive coupling system that uses electrical fields at low frequencies. This substitution eliminates radioelectric interference while maintaining the installation simplicity of wireless links, making it suitable for aeronautical environments
3Device complexity
If capacitive detection is used for communication, then hardware modifications are minimized, but the dongle requires stable placement on the touch surface
Solution Approach 1:
The dongle incorporates its own suction cup mechanism that automatically creates a secure attachment to the touch surface. This self-service feature eliminates the need for external mounting mechanisms or manual stabilization, allowing the dongle to maintain stable placement autonomously
4Area of stationary object
If the entire touch surface is used for display, then display area is maximized, but adding connectors underneath complicates the arrangement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical connector system with a capacitive coupling system that requires no physical connectors underneath the display. The conductive element of the dongle couples capacitively to the touch surface conductors, allowing data exchange without any hardware modifications to the display背面, thus maintaining maximum display area
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
Enables seamless communication with capacitive touch devices by recognizing the dongle's profile and switching to dedicated frequencies, allowing for efficient data exchange without the need for additional hardware or complex arrangements, while minimizing interference and maintaining surface usability.
Implementation Method 1
a suction cup device for holding the dongle in place on the capacitive touch surface
Implementation Method 2
a ring-shaped flat conductive metal part connected to said emitting means, said part intended to be placed on said capacitive touch surface
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The general field of the invention is that of capacitive dongles (200) used with display devices comprising a capacitive touch surface including a matrix (110) of conductive rows and columns, the dongle being disposed on said touch surface in functional use, the dongle operating in transmit and receive modes. The dongle according to the invention comprises: - means for transmitting (230, 240) analog periodic signals emitted at a specific frequency referred to as the "dongle frequency"; - a flat, ring-shaped, conductive metal piece (210) connected to said transmitting means, said piece intended to be placed on said touch surface; - means for receiving (250, 260) the signals received from said conductive metal piece; - means for analyzing (270, 280, 290) said digitized received signals; - means for storing the transmitted and analyzed signals; - a digital communication interface (295).