Smartphone Display as Input Interface for External Device Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users of smartphones face inconvenience in fully utilizing a computer-like working environment without carrying separate input tools like keyboards or mice.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device with a processor, memory, and display is configured to connect with an external device, transmitting information and providing an input interface with areas for touch input and key input, allowing the device's display to function as an input interface for controlling information on the external device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a smartphone is connected to an external display to create a computer-like working environment, then the functionality and productivity are improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to the lack of separate input tools like keyboards or mice
Solution Approach 1:
The smartphone display serves dual functions: it acts as both the output display for viewing information and as an input interface for controlling the external display. By making the display multi-functional, the system eliminates the need for separate input tools while maintaining full control capability, thus resolving the contradiction between productivity improvement and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The input interface functions are merged with the display device itself. Instead of requiring separate keyboard or mouse devices, the control interface is integrated directly into the touchscreen display, allowing users to interact with the external display through touch gestures on the smartphone screen. This merging resolves the contradiction by providing both computer-like functionality and operational convenience through a single unified device.
2Ease of operation
If separate input tools like keyboards or mice are carried with a smartphone, then the ease of operation for computer-like working environment is improved, but the device complexity and portability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The smartphone display is designed to perform multiple functions including both information display and input control. By making the display universal, the system eliminates the need for additional keyboard or mouse accessories, thus reducing device complexity and improving portability while maintaining ease of operation through the integrated touchscreen interface.
3Ease of operation
If the display is divided into multiple functional areas for input control, then the ease of operation is improved through intuitive input, but the device complexity increases due to the need to manage multiple input areas
Solution Approach 1:
The display screen is segmented into multiple functional areas including a first area for cursor movement control and a second area for menu selection. This segmentation allows different regions of the display to serve specific input purposes, making the interface more intuitive and easier to operate. The segmentation principle resolves the contradiction by organizing the input interface into logical zones that simplify user interaction despite the increased structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Different areas of the display are assigned different functional qualities based on their intended use. The first area has the quality of enabling directional cursor control, while the second area has the quality of enabling selection operations. This local differentiation of functional qualities allows each region to be optimized for its specific purpose, improving ease of operation through intuitive spatial mapping while managing complexity through functional specialization.
Data Source
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AI summary
An electronic device for configuring an input interface and a method therefor are provided. The electronic device includes a memory, a display, and at least one processor electrically connected to the memory and the display, wherein the memory includes instructions that, when executed, enable the at least one processor to perform a connection with an external electronic device, transmit information generated in the electronic device to the external electronic device on the basis of the connection so that the generated information is displayed on a display of the external electronic device, and provide an input interface for controlling the information displayed on the external electronic device via the display when the generated information is displayed on the display of the external electronic device.