Wearable Body-Contact Interface for Impedance-Based User Input

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Solution Overview

Problem

Wearable electronic devices with capacitive touch sensors face issues such as unintentional activation due to direct contact, leading to inconvenience and difficulty in accurately determining user inputs, especially when worn on the body, as the correspondence between touch commands and actions is not intuitive.

Innovation Solution

A wearable device with contact electrodes and a signal processing unit that forms a circuit with the user's body, using impedance characteristics to determine user inputs without direct contact, allowing for various input settings through proprioception and individual user convenience.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a capacitive touch sensor is used for user input, then the device can detect user commands, but the user may unintentionally touch the sensor causing false activation and inconvenience

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser input controlVSAvoidunintentional activation

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary measurement process that detects body contact through impedance changes before triggering touch sensor activation. This intermediary step distinguishes between intentional and unintentional contact, preventing false activation while maintaining ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the direct mechanical capacitive touch sensing with an electrical impedance-based detection system. By measuring impedance changes through contact electrodes, the system substitutes the traditional capacitive field detection with a more reliable electrical measurement that better distinguishes intentional user input.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Adaptability or versatility

If traditional touch commands (touch number, position, swipe) are used, then user input can be recognized, but the correspondence is not intuitive making it difficult to memorize and prone to mistakes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinput command varietyVSAvoidintuitiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by assigning different impedance measurement configurations to different body contact locations. Each contact electrode arrangement is optimized for specific body parts, creating intuitive location-based commands that are easier to memorize and execute correctly.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the detection parameter from capacitive field strength to electrical impedance characteristics. This parameter change enables more intuitive detection based on body contact properties rather than abstract touch gestures, making the correspondence between user action and device response more natural and memorable.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If non-contact user input determination is implemented, then unintentional activation is reduced, but it is difficult to accurately determine diverse user inputs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccurate user input determinationVSAvoiduser input types

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the body contact detection into multiple independent contact electrode pairs, each capable of detecting different impedance characteristics. This segmentation enables the system to distinguish between various types of body contact (different body parts, different contact pressures, different contact durations) while maintaining accurate and reliable detection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamic impedance measurement by continuously monitoring impedance changes over time during body contact. This dynamic approach allows the system to detect not only the presence of contact but also characteristics such as contact duration, pressure changes, and movement patterns, enabling diverse user input recognition with high accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

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 and intuitive user input determination without direct contact, improving usability and convenience by allowing users to control devices through body gestures and movements, providing a distraction-free interface.

Implementation Method 1

using impedance characteristics to determine user inputs without direct contact

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElectrical Impedance: Electrical Resistance

Data Source

PatentUS10579194B2Apparatus and method for determining user input of wearable electronic device using body contact interface

Publication Date: 2020.03.03 ELECTRONICS & TELECOMM RES INST

AI summary

An electronic device capable of processing a user input without direct contact is disclosed. The electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a plurality of contact electrodes having one end thereof contacted with a user's body respectively to be electrically connected to the user's body, at least one body contact interface electrically connected to the plurality of contact electrodes through the user's body and having a predetermined impedance value, and a signal processing unit connected to other end of the plurality of contact electrodes respectively to form a circuit through the plurality of contact electrodes, the at least one body contact interface, and the user's body, and determining a user input corresponding to an impedance characteristic of the circuit.