Tactile Control Interface for Medical Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional control interfaces for electronic devices, medical instruments, and ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses are difficult to operate due to the need for visual recognition of function regions on a planar surface, leading to reduced operability.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device, medical instrument, or ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is designed with a base material that includes protruded and depressed portions serving as operation units, along with a detection unit and acquisition unit that detect and process operator inputs to control device behavior, while a planar region on the base material does not receive operator input.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a planar rigid plate is used as the control interface surface, then the device structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the operator cannot identify function regions without visual recognition, making operation difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The base material is provided with protruded portions and depressed portions at specific locations corresponding to operation units. These localized structural variations create tactile differences that enable operators to identify function regions through touch alone, without requiring visual recognition or a complex overall structure
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses curved surface features (protruded and depressed portions) on an otherwise planar surface. These curved elements provide tactile feedback and spatial orientation, allowing operators to locate and identify operation units through touch while maintaining the simplicity of a fundamentally flat structure
2Device complexity
If visual recognition is required to identify function regions, then the control interface can be simple and flat, but operability is reduced due to the need for visual attention
Solution Approach 1:
The protruded and depressed portions of the base material provide self-service tactile guidance to operators. The structural features automatically indicate the location and identity of operation units through touch, eliminating the need for external visual displays or complex interface elements while maintaining simplicity
3Area of stationary object
If the entire base material surface is made operational, then the detection area is maximized, but erroneous operations may occur due to lack of tactile differentiation
Solution Approach 1:
By providing protruded and depressed portions only at specific locations rather than uniformly across the entire surface, the invention creates localized tactile features that differentiate operation units from non-operational areas. This allows the entire surface to remain detection-capable while preventing erroneous operations through tactile feedback
Solution Approach 2:
The protruded and depressed portions provide immediate tactile feedback when touched, allowing operators to distinguish between operational and non-operational regions. This feedback mechanism prevents erroneous operations by clearly indicating which areas should be interacted with
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device according to the present disclosure includes a base material, a processor, and a memory storing a program which causes the image processing apparatus to: execute detection processing of detecting an operation performed on the base material by an operator, acquisition processing of acquiring, on the basis of an output from the detection processing according to the detection of the operation, position information related to the operation on the base material, and control processing of controlling a behavior of the electronic device on the basis of the position information acquired by the acquisition processing, wherein the base material is provided with a region where in the control processing, the operation by the operator is not received.