Dual Wheel Speedometer for Electric Vehicle Motion Sensing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Electric vehicles lack the auditory and vibrational cues that conventional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles provide, making it difficult for drivers to perceive speed and acceleration effectively, which can impact the driving experience and safety.

Innovation Solution

A speedometer system featuring dual rotating wheels with ascending markers and numerical displays, along with graphical and digital indicators, to convey vehicle speed and acceleration, enhancing the driver's sensory perception of motion.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If electric vehicles use conventional speedometers, then the device complexity is low, but the driver cannot perceive speed and acceleration effectively due to lack of auditory and vibrational cues

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedriver perception of speed and accelerationVSAvoidspeedometer system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The speedometer display is segmented into multiple independent visual elements: an outer wheel showing speed magnitude, an inner wheel showing acceleration rate, and numerical displays. This segmentation allows each element to convey specific motion information independently, compensating for the lack of auditory and vibrational cues through differentiated visual channels.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent adds a new dimension to speed representation by introducing the inner wheel that rotates at a different rate than the outer wheel. The inner wheel's rotation speed corresponds to acceleration rate, creating a two-dimensional visual representation (speed magnitude + acceleration rate) from traditional one-dimensional speed display.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Loss of information

If the speedometer provides detailed speed and acceleration data through multiple indicators, then the information completeness is high, but the ease of operation decreases due to increased visual processing requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespeed and acceleration informationVSAvoiddriver interaction with speedometer

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Different parts of the speedometer display have specialized functions: the outer wheel displays speed magnitude with ascending markers, the inner wheel displays acceleration rate, and numerical displays provide precise values. This local quality differentiation allows the driver to quickly locate specific information types without processing the entire display uniformly.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of using a single rotating needle that moves across a scale, the patent inverts the approach by having the scale markers rotate around a stationary or slowly moving indicator. This inversion allows for smoother display updates and reduces the visual complexity of rapid needle movements while maintaining information accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentUS11370301B2Motion and acceleration sensory speedometer for a transportation vehicle

Publication Date: 2022.06.28 VOLKSWAGEN AG

AI summary

Disclosed embodiments provide a technical improvement for providing visualization of vehicle speed via a speedometer in an instrument cluster of a vehicle/driver interface of a transportation vehicle by providing multiple indicia of vehicle speed and rate of change of speed in a manner that connotes vehicle motion so as to enhance the driving experience for the driver and improve safety.