Vehicle Battery Display Logic for Clear SOC and Capacity Indications

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users struggle to intuitively distinguish between the state of charge (SOC) and full charge capacity indications of a secondary battery, often leading to confusion as SOC is more prominently displayed, causing the full charge capacity to be mistaken for SOC without requiring user intervention.

Innovation Solution

A display system controlled by a controller that continuously displays the SOC and only shows the full charge capacity indication when a predetermined condition is met, such as a time period since update or vehicle startup, ensuring clear differentiation without user operation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If both the full charge capacity indication and SOC indication are displayed simultaneously on the same screen, then the user is provided with comprehensive battery information, but the user may confuse the two indications and mistake the full charge capacity for SOC

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery information completenessVSAvoidindication distinction accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by giving each indication its own distinct visual characteristics. The full charge capacity indication and SOC indication are displayed with different display qualities (such as different positions, formats, or visual styles), allowing the user to distinguish between them while both being visible on the same screen. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining information completeness while preventing confusion through localized visual differentiation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If the full charge capacity indication is displayed continuously, then the user is constantly informed of battery health status, but the display complexity and information overload increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery status awarenessVSAvoiddisplay complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements periodic action by displaying the full charge capacity indication intermittently rather than continuously. The indication is shown at specific intervals or under certain conditions, providing the user with battery health information without creating constant visual clutter. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining reliable status awareness while reducing display complexity through periodic rather than continuous presentation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

3Device complexity

If the full charge capacity indication is displayed only upon user operation, then the display complexity is reduced, but user effort is required to access the information

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisplay simplicityVSAvoidinformation accessibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by preparing the full charge capacity indication for display in advance under predetermined conditions, rather than waiting for explicit user requests. The system proactively displays the indication when conditions such as SOC reaching certain thresholds are met, reducing the effort required by users to access this information while maintaining display simplicity through conditional rather than continuous presentation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS11909013B2Display system, vehicle, and method of display of status of secondary battery
Publication Date: 2024.02.20 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
  • US11909013B2 patent drawing
  • US11909013B2 patent drawing
  • US11909013B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A display system includes an instrument panel and an ECU for controlling the instrument panel so that the instrument panel displays an indication related to a battery. The ECU controls the instrument panel so that the instrument panel continuously displays a second indication. The ECU also controls instrument panel so that instrument panel does not display a first indication when a predetermined condition does not hold true, and displays the first indication when the predetermined condition holds true, the predetermined condition being a condition that a display-related user operation has been performed. The first indication can be prevented from being mistaken as the second indication, without requiring a display-related user operation.