Portable Device Gesture Input via Vicinity Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable devices, especially wearable devices with small capacitive touchscreens, face challenges in providing accurate user inputs due to size limitations and interference from gloves or moisture, making it difficult to recognize touch inputs accurately.
Innovation Solution
A portable device system that includes a sensing unit to detect user inputs in a defined on-body input area, using sensors like infrared, ultrasonic, or EMG sensors, and a recognizer to interpret gestures, allowing for control instructions to be generated and outputted, even when the touchscreen is not directly touched, by dividing the input area into cells and adjusting based on wrist motion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a capacitive touchscreen is used in a wearable device, then touch input can be provided, but the small screen size makes it difficult to provide accurate touch input and display sufficiently large menu icons
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the input area from the two-dimensional touchscreen surface to the three-dimensional space around the device by detecting gestures in the vicinity area using sensors. This allows users to provide input without direct contact with the small touchscreen, effectively adding a spatial dimension to the input interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces sensors (such as proximity sensors, optical sensors, or other detection devices) as intermediaries to detect user gestures in the vicinity area. These sensors mediate between the user's physical gestures and the device's input recognition, enabling accurate input interpretation without direct touchscreen contact.
2Ease of operation
If a resistive touchscreen is used to allow pressure-based input, then input can be provided with a finger, but it still difficult to provide accurate input on a small touchscreen and requires pressure greater than a predetermined level
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical pressure-based input system (resistive touchscreen) with a sensor-based detection system that recognizes gestures in the vicinity area. This substitution eliminates the need for physical pressure application while maintaining input capability, using sensor detection instead of mechanical force.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the touchscreen area is increased to display more menu icons, then more inputs can be provided, but the wearable device has size limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent compensates for the limited touchscreen area by utilizing the three-dimensional space around the device as an extended input area. Users can perform gestures in this surrounding space, effectively increasing the functional input area without increasing the physical device size.
4Measurement precision
If a capacitive touchscreen is used, then touch input can be recognized based on capacitance change, but touch cannot be recognized when wearing gloves or when moisture is present on the hand
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses sensors as intermediaries to detect user gestures indirectly in the vicinity area. This indirect detection method does not require direct skin contact with the device, allowing gesture recognition to function properly even when users wear gloves or when moisture is present on their hands.
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
Enables precise and intuitive user input on small wearable device screens, even when gloves are worn or under moist conditions, by extending the input area and recognizing gestures beyond direct touchscreen contact, thus enhancing usability and accuracy.
Implementation Method 1
a sensing unit configured to sense a user input in a vicinity area of the portable device
Implementation Method 2
using sensors like infrared, ultrasonic, or EMG sensors
Implementation Method 3
EMG sensors
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are method and apparatus of defining at least a portion of a vicinity area of a portable device as an input area and controlling the portable device based on a user input provided on the input area, and the portable device enabling the method, wherein the portable device includes a sensing unit configured to sense a user input in a vicinity area of the portable device, a recognizer configured to recognize a user gesture corresponding to the user input, and an output unit configured to output a control instruction corresponding to the recognized user gesture to control the portable device.