Floor Plan Device Icon Management for Overlapping Control Screens
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing remote control systems for managing multiple target devices require complex operation steps, leading to increased time and risk of erroneous operations due to hidden icons and overlapping control screens, which complicates the process of switching between devices.
Innovation Solution
A control method for an information apparatus that displays a floor plan with movable device icons, allowing selection of a device to reveal a control screen while moving other icons out of the display region, reducing the number of operation steps and preventing icon hiding, thus simplifying the process of switching between devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If control screens are overlaid on the floor plan display, then device control functionality is provided, but device icons in the same room become hidden and operation steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the control screen from the floor plan display area and positions it in a separate dedicated control area. This separation prevents the control screen from obscuring device icons on the floor plan, allowing users to see both the control interface and device locations simultaneously, thereby resolving the contradiction between providing control functionality and maintaining icon visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional overlay approach to a spatial separation approach by allocating distinct display areas for the floor plan and control screens. This dimensional reorganization allows both the floor plan with device icons and the control interface to coexist without obscuring each other, eliminating the need for multiple operation steps to switch between views.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple device icons are displayed on the floor plan, then device selection is enabled, but icons overlap and become hidden when control screens appear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts control functionality from the floor plan display area and places it in a separate dedicated control area. This extraction allows device icons to remain clearly visible on the floor plan without being obscured by control screens, maintaining adaptability for device selection while improving ease of operation through sustained icon visibility.
3Ease of operation
If control screens are displayed for selected devices, then device operation is enabled, but the number of operation steps increases due to screen switching
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the floor plan display and control screen into a single unified interface where both coexist simultaneously. The control screen is positioned in a dedicated area while the floor plan with device icons remains visible in another area, allowing users to operate devices without switching screens and reducing the time lost to navigation between different views.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent prepares the control interface in advance by displaying it in a dedicated control area before device operation is initiated. This preliminary arrangement ensures that when users select a device, the control screen is already positioned and ready for immediate use, eliminating the need for additional screen switching operations and reducing operational time.
Data Source
AI summary
When selection of a device icon representing one target device among one or more target devices is sensed in a region corresponding to one room included in a floor plan, a control screen for operating, or confirming a state of, the one target device corresponding to the sensed device icon is displayed on a display as overlapped on a display screen representing the floor plan, and device icons representing the target devices installed in the one room are moved out of a display region of the control screen.