Touch Sensor Grip Detection via Motion and Capacitance Fusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Touch-sensitive devices typically discard or suppress touches along the edges of the screen and are not aware when a user is holding the device in their hand or which hand it is being held, leading to ineffective power management and display control.
Innovation Solution
A touch sensor system that combines data from motion sensors with capacitance measurements from the touch screen to determine if the device is being held and in which hand, using an array of drive and sense electrodes to detect changes in capacitance and process this information to identify edge touches and user grip patterns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If edge touches are discarded or suppressed to simplify processing, then device complexity is reduced, but loss of information occurs about user grip and holding state
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and processes edge touch information separately from conventional touch processing. By isolating edge touch events and analyzing them through motion sensor correlation, the system recovers valuable grip information that would otherwise be discarded, resolving the contradiction between simplification and information retention
Solution Approach 2:
Motion sensors serve as an intermediary to validate and interpret edge touch patterns. By combining touch sensor data with accelerometer/gyroscope information, the system can distinguish between intentional edge touches (grip indicators) and noise, preserving meaningful information without increasing overall system complexity
2Measurement precision
If motion sensors are combined with touch screen capacitance measurements to determine holding state, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes existing sensors multi-functional by using motion sensors for both conventional motion detection and grip state determination. By reusing already-present hardware components for additional purposes, the system improves measurement precision without proportionally increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges data from touch screen capacitance measurements with motion sensor readings to create a unified grip detection algorithm. This combination leverages complementary information from different sensor types, enhancing detection accuracy while sharing processing resources to mitigate complexity increases
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for improved power management by determining when the device is being held and which hand is holding it, enabling more efficient power consumption and tailored graphical user interface adjustments based on user grip, enhancing user experience and device efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
When an object touches or comes within proximity of the surface of the capacitive touch screen, a change in capacitance occurs within the touch screen at the location of the touch or proximity
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a touch-sensitive device includes a controller that is communicatively coupled to a plurality of electrodes. The controller is operable to access data from a motion sensor of the touch-sensitive device. The controller is further operable to access a plurality of signals from the plurality of electrodes. The signals are indicative of an amount of capacitance between the touch sensor and one or more fingers of a user. The controller is further operable to determine, based on the data from the motion sensor and the plurality of signals from the plurality of electrodes of the touch sensor, a particular hand of the user that is holding the touch-sensitive device.