Unintentional Touch Rejection via Reliability Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Touch-sensitive devices often inadvertently register unintended touches, such as those from a user's hand or fingers, which can lead to undesired actions while using the device for input, especially when handling or holding the device during writing or stylus use.
Innovation Solution
A method to automatically reject unintentional touches by detecting and analyzing touch parameters, determining a reliability value based on these parameters, and using a software module to assess the confidence level of the touch in the context of ongoing activities, thereby distinguishing between intended and unintended inputs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the touch-sensitive surface accepts input from a variety of stylus types including fingertip, then the device versatility and ease of operation is improved, but the device becomes susceptible to inadvertent touches that perform undesired actions
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes physical parameters of the touch interface by incorporating a haptic feedback mechanism that delivers a tactile pulse to the stylus tip upon detection of inadvertent touches. This allows the system to maintain acceptance of multiple stylus types while adding a new parameter (haptic feedback) that enables differentiation between intentional and unintentional inputs, thereby resolving the contradiction between versatility and input accuracy.
2Speed
If the system detects and responds to all touches on the touch-sensitive surface, then the responsiveness is improved, but inadvertent touches from hand or fingers during handling cause undesired actions
Solution Approach 1:
The haptic feedback mechanism serves as an intermediary between the touch detection system and the input processing system. When a touch is detected, the haptic feedback is delivered to confirm intentional input, acting as a mediator that filters out inadvertent touches while maintaining rapid response to legitimate inputs, thus resolving the contradiction between responsiveness and accidental input prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies preliminary anti-action by delivering haptic feedback before the touch input is fully processed and executed. This preliminary tactile confirmation prevents inadvertent touches from progressing to undesired actions, while allowing intentional touches to proceed, thereby resolving the contradiction between fast response and accidental input prevention.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for rejecting an unintentional palm touch is disclosed. In at least some embodiments, a touch is detected by a touch-sensitive surface associated with a display. Characteristics of the touch may be used to generate a set of parameters related to the touch. In an embodiment, firmware is used to determine a reliability value for the touch. The reliability value and the location of the touch is provided to a software module. The software module uses the reliability value and an activity context to determine a confidence level of the touch. In an embodiment, the confidence level may include an evaluation of changes in the reliability value over time. If the confidence level for the touch is too low, it may be rejected.