Piezoelectric Sensor Placement in Deformable Controllers
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Solution Overview
Problem
The accuracy of mapping sensor responses from piezoelectric material in deformable 3D controllers to desired deformations is inconsistent due to suboptimal placement of the piezoelectric material, leading to variable translation of user gestures into computing system actions.
Innovation Solution
A method that uses a design optimizer to adjust the placement of piezoelectric material in deformable controllers based on simulated sensor responses and user-defined deformations, optimizing the material's location to improve the accuracy of gesture recognition and translation into specific actions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If piezoelectric material is placed in deformable controllers without optimization, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but the measurement precision of sensor responses and manufacturing precision of deformation mapping are inconsistent and variable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing simulation-based optimization of piezoelectric material placement before actual manufacturing. The design optimizer computes optimal material paths through simulated sensor responses, allowing the system to achieve high measurement precision without complex manual design processes. This pre-computation approach resolves the contradiction by automating the optimization while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses simulation to create a virtual copy of the deformable controller and its sensor responses. By working with simulated sensor responses in the virtual model, the system can optimize material placement without requiring multiple physical prototypes or complex experimental setups, thereby improving measurement precision while limiting the increase in actual device complexity.
2Manufacturing precision
If piezoelectric material placement is optimized using simulated sensor responses, then the manufacturing precision of deformation mapping is improved, but the use of energy and computing resources increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces physical trial-and-error manufacturing iterations with computational simulation and optimization. Instead of manually adjusting material placement through multiple manufacturing cycles, the system uses computing processors to simulate sensor responses and automatically determine optimal material paths. This substitution achieves high manufacturing precision while the computational process can be optimized to manage energy consumption efficiently.
3Reliability
If the path of piezoelectric material is adjusted based on simulated sensor responses, then the reliability of gesture recognition is improved, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring optimal material placement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces simulation-based sensor response modeling as an intermediary between physical material placement and actual sensor measurements. The design optimizer uses this intermediary model to predict how different material paths will affect sensor responses, allowing the system to determine optimal placement with high reliability without directly measuring complex physical relationships. This intermediary approach simplifies the measurement process while improving reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances the accuracy of gesture recognition in deformable 3D controllers, allowing for precise mapping of sensor responses to desired deformations, thereby improving the reliability and effectiveness of user interactions with computing systems.
Implementation Method 1
determining an initial path of piezoelectric material in the design of the controller and adjusting, using one or more computing processors, the path of the piezoelectric material in the design based on comparing a goal location of the portion of the controller when performing the desired deformation to a calculated location of the portion of the controller derived using a simulated sensor response of the piezoelectric material
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments herein describe deformable controllers that rely on piezoelectric material embedded in the controllers to detect when the input device is being manipulated into a particular deformation or gesture. The computing system may perform different actions depending on which deformation is detected. The embodiments herein describe design techniques for optimizing the placement of the piezoelectric material in the controller to improve the accuracy of a mapping function that maps sensor responses of the material to different controller deformations. In one embodiment, the user specifies the different deformations of the controller she wishes to be recognized by the computing system (e.g., raising a leg, twisting a torso, squeezing a hand, etc.). The design optimizer uses the locations of the desired deformations to move the location of the piezoelectric material such that the sensor response of the material can be uniquely mapped to these locations.