Pointing System Tactile Feedback Boundary Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pointing systems rely heavily on visual recognition, placing a significant burden on users, especially in complex operation environments, and lack intuitive operational feedback.
Innovation Solution
A pointing system that includes a tactile sense presentation section and a sensor section to provide tactile feedback to the user, with a control apparatus that sets distinct areas on the screen to generate control signals for different drive modes of the tactile sense presentation, allowing for intuitive pointing operations by distinguishing between inside, outside, and boundary areas of objects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If visual recognition is used for pointing operations, then the system can operate with simple hardware, but the user burden increases and operability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements tactile feedback by driving the tactile sense presentation section in response to pointer position detected by the sensor section. This creates a closed-loop system where the user receives tactile information about pointer location, reducing reliance on visual recognition and improving operability without requiring complex additional hardware beyond the feedback mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The tactile sense presentation section acts as an intermediary between the pointer position detection system and the user. It converts positional information into tactile sensations that the user can perceive through the casing, providing intuitive feedback without requiring the user to directly interpret visual or complex sensor data.
2Ease of operation
If tactile feedback is provided for all pointer positions, then user intuition is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different drive modes of the tactile sense presentation section based on the pointer's spatial relationship with the object. When the pointer is inside the display area, one drive mode is used; when outside, another drive mode is used. This localized differentiation ensures tactile feedback is provided where most needed (at boundaries and inside areas) while avoiding unnecessary energy consumption in less critical regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the drive mode of the tactile sense presentation section based on real-time pointer position detection. The control apparatus changes tactile feedback characteristics according to whether the pointer is inside, outside, or at the boundary of the display area, optimizing energy usage by activating appropriate feedback only when and where needed during the pointing operation.
3Measurement precision
If the tactile sense presentation section uses multiple drive modes, then pointing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves improved pointing precision by changing the operational parameters (drive modes) of the tactile sense presentation section based on pointer position. Different drive modes provide different tactile characteristics corresponding to different spatial relationships (inside, outside, boundary), allowing precise tactile feedback without requiring multiple separate physical components.
Data Source
AI summary
A pointing device includes a casing, a tactile sense presentation section, and a sensor section. The sensor section detects an operation for the casing and outputs an operation signal for controlling a movement of a pointer on a screen. The control apparatus includes an area setting section and a signal generation section. The area setting section sets a first area that belongs to an inside of a display area of an object on the screen, a second area that belongs to an outside of the display area of the object, and a third area that belongs to a boundary portion between the first area and the second area. The signal generation section calculates a position of the pointer based on the operation signal to generate, when the pointer is located in the first area, a control signal by which the tactile sense presentation section is driven in a first drive mode and generates, when the pointer is located in the third area, a control signal by which the tactile sense presentation section is driven in a second drive mode.