Adaptive touchscreen system

1. A method of adapting a user interface for a touchscreen system associated with a display screen, the method comprising the steps of:

a) detecting, using a processing element, a defect in an area of the touchscreen system;

b) determining, using the processing element, a location on the display screen related to the defect, the display screen presenting the user interface including one or more functional components selectable with a touch input over the viewable area of the display screen;

c) adapting, using the processing element, the user interface on the display screen based on a priority of each functional component to compensate for the defect; and

d) identifying, using the processing element, a touch input in an area of the touchscreen system associated with a selectable functional component of the adapted user interface as a selection of the functional component.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a priority associated with each functional component to identify high-priority functional components.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the priority associated with each functional component is stored in a memory.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the priority associated with each functional component is determined based on an importance or type of each functional component.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein high-priority functional components are included in the adapted user interface.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the high-priority functional components are presented in an area of the user interface that is not associated with the defect.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the area of the user interface that is not associated with the defect presented functional components having lower-priority than the high-priority functional components prior to step c).

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a priority associated with each functional component to identify functional components having a lower-priority than the high-priority functional components, wherein the lower-priority functional components are not included in the adapted user interface.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the adapted user interface includes a sub-menu providing access to lower-priority functional components that are not included in the adapted user interface.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adapted user interface has remapped the functional components based on the priority of each functional component.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising presenting an indicator on the display screen that the touchscreen system is inoperable in the area of the defect prior to step c).

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising restoring the user interface to a default configuration, if the defect is corrected.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein step a) further comprises the steps of:

transmitting a plurality of beams from a plurality of transmitters to a plurality of receivers,

generating a receive signal from one or more of the receivers that detects at least one of the beams, and

analyzing a status of the receive signals to detect the defect.

14. An adaptive touchscreen system comprising:

a memory to store a priority associated with functional components;

a display screen for presenting a user interface including one or more functional components selectable with a touch input over a viewable area of the display screen, the display screen comprising a touchscreen; and

a controller configured to

detect a defect in an area of the touchscreen,

determine a location on the display screen related to the defect,

determine the priority associated with each functional component to identify high-priority functional components,

adapt the user interface based on the priority of each selectable functional component to present high-priority functional components of the user interface on the display screen in areas other than in the location of the defect, and

identify a touch input in an area of the touchscreen system associated with a selectable functional component of the adapted user interface as a selection of the functional component.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the controller is further configured to identifying functional components having a lower-priority than the high-priority functional components, wherein the lower-priority functional components are not included in the adapted user interface.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the adapted user interface includes a sub-menu providing access to lower-priority functional components that are not included in the adapted user interface.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein at least one functional component presented on the adapted user interface provides access to the sub-menu.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the adapted user interface has remapped the functional components based on the priority of each functional component.

19. The system of claim 14 , further comprising:

a plurality of transmitters for transmitting beams across the display screen, and

a plurality of receivers for detecting the beams from the transmitters and generating receive signals,

wherein the controller is in communication with the transmitters and the receivers and configured to analyze a status of the receive signals to detect the defect.

20. An adaptive touchscreen system comprising:

a memory to store a priority associated with functional components;

a display screen for presenting a user interface including one or more functional components selectable with a touch input over the viewable area of the display screen, the display screen comprising a touchscreen;

a plurality of transmitters for transmitting beams across the display screen;

a plurality of receivers for detecting the beams from the transmitters and generating receive signals;

a controller configured to:

analyze a status of the receive signals,

detect a defect in an area of the touchscreen,

determine a location on the display screen related to the defect,

determine the priority associated with each functional component to identify high-priority functional components,

adapt the user interface based on the priority of each selectable functional component to present high-priority functional components of the user interface on the display screen in areas other than in the location of the defect, and

identify a touch input in an area of the touchscreen system associated with a selectable functional component of the adapted user interface as a selection of the functional component.