Touch Panel Input Using Pressure Intensity Ratios
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Solution Overview
Problem
Touch panels face challenges in expanding effective display area while maintaining intuitive operation, as reducing operation object size increases incorrect operations and assigning multiple functions to touch orders becomes complex, making it difficult to implement a large number of functions with simple input operations.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus that includes a position detection unit, pressure intensity detection unit, and a relative information detection unit to identify relative positions and pressure intensity ratios between operating tools, allowing for the assignment of functions to combinations of touch positions and pressure intensities, thereby simplifying input operations and increasing the number of functions that can be performed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the size of operation objects is reduced to expand display area, then the effective display area is expanded, but it becomes difficult to accurately touch each operation object and occurrence of incorrect operations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces pressure intensity as a new dimension beyond the two-dimensional touch position. By detecting the pressure intensity at each touched position, the system can distinguish between intentional touches and accidental contacts, thereby maintaining touch accuracy even when operation objects are small. This dimensional expansion allows the system to interpret touch inputs more precisely without requiring larger operation objects.
2Device complexity
If a plurality of specific areas are set in advance and functions are assigned to the order of touching, then the number of operation objects can be reduced, but it becomes difficult to assign a large number of functions due to complexity of remembering the order
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter space from simple touch order (sequential parameter) to a combination of touch position and pressure intensity (spatial and force parameters). This allows multiple functions to be assigned to the same touch position by varying the pressure intensity, thereby increasing the number of assignable functions without increasing the complexity of the operation sequence. Users can access different functions at the same location by applying different pressure levels.
3Ease of operation
If auxiliary information is displayed to aid user's memory of operation order, then the user's memory can be aided, but the effective display area is narrowed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the feedback function from the visual display domain and transfers it to the tactile force domain. Instead of displaying auxiliary information on the screen that occupies display area, the system uses pressure intensity detection to provide implicit feedback about the current operation state. The pressure sensitivity itself becomes the feedback mechanism, allowing users to understand the operation state through the resistance or response of the touch interface without visual clutter.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is an information processing apparatus including a position detection unit for detecting positions of a plurality of operating tools pressing a screen, a pressure intensity detection unit for detecting pressure intensity of each of the operating tools, a storage unit having recorded thereon predetermined relative information indicating a relative position and a pressure intensity ratio between operating tools, a relative information detection unit for detecting the predetermined relative information that is approximate to the relative position between operating tools obtained from information on the positions detected by the position detection unit and the pressure intensity ratio between operating tools obtained from information on the pressure intensity detected by the pressure intensity detection unit, and a function providing unit for providing a predetermined function corresponding to the predetermined relative information detected by the relative information detection unit.