Customizable Vehicle Control Strip for Ergonomic Function Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle control interfaces, relying on mechanical buttons and digital screens, fail to adapt to individual user ergonomics, leading to potential distractions and decreased driving safety due to complexity and fixed button arrangements.
Innovation Solution
A customizable control element featuring a removable headband with visual symbols and a tactile layer, connected via RFID to the vehicle's CAN bus, allowing users to select and position preferred functions, improving ergonomics and safety by providing direct access to frequently used controls.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If fixed mechanical buttons or sliders are used for vehicle control, then the control interface is simple and reliable, but the positioning is definitively defined during design and cannot adapt to individual user ergonomics
Solution Approach 1:
The control interface is segmented into a permanent base structure and removable customizable strips. Each strip contains specific control elements that can be detached and replaced, allowing users to customize their control layout without redesigning the entire interface. This segmentation enables adaptability while keeping the base structure simple and reliable.
Solution Approach 2:
The control interface transitions from a static, fixed configuration to a dynamic, reconfigurable system. Users can modify the positioning and arrangement of control elements by swapping strips, making the interface adaptable to individual ergonomics while maintaining the simplicity of the underlying mechanical structure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If digital screens with multiple icons and menus are used, then a wealth of features is provided, but the complexity can be detrimental and requires driver attention that should be on driving
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts essential control functions from complex digital menus and interfaces, placing them on physical strips with tactile elements. This extraction allows drivers to access frequently used functions through simple tactile interaction without navigating through multiple digital menus, reducing cognitive load and maintaining focus on the road.
Solution Approach 2:
The control strips are designed to be user-configurable, allowing drivers to customize their own control layout according to their preferences and driving habits. This self-service capability enables drivers to create an optimized control interface that reduces complexity and improves ease of operation without requiring assistance from complex digital systems.
3Adaptability or versatility
If visual markers are used to materialize user choices on touch screens, then customization is achieved, but the interior can give a disorderly character
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using visual markers on digital screens that may appear disorderly, the invention creates physical copies of control elements on removable strips. These strips have a uniform, structured appearance that maintains visual order in the interior while providing the same customization functionality. The physical strips serve as tangible representations of user preferences without the visual clutter of digital markers.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances user experience and safety by allowing personalized control placement, reducing distractions and improving interior ergonomics, as users can position controls according to their preferences, thereby maintaining focus on driving.
Implementation Method 1
a tactile layer configurable so as to associate at least one location of the tactile layer with a preferential control function of a vehicle selected by a user
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for customizing a control element of a motor vehicle, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: - a user selecting a series of preferential functions from among a library of control functions of a vehicle: - associating each preferential function with, respectively, a location of a touch layer (7) arranged in a docking area (3), said location of the touch layer (7) being configured to control said preferential function; - producing a removable strip (2) with a series of visual symbols, each of the visual symbols corresponding to a preferential function - positioning the control element facing the touch layer (7). According to another aspect, the invention relates to a customizable control element.