Touch Input Controller Scroll Gesture Distinction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional touch screen devices face inefficiencies in distinguishing between scroll and gesture operations, leading to unnecessary power consumption and input errors due to continuous tracking of multiple touch inputs, especially on portable devices with limited battery capacity.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus that determine whether a touch input is a scroll or gesture based on the number of touch inputs detected, without analyzing the scale factor when the number corresponds to a predetermined value, optimizing operations to conserve power and improve user interaction.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the electronic device continuously tracks and calculates scale factors for all multi-touch inputs, then gesture operations such as zooming can be executed in real time, but power consumption increases unnecessarily and input errors may occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereal-time gesture operationVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the parameter of touch input count threshold to distinguish between scroll and gesture operations. When the number of touch inputs exceeds a predetermined threshold, the system switches from continuous scale factor calculation to simplified tracking, thereby reducing power consumption while maintaining real-time responsiveness for genuine gesture operations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts its processing mode based on the number of touch inputs detected. It transitions between two operational states: continuous calculation mode for multi-touch gestures and simplified tracking mode for single-touch scrolls, optimizing power consumption according to actual user interaction patterns

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Measurement precision

If the electronic device tracks movement of multiple touch inputs to calculate scale factors, then accurate gesture recognition is achieved, but unnecessary calculations occur when only scroll operation is intended

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegesture recognition accuracyVSAvoidcalculation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a threshold parameter for the number of touch inputs that triggers different processing behaviors. This parameter change simplifies the calculation complexity by avoiding scale factor computations when the touch input count suggests a scroll operation rather than a gesture, while maintaining accurate gesture recognition when the threshold is exceeded

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Adaptability or versatility

If the electronic device determines gesture operations based on variation of center point of bounding box, then zoom operations can be detected, but the determination becomes inaccurate in practice

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegesture operation detectionVSAvoidscroll vs gesture discrimination accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the detection parameter from center point variation to touch input count threshold. This parameter change improves measurement precision by providing a more reliable criterion for distinguishing scroll from gesture operations, while still maintaining adaptability to detect various gesture types when the threshold condition is met

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP2905690B1Apparatus and method for controlling an input of electronic device
Publication Date: 2019.05.15 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD
  • EP2905690B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2905690B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2905690B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An electronic device and method for the same are disclosed, including a touch device for detecting a touch input, a display unit for displaying screen information, a storage unit for storing a predetermined number of individual contacts to the touch device, and a controller. The controller compares a number of individual contacts with the predetermined number of individual contacts in response to detecting a touch input via the touch device, executes a scrolling of the displayed screen information according to a movement of the touch input when the number of individual contacts of the touch input matches the predetermined number, and when the number of individual contacts of the touch input does not match the predetermined number, executes a gesture-based zoom according to a change in area defined by the individual contacts of the touch input.