Control Stick Optical Sensing Dead Zone Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Handheld controller control sticks suffer from reduced precision around the center position due to mechanical wear, leading to the use of large dead zones, which compromises responsiveness and user experience, and supplemental controls require significant dexterity and time to access.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating embedded sensors into the control stick to detect the presence and position of an object, such as a thumb, allowing for real-time calibration and reducing the dead zone, while also using sensor arrays for improved precision and tactile or proximity sensing to generate additional positional information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a large dead zone is imposed to compensate for mechanical wear and center drift, then controller robustness is improved, but precision around the center position deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical center detection (potentiometer-based) with optical sensing (camera-based) to detect the control stick's position. The camera captures images of the control stick and uses image processing to determine its position, eliminating the need for mechanical center reference and dead zone compensation. This substitution allows for precise center detection without the limitations of mechanical wear and drift.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a camera as an intermediary device to detect the control stick's position. Instead of directly measuring the stick's position through mechanical means, the system uses visual information from the camera as an intermediate representation to determine position and orientation, enabling more accurate and wear-free detection.
2Adaptability or versatility
If supplemental controls (D-pad and command buttons) are included on the controller, then functionality is improved, but accessibility and ease of operation deteriorate due to required thumb movement and time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the control stick multi-functional by enabling it to detect not only its position but also the position of fingers on its surface. The same optical sensing system that detects stick position also tracks finger locations, allowing the control stick to serve as both a directional control and a touch-sensitive surface for accessing supplemental functions without requiring thumb movement to separate controls.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the functions of the control stick and supplemental controls by enabling finger position detection on the stick surface. This integration allows users to access supplemental functions (D-pad directions, buttons) by placing fingers on the control stick itself, combining what were previously separate control elements into a unified interface.
3Measurement precision
If calibration routines are performed frequently to maintain precision, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time and user convenience deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the system to perform automatic calibration without user intervention. The camera-based detection system continuously monitors the control stick's position and automatically adjusts for center drift and mechanical variations. The system self-calibrates by analyzing the visual data and compensating for positional offsets, eliminating the need for manual calibration routines.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuous feedback through the camera system that monitors the control stick's position in real-time. This feedback loop allows the system to detect and correct for center drift and mechanical variations continuously, maintaining precision without requiring periodic manual calibration interventions from the user.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 2C
AI summary
Systems and methods incorporating an embedded sensor in a control stick to detect the presence of an object, such as a thumb in the case of a thumb stick. A presence detect signal may be generated by the additional sensor and auto calibration logic then may automatically remove bias from the control stick in real time when the presence detect signal indicates the control stick not under the influence of a force external to the controller, and therefore at its neutral mechanical position. In further embodiments, a plurality of embedded sensors are arrayed across an exterior surface of a control stick to provide a second control stick-based positional input device. In such embodiments, tactile or proximity sensor technology may be applied to either improve precision of first positional information generated by the control stick or to control a coordinate space separate from that controlled by first position information provided by the control stick.