Touchscreen Display Information Positioning to Prevent Finger Occlusion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Touchscreen devices face operational difficulties due to information being obscured by the user's pointing object, making it hard for users to view and interact with the display effectively.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a position detecting section and a region detecting section in an information processing apparatus that identifies the touch position and hidden regions on the screen, allowing information to be displayed outside the obscured area, ensuring it remains visible regardless of the user's touch position.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If information is displayed at the touch position on the display screen, then the information is directly associated with the user's input, but the information is hidden by the pointing object making it invisible to the user

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation accessibilityVSAvoidinformation visibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dimensionality change by moving the displayed information from the two-dimensional display plane to a third spatial dimension. When a user touches the screen, the information is projected outward in the direction perpendicular to the display surface, creating a virtual image that floats above or beside the screen. This allows the information to be associated with the touch position while simultaneously being visible to the user's eye, resolving the contradiction between direct association and visibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Area of stationary object

If the display area is used fully for content, then the screen real estate is maximized, but the pointing object obscures the displayed information

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisplay area utilizationVSAvoidinformation viewing reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary optical system consisting of a light source, diffuser, and projection optics that acts as a mediator between the display screen and the user's eye. This intermediary system projects the obscured information into the user's field of view from a different spatial location, allowing the display area to be fully utilized while maintaining reliable information viewing through the projected virtual image.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP2280339B1Information processing apparatus, display method, and display program
Publication Date: 2019.12.25 SONY GROUP CORP
  • EP2280339B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2280339B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B
  • EP2280339B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An information processing apparatus includes a position detecting section that detects a touch position of a pointing object on a display screen of a display section, a region detecting section that detects a region on the display screen which is hidden by the pointing object, and a control section that displays information associated with the touch position outside the region detected by the region detecting section, when the touch position is detected by the position detecting section.