Display Apparatus Proximity Key Location Indication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Display apparatuses with relocated function keys to the rear or side surfaces face user convenience issues due to difficulty in intuitively recognizing their locations, especially as bezel thickness is reduced for larger screens.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating sensors to detect user proximity and display indicators representing function key locations, either symmetrically or adjacent to the keys, which can be overlaid on content and adjusted in brightness for visibility, along with graphical user interfaces to substitute or augment key functions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If function keys are relocated to the rear or side portion of the display apparatus to reduce bezel thickness, then the screen size can be increased and thickness reduced, but the user experiences difficulty in intuitively recognizing the locations of the function keys
Solution Approach 1:
A camera captures an image of the display apparatus, and the captured image is displayed on the display screen to show the location of function keys. This intermediary visual representation helps users locate the relocated function keys on the rear or side portions, resolving the contradiction between reduced bezel thickness and user recognition of key locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical appearance and location of the function keys are copied into a visual image that is displayed on the display screen. This visual copy provides users with intuitive information about the function key locations without requiring them to physically search for the keys on the rear or side portions.
2Shape
If function keys are positioned on the rear or side portion of the display apparatus, then the bezel thickness can be reduced, but the operational complexity increases due to non-traditional key positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The camera-captured image serves as an intermediary guide that simplifies the operational complexity. Users can view the function key locations through the displayed image, making the non-traditional key positioning on rear or side portions intuitive and easy to operate despite the reduced bezel thickness.
3Ease of operation
If indicators representing function key locations are displayed on the display screen, then user convenience is improved, but additional components (sensors, cameras) and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The display screen serves multiple functions: it displays content, captures images of the function keys (when functioning as a camera), and shows the captured images to indicate function key locations. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated indicator components, improving user convenience while limiting the increase in system complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances user convenience by clearly indicating function key locations and functions, improving accessibility and reducing operational complexity, even when keys are positioned on non-traditional surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
at least one sensor configured to sense a user approaching the display
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
An electronic apparatus includes a display, at least one function key, and a controller. The controller is configured to, in response to detection of a user approaching the display, control the display to display a first indicator that represents a location of the at least one function key, and in response to detection of the user touching the at least one function key, control the display to display a second indicator that represents a function associated with the at least one function key.