Touch Sensor Area Segmentation for Inadvertent Touch Filtering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional touchpad protocols fail to effectively filter out inadvertent touch events, particularly when a user types on a keyboard, leading to false instructions and incorrect operations due to the proximity of the touchpad to the keypad, as they cannot distinguish between static and dynamic touching objects.
Innovation Solution
A touch sensor system with a control circuit that differentiates between touch events by configuring the touchpad into an object detection area and a touch detection area, discarding signals from the object detection area to prevent false inputs and reporting valid multi-touch events, using interlaced transmit and receive lines or electrode sets to sense touch positions and adaptively adjust the active area based on application types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the touchpad is disposed close to the keypad to save space, then the device compactness is improved, but the likelihood of inadvertent touch events increases
Solution Approach 1:
The touch-sensitive surface is divided into two distinct zones: a first region corresponding to the keypad area and a second region corresponding to the touchpad area. This segmentation allows the system to differentiate between intentional touches on the touchpad and inadvertent touches from the keypad area, resolving the contradiction by maintaining close proximity while preventing false inputs.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the touch-sensitive surface are assigned different functional qualities. The first region (keypad area) and second region (touchpad area) have distinct touch event characteristics and processing rules. This local differentiation enables the system to treat touches in different locations differently, allowing compact design while preventing inadvertent touches from affecting touchpad functionality.
2Reliability
If the PTP mechanism is used to filter inadvertent touch events, then false instructions are reduced, but the system fails when touching objects change randomly during dynamic actions like typing
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically determines whether a touch event is intentional or inadvertent based on real-time analysis of touch characteristics, position, and context rather than relying on static object classification. The control circuit adapts its response based on the dynamic nature of the touch event, enabling it to handle both static and dynamic touching objects effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The control circuit acts as an intermediary between the touch-sensitive surface and the operating system, filtering and interpreting touch events before they reach the OS. It uses the divided region information to mediate between raw touch signals and system commands, intelligently determining whether to pass through or block touch events based on their origin and characteristics.
3Measurement precision
If all touch signals are processed by the control circuit, then no touch events are missed, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control circuit processes only certain touch signals selectively rather than all signals continuously. By using the divided region information, the circuit can apply different processing levels: full processing for the touchpad region and filtered or reduced processing for the keypad region, achieving energy efficiency while maintaining detection accuracy where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system discards touch signals from the first region (keypad area) that are determined to be inadvertent, avoiding unnecessary processing and energy consumption. Valid touch signals from the second region (touchpad area) are preserved and processed normally, allowing the system to recover and process only the necessary signals.
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 solution significantly reduces the occurrence of false touch events by accurately distinguishing between inadvertent and intentional touches, improving typing precision without altering user behavior and reducing energy consumption.
Implementation Method 1
a touch sensor including a control circuit
Data Source
AI summary
A touch sensor, a touch pad, a method for identifying an inadvertent touch event and a computer device are provided. A control circuit of the touch sensor identifies whether there is the inadvertent touch event in response to the touch signals that indicates at least one touch event applied to the touch pad having the touch sensor. In the method, the touch signals are discarded if the inadvertent touch event is identified when a touch position corresponding to the touch signals is within an object detection area defined for the touch pad, or the touch positions in response to the touch signals are reported to the computer device if a multi-touch event is identified when the touch positions are within a touch detection area defined for the touch pad.