Transparent Touchscreen Controls for Tactile UI Manipulation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle interfaces lack a seamless integration of physical controls with touchscreen displays, limiting user interaction efficiency and flexibility.
Innovation Solution
A transparent physical control, such as a slider, is disposed over a touchscreen to enable direct interaction, allowing manipulation of displayed UI elements, including boundaries and content items, through tactile feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a touchscreen display is used without physical controls, then the device complexity is reduced and the surface area is maximized, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to lack of tactile feedback
Solution Approach 1:
The physical control element is nested within the touchscreen display structure, with the transparent button positioned over the touchscreen surface. This allows the physical control to be integrated into the display assembly without requiring separate control panels or additional structural layers, thereby providing tactile feedback while maintaining relatively simple device complexity.
2Ease of operation
If physical controls are added over the touchscreen, then the ease of operation is improved through tactile feedback, but the transparency and visual clarity of the touchscreen deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The physical control element is made transparent or translucent, allowing light to pass through and the touchscreen display content to remain visible. This local modification of material properties maintains visual clarity in the control area while still providing the necessary tactile feedback for operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical control uses transparent or translucent materials that allow the underlying touchscreen display to show through, maintaining visual clarity. The material properties are selected to minimize interference with light transmission while providing adequate tactile feedback.
3Ease of operation
If a transparent physical control is used, then the ease of operation is improved and display visibility is maintained, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The physical control element is designed as a separate, modular component that can be manufactured independently and then positioned over the touchscreen display. This segmentation allows for standardized manufacturing processes and simplifies alignment, as the control element can be designed with alignment features or mounting structures that facilitate precise positioning without requiring extremely tight tolerances in the entire assembly.
Data Source
AI summary
A user interface includes a touchscreen display screen, a frame disposed around the touchscreen display screen, and a first physical control connected to the frame being disposed over a first portion of the touchscreen display screen, and a contact portion fixed to the first physical control and contacting the touchscreen display screen.