Touch-Surface Feedback for Intensity-Dependent Tactile Output
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manipulating user interfaces on electronic devices with touch-sensitive surfaces are cumbersome and inefficient, leading to increased cognitive burden and energy consumption, particularly in battery-operated devices.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a method and device that utilize sensors to detect intensity of contacts on a touch-sensitive surface, providing visual and/or haptic feedback to facilitate faster and more efficient manipulation of user interface objects by decoupling the clicking action from contact intensity, allowing for different tactile outputs based on contact changes and intensity thresholds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If sensors detect contact intensity and provide visual/haptic feedback for user interface manipulation, then user interface efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where sensors detect contact intensity and provide visual and haptic feedback to the user. The system monitors contact parameters and provides real-time feedback through display changes and tactile responses, enabling users to understand system state and adjust interactions accordingly, thereby improving UI efficiency without requiring complex manual adjustments
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical button presses with touch-sensitive surface detection. Instead of physical mechanical switches, the system uses sensors to detect contact intensity, position, and duration on a touch-sensitive surface, converting mechanical interactions into electronic signal processing that can be more efficiently managed
2Measurement precision
If contact intensity detection is implemented for precise user input, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes parameter changes in contact detection by measuring variations in contact intensity, position, and duration. The system detects different parameters of user interaction with the touch-sensitive surface and interprets these parameter variations to determine user intent, enabling precise measurement without requiring multiple separate sensors for each parameter
3Loss of information
If tactile output is generated for each activation state change, then feedback quality is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic or threshold-based tactile feedback rather than continuous feedback. Tactile output is generated at specific intervals or when contact intensity crosses certain thresholds, providing necessary feedback information while avoiding excessive energy consumption from continuous tactile actuation
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides self-service feedback by generating tactile outputs that confirm activation state changes automatically. The feedback mechanism serves itself by using the same contact detection system to trigger appropriate tactile responses, eliminating the need for separate feedback generation systems that would consume additional energy
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device detects a contact on a touch-sensitive surface of the electronic device, including a first portion of a gesture made with the contact, a second portion of the gesture that follows the first portion, and lift-off of the contact from the touch-sensitive surface during or after the second portion of the gesture. In response to detecting the second portion of the gesture, if a modifier input was detected while detecting the first portion of the gesture made with the contact, the electronic device performs a first operation and generates a first tactile output on the touch-sensitive surface. If the modifier input was not detected while detecting the first portion of the gesture, the electronic device performs a second operation different from the first operation and generates a second tactile output on the touch-sensitive surface, wherein the second tactile output is different from the first tactile output.