Systems and methods of multi-touch concurrent dispensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Beverage dispensing machines with touch-sensitive displays struggle to handle multiple concurrent user inputs, particularly in interpreting 'touch and hold' inputs and distinguishing between independent and combined multi-touch gestures, leading to difficulties in simultaneous dispensing of beverages from multiple nozzles.
Innovation Solution
A beverage dispenser equipped with a touch-sensitive graphical display that receives and interprets multiple touch inputs, using a computer to identify icons, GUI sections, and gesture inputs, and controls a system of valves to dispense beverages based on user inputs, allowing for simultaneous or concurrent dispensing of multiple beverages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single touch-sensitive display is used to reduce device complexity, then multiple independent user interfaces are consolidated, but the system cannot accurately interpret multiple concurrent touch inputs from multiple users
Solution Approach 1:
The touch-sensitive display interface is segmented into multiple independent dispensing arrangements, each capable of being independently controlled. The system divides the touch input processing into separate gesture interpretations for different dispensing stations, allowing multiple users to operate simultaneously without interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system acts as an intermediary that receives touch inputs from the display, identifies which dispensing arrangement each touch corresponds to, and routes control signals appropriately. This mediator function enables the system to handle multiple concurrent inputs by interpreting them as separate gestures for different dispensing stations.
2Device complexity
If the system interprets all touch inputs as single gestures, then gesture interpretation is simplified, but it cannot distinguish between independent user inputs and combined gestures
Solution Approach 1:
The gesture interpretation is segmented by spatial location on the display. Each dispensing arrangement has its own designated area, and touch inputs are interpreted as separate gestures based on which area they fall within. This allows the system to maintain simple gesture recognition logic while accurately distinguishing between multiple independent user inputs.
3Productivity
If the system supports multiple concurrent dispensing operations, then user throughput increases, but the complexity of controlling multiple valves and flows increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple dispensing arrangements share common components such as the touch-sensitive display, control system, and valve mechanisms. Each dispensing arrangement can be independently controlled but uses the same hardware resources, allowing the system to serve multiple users simultaneously without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve control system is segmented into separate control groups for each dispensing arrangement. While the physical valves may be shared or dedicated, the control logic divides valve operations into distinct sets that can be independently activated based on which dispensing arrangement receives a dispense command.
4Adaptability or versatility
If touch and hold inputs are detected along with other multi-touch inputs, then user input flexibility increases, but the system cannot accurately interpret simultaneous gestures from multiple users
Solution Approach 1:
The touch input processing is segmented by spatial location and gesture type. Each dispensing arrangement can independently detect and interpret different gesture types including touch and hold, while the system maintains separate gesture interpretation contexts for different users. This allows versatile input gestures to be recognized while preventing confusion between concurrent inputs from different users.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and method for beverage dispense from a plurality of users include a beverage dispenser with a touch-sensitive graphical display. A computer of the beverage dispenser receives touch event data points and identifies one or more GUI sections of a plurality of GUI sections associated with the received touch event data points. The computer further operates to interpret a touch event input and provide a command responsive to the input to an associated dispensing unit.