Foot Resting Space Sensing Unit for Vehicle Infotainment Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
During autonomous driving, users find it difficult to access and control the infotainment system and comfort functionalities of a vehicle when seated in a laid-back position, as the electronic user interface is typically designed for an upright position and is out of reach.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle equipped with a sensing unit in the foot resting space that can detect foot positions and gestures, sending user input signals to an electronic control unit to operate the infotainment system and comfort functionalities, allowing users to control these systems using their feet while seated comfortably.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the electronic user interface is positioned within arm's reach for manual driving, then the user can easily access it in an upright position, but the user cannot access it when seated in a laid-back position during autonomous driving
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a new spatial dimension by placing the sensing unit in the foot resting space, allowing users to interact with the infotainment system using their feet while in a laid-back position, thereby resolving the accessibility issue across different seating configurations
Solution Approach 2:
The sensing unit acts as an intermediary between the user's foot gestures and the electronic user interface, translating foot-based inputs into system commands, enabling hands-free operation during autonomous driving
2Ease of operation
If the sensing unit is positioned in the foot resting space, then users can operate the infotainment system with their feet in a laid-back position, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing unit in the foot resting space serves multiple functions: it detects foot presence, recognizes gestures, and enables control of various infotainment functions, thereby justifying the added complexity through multi-functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically detects and interprets foot gestures without requiring manual configuration, and the electronic control unit autonomously processes the sensed data to execute appropriate commands, reducing the operational burden on the user
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention is concerned with a vehicle (10) comprising a vehicle seat (11), a foot resting space (12) corresponding to the vehicle seat (11), an electronic control unit (17), an electronic user interface (15) of an infotainment system (13) and/or of a comfort functionality (14) of the vehicle (10) and a sensing unit (16), wherein the sensing unit (16) is designed to receive a user input and send a user input signal (18) to the electronic user interface (15). The invention is characterized in that the sensing unit (16) is designed to sense a position (44) and/or a predefined gesture (45) of a foot (42) as the user input, while the foot (42) lies in the foot resting space (12), and to determine the user input signal (18) in dependence on the sensed position (42) and/or gesture (43).