Velocity-Dependent Fan Cursor for Efficient Target Acquisition
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cursor techniques face difficulties in efficiently acquiring interface elements on large displays with high resolution and multiple screens, leading to increased user effort and potential repetitive motion disorders, especially in dense and non-uniform target environments.
Innovation Solution
A target pointing system utilizing a fan-shaped cursor with a variable spanning angle and range, dynamically adjusting its shape and size based on cursor speed and direction to minimize movement and ensure precise target acquisition, allowing for efficient selection of distant and nearby targets without explicit mode switching.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional point cursor is used, then the cursor structure is simple and easy to control, but the cursor movement distance increases and target acquisition becomes difficult on large displays with dense interface elements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the cursor's activation area variable rather than fixed. The activation area dynamically expands and contracts based on the density of surrounding targets, allowing the cursor to adapt its capture radius in real-time. This resolves the contradiction by enabling faster target acquisition through dynamic area expansion while maintaining simple control through automatic adaptation to target density
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of activation area size based on target density. When targets are dense, the activation area expands automatically; when targets are sparse, it contracts. This parameter change allows the cursor to capture targets more efficiently in dense environments without requiring increased cursor movement, thus reducing time loss while maintaining operational simplicity
2Length of moving object
If the cursor activation area is expanded to capture distant targets, then target acquisition range increases, but the cursor may capture multiple nearby targets causing selection errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses dynamics to make the activation area size contingent on the local target density environment. The activation area expands to capture distant targets when appropriate, but contracts when nearby targets are present that could cause selection errors. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by enabling long-range capture capability while maintaining selection precision through automatic adaptation to the spatial distribution of targets
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by making the activation area size dependent on the local density of targets in the vicinity. Rather than using a uniform activation area throughout the interface, the cursor adjusts its activation radius based on the specific local environment - expanding in sparse regions and contracting in dense regions. This allows long activation range where needed while preventing multiple target capture in dense areas, thus resolving the contradiction between range and precision
3Adaptability or versatility
If a velocity-dependent cursor size adjustment is implemented, then the cursor can adapt to different movement speeds, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by making the cursor automatically adjust its activation area based on its own velocity and the local target density, without requiring external control input from the user. The system monitors the cursor's movement speed and autonomously expands or contracts the activation area accordingly. This self-adjusting mechanism provides velocity-dependent adaptation while minimizing system complexity by eliminating the need for manual mode switching or complex user interactions
4Productivity
If the cursor activation area is dynamically adjusted based on target density, then target capture efficiency improves, but the visual display becomes more complex and may cause user distraction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the activation area boundary from visual display by implementing it as an invisible functional zone rather than a visible graphical element. The activation area operates as an imperceptible field that automatically captures targets within its bounds without requiring visual representation. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining high target acquisition efficiency through dynamic activation area adjustment while avoiding visual interface complexity and user distraction that would result from displaying the activation boundary
Data Source
AI summary
There is disclosed a target pointing system for use in graphical user interface. The system provides a fan-shaped area cursor with a variable spanning angle, a variable range for capturing target items on the user interface and/or a variable orientation. The spanning angle of the area cursor ranges from >0° but <360°. The spanning angle, the range of the area cursor for acquiring target items and/or the orientation of the area cursor is dependent on velocity of movement of the area cursor.