Overlapping Operating Unit on Display Surface for Compact Phone Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable electronic devices with integrated liquid crystal display units and operating units face challenges in achieving compactness without compromising display clarity and maneuverability, as the reduction in size leads to smaller buttons and reduced space between them, increasing the likelihood of incorrect button presses and decreased visibility.
Innovation Solution
A support member made of a hard material is used to cover part of the display surface, allowing operating buttons to be mounted on it, and other buttons are designed to be manipulated along a line or at a point, enabling the operating unit to overlap with the display unit, thus reducing the overall length and area occupied by both units.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the size of the liquid crystal display unit is reduced to make the device compact, then the device becomes smaller and more portable, but the characters or images displayed on the liquid crystal display unit become hard to see
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dimensionality change by overlapping the operating unit with the display unit in the vertical dimension, allowing the operating buttons to be positioned above the liquid crystal display surface. This enables the display unit to maintain its full size for good visibility while the device overall becomes more compact by eliminating the need for separate horizontal space for the operating unit.
2Volume of moving object
If the size of the operating unit is reduced to make the device compact, then the device becomes smaller, but incorrect manipulation of pressing some operating buttons at a time is likely to occur
Solution Approach 1:
The operating buttons are positioned in the vertical dimension above the display surface rather than horizontally adjacent to each other. This spatial arrangement in another dimension allows each button to be individually accessible and distinguishable, reducing the likelihood of accidental simultaneous pressing while maintaining device compactness.
Solution Approach 2:
Each operating button is designed with specific local characteristics including elongated shapes in certain directions and varying spacing arrangements. The buttons have different orientations and dimensions tailored to their specific functions, with some buttons being longer in the vertical direction and others in the horizontal direction, optimizing individual button accessibility and reducing misoperation.
3Volume of moving object
If the space between adjoining buttons is reduced to downsize the operating unit, then the device becomes more compact, but the maneuverability of the operating unit deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By arranging buttons in the vertical dimension above the display rather than horizontally, the patent achieves compact device size while maintaining adequate spacing between buttons. The vertical arrangement allows each button to have sufficient dimensions for easy manipulation without requiring large horizontal spaces between adjoining buttons.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs non-uniform button designs with varying sizes, shapes, and spacing for different button positions. Buttons are elongated in different directions based on their location and function, with customized spacing that optimizes accessibility for each specific button while maintaining overall compactness of the operating unit.
Data Source
AI summary
A device holder is placed on the lower region of a display unit, and part of an operating unit is placed on the holder. The operating unit is overlapping the display unit. Moreover, operating buttons other than those mounted on the holder are shaped so that the portions thereof projecting from a housing will have a substantially triangular cross section. Consequently, a finger with which the operating buttons are manipulated touches the portion of each of the operating buttons corresponding to the apex of the triangular cross section, that is, touches each of the operating buttons along a line. A degree to which the operating buttons are incorrectly manipulated is decreased, and the maneuverability of the operating buttons is held satisfactory. Moreover, the space between adjoining operating buttons is narrowed. Consequently, a portable cellular phone is greatly downsized to an extent equivalent to both a degree to which the operating unit is overlapping the display unit and a degree to which the space between adjoining operating buttons is narrowed.