Capacitive Touch Controller for Multi-Key Input Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Data input devices with electrostatic capacitance type touch sensors often experience incorrect data entry due to accidental touches, especially when multiple keys are pressed simultaneously, leading to reduced operability, particularly in devices with a large number of key switches like keyboards.
Innovation Solution
A data input device with an electrostatic capacitance type touch sensor and a control circuit that determines the validity of data input operations by using invalidation determination region information to identify true and false inputs, allowing simultaneous multi-key presses to be recognized as intended, thereby enhancing operability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the sensitivity of the touch sensor system is increased to enable highly sensitive sensing of data entries, then the sensing capability is improved, but the likelihood of accidental touches causing incorrect data entries increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by determining the operator's hand position and the intended target key switch before executing the data input operation. The control circuit calculates the distance between the hand position and each key switch, and uses this information to determine whether the touch sensor signal corresponds to an intentional operation on the intended key or an accidental touch on an adjacent key. This preliminary analysis prevents incorrect data entries while maintaining high sensing sensitivity.
2Productivity
If the operator uses multiple fingers to press keys simultaneously for high-speed data entry, then the data input speed is improved, but the likelihood of accidentally touching unintended keys increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control circuit continuously monitors the touch sensor signals and compares the hand position with the positions of multiple key switches. When multiple keys are detected as pressed simultaneously, the system uses feedback information about the hand's spatial location to determine which key presses are intentional and which are accidental. This feedback mechanism allows the operator to use multiple fingers for high-speed data entry while preventing incorrect data entries caused by accidental touches.
3Ease of operation
If the data input operation surface is made flat to provide a simple interface, then the ease of operation is improved, but the ability to distinguish between intentional and accidental touches is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The control circuit acts as an intermediary between the simple flat touch sensor surface and the complex task of distinguishing intentional from accidental touches. It uses the flat surface's simplicity for ease of operation while incorporating additional processing that analyzes hand position, key switch distances, and touch patterns to accurately differentiate between intentional and accidental touches. This intermediary processing layer resolves the contradiction between interface simplicity and touch differentiation capability.
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 effectively prevents incorrect data entries and enhances operability by accurately distinguishing intended multi-key presses from accidental ones, especially in high-speed data entry scenarios with numerous key switches.
Implementation Method 1
an electrostatic capacitance type touch sensor to sense a data input operation implemented to the data input operation surface
Data Source
AI summary
A data input device includes: an operation section including an electrostatic capacitance type touch sensor; and a control circuit section which determines if a data input operation is true or false and sends an output data corresponding to a sensed data only when the data input operation is determined as true. When one or more of the sensed data are entered into the control circuit section, a coordinate is identified which determines the data input operation as true based on invalidation determination region information previously prepared for each of coordinates corresponding to the sensed data, wherein while the sensed data for the coordinate indentified is entered, the data input operation, which is implemented to a coordinate other than the identified coordinate to determine the data input operation as true among a group aggregate of the coordinates corresponding to the sensed data within an invalidation determination region, is determined as false.