Pen Input Device Expressive Effects via Touch Screen Contact Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current pen input devices for electronic devices are complex and costly, making it difficult to vary expressive effects such as thickness, pressure, and texture without additional user interface inputs, and require multiple sensors to achieve nuanced writing expressions.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that utilize contact information between a pen input device and an electronic device to vary expressive effects by receiving status information from the pen input device, such as tilt and pressure, and using this information to generate contact information, which is then used to control the display unit to produce varying line thickness, density, and texture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple sensors are equipped in the pen input device to measure three dimensional coordinates and vary expressive effects, then the ability to express thickness, pressure, and texture is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sensing function from the pen input device and relocates it to the electronic device. The pen only needs to make contact with the touch screen, while the electronic device's touch screen itself detects contact information (pressure, area, tilt) and generates expressive effects. This eliminates the need for multiple sensors in the pen while maintaining full expressive capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The touch screen serves multiple functions: it acts as both the display interface and the sensing interface. By detecting contact information directly at the touch screen, the system uses existing infrastructure for both input and sensing, eliminating the need for separate sensing components in the pen device.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple sensors are equipped in the pen input device to measure three dimensional coordinates and vary expressive effects, then the ability to express thickness, pressure, and texture is improved, but the cost of the pen input device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing functionality is extracted from the pen and transferred to the electronic device's touch screen. This eliminates the need for expensive sensor components in the pen, significantly reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining the ability to detect pressure, contact area, and tilt for expressive effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The electronic device's touch screen performs the sensing function that would otherwise require separate components in the pen. The system uses its own existing touch detection capability to gather all necessary contact information, making the pen simpler and cheaper to manufacture.
3Ease of operation
If only location and tilt of the pen input device are used without additional user interface inputs, then the ease of operation is improved, but the ability to vary expressive effects is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds contact area as a new dimension of input information beyond traditional location and tilt. By detecting the area of contact between the pen and touch screen, the system gains an additional parameter for controlling expressive effects like line thickness and texture, enhancing versatility without complicating the user's physical gesture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides automatic feedback by mapping contact information directly to expressive effects. The detected contact area, pressure, and tilt automatically translate into visual output characteristics, eliminating the need for manual UI adjustments while maintaining rich expressive capability.
Data Source
AI summary
An input method and electronic device using a pen input device are provided. In an embodiment, status information of the pen input device is received, and contact information of a contact point between the pen input device and the terminal is generated, based on the received status information. Expressive effects of a pen input, such as line thickness, density and texture, are varied based on the contact information. Such input method and electronic device using the pen input device can simply and conveniently vary expressive effects of a pen-based input. In other embodiments, contact information is determined from actual contact points and expressive effects are varied as a function of the contact information or pen status information derived from the actual contact information.