Digital Rear-View Mirror Touchscreens for Vehicle Settings Access

Solution Overview

Problem

The multiplicity of interfaces in vehicles equipped with digital rear-view mirrors increases manufacturing costs and user complexity, as multiple components and interactions are required to set comfort and safety functions.

Innovation Solution

A method for simplifying access to vehicle functional settings by integrating comfort and safety function settings into the digital rear-view mirror system, using touch screens on both the driver's and passenger's sides, and allowing for authentication and phase-of-life-dependent setting access.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If multiple separate interfaces and components are used for setting comfort and safety functions, then the vehicle can provide comprehensive functional control, but the manufacturing cost increases and user complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefunctional control capabilityVSAvoidnumber of interfaces and components

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple separate interfaces (digital rear-view mirror interface and climate control interface) into a single integrated touch screen display. The system merges the functions of displaying rear-view camera images with displaying and controlling climate settings, allowing both functions to share the same hardware platform and user interface, thereby reducing component count and manufacturing cost while maintaining comprehensive functional control

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The touch screen display is designed to serve multiple functions: it displays the rear-view environment captured by cameras, displays climate control settings, and allows user interaction for both viewing and climate adjustment. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate dedicated interfaces for each function, reducing overall system complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple separate interfaces and components are used for setting comfort and safety functions, then the vehicle can provide comprehensive functional control, but the manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefunctional control capabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple separate interfaces (digital rear-view mirror interface and climate control interface) into a single integrated touch screen display. The system merges the functions of displaying rear-view camera images with displaying and controlling climate settings, allowing both functions to share the same hardware platform and user interface, thereby reducing component count and manufacturing cost while maintaining comprehensive functional control

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The touch screen display is designed to serve multiple functions: it displays the rear-view environment captured by cameras, displays climate control settings, and allows user interaction for both viewing and climate adjustment. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate dedicated interfaces for each function, reducing overall system complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Ease of operation

If all comfort and safety function settings are always displayed, then users have full access to all functions, but safety is compromised during driving

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccess to settingsVSAvoidsafety risk during driving

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the display content based on vehicle operating conditions. When the vehicle is detected to be in motion, the display automatically prioritizes or inhibits certain comfort function settings to minimize driver distraction and maintain safety. When the vehicle is stationary, full access to all settings is restored. This dynamic adaptation allows full functional access when safe and limits it when driving safety is concerned

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS12337762B2Method and device for adjusting comfort and/or safety functions of a vehicle

Publication Date: 2025.06.24 PSA AUTOMOBILES SA

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for setting functions of a vehicle that includes system of digital rear-view mirrors comprising at least one camera (102, 103) capturing images from outside the vehicle, a first touch screen (104) placed on the driver's side, dedicated to displaying the outside environment on the driver's side, a second touch screen (105) placed on the passenger's side, dedicated to displaying the outside environment on the passenger's side, and a computer processing images captured by said camera and displaying them on said screens (104, 105). The method comprises a step of displaying, on one of the touch screens (104, 105), functional settings of the system of digital rear-view mirrors in response to detecting a first command, characterized in that it further comprises a step of displaying comfort and/or safety function settings of the vehicle in response to detecting a second command.