Touch Sensor Wetness Detection via Interaction Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic personal display devices face malfunctions and usability issues due to water and debris on their surfaces, which can be misinterpreted as user inputs by touch sensors, leading to incorrect device responses and potential damage.
Innovation Solution
A computing device with a housing and display assembly featuring touch sensors, where a processor detects multiple concurrent interactions and contact durations to determine if the screen is wet, adjusting settings to prevent malfunctions and maintain usability, such as powering off or reconfiguring input responses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If touch sensors are used to detect user inputs, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to false detection of water and debris as user inputs
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts touch sensitivity thresholds and interaction recognition parameters based on detected environmental conditions. When water or debris is detected on the display surface, the system modifies how touch inputs are interpreted, requiring different interaction patterns to be registered as valid user inputs, thereby maintaining ease of operation while preventing false detections.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors touch sensor outputs and compares them against expected interaction patterns. When anomalies are detected that suggest water or debris presence rather than intentional user input, the system adjusts its interpretation criteria in real-time, using feedback from the sensor data to distinguish between genuine user inputs and environmental contaminants.
2Reliability
If the device powers off or reconfigures input responses to prevent malfunctions, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to reduced functionality
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of powering off the entire device, the system applies localized corrections to specific touch sensor regions where water or debris is detected. Different portions of the display can have different touch sensitivity settings, allowing the device to maintain full functionality in clean areas while preventing malfunctions in contaminated areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts input response configurations based on the severity and location of contamination. Rather than a static power-off state, the device can switch between different operational modes, adjusting touch sensitivity and input recognition thresholds in real-time to maintain usability while preventing malfunctions.
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
The device effectively prevents malfunctions and ensures continued operability even with water or debris on the screen by accurately distinguishing between user inputs and environmental contaminants, thus maintaining viewability and functionality.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of touch sensors provided with the display assembly
Data Source
AI summary
A computing device includes a housing and a display assembly having a screen. The housing at least partially circumvents the screen so that the screen is viewable and a set of touch sensors are provided with the display assembly. A processor is provided within the housing to detect a plurality of interactions with the set of touch sensors. The processor further determines, based on the plurality of interactions, a presence of extraneous objects on a surface of the screen of the display assembly. More specifically, the processor may determine that the screen is wet if three or more interactions are detected, concurrently, via the set of touch sensors and/or a contact duration associated with each of the plurality of interactions exceeds a threshold duration.