Deformable Enclosure for Portable Terminal One-Handed Operation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable terminal devices with both touch panels and stationary operation sections face operability issues when users try to operate all buttons with one hand, as buttons become inaccessible due to their wide distribution and the need to switch hands or reposition the terminal.
Innovation Solution
A portable terminal device with a deformable enclosure that automatically adjusts the display positions of virtual buttons on a touch panel to align with a stationary operation section, allowing all buttons to be reachable by a single thumb, through a shape detection system and display control mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If both touch panel and stationary operation section are equipped, then input operability is improved, but terminal size becomes larger
Solution Approach 1:
The enclosure is designed to be deformable, transitioning between extended and retracted states. When extended, the stationary operation section is exposed for enhanced input operability. When retracted, the terminal achieves a compact size for portability. This dynamic transformation resolves the contradiction between having both operation modes and maintaining small terminal size.
2Adaptability or versatility
If buttons are arranged over a wide area, then number of operable buttons is increased, but accessibility with one hand is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The display control section dynamically adjusts the display area based on enclosure shape. When the enclosure is extended and the stationary operation section is exposed, the display control section restricts the operable display area to match the reduced thumb movement range, ensuring all visible buttons remain accessible with one hand while maintaining the benefit of having additional physical buttons.
3Area of stationary object
If display area is increased, then number of visible buttons is increased, but operability with limited thumb movement is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The display control section dynamically adjusts the operable display area based on the enclosure shape and thumb movement range. When the enclosure is extended, the system automatically restricts the operable display area to a region accessible by thumb movement, preventing the display area from being a disadvantage to operability.
Data Source
AI summary
A portable terminal device has enclosures with a movable portion, a display section that displays visible information showing an operation target area, and a touch sensor that detects a position on a display screen of the display section touched by a user's finger, or the like. A shape detection section detects a change in the shape of the enclosure; an input operation management section manages a position detected by the touch sensor and an operation target area of each of pieces of visible information displayed on the display section in an associated manner; and a display control section automatically makes a change to at least display positions of the respective pieces of visible information about the operation target displayed on the display section in accordance with a change in shape of the enclosure detected by the shape detection section.