Capacitive Array Face-Proximity Detection for Assistant Invocation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automated assistants require explicit user interface inputs for invocation, which can cause delays and failures due to environmental conditions or user limitations, leading to inefficient interactions.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing capacitive touch sensors to detect non-tactile inputs, such as a user holding their device near their face, to implicitly invoke the automated assistant, leveraging machine learning models and digital signal processors to differentiate between tactile and non-tactile inputs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If explicit user interface inputs (buttons, invocation phrases) are required to invoke an automated assistant, then user privacy and resource conservation are preserved, but interaction delays occur and reliability decreases in certain environments
Solution Approach 1:
The capacitive sensor array automatically detects when the device is held near the user's face and autonomously invokes the automated assistant without requiring any explicit user action. The system serves itself by using the detection of facial proximity as the trigger mechanism, eliminating the need for users to press buttons or speak invocation phrases.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection of facial proximity through the capacitive sensor array before the user intends to interact with the automated assistant. By detecting the device's proximity to the face in advance, the system prepares for and automatically initiates the assistant invocation, eliminating subsequent delays.
2Reliability
If explicit user interface inputs are used for invocation, then false positives can be avoided, but false negatives occur in noisy environments or when users wear masks/gloves
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical touch inputs and acoustic invocation phrases with a capacitive sensing mechanism that detects electrical field changes caused by facial proximity. This substitution allows the system to work reliably regardless of whether users wear masks, gloves, or are in noisy environments, as it detects the electrical properties of the face rather than requiring physical contact or clear voice commands.
Solution Approach 2:
The capacitive sensor array acts as an intermediary between the user and the automated assistant. Instead of directly requiring user actions like button presses or voice commands, the system uses the capacitive detection of facial proximity as an intermediate signal to trigger assistant invocation, providing a more reliable and accessible interface.
3Productivity
If capacitive touch sensors are used to detect non-tactile inputs, then explicit invocation inputs are eliminated, but sensor array complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The capacitive sensor array is divided into multiple individual sensing elements that can be independently analyzed. By segmenting the array, the system can detect specific patterns of capacitive changes corresponding to facial features at different positions and orientations, enabling accurate facial proximity detection while using standard sensor components.
Solution Approach 2:
The capacitive sensor array, originally designed for tactile input detection, is made multi-functional by also enabling non-tactile facial proximity detection. This universal approach allows the same hardware to serve both traditional touch interface purposes and new automated assistant invocation purposes, avoiding the need for separate dedicated sensors.
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 efficient and reliable invocation of automated assistants without explicit user inputs, reducing interaction delays and improving responsiveness in various environments.
Implementation Method 1
The array of capacitive touch sensors can be responsive to static charge and/or changes in charge of nearby surfaces
Implementation Method 2
generating, at a computing device, input data that characterizes a response, of an array of capacitive touch sensors, to an object that is external to the computing device and that is within a detectable distance from one or more capacitive touch sensors
Data Source
AI summary
Implementations set forth herein relate to controlling invocation of an automated assistant according to whether a capacitive touch sensor array has detected a particular input that indicates a user has positioned an assistant-enabled device near their face. The capacitive touch sensor array can be part of a touch display interface of a portable computing device that provides access to an automated assistant. When the interface is positioned near the face of the user, input data from the interface can be processed to determine whether the input data indicates the display interface is near their face or whether the user is providing some other input to the display interface. When the input data indicates the user is positioning the display interface near their face or mouth, the automated assistant can be invoked in lieu of the user providing any other invocation input.