Touchscreen Force Threshold Detection for Multi-Touch Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current touch screen devices face issues such as incorrect touch location detection when multiple fingers are used, accidental inputs from unintended touches, lack of tactile feedback, and inability to sense touch force, leading to inefficiencies in multi-touch interactions and text entry.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating physical sensors, such as monolithic MEMS and CMOS integrated circuit devices, into touch screen devices to detect the magnitude and type of touch movements, allowing for precise function selection and execution based on thresholds, providing tactile feedback and improved input accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If capacitive-based touch screens are used to enable multi-touch sensing, then the ability to detect multiple finger locations is improved, but accidental swipes are still sensed as user inputs causing errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter being measured from simple touch presence to touch force magnitude. By measuring the magnitude of physical movement or force applied, the system can distinguish between intentional presses (exceeding threshold) and accidental brushes (below threshold), thereby maintaining multi-touch capability while improving input accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different threshold criteria to different touch locations or contexts. By setting location-specific or context-specific force thresholds, the system can accommodate varying user intentions across different areas of the touchscreen, allowing multi-touch functionality while reducing false positives from accidental contacts
2Ease of operation
If resistive-based sensor networks are used for touch detection, then single finger touch detection is achieved, but incorrect location is reported when multiple fingers touch simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from binary touch detection (touch/no touch) to continuous force magnitude measurement. This parameter change enables the system to resolve multiple simultaneous touches by measuring different force magnitudes at different locations, thereby improving both multi-touch capability and location precision
3Ease of operation
If force sensing is added to provide tactile feedback and touch force detection, then user interaction quality is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines force sensing functionality with the existing touchscreen structure by integrating physical sensors (such as MEMS devices) directly into or beneath the display. This merging approach provides tactile feedback and force detection capabilities while minimizing additional complexity through unified design
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical switch mechanisms with modern physical sensors such as MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) devices. This substitution achieves force sensing and tactile feedback with simpler, more integrated components, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining functionality
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
Enables accurate multi-touch sensing, reduces accidental inputs, and provides tactile feedback, enhancing user interaction efficiency and accuracy in touch screen devices.
Implementation Method 1
a physical sensor, the physical sensor being configured to sense physical forces acting upon the physical sensor and to determine magnitudes of change in physical forces acting upon the physical sensor in response to the user touch
Data Source
AI summary
A computer implemented method for performing a user-defined function in a computer system, performed by the computer system that is programmed to perform the method includes determining by a display a display position in response to a change and a rate change in state of a user-controlled user input device, determining by a physical sensor a magnitude of change in sensed physical in response to the rate of change in the state, determining whether the magnitude of change exceeds a threshold level, determining a function to perform in response to display position when magnitude of change in sensed physical properties exceeds the threshold level, initiating performance of the function in response to the function, and inhibiting performance of the function when the magnitude of change in sensed physical properties does not exceed the threshold level.