Contactless Holographic Interface for Hygienic Gesture Interaction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing interfaces require physical contact, which poses hygiene risks, especially in high-traffic areas, as they cannot prevent the spread of infectious diseases through surface contact interactions.
Innovation Solution
A contactless interactive holographic interface that generates a floating image based on sensed user information, allowing users to interact without touching the device, using a system comprising a light-emitting display, optical device, sensor assemblies, and a controller to position the image optimally for user interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a touch-sensitive surface or physical buttons are used for user interaction, then the interface can receive precise user input, but it requires physical contact that poses hygiene risks and can spread infectious diseases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an optical field as an intermediary between the user and the device interface. A floating holographic image is projected into mid-air, and the user interacts with it using gestures detected by optical sensors (such as time-of-flight cameras or infrared sensors). This intermediary optical layer allows contactless interaction while maintaining precise input detection, resolving the contradiction between hygiene safety and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical touch-based input system with an optical detection system. Instead of requiring physical contact with buttons or touch surfaces, the system uses optical sensors to detect hand gestures, finger movements, and other body-based inputs in three-dimensional space. This substitution eliminates the need for mechanical contact while preserving input precision, thereby improving hygiene safety without compromising ease of operation.
2Reliability
If a floating holographic image is generated to enable contactless interaction, then hygiene safety is improved by eliminating physical contact, but the device complexity increases due to additional optical components and sensor assemblies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the optical system to perform multiple functions simultaneously. The same optical components (holographic display, projection optics, and sensor assemblies) are used to both generate the floating image and detect user gestures. The sensor assembly serves dual purposes: capturing the floating image data and tracking user hand movements for contactless input detection. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components, thereby managing device complexity while maintaining hygiene safety benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the display and detection functions into an integrated optical system. The holographic display and sensor assemblies are positioned and coordinated to work as a unified system, where the same optical path and spatial field are used for both image projection and gesture capture. This merging of functions reduces the overall component count and system complexity compared to having separate independent systems for display and input detection.
3Ease of operation
If the floating image position is dynamically adjusted based on sensed user information, then the ease of operation is improved by optimizing the image position for user interaction, but the device complexity increases due to positional assembly mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic positioning system where the floating holographic image automatically adjusts its position, orientation, and size based on real-time detection of user location and posture using sensor assemblies (such as cameras or depth sensors). The system tracks user eye position, head orientation, and body posture to optimize the floating image display parameters, enhancing ease of operation through adaptability. This dynamic adjustment is achieved through software control and real-time processing rather than complex mechanical positional assemblies, thereby managing device complexity while improving user interaction.
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 hygienic device operation by allowing users to interact with floating images in mid-air, reducing the risk of infection transmission and maintaining user behavior without significant changes, as the interface detects and processes user inputs from sensed physical characteristics and interactions.
Implementation Method 1
an optical device configured to form a floating image at a position relative to the position of the display, the optical device having a first side and a second side, the first side aligned with the display to receive light emitted from the display and the second side configured to propagate light away from the optical device to form the floating image
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, and methods relating to, a contactless interface apparatus. An interface can include an image system having a display and an optical device for generating a floating image depicting information rendered on the display. The interface includes a first sensor assembly configured to sense information indicative of a physical characteristic of a user and to generate a first signal corresponding to the sensed information, and a second sensor assembly configured to sense a position of a user interaction with the floating image. The interface also includes a controller in communication with the image system, the controller configured to receive the first signal, determine position information based on the first signal indicative of a position for displaying the floating image, and communicate the position information to the image system. The image system is configured to generate the floating image based on the position information.