Stylus Tap Assist via Coordinate Locking

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Stylus slipping on sensor surfaces during tap actions leads to misinterpretation by application software, resulting in unintended drag operations or drawing strokes, especially in unstable usage scenarios like mobile use, due to insufficient friction between the stylus tip and the surface.

Innovation Solution

Temporarily locking the stylus' position coordinates to the initial contact location, preventing the reporting of actual movement during a tap action, thus ensuring intended tap gestures are not misinterpreted as drag operations by the application software.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the friction between stylus tip and sensor surface is increased to prevent slipping, then the reliability of tap gesture detection is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to changed feel of drawing action

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetap gesture detection accuracyVSAvoiddrawing action feel
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical friction-based solution with a software-based coordinate locking mechanism. Instead of increasing physical friction between stylus and surface, the system detects stylus position coordinates and locks them to prevent slip-induced coordinate changes, thereby maintaining tap gesture accuracy without affecting drawing feel

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the parameter being controlled from physical friction to coordinate values. By modifying the reported position coordinates rather than the physical interaction, the system prevents slip misinterpretation while preserving the natural feel of stylus-surface interaction

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If the stylus position coordinates are locked to prevent slip misinterpretation, then the reliability of gesture recognition is improved, but the measurement precision deteriorates by not reporting actual stylus position

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegesture recognition accuracyVSAvoidstylus position reporting accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies coordinate locking partially - only when slip is detected during tap gestures. The system monitors coordinate changes and selectively locks positions only when necessary to prevent misinterpretation, allowing accurate position reporting when locking is not required

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback by continuously monitoring stylus coordinate changes and comparing them against expected tap gesture patterns. When slip is detected through coordinate deviation analysis, the system activates coordinate locking to correct the measurement error

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3260960B1Threshold based coordinate data generation providing tap assist
Publication Date: 2021.05.26 WACOM CO LTD
  • EP3260960B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP3260960B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3260960B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method for operating a sensor surface includes detecting an initial position of a stylus relative to the sensor surface, determining initial coordinate values based on the detected initial position of the stylus, and communicating the initial coordinate values for further processing. The method further includes determining subsequent coordinate values based on a subsequent position of the stylus detected after detecting the initial position and, based on a characteristic of the initial or subsequent position detection, modifying the subsequent coordinate values to represent a position that is different than the subsequent position of the stylus. The subsequent coordinate values may be modified to be the same as the initial coordinate values that represent the initial position of the stylus. The modified coordinate values are communicated for further processing. Also disclosed are embodiments of a sensor surface and a computer-readable medium having executable code stored thereon that implement the described methods.