Calibrator UI With Color-Coded Terminals and Direct Signal Editing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Calibrators with multiple terminals face issues of terminal misidentification and complex menu structures, leading to user confusion and inefficient operation.
Innovation Solution
A calibrator with output terminals featuring light indicators that synchronize their color with display indications, allowing direct modification of signal properties through a graphical user interface, and providing connectivity diagrams for easy calibration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple terminals are provided for signal input/output, then the functionality and versatility of the calibrator is improved, but the likelihood of terminal misidentification increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs color-coded light indicators (LEDs) associated with each terminal that change color to indicate the current output signal type and magnitude. This visual color-coding system allows users to quickly identify the correct terminal for a given signal without confusion, directly resolving the terminal identification difficulty while maintaining multiple terminals for versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces light indicators as intermediary visual elements between the terminals and the user. These indicators serve as mediators that convey information about signal characteristics and terminal status, making the terminal identification process intuitive and error-free while preserving the multi-terminal functionality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If functionality of testing instruments is expanded, then the versatility is improved, but the complexity of operation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a touchscreen display that allows users to directly interact with and modify signal properties by touching the display elements. This self-service interface eliminates the need for complex menu navigation, enabling users to configure multiple signal parameters intuitively through direct manipulation, thereby simplifying operation while maintaining expanded functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical controls (buttons, switches, knobs) with a touchscreen display interface. This substitution allows for more versatile functionality to be implemented while maintaining simplicity of operation, as the touchscreen provides an intuitive graphical interface for configuring multiple signal parameters without requiring users to navigate complex physical menu structures.
3Device complexity
If traditional menu structures are used for configuring functionality, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional menu-driven interfaces with a touchscreen display that presents configuration options as directly accessible graphical elements. Users can modify signal properties by touching the display, eliminating the need to navigate through multiple menu levels. This substitution maintains manageable device complexity while dramatically improving configuration speed and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a hierarchical menu structure (one-dimensional navigation) to a graphical touchscreen interface that presents all configuration options in a single accessible dimension. This dimensional change allows users to access and modify multiple signal parameters simultaneously without sequential menu navigation, improving operational efficiency while keeping the underlying system complexity manageable.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A calibrator having an enhanced user interface (UI) is provided. The calibrator outputs, over an output terminal of the calibrator, an electrical signal. The calibrator presents, on a display of the calibrator, a graphical indication associated with an electrical quantity of the electrical signal. The calibrator or a controller thereof synchronizes a color of the graphical indication with a color emitted by a light indicator associated with the output terminal. The calibrator presents, together with the graphical indication, a signal property GUI element that is selectable and representative of a signal property associated with the electrical signal. In response to user selection of the signal property GUI element, the calibrator displays an editable GUI element permitting user modification of the signal property and the calibrator modifies the electrical signal according to user input.