Adaptable GUI Layout for Automotive Coating Data Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing software tools for automotive coating lines struggle to provide a highly flexible and user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) for displaying and managing various data objects, which is essential for ensuring color consistency and quality management in production processes.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that allows users to configure a GUI layout with maximum flexibility by selecting and dividing available display areas horizontally or vertically using a mouse or touchscreen, creating a recursive grid structure for positioning data objects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed GUI layout is used, then the software is easier to implement and maintain, but the usability and adaptability for different data display needs are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The display area is divided into multiple sub-areas or panels that can be independently configured. Each panel can display different data objects, and the division can be performed recursively to create a hierarchical structure of display regions, allowing flexible arrangement without complex global reconfiguration
Solution Approach 2:
The GUI layout transitions from a static fixed structure to a dynamic configurable structure. Users can interactively divide, resize, and reposition display panels during runtime, allowing the interface to adapt to different data display requirements while maintaining operational simplicity through intuitive mouse operations
2Quantity of substance
If more data objects are displayed, then information completeness is improved, but the display area requirements and layout complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Display panels can be nested within parent panels, creating a hierarchical structure where smaller display regions are contained within larger ones. This allows multiple data objects to be organized in nested groups, maximizing the use of available display area while maintaining a structured layout
Solution Approach 2:
The layout system utilizes two-dimensional space more efficiently by allowing panels to be arranged in both horizontal and vertical dimensions simultaneously. The recursive division creates a grid-like structure that optimally packs multiple data objects into the available display area, transitioning from simple linear arrangement to multi-dimensional spatial organization
3Manufacturing precision
If manual GUI configuration is required, then layout precision is improved, but the time and effort for setup increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides pre-defined area ratios for panel division (e.g., 50:50, 25:75, 33:67) that can be selected through simple mouse clicks. This preliminary preparation of common layout configurations allows users to achieve precise layouts without manual calculation or complex configuration, reducing setup time while maintaining precision
Solution Approach 2:
The GUI configuration system allows users to perform their own layout adjustments through intuitive mouse operations (clicking to divide, dragging to resize). The system automatically handles the computational aspects of layout calculation and maintains precision, while users only need to provide simple directional input, making the system self-configuring to a large extent
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure concerns a graphical user interface (GUI) for a colorimetry software product, a computer-implemented method for generating the GUI, and a system for performing the method.