EV Charger Map Icons Visual Power Encoding
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Solution Overview
Problem
As the number of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicle chargers increases, users face difficulty in selecting an appropriate charger due to the overwhelming number of options, with varying electric power outputs and types, leading to a confusing interface that burdens users with the need to compare numeric power values.
Innovation Solution
An information instrument and system that displays charger information on a map, emphasizing higher power output chargers through icon size, color, density, and badges, while also considering proximity, charging fees, and operational status to facilitate intuitive selection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the number of chargers is increased to meet growing vehicle demand, then charger availability improves, but user selection difficulty increases due to overwhelming options
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making different parts of the charger icons have different visual properties based on their electric power output. High-power chargers are displayed with larger icon sizes, brighter colors, and additional badges, while lower-power chargers have smaller, dimmer icons without badges. This allows users to quickly identify high-power chargers among many options without needing to read or compare numeric power values.
2Loss of information
If detailed electric power information is displayed for each charger, then information completeness improves, but interface complexity increases making users feel burdened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential information (electric power output level) from the detailed numeric data and represents it through visual icons with varying sizes, colors, and badges. Instead of displaying all numeric power values which would clutter the interface, the system extracts only the relative power level information and presents it through intuitive visual cues, allowing users to understand power differences without being overwhelmed by detailed numbers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses color changes to encode electric power information. Chargers with higher electric power output are displayed with brighter, more prominent colors, while those with lower power output are shown in dimmer colors. This allows users to quickly assess power levels through color intensity alone, eliminating the need to read numeric values and reducing interface complexity while maintaining information completeness.
3Measurement precision
If numeric electric power values are displayed for comparison, then measurement precision improves, but ease of operation deteriorates due to burden of reading and comparing numbers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/cognitive process of reading and comparing numeric power values with a visual perception system. Instead of requiring users to read numbers and perform mental comparison, the system uses visual icon properties (size, color intensity, presence of badges) that allow instant perceptual comparison. The relative power levels are encoded in visual dimensions that the human eye can process simultaneously rather than sequentially, dramatically improving ease of operation while maintaining precise power differentiation.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle provides information on a plurality of chargers that charge a battery mounted on the vehicle. The vehicle includes a navigation screen and an ECU. The ECU controls the navigation screen to show a map and to show a plurality of icons corresponding to the plurality of chargers at corresponding positions of the plurality of chargers on the map. The ECU controls the navigation screen to show the plurality of icons to allow identification of a charging type to which each of the plurality of chargers is adapted and magnitude of electric power that can be output under the charging type.