Character Input via Touch and Swipe on Wearable Displays
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic devices, particularly wearable devices, face challenges in providing an efficient method for character input due to limited touch space, making it difficult to input characters quickly and accurately using virtual keyboards.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device with a touch panel that receives touch and swipe inputs, utilizing a processor to select character sets based on input properties such as touch points, location, and swipe direction, distance, and velocity, allowing for the display of corresponding characters, enabling character input without the need for a full virtual keyboard.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a virtual keyboard is displayed on the touch screen to receive character input, then character input capability is provided, but the device size cannot be reduced due to the required key size
Solution Approach 1:
The character set is segmented into multiple groups (e.g., Korean characters divided into initial consonants, vowels, and final consonants). Each group is displayed separately, allowing users to input characters by selecting from these smaller segments rather than from a complete character set, thereby reducing the required touch space.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a temporal dimension to character input by displaying character groups sequentially rather than simultaneously. Users input characters across multiple time steps, where each touch input advances to the next character group, effectively utilizing time as an additional dimension to reduce spatial requirements.
2Measurement precision
If a virtual keyboard with sufficient key size is provided for accurate input, then input accuracy is improved, but the device becomes less portable due to increased size
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the character set into manageable groups and displaying them sequentially, the patent maintains input accuracy through structured presentation while reducing the volume required for display. Each group contains fewer characters than a full keyboard, allowing for smaller display area while preserving selection precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The character group display is dynamic rather than static, adapting to user input progress. The system transitions between different character groups based on user selections, optimizing the display content at each step to show only relevant options, thereby reducing the required display volume while maintaining accurate input capability.
3Productivity
If a complete character set is displayed simultaneously for quick selection, then input speed is improved, but the touch space required increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the character set into logical groups (e.g., by phonetic components or frequency of use) and displays them in sequence. This allows the system to present a manageable number of characters at each step rather than overwhelming the user with the complete character set, maintaining quick selection speed while minimizing touch space requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary organization of the character set into predetermined groups before display. By pre-categorizing characters based on linguistic structure or usage patterns, the system prepares optimized character groups in advance, enabling rapid navigation and selection without requiring simultaneous display of all possible characters.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device and a method of receiving, by the electronic device, a character input from a user are provided. The electronic device includes a touch panel configured to receive a touch input generated by a pointing object and a swipe input of moving the pointing object while touching the touch panel with the pointing object, a processor configured to select one of a plurality of character sets based on a property of the touch input and select one of a plurality of characters included in the selected character set based on a property of the swipe input, and a display configured to display the selected character.