Virtual Keyboard Input Adaptation for Touchscreen Accuracy

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Solution Overview

Problem

The accuracy and speed of text input on touch screens are low due to the lack of feedback on finger positioning, causing users to inadvertently input incorrect characters when their hand placement deviates from the normal position.

Innovation Solution

The system determines the target key position based on the displacement between the initial and touch positions of a finger, using a basic key position and relative positions of other keys, allowing accurate character input without requiring the user to view the virtual keyboard.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a virtual keyboard is displayed on the touch screen for text input, then the user can input text without physical contact, but the user cannot sense finger positioning accurately leading to low input accuracy

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetext input capabilityVSAvoidfinger positioning accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces tactile feedback by generating vibration signals when a finger touches a key position on the virtual keyboard. The vibration motor receives control signals to produce localized vibrations at the touched position, providing the user with sensory feedback similar to a physical keyboard. This resolves the contradiction by enabling accurate finger positioning sensing through vibration feedback while maintaining the contactless virtual keyboard interface.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Measurement precision

If the user views the virtual keyboard continuously to avoid input errors, then input accuracy improves, but input speed decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinput accuracyVSAvoidinput speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The vibration feedback mechanism allows users to locate key positions through tactile sensation rather than visual confirmation. Users can feel which key they are pressing through localized vibrations, enabling accurate input without continuously viewing the virtual keyboard. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining high input accuracy through tactile feedback while freeing the user's vision for other tasks, thereby improving input speed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Device complexity

If the virtual keyboard uses a fixed layout, then the interface is simple, but it cannot adapt to users with different hand placement habits leading to low input accuracy

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvekeyboard interface simplicityVSAvoidcharacter input accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enables dynamic adaptation of the virtual keyboard layout by detecting the user's hand placement position and adjusting key positions accordingly. The system determines initial positions of multiple fingers, calculates relative position relationships, and dynamically repositions keys to match the user's natural hand posture. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining interface simplicity through automatic adaptation rather than requiring complex manual configuration, while significantly improving input accuracy for users with different hand placement habits.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP2911051B1Input method and device
Publication Date: 2019.05.08 XIAOMI INC
  • EP2911051B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2911051B1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP2911051B1 patent drawingFigure 2B~2C

AI summary

The present disclosure discloses an input method and device. The input method includes: receiving a click signal acting on the touch screen (101); determining a touch position of a target finger based on the click signal (102); determining a target key position corresponding to the target finger at the touch position, based on a displacement between an initial position and the touch position of the target finger, a basic key position of a basic key corresponding to the target finger at the initial position, and a relative position on the touch screen between the basic key position and other key positions of other keys corresponding to the target finger (103); and inputting a target character corresponding to the target key position (104).