Dynamic Direction Determination Areas for Touch Input

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Solution Overview

Problem

Players find it difficult to perform intuitive direction input operations using existing terminals with touch detection areas, as the input direction is often not determined correctly.

Innovation Solution

A terminal configuration that sets multiple direction determination areas based on a reference position, allowing the input direction to be determined by identifying which area the indicated position belongs to, with the reference position following the change in the indicated position, enabling accurate and intuitive direction input.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a touch detection area is used for direction input, then the player can perform intuitive operation input, but the input direction is not determined correctly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveintuitive operation inputVSAvoidinput direction determination accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The touch detection area is divided into multiple direction determination areas, each corresponding to a specific direction. By segmenting the input area into directional zones, the system can accurately determine which direction the player intends based on which zone the touch falls into, thus resolving the contradiction between intuitive operation and accurate direction determination.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the touch detection area are assigned different functional qualities corresponding to different directions. Each direction determination area has a specific directional property, allowing the system to interpret touches in different locations as different directional inputs, thereby achieving both intuitiveness and accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Device complexity

If the direction determination areas are fixed, then the structure is simple, but the input direction cannot be determined correctly when the indicated position changes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructure simplicityVSAvoidinput direction determination reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The direction determination areas are made dynamic by updating their positions based on the indicated position. As the player moves the touch input, the direction determination areas follow and adjust accordingly, ensuring that the directional interpretation remains accurate throughout the movement, thus maintaining reliability without excessive complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system pre-establishes multiple direction determination areas in advance, each configured to correspond to a specific direction relative to a reference position. This preliminary setup allows for rapid and reliable direction determination without complex real-time calculations, balancing structural simplicity with determination reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2466445B8Input direction determination terminal, method and computer program product
Publication Date: 2019.07.10 BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT INC

AI summary

A terminal acquires an indicated position that has been input using an input section, and sets a plurality of direction determination areas that respectively correspond to a plurality of directions based on a previous indicated position. The terminal determines an input direction based on a direction determination area among the plurality of direction determination areas to which the indicated position belongs. The terminal causes the plurality of direction determination areas that respectively correspond to the plurality of directions to follow a change in the indicated position.