Gearshift Knob with Integrated Display and Touch Surface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current gearshift levers lack intuitive and direct visual feedback and additional input capabilities, making gear selection and operation less efficient and potentially unsafe, especially in manual transmission vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A gearshift knob with an integrated display for variable visual information and a touch-sensitive surface that provides tactile feedback, allowing drivers to interact with the gearshift lever without looking and receive immediate visual confirmation of gear selection, along with haptic feedback for optimal shifting points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a traditional gearshift lever without display is used, then the device complexity is low, but the visual feedback and input capabilities are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the display unit and touch-sensitive surface directly into the gearshift knob, combining information display and input functions with the existing gear selection mechanism. This integration provides visual feedback and additional input capabilities without requiring separate control systems, thus reducing overall system complexity while improving information delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The gearshift knob is transformed into a multi-functional device that not only selects gears but also displays vehicle information and provides additional input capabilities through the touch-sensitive surface. This universal approach allows a single component to serve multiple purposes, improving visual feedback without proportionally increasing device complexity.
2Ease of operation
If a gearshift lever without additional input capabilities is used, then the ease of operation is limited, but the device complexity remains low
Solution Approach 1:
The touch-sensitive surface is integrated into the gearshift knob, merging additional input capabilities with the existing gear selection operation. This allows drivers to access infotainment and navigation functions through the same control mechanism used for gear selection, improving ease of operation without requiring separate control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The gearshift knob becomes a universal control interface that handles both gear selection and infotainment navigation. The touch-sensitive surface enables additional input operations such as scrolling, selecting, and confirming inputs, all through the same physical interface, thereby improving ease of operation while maintaining relatively simple device architecture.
3Reliability
If visual feedback is not provided during gear selection, then the device complexity is low, but the reliability of gear selection is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The display unit integrated into the gearshift knob provides immediate visual feedback during gear selection, showing the current gear position and confirming selection actions. This feedback mechanism enhances the reliability of gear selection by providing real-time confirmation to the driver, while the integration into the existing knob structure keeps the overall device complexity manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
A gearshift knob for a gearshift lever of a vehicle and a method for operating a vehicle are described.