Tremor Correlation Finger Ownership Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing touch pad systems struggle to accurately differentiate between user inputs made with fingers belonging to the same hand versus different hands, particularly when using capacitive sensors that detect tremor characteristics, as natural tremors can cause fluctuations in signal readings.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of processing circuitry and memory circuitry with computer program instructions that detect user inputs, identify tremor characteristics, and determine correlations between these characteristics to differentiate between fingers belonging to the same hand or different hands by providing distinct output signals based on correlation thresholds.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If capacitive sensors are used to detect tremor characteristics for differentiating fingers from the same hand versus different hands, then the ability to recognize multi-finger inputs is improved, but the measurement precision deteriorates due to natural tremors causing signal fluctuations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveability to recognize multi-finger inputsVSAvoidtremor characteristic detection accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system continuously monitors tremor characteristics and uses feedback loops to adjust sensitivity thresholds and filtering parameters in real-time, allowing the sensor to adapt to varying tremor conditions while maintaining accurate differentiation between same-hand and different-hand finger inputs

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes multiple parameters including sampling frequency, signal filtering characteristics, and correlation thresholds to optimize the balance between detecting tremor characteristics and filtering out noise, thereby improving measurement precision while maintaining adaptability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Adaptability or versatility

If the system analyzes tremor characteristics to determine finger ownership, then the functionality for gesture recognition is enhanced, but the device complexity increases due to additional processing requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegesture recognition capabilityVSAvoidprocessing circuitry complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The processing system is segmented into distinct functional modules: tremor detection module, characteristic extraction module, correlation analysis module, and decision module. This segmentation allows each module to perform a specific function efficiently, reducing overall system complexity while enhancing gesture recognition capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The processing circuitry is designed to perform multiple functions using the same hardware resources - detecting various gesture types, analyzing tremor characteristics, determining finger ownership, and controlling different device functions, thereby avoiding the need for separate dedicated circuits for each function

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS10466840B2Apparatus, method and computer program for enabling a user to make user inputs

Publication Date: 2019.11.05 NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY

AI summary

An apparatus, method and computer program wherein the apparatus includes processing circuitry; and memory circuitry including computer program instructions; wherein the memory circuitry and the computer program instructions are configured to, with the processing circuitry, cause the apparatus to: detect a user input including one or more fingers; identify a tremor characteristic for each of the one or more fingers; determine a correlation between the tremor characteristic of a first finger and another detected tremor characteristic; wherein if the correlation is above a threshold a first output signal is provided and if the correlation is below a threshold a second output signal is provided.