Wearable Touch Sensor Frame for Visual-Free Operation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wearable electronic devices with touch screens require visual recognition to operate, which hinders usability during activities like running, as they do not provide intuitive guidance for operation directions.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device featuring a touch sensor surrounded by a frame-like member with differently inclined regions, allowing predetermined operations while preventing unintended interactions by varying the inclination angles and heights of the frame's surface, guiding operations without visual recognition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a touch screen is provided in a wearable electronic device, then the device can receive user inputs, but the user must visually recognize the screen to operate it, which reduces operability during activities like running
Solution Approach 1:
The frame-like member is divided into multiple regions with different inclination angles (first inclination portion with first angle, second inclination portion with second angle). Each region corresponds to different operation directions, segmenting the tactile feedback to guide specific swipe directions without requiring visual recognition.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame-like member acts as an intermediary between the user and the touch sensor, providing tactile guidance through its inclined surfaces. This mediator translates operation directions into physical tactile cues that the user can feel, eliminating the need for visual feedback during operation.
2Ease of operation
If the frame-like member has uniform structure, then manufacturing is simple, but it cannot provide directional guidance for touch operations
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the frame-like member are given different local qualities through varying inclination angles. The first region has a first inclination angle corresponding to a first operation direction, while the second region has a second inclination angle corresponding to a second operation direction, enabling directional guidance without complex overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame-like member employs asymmetric inclination angles in different regions rather than a uniform symmetric structure. This asymmetry creates distinct tactile characteristics for different operation directions, allowing the user to intuitively understand the correct swipe direction through tactile feedback.
3Reliability
If the touch sensor is exposed without protection, then operation is easy, but the sensor is vulnerable to foreign contacts and damage
Solution Approach 1:
The frame-like member functions as a protective shell surrounding the touch sensor. Its inclined surfaces are designed to be tactilely distinguishable, providing both protection against foreign objects and maintained ease of operation through tactile guidance cues that help users operate without visual recognition.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3A~3C
Figure 4~5A
AI summary
An object of the present invention is to guide operations on a touch screen without visually recognizing the screen. The wrist terminal 1 includes the touch sensor 20 and the frame-like member 30. The touch sensor 20 inputs a predetermined instruction to the wrist terminal 1 by operating in a predetermined operation direction. The frame-like member 30 is provided so as to surround the touch sensor 20. Predetermined first processing is carried out on the region A1 of the frame-like member 30 corresponding to a predetermined operation direction, and predetermined second processing different from the first processing is carried out on the region A2, which is a region other than the region A1 of the frame-like member 30.