Mobile Device Directional External Device Connection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile devices lack an efficient method to determine the direction of external devices and initiate a communicative connection based on user input, especially in environments with multiple external devices in close proximity, leading to ambiguity in selecting the intended device for content output.
Innovation Solution
A mobile device system that receives signals from external devices, identifies their direction using sensors, and initiates a communicative connection upon user input actions such as gestures or swipes, allowing content to be output to the selected device, with the ability to distinguish and recognize multiple external devices in a given space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If mobile devices use traditional connection methods without direction identification, then the connection process is simple, but it becomes ambiguous when multiple external devices are in close proximity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces spatial dimension (direction/orientation) as a new parameter for device selection. Instead of only identifying external devices by their signal presence, the system determines the directional orientation of external devices relative to the mobile device using sensors like accelerometers and gyroscopes. This dimensional addition allows precise identification of the intended external device even when multiple devices are in close proximity, resolving the ambiguity without significantly increasing system complexity.
2Productivity
If the system requires manual selection of external devices, then connection accuracy is high, but user interaction time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual device selection (mechanical interaction) with sensor-based automatic detection. The system uses accelerometers, gyroscopes, and other sensors to detect user gestures, device orientation, and spatial relationships between the mobile device and external devices. This substitution allows the system to automatically infer user intent from physical movements and orientations, dramatically reducing interaction time while maintaining high accuracy in identifying the intended external device.
3Measurement precision
If mobile devices use sensors to identify external device direction, then device selection accuracy improves, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic sampling of sensor data rather than continuous monitoring. The system activates sensors like accelerometers and gyroscopes only when needed for connection establishment or during user interactions, rather than continuously. This periodic action maintains high directional detection accuracy when required while significantly reducing overall energy consumption during idle periods.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for outputting content to an external device comprises receiving with a mobile device, a signal from a first external device, identifying a direction of the first external device relative to the mobile device, receiving a user input action on the mobile device that corresponds to the identified direction of the first external device relative to the mobile device, initiating a communicative connection between the mobile device and the first external device responsive to receiving the user input action that corresponds to the identified direction of the first external device relative to the mobile device, and outputting content from the mobile device to the first external device via the communicative connection.