Haptic Feedback Touch Device for Visually Impaired Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Visually impaired users face difficulties in locating input elements on user interfaces, as the controls are hard to navigate and input information, with actions triggered upon touching the screen without clear indication of element locations.
Innovation Solution
A processor-controlled touch-enabled device with a haptic element generates distinct tactile feedback signals to indicate the location of touch-selectable elements, providing initial and subsequent feedback based on proximity and contact, allowing users to identify element positions through haptic cues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If touch-enabled display is used for user interface, then ease of operation is improved, but ability to locate input elements deteriorates for visually impaired users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces haptic feedback as an intermediary between the touch display and the user. When a user hovers over or touches the screen, haptic actuators generate tactile sensations (vibrations, pulses, or resistance) at specific locations corresponding to input elements. This mediator translates visual interface positions into tactile signals, enabling visually impaired users to detect element locations through touch without altering the visual display itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces visual detection (optical system) with tactile detection (mechanical system). Instead of relying on visual cues that invisible users cannot perceive, the system uses haptic actuators to create mechanical vibrations or resistance sensations on the display surface. This substitution allows users to sense input element locations through touch-based mechanical feedback rather than visual information.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If haptic feedback is added to indicate element locations, then ability to locate input elements is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the haptic feedback system multi-functional by using the same haptic actuators for both indicating input element locations and providing confirmation feedback when elements are selected. Additionally, the display surface serves dual purposes: visual display and tactile feedback interface. This universality reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each function, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent controls haptic feedback by changing parameters such as vibration frequency, amplitude, and duration based on user interaction state (hovering vs. touching). By dynamically adjusting these parameters, the system provides different tactile cues for different interaction phases without requiring physically separate mechanisms, thus managing device complexity while maintaining functional richness.
Data Source
AI summary
Haptic feedback is used on a device to give a indications as to the location and/or function of user interface (UI) elements presented on the screen of the device.