WO2005015376A1

WO2005015376A1 - User interface with display

Info

Publication number: WO2005015376A1
Application number: PCT/IB2004/051306
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jürgen TE VRUGT
Original assignee: Philips Intellectual Property & Standards Gmbh; Koninklijke Philips Electronics N. V.
Priority date: 2003-08-07
Filing date: 2004-07-28
Publication date: 2005-02-17
Also published as: TW200513973A

Abstract

A description is given of a user interface with a display (1, 4), in particular a touch display, which can be partially displaced perpendicular to the display surface. Below the display (1, 4) there is arranged a subconstruction (3, 5) which interacts with the display (1, 4) when the display (1, 4) is displaced. By means of the subconstruction (3, 5), the user receives detectable feedback about the operating process and/or the subconstruction (3, 5) serves to raise and/or block individual display areas.

Description

User interface with display

The invention relates to a user interface with a display, in particular a touch display, and also to a technical device or system equipped with said interface. User interfaces with touch displays are being used more and more frequently in both the public and private sectors. Such a touch display combines the functions of an input medium and an output medium. On the touch display, as in the case of other conventional displays, information is output optically and graphically. If the surface of such a touch display is touched, the position where it was touched is evaluated and the screen cursor is accordingly moved or a command is carried out. In the private sector, such displays are used for example in tablet PCs, which can already take the position of a full PC, and in PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), which are used for mobile uses for example for scheduling and navigation. In the public sector, such touch displays are used for example at cash machines, ticket machines or information points. Touch displays conventionally have a continuous display surface. The surfaces are in this case usually coated and made of hardened material. Use in daylight is thus facilitated and the display is protected from scratches. One disadvantage of known touch displays is that a user, once he has been prompted to touch a certain area of the display in order to carry out an action, does not detect, as in conventional input devices (e.g. keyboard), whether the touching of the display has been recognized by the user interface. This makes the user uncertain and makes use of the input medium more difficult. In order that the user receives detectable feedback, a transparent, application- specific key field that is adapted to the device may be provided above the display. In this case, use of the keyboard would in each case be displayed dynamically on the display section lying therebelow, and the user command would be transmitted by means of the keys to the touch display. Such a design would, however, be quite invariable on account of the key field that is adapted to the device. Furthermore, transmission problems could arise on account of dirt between the keyboard and the display. Moreover, a transparent keyboard fitted above a display reduces the brightness of the display. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a variable user interface with a display, said user interface being convenient to operate. This object is achieved by a user interface with a display, which can be partially displaced perpendicular to the display surface, and a subconstruction which is arranged below the display and interacts with the display when the display is partially displaced. The at least partially flexible and/or partially movable subconstruction that interacts with the display may have various functions and be designed in various ways. Likewise, the display which acts as an optical output surface of the user interface may be designed in various ways . The display may for example be a display without a touch function, wherein the subconstruction arranged below the display is then designed to carry out switching functions and at the same time provides the user with detectable feedback. On the other hand, the display may be a touch display, wherein the subconstruction is then designed for example only to provide the user with detectable feedback. In both cases, the subconstruction may also be used to raise or lower individual display areas, e.g. for a specific "key operation" or function area operation, so that they can be detected more easily by the user. Since the subconstruction is arranged below the display, in each of the abovementioned variants the display may be divided completely independently of the subconstruction. That is to say the size and position for a switching function area on the display may be newly individually defined completely freely and in an extremely variable manner at any point in time and at the same time accordingly displayed to the user on the display. A conventional input device (e.g. keyboard) is simulated by the possible detectable feedback, and this makes operation more convenient. By raising and or blocking individual display areas by means of the subconstruction, operation of the interface is made easier. According to a first aspect of the invention, the subconstruction arranged below the display has a switching function in order to trigger command signals. The subconstruction may for example consist of a large number of movable, preferably mechanical, elements which act as switches. The switches are moved out of an initial position by the display being partially pressed down perpendicular to the display surface. In one development selected elements may be blocked, with the remaining elements still having a switching function. In another development selected elements are brought into a raised position and function from this position as pressure switches and possibly additionally as a navigation aid. If, moreover, the remaining elements are blocked, inadvertent operation thereof is prevented. The elements in a raised position have the advantage that they can be more easily found by the user and used blind. Such an input medium can therefore be used in applications for blind people. Depending on the division of the display, a number of elements can be combined with one another to form a large switching function area by corresponding symbols being displayed on the display, as a result of which they function jointly as one switch, and this for example increases the certainty with which the user hits it. The elements preferably act as mechanical switches, for example as vertically acting rams, which has the advantage that they can be implemented relatively easily in technical terms. Other embodiments, such as magnetic switches for example, are nevertheless likewise conceivable, especially as the magnetic forces offer detectable pressure resistance for the user. According to a second aspect of the invention, a switching function is performed by the display itself in that the display is designed as a touch display which triggers the corresponding command signals when it is touched. In this case, the subconstruction below the display need not necessarily have a switching function, although an additional switching function is not ruled out and in special applications may even be advantageous. The subconstruction arranged below the display in any case provides the user with detectable feedback when the touch display is pressed down upon contact. In this case, too, the subconstruction may consist of a large number of movable elements. These are preferably mechanical elements and act as switches which provide the user with detectable feedback. The elements may in turn be blocked when they are inactive for example, or be brought into a raised position in order for example to make active display fields detectable by touch. In one development, the elements in a raised position may additionally be blocked so that although active display fields can be detected by touch, no detectable feedback is provided upon operation. In particular, the display may be used as a pure touch display when all the elements are blocked in their initial position. The display may consist both of solid and of flexible material. Displays made of solid material are divided into sections which are independent of one another, whereas displays made of flexible material are preferably designed as one surface. The particular advantage of a display that is divided into sections is that the display sections are detectable to the user not only on account of being shown in the display but also on account of the physical division, which serves for better orientation and operability. The advantage of continuous displays is that they are more resistant to dirt and other external influences since the dirt cannot pass so easily between the display and the subconstruction arranged therebelow. Depending on the application, each of the abovementioned displays may thus be more advantageous. The subconstruction arranged below the display may also be designed as a pressure-sensitive layer that performs a switching function. This layer may for example have electronic sensors. Likewise, the subconstructions may also comprise a combination of such a pressure-sensitive layer and individual movable elements - with or without their own switching function. When using such a pressure-sensitive layer for the subconstruction, the display is preferably designed as a continuous display.

The invention will be further described with reference to examples of embodiments shown in the drawings to which, however, the invention is not restricted. Identical components bear the same references in the figures. Fig. 1 shows a display made of solid material which is divided into sections, with mechanical elements located below the display. Fig. 2 shows a cross section through the display of Fig. 1, with one mechanical element pressed down. Fig. 3 shows a cross section through the display of Fig. 1, with one mechanical element in a raised position. Fig. 4 shows a display made of continuous flexible material, with mechanical elements located below the display. Fig. 5 shows a cross section through the display of Fig. 4, with one mechanical element pressed down. Fig. 6 shows a cross section through the display of Fig. 4, with one mechanical element in a raised position. Fig. 7 shows a display with a pressure-sensitive layer located below the display. Fig. 8 shows a display with a pressure-sensitive layer lying below it as in Fig. 7 and mechanical elements arranged below the latter, with one of the elements shown in the pressed-down state. Fig. 9 shows a display as in Fig. 8, but with the mechanical element being shown in the raised position.

Fig. 1 shows a display 1 according to a first example of embodiment of the invention, said display being made of solid material which is divided into sections 2 that are independent of one another. The sections 2 can be partially displaced peφendicular to the display surface. Below the display 1 there is a subconstruction consisting of mechanical elements 3, which subconstruction interacts with the display when the display 1 is displaced in sections. The sections 2 preferably have the same size and shape, but division into different shapes and sizes is not ruled out. The mechanical elements 3 have a switching function and in the specific example of embodiment are designed as switching rams. An element is switched when a user exerts an operating pressure on the corresponding section 2 of the display 1 which lies above the element. The element 3 is automatically displaced back into the initial position following activation, e.g. by a bias spring or an automatic system. With the display according to this first embodiment, a conventional input device (e.g. an in particular freely operable keyboard) can be simulated and combined with a display. That is to say the user receives detectable feedback when a section 2 is operated. Such an arrangement can be used for example at a customer terminal of a bank, where a different display image is generated depending on whether the user wishes to withdraw money, make transfers or carry out some other banking business. The inputting of for example the puφose in the case of a transfer, which may consist of a long combination of characters, may be made particularly simple and convenient by the simulation of a conventional keyboard. Fig. 2 shows a cross section through Fig. 1, wherein one section of the display 1 is shown in the activated, that is to say pressed-down, state. When it is activated by a user, the mechanical element 3, which has a switching function, triggers a signal for a specific action. When the element is pressed down, or at the latest when the element is displaced back into its initial state following activation, the user receives detectable feedback. Fig. 3 shows a cross section through Fig. 1 according to a further refinement of the first example of embodiment. The mechanical elements 3, which in this case too also have a switching function, can be activated automatically by selected elements, which are required for example for a specific application, being brought into a raised position in order as a result to raise the display section 2 lying above them. In Fig. 3, one section 2 can be seen in the raised position, which can then be pressed down by a user. This refinement is particularly suitable for user interfaces suitable for the blind, since a blind person can orient himself to the raised elements 3 on the display 1 without any problem. Such an arrangement may additionally be equipped with the function that, when a section 2 is pressed down, an acoustic or optical signal is sent out depending on the position of the element. One development provides that an element 3, which is to be operated once at most according to one application, is no longer displaced back into the raised position following the first activation but rather is blocked in the initial position. In a further refinement of the first example of embodiment, the elements 3 may be blocked individually in their initial position. Operation is thus further simplified for the user since upon operating an invalid section 2 - that is to say in this case a blocked section 2 - he receives as feedback the fact that the position of the section 2 has remained unchanged and consequently no action has been triggered. Fig. 4 shows a second example of embodiment of the invention, which differs from the previous example in that the display 4 is made of flexible material in a continuous manner. In this example of embodiment, too, it may be possible for the mechanical elements 3, which have a switching function, to be activated differently. That is to say the elements 3 can in the simplest variant be pressed down out of their initial position as a switch (Figs. 4 and 5). According to another variant, selected elements can be pressed down out of a raised position as a switch (Fig. 6), wherein in both variants certain switches can be blocked in their initial position in order that they cannot be operated. In this respect, Figs. 5 and 6 in each case show a cross section of Fig. 4. Since a continuous display 4 is less susceptible to soiling and other external influences, use of the second example of embodiment in industry is conceivable. Such a user interface is suitable in particular for devices and as operating elements for machines which are used under extreme environmental conditions, in particular where there is a high level of moisture or wetness with a high occurrence of dust such as in a sawmill, etc. If the display areas to be used for a respective application protrude considerably by automatic raising of the elements 3, the display 4 may also be used for example when the user is wearing safety gloves. The remaining keys may then be blocked in their initial position in order to prevent inadvertent operation thereof. In order to simplify operation, whole "operating fields", that is to say in each case a group of elements 3 which appear to the user as a single "key" by the display being configured accordingly, may be raised in order that the operating precision of the user is increased. In one preferred embodiment of the first and also the second example of embodiment, the display is an E Ink display. Such E Ink materials are materials which can be optically changed by an electric field. One example of embodiment of this is materials which have films with microcapsules in which freely movable or rotatable particles are dispersed. These particles have two halves which are of different color and at the same time have different electrical properties, for example on one side bear a positive electrical charge and on the other side bear a negative electrical charge. The particles align accordingly in an electric field. In another example of embodiment, a large number of colored particles are dispersed in the manner of a powder in individual microcapsules. In this case, two different types of powder particles will be used which have different colors and different electrical charges. In an electric field, one type of particle moves in the field direction and the other type moves counter to the field direction. With both methods, it is possible for differently colored or black or white areas and thus any desired information to be displayed on the surface of the material. The particles remain in their preset alignment or position until a new field is applied. The materials are also referred to as so-called "electronic paper" or "e-paper" and are currently used for example to produce electronic price tickets on supermarket shelves. This type of display can be produced in a cost-effective manner and has a relatively low energy consumption, particularly in uses where the information displayed on the display is not continuously changed. The variant is therefore very particularly suitable for producing a keyboard-like user interface which is sealed with respect to the outside and has variable function area operation, which is displayed directly in the respective function area. Since the material can be produced as a flexible display film, it is particularly suitable for the second example of embodiment (Figs. 4 to 6). In a third example of embodiment of the invention, the subconstruction, which interacts with the display 4, does not itself have a switching function. Rather, the display is a touch display. In touch displays, the switching function device is located above the actual display layer, for example in the form of a sensor field. The key operation is displayed on the touch display and upon use of a specific section the touch display triggers the respective signal. As has already been mentioned with reference to Figs. 1 to 3 and Figs. 4 to 6 regarding the first and second examples of embodiments, the subconstruction below the touch display may be formed by mechanical elements which can be pressed down order to provide detectable feedback or which can be raised and pressed down in order to considerably stand out for the user, and which can possibly be blocked individually in order to make it clear to the user that the display area is inactive. When all the elements 3 are blocked in their initial position, the display is even a pure touch display. Such a display may be used for example in a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) which supports character recognition. The user is then not disturbed by the movement of the elements 3 when inputting handwriting via the touch display using suitable means. In other applications, the elements 3 can be moved from their initial position or can be moved from a raised position. In a further embodiment of the third example of embodiment, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6, only selected areas of the touch display are raised and blocked by automatic activation of the elements below the respective areas. The raised areas of the display then function as a pure touch display without detectable feedback. Operation of such a touch display is, however, clearer and considerably simplified in comparison to conventional touch displays. Fig. 7 shows a fourth example of embodiment. A pressure-sensitive layer 5 that performs a switching function is provided as subconstruction directly below a display 4 made of flexible material. This layer 5 interacts with the display when the display 4 is displaced. The layer 5 registers in particular the precise location of the operating pressure exerted on the display by the user, and forwards the location coordinates in order to carry out the respective action. Moreover, the layer 5 is preferably elastic, so that the relevant area of the display 4 automatically moves back into its initial position. In one refinement of this fourth example of embodiment, the subconstruction (3, 5) below the pressure-sensitive layer 5 has additional mechanical elements 3 which interact with the layer 5 and the display 4. These elements 3 in this case have no switching function and can be activated differently as in the previous examples of embodiments. The elements 3 can thus either be operated from their initial position (Fig. 8) or be moved into a raised position and operated from there (Fig. 9) or else blocked in the raised position and/or in the initial position. Since such arrangements are easy to clean and disinfect, use of such displays for example in the medical sector is conceivable. The user interface described with reference to the above examples of embodiments may be used in any devices. It may in particular also be used in a system comprising a number of system components in order to control the system components via the same user interface, for example in a so-called home network. The user can then jointly control for example the television, the video recorder, the stereo system, the lights and other subconstructions via a single user interface according to the invention. It should finally be pointed out once again that the user interfaces shown in the figures and in the description are merely examples of embodiments which can be varied widely by the person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. For instance, the precise structures of the subconstruction can be modified in many details. By way of example, unlike in the examples of embodiments shown, the switching function elements may also be designed as magnetic elements. These elements also do not necessarily have to be displaced exactly peφendicular to the display surface when an operating pressure is exerted by a user, but rather may also additionally be displaced laterally for example. Moreover, for the sake of completeness it should be pointed out that the use of the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not mean that the relevant features cannot be present a number of times, and that the use of the term "comprise" does not rule out the existence of other elements or steps.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A user interface with a display (1, 4), which can be partially displaced peφendicular to the display surface, and a subconstruction (3, 5) which is arranged below the display (1, 4) and interacts with the display when the display (1, 4) is partially displaced.

2. A user interface as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the display (1, 4) is divided into sections (2) which can be displaced in a mechanically independent manner.

3. A user interface as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the display (1, 4) is made entirely of flexible material.

4. A user interface as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the display (1, 4) is formed at least partially of an E-Ink material.

5. A user interface as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the display (1, 4) is displaced by means of the subconstruction (3, 5).

6. A user interface as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the display (1, 4) provides a user with tangible mechanical feedback when the display (1, 4) is partially displaced by the user peφendicular to the display surface, by the display surface being pressed by the subconstruction (3, 5) against the operating pressure exerted by the user.

7. A user interface as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the subconstruction (3, 5) comprises individual movable elements (3) which interact with the display (1, 4).

8. A user interface as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the elements (3) can be individually blocked.

9. A user interface as claimed in either of claims 7 and 8, characterized in that the elements (3) can be activated automatically.

10. A user interface as claimed in any of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the elements (3) are switching function elements.

11. A user interface as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the display (1, 4) comprises a touch display.

12. A user interface as claimed in any of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the subconstruction (3, 5) comprises a pressure-sensitive layer (5) which performs a switching function.

13. A technical device, characterized by a user interface as claimed in any of claims 1 to 12.

14. A system comprising at least two system components, characterized by a user interface as claimed in any of claims 1 to 12 for controlling the system components.