Dedicated Massage Button for Vehicle Seat Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional massage chair control systems are not suitable for vehicles, as they often require numerous buttons that can be confusing and distracting, especially when integrated into a vehicle's infotainment system, which may limit menus to avoid driver distractions.
Innovation Solution
A dedicated massage function button located on the vehicle's dashboard or center console, which simplifies activation and control of a massage seat by using previously configured settings, allowing users to cycle through massage patterns and intensity with a single button press, and providing a configuration interface upon holding the button for a threshold time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional massage chair control systems are integrated into vehicle infotainment systems, then massage function can be provided, but driver distraction increases and ease of operation deteriorates due to complex menus
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the massage control function from the complex infotainment system menu structure and places it on a dedicated physical button on the center console. This allows the massage function to be accessed directly without navigating through multiple menu levels, thereby reducing driver distraction while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a dedicated physical button as an intermediary control element between the driver and the massage function. This mediator provides direct access to massage controls without requiring interaction with the infotainment system's menu structure, thus eliminating driver distraction while preserving ease of operation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple buttons are provided for massage control, then massage function versatility is improved, but device complexity increases and ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The dedicated physical button on the center console serves multiple functions: it can activate massage, cycle through different massage programs, and adjust intensity levels. This multi-functional design provides massage versatility without requiring multiple separate buttons, thereby maintaining device simplicity while preserving adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple massage control functions (activation, program selection, intensity adjustment) into a single dedicated button on the center console. This consolidation provides versatile massage control while reducing the number of physical controls, thus decreasing device complexity while maintaining adaptability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If configuration options are accessed through infotainment menus, then customization capability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to menu navigation requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by providing a dedicated physical button that directly activates pre-configured massage settings. Users can access commonly used massage functions immediately without needing to navigate through infotainment menus, thereby improving ease of operation while preserving customization capability for less frequently used settings.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle includes a vehicle seat including a plurality of actuatable massage elements. The vehicle includes a dedicated physical massage function button located on a dash or a console of the vehicle. The vehicle includes a display configured to present a menu of vehicle configuration options when the dedicated physical massage function button is held for a threshold amount of time. The vehicle includes a memory and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory. The processor is configured to receive, from a user, a selection of the configuration options for the vehicle seat presented on the display. The processor is configured to receive a signal indicating that the dedicated massage function button is pressed. The processor is configured to activate the plurality of actuatable massage elements according to the selection of configuration options in response to the signal indicating that the dedicated massage function button is pressed.