Force Sensing Region Segmentation for Noise Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Force sensing systems face inaccuracies due to noise interference and varying mechanical tolerances, leading to incorrect force measurements, and high power consumption.
Innovation Solution
A method that determines the location of an object on a touch sensing surface, defines a force sensing region, and computes the system sensing force using only the sensor forces from relevant sensors within that region, while ignoring those outside the region, and a calibration method that adjusts sensor outputs to match applied forces by recording and calibrating sensor responses to different forces across the surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If all force sensors are used to compute the system sensing force, then measurement coverage is improved, but noise and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the force sensing system into multiple independent force sensing regions, each corresponding to one or more force sensors. Only the force sensing region where an object is detected is activated for computation, segmenting the overall sensing area into active and inactive zones. This reduces the number of sensors actively participating in force calculation, thereby lowering power consumption while maintaining measurement accuracy for the touched region.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by computing system sensing force using only sensor data from the specific force sensing region where an object is detected, rather than using data from all sensors uniformly. This localized approach ensures high measurement precision for the touched area while avoiding unnecessary data processing and power consumption from distant, irrelevant sensors.
2Measurement precision
If all force sensors are used to compute the system sensing force, then measurement coverage is improved, but noise increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the force sensing surface into multiple discrete force sensing regions, each associated with specific force sensors. By activating only the force sensing region where an object is detected, the system isolates the measurement process from distant sensors that would contribute noise. This spatial segmentation effectively filters out noise from irrelevant sensors while preserving signal integrity from the touched region.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by restricting force calculation to use sensor data only from the specific force sensing region where contact is detected. This localized computation approach ensures that only relevant sensor signals contribute to the measurement, excluding noise from sensors located in other regions. The system thus achieves high measurement accuracy by considering only locally relevant data.
3Measurement precision
If force sensors are calibrated across the entire surface, then calibration accuracy is improved, but calibration time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the calibration process into segment-specific calibration for each force sensing region. Instead of uniformly calibrating all sensors across the entire surface, the system performs calibration independently for each force sensing region using forces applied to that specific region. This segmented calibration approach reduces overall calibration time while maintaining accuracy for each local region, as each region can be calibrated separately and in parallel.
Data Source
AI summary
A force sensing method, applied to a force sensing system comprising a plurality of force sensors and a touch sensing surface, comprising: (a) determining a first location of a first object on the touch sensing surface; (b) defining a first force sensing region according to the first location; and (c) computing a first system sensing force which the first object causes to the touch sensing surface according to the first location, and according to at least one sensor sensing force of a first part of the force sensors corresponding to the first force sensing region. The present invention also discloses a force sensing system which uses the above-mentioned force sensing method, and an efficient force sensor calibration method. Noises can be reduced and power consumption can be decreased, since only sensor sensing forces of force sensors near the object are used for computing the system sensing force.