Magnified Pointer Movement for One-Hand Touch Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In portable electronic devices with touch panels, such as smartphones, it is difficult to access icons located at a distance from the user's finger using one-hand operation due to the limited screen size and the need for a physical pad, which reduces the effective display area.
Innovation Solution
A portable electronic device with a touch panel that allows a pointer to move at a predetermined magnification within a specific distance range over a predetermined region, enabling easy access to distant icons by one-hand operation without decreasing the display area, where the touch panel is arranged to overlap the display unit and detect the distance of an indicator, such as a finger, and the pointer moves accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a physical pad is mounted at a place different from the screen, then the pad can be provided for cursor control, but the screen size decreases by that much
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the pad functionality with the touch panel by making the touch panel itself serve as the pad. The touch panel detects finger position and movement, and the processor controls cursor movement based on these detections, eliminating the need for a separate physical pad while maintaining cursor control capability
Solution Approach 2:
The touch panel is given multiple functions: it serves both as the display interface and as the pad for cursor control. By detecting finger position and movement on the touch panel, the system achieves both display and cursor control functions through a single component
2Ease of operation
If a pad is arranged virtually in an image display region, then the pad functionality is provided, but the available display region decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the pad operation area with the display area by using the entire touch panel for both purposes. The processor determines cursor position based on finger position on the touch panel, allowing the display region to be fully utilized while maintaining pad functionality across the same area
3Area of stationary object
If the screen size is increased, then the display capability is improved, but it becomes difficult to touch the upper portion of the screen with one hand
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces magnification in the vertical dimension of cursor movement. When the finger moves vertically on the touch panel, the cursor moves by a magnified distance, allowing the user to reach upper portions of the screen more easily with one-hand operation while maintaining the large screen size
Data Source
AI summary
A portable electronic device includes a display unit on which a pointer is displayable, and a touch panel which is arranged to overlap the display unit and is capable of detecting a distance from an indicator. The pointer moves according to a movement of the indicator, and when the distance is equal to or less than a first distance and is greater than a second distance smaller than the first distance in a predetermined region of the touch panel, a length of the movement of the pointer has a predetermined magnification to a length of the movement of the indicator.