Object Indicator Display on Touch-Sensitive Surface
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Users of computing systems with touch-sensitive surfaces and cameras face difficulties in determining whether and where objects, such as styluses or fingertips, are detected, leading to unclear user feedback.
Innovation Solution
A computing system that includes a touch-sensitive surface, a camera to capture images of objects, and a detection engine to determine display coordinates for object indicators based on these images, allowing for the selection and display of appropriate indicators on the screen to indicate object presence and location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If a camera and detection engine are added to detect objects, then object detection capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The camera serves multiple functions: it captures images for object detection, determines object locations, and provides visual feedback to users. By making the camera multi-functional, the patent improves object detection capability without proportionally increasing system complexity, as the same hardware component performs several tasks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary software layer (detection engine and indicator display system) that processes camera data and translates it into user-friendly visual feedback. This intermediary layer bridges the gap between raw camera detection and user understanding, improving detection effectiveness while managing complexity through software abstraction.
2Ease of operation
If visual feedback is provided to indicate object detection, then user experience is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent displays visual indicators selectively rather than continuously - only when objects are detected and only in the regions where objects are present. This partial action approach provides necessary visual feedback to improve user experience while avoiding the energy waste of continuous full-screen indicator display.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses different visual indicators (potentially with different colors or visual characteristics) to represent different object states such as touching versus hovering. This allows efficient visual communication of multiple pieces of information simultaneously, improving user experience without requiring multiple separate display elements that would consume more energy.
Data Source
AI summary
Examples disclosed herein describe, among other things, a computing system. The computing system may in some examples include a touch-sensitive surface, a display, and at least one camera to capture an image representing an object disposed between the camera and the touch-sensitive surface. The computing system may also include a detection engine to determine, based at least on the image, display coordinates, where the display coordinates may correspond to the object's projection onto the touch-sensitive surface, and the display is not parallel to the touch-sensitive surface. In some examples, the detection engine is also to display an object indicator at the determined display coordinates on the display.