Tactile Control Device Design to Prevent Unintentional Errors
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Summary
Problems
Tactile surface-based control devices for motorized vehicle panels are prone to unintentional control errors due to lateral bearing forces on rib boundaries triggering adjacent zones, especially when used blindly while driving.
Innovation solutions
The tactile surface features surface ribs with a tensioned vault design on their lower face, positioned outside active zones, to divert lateral bearing forces to inactive areas, preventing maloperation by using a single tactile sensor for multiple zones and configuring each zone to control specific functions.
TRIZ Analysis
Specific contradictions:
General conflict description:
Principle concept:
If tactile surfaces with surface ribs are used to delimit active zones, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to lateral bearing forces triggering adjacent zones
Why choose this principle:
A non-active zone is introduced as an intermediary between adjacent active zones. This intermediate region acts as a buffer that prevents lateral bearing forces from one active zone from transmitting to and triggering adjacent zones, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and reliability
Principle concept:
If tactile surfaces with surface ribs are used to delimit active zones, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to lateral bearing forces triggering adjacent zones
Why choose this principle:
The tactile surface is segmented into distinct regions: active zones for control input, non-active zones as separators, and surface ribs for guidance. This segmentation isolates the functional areas and prevents unintended signal transmission between adjacent control zones
Application Domain
Data Source
AI summary:
The tactile surface features surface ribs with a tensioned vault design on their lower face, positioned outside active zones, to divert lateral bearing forces to inactive areas, preventing maloperation by using a single tactile sensor for multiple zones and configuring each zone to control specific functions.
Abstract
The invention concerns a touch-sensitive surface ( 15 ) electrical control device comprising at least two adjacent active zones ( 3, 5, 7 ) for controlling in each active zone ( 3, 5, 7 ) a specific electrical function and a coating ( 13 ) provided on the touch-sensitive surface ( 15 ) and having surface ribs ( 9 ) for delimiting said active control zones ( 3, 5, 7 ). The invention is characterized in that the lower surface ( 18 ) of a rib ( 9 ) separating two adjacent active zones is shaped like a tensioned vault ( 20 ) between posts ( 17 ) which are solely supported outside the active zones of the touch-sensitive surface ( 15 ).