Set value changing device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing setting value change devices for refrigeration and hot water supply systems, such as those using touch operations, are burdensome and prone to erroneous inputs due to the need for precise tracing of drag paths, leading to difficulties in intuitively changing temperature or hot water amount settings.
Innovation Solution
A setting value change device with a display that shows a drag button and movement path, a touch sensor to detect drag inputs, and a controller that sets a larger drag area than the movement path, allowing the drag button to be moved to a crossing point based on a reference point, enabling continued drag operations even with rough user input, and includes features like expandable drag areas and cancel zones to reduce errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the drag area is set to match the movement path exactly, then the input precision is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates because users must carefully trace the movable path
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the drag area with the movement path by making them overlap or coincide spatially. The drag area is configured to include the movement path within its boundaries, allowing the drag button to be constrained to move along the predefined path while accepting input from a broader area. This integration ensures that even rough drag operations are automatically corrected to follow the intended path, resolving the contradiction between precision and ease of operation.
2Measurement precision
If the drag button is constrained to follow the movement path strictly, then the input accuracy is improved, but the reliability deteriorates because erroneous inputs cannot be corrected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by providing a correction mechanism that anticipates and compensates for erroneous drag operations. When a user performs a rough drag operation that deviates from the movement path, the system automatically corrects the drag button position to the nearest valid position on the path. This pre-planned correction mechanism ensures that both precise and erroneous inputs are reliably converted into valid temperature setting changes, improving reliability without sacrificing accuracy.
3Ease of operation
If the drag area is expanded beyond the movement path, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional correction logic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the drag button to automatically self-correct its position during drag operations. When the drag button moves outside the movement path, it autonomously snaps back to the nearest valid position on the path without requiring complex external correction logic. This self-correcting mechanism simplifies the overall system complexity while maintaining an expanded drag area for ease of operation.
Data Source
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AI summary
A setting value change device is provided whereby change operations to correct temperature setting values or hot water amount values by drag operations are easy. A controller (52) causes a display (551) to display a drag button and a movement path on which the drag button moves. Additionally, the controller (52) provides, on a touch sensor (552), a drag area for detecting a drag input on the drag button and a reference point disposed at a location off the movement path. Moreover, the controller (52) performs change processing to set the drag area larger than the display range of the movement path, move the drag button to a crossing point where a straight line or specific curve connecting the reference point to a drag operation position in the drag area crosses the movement path, and change the temperature setting value to the value corresponding to the position of the drag button.