Sensor-Fused Terminal Pocket-Mode Detection for Touch Prevention

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Solution Overview

Problem

Accidental touches on touchscreen devices placed in pockets or backpacks lead to high power consumption, fingerprint lock issues, password lockouts, and false alarms, severely affecting user experience.

Innovation Solution

A method using multiple sensors to detect ambient light, motion, and terminal attitude to determine if the device is in a head-down pocket mode, triggering a screen-off state to prevent accidental touches.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the screen remains on to allow user interaction, then user accessibility is improved, but power consumption increases and accidental touches occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser accessibilityVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection of pocket mode conditions (device orientation, ambient light, motion status) before allowing screen activation. When pocket mode is detected, the screen automatically enters a low-power state, preventing accidental touches while maintaining the ability to wake when needed through predefined wake conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The screen state dynamically adjusts based on detected conditions. The system transitions between screen-on and screen-off states according to real-time detection of pocket mode conditions, device orientation changes, and user interaction attempts, optimizing both power consumption and usability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If the screen is kept on to prevent accidental touches, then reliability is improved, but power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprevention of accidental touchesVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system detects pocket mode conditions in advance and preemptively enters a protected state that prevents accidental touches. By detecting device orientation and environmental conditions before touch events occur, the system reliably prevents false activations without requiring the screen to remain fully functional.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

An intermediary state is introduced between the fully-on screen state and the completely-off state. This intermediate state maintains basic display functionality while disabling touch sensitivity, allowing the system to prevent accidental touches while consuming less power than a fully-on screen.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Measurement precision

If multiple sensors are used to detect pocket mode, then accuracy of pocket mode detection is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepocket mode detection accuracyVSAvoidsensor system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system combines data from multiple sensors (acceleration sensor, gyroscope, ambient light sensor) into a unified pocket mode detection mechanism. By merging sensor inputs and processing them through a coordinated algorithm, the system achieves high detection accuracy while managing complexity through integrated processing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The sensor system serves multiple functions: the acceleration and gyroscope sensors detect device orientation for pocket mode identification, while also supporting display orientation changes, motion detection, and wake/sleep state management. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated sensors.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

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

Reduces power consumption and prevents accidental screen activations, thereby enhancing user experience by minimizing lockouts and false alarms.

Implementation Method 1

obtaining a quaternion of a terminal by using an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor, where the quaternion is used to represent an attitude of the terminal

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectGravitational force detection: Gravitation

Implementation Method 2

obtaining a quaternion of a terminal by using an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectGyroscope rotation detection: Gyroscope

Implementation Method 3

detecting ambient light information of the terminal by using an ambient light sensor, where the ambient light information is used to identify light intensity of an environment

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPhotoelectric detection: Photoelectric Effect

Implementation Method 4

detecting motion information of the terminal by using the acceleration sensor, where the motion information is used to identify a motion status of the terminal

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAccelerometer acceleration detection: Accelerometer

Data Source

PatentEP4212999B1Method and device for preventing mistaken touch
Publication Date: 2025.10.29 HONOR DEVICE CO LTD
  • EP4212999B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4212999B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4212999B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Disclosed are a method and an apparatus for preventing an accidental touch, applied to the field of terminal technologies. The method includes: obtaining a quaternion of a terminal; determining, based on the quaternion of the terminal, first information and attitude angle information of the terminal; detecting motion information of the terminal; detecting ambient light information of the terminal; determining, based on the first information, the attitude angle information, the motion information, and the ambient light information, that the terminal is in a first mode; and entering, by the terminal, a screen-off state to reduce power consumption. In addition, the terminal can be prevented from being awakened accidentally in always on display and lock screen-on states, thereby effectively preventing an accidental touch.