Control Stick Sensitivity Adjustment via Coordinate Mapping

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Solution Overview

Problem

User input devices with control sticks face issues due to mismatches between the dead zone and return-to-center regions, leading to sensitivity problems and errors in input recognition, as the dead zone size and shape vary among devices and applications, causing impaired gameplay performance.

Innovation Solution

A mapping function is applied to transform the coordinate space, incorporating dead zone inflection points and sensitivity inflection points to adjust the sensitivity of control sticks, ensuring accurate input recognition by defining a playspace region outside the dead zone and customizing sensitivity within it.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a dead zone is implemented in control stick input, then input errors due to return-to-center region mismatches are reduced, but sensitivity and responsiveness within the playspace region are impaired

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinput recognition accuracyVSAvoidcontrol sensitivity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies a mapping function that transforms the coordinate space of control stick input values, dynamically adjusting the relationship between physical stick position and interpreted input direction. This parameter transformation allows the system to maintain high sensitivity within the playspace region while properly defining the dead zone boundaries, resolving the contradiction between reliability and sensitivity by changing the mathematical parameters of input interpretation rather than the physical input mechanism itself

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Adaptability or versatility

If the dead zone size is increased to accommodate manufacturing variations, then compatibility across different devices is improved, but precision and responsiveness of control input are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice compatibilityVSAvoidcontrol precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The mapping function transforms input coordinates to account for manufacturing variations in dead zone and return-to-center regions across different devices. By applying coordinate transformation mathematics, the system achieves consistent precision and responsiveness across diverse hardware without requiring uniform physical specifications, thus resolving the contradiction between adaptability and measurement precision through parameter transformation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces reliance on precise mechanical manufacturing tolerances with a software-based coordinate transformation system. Instead of requiring hardware to be manufactured with exact specifications for dead zone and return-to-center regions, the mapping function computationally corrects for variations, substituting mechanical precision requirements with algorithmic adjustment

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Productivity

If sensitivity inflection points are added to the mapping function, then responsiveness within different playspace regions is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinput responsivenessVSAvoidmapping function complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the playspace region into multiple zones with different sensitivity characteristics by introducing sensitivity inflection points in the mapping function. Each segment of the coordinate space can be optimized for specific responsiveness requirements, allowing different regions of control stick movement to have tailored sensitivity profiles. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by organizing complexity into manageable, functionally-distinct segments rather than uniform processing

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3687641B1Control stick sensitivity adjustment
Publication Date: 2023.04.05 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP3687641B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3687641B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3687641B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

Examples are disclosed that relate to adjusting sensitivity of a control stick. In one example, a method comprises: receiving a dead zone inflection point defining a boundary of a dead zone region and a playspace region within a normalized two-dimensional movement space, receiving a sensitivity inflection point within the playspace region of the normalized two-dimensional movement space, transforming the sensitivity inflection point to a transformed sensitivity inflection point using a sensitivity scaling function that comprises the dead zone inflection point, receiving position data representing a current position of the control stick, and transforming the current position to a transformed position using a mapping function comprising the dead zone inflection point and the transformed sensitivity inflection point.