Touch Device Gesture Power Control via Direction Sensor

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Solution Overview

Problem

Mobile touch devices require frequent power management due to high power consumption, leading to mechanical wear of the power button, which is inconveniently located and sized, especially when used with protective cases that obscure the button.

Innovation Solution

A touch device with a touch control interface, direction sensor unit, and controller that detects direction and gesture information to perform power-saving and power-on functions without physically pressing a button, allowing users to orient the device within or out of a preset viewing angle and perform gestures to activate or deactivate the device.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a physical power button is used for power management, then power-on and power-saving functions can be activated, but the mechanical switch experiences frequent wear and shorter life duration

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower button life durationVSAvoidpower button operational frequency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical power button system with a touch-sensitive interface system. The touch-sensitive area detects gestures (such as sliding gestures) to activate power management functions, eliminating mechanical wear while maintaining ease of operation through intuitive touch interactions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts the power management function from the dedicated physical power button and integrates it into the touch-sensitive interface. This allows the device to perform power-on and power-saving functions through gesture recognition on the display surface, removing the need for separate mechanical components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Area of stationary object

If the power button is made small to fit device design, then device compactness is improved, but user operation becomes inconvenient due to difficulty in locating and pressing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower button sizeVSAvoidpower button accessibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The touch-sensitive interface replaces the small physical power button, allowing users to activate power functions by performing gestures on the display surface. This eliminates the need for small, hard-to-locate mechanical buttons while maintaining ease of operation through visual feedback on the screen.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Reliability

If protective cases are added to the device, then device protection is improved, but the protruding power button becomes sunken and operationally inconvenient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice protectionVSAvoidpower button accessibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

By replacing the protruding mechanical power button with a touch-sensitive interface integrated into the display, the invention eliminates the need for protruding elements that get obscured by protective cases. Users can perform gestures on the flat display surface regardless of case thickness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

4Adaptability or versatility

If display size and hardware requirements are increased to meet user needs, then device functionality is improved, but power consumption increases requiring frequent charging

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice functionalityVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The touch-sensitive interface with gesture recognition enables quick and intuitive activation of power-saving modes. Users can rapidly transition to hibernation or power-off states through simple gestures, reducing unnecessary power consumption periods and extending battery life between charges.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS9996117B2Touch device and method for controlling the same to perform a power-saving function or a power-on function

Publication Date: 2018.06.12 INSYDE SOFTWARE CORP

AI summary

A method for controlling a touch device to power on or power off has steps of receiving direction information of the touch device; determining if the touch device is oriented to a direction that is outside or inside a preset viewing angle according to the direction information; detecting a gesture present on the touch device; and performing a power-saving function or a power-on function when detecting the gesture present on the touch device and determining that the direction of the touch device is outside or inside the preset viewing angle. The foregoing technique can replace the power-saving function and the power-on function activated by pressing a physical power button. Accordingly, operational frequency and failure rate of the physical power button can be reduced and an intuitive method for powering on or off the touch device with easy operation can thus be provided.