Haptic Frame for Touch Actuating Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
In operating devices exposed to strong vibrations, such as those in vehicles, it is difficult for operators to accurately identify and actuate switches or buttons, especially on touch-sensitive screens that lack haptic feedback, making it hard to distinguish between actuating elements without visual attention.
Innovation Solution
The operating device incorporates a frame element with haptically perceptible surface sections that are designed to provide tactile orientation, allowing users to identify and actuate elements by touch, even in environments with high accelerations and vibrations, without restricting the device's flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a touch-sensitive screen with flat surface is used, then the flexibility and visual display capability are improved, but the haptic distinguishability of actuating elements deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The frame element is segmented into multiple surface sections, with at least one section having a haptically perceptible structure. This segmentation allows the frame to provide tactile cues for different actuating elements while maintaining the overall flexibility of the touch-sensitive screen interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame element acts as an intermediary between the touch-sensitive screen and the user's tactile sense. It provides haptic feedback and orientation cues that the flat screen surface alone cannot provide, mediating the interaction between the user and the actuating elements.
2Device complexity
If actuating elements are arranged in fields or rows without haptic differentiation, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ease of identification under vibration deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The frame element introduces local quality variations through haptically perceptible surface sections at specific locations. These localized tactile features provide differentiation for otherwise identical actuating elements, enabling reliable identification and operation under vibration without changing the overall simple arrangement.
3Ease of operation
If the frame element is provided with haptically perceptible surface sections, then the haptic orientation is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the entire frame complex, only specific surface sections are given haptically perceptible structures. This localized approach provides necessary haptic orientation while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
An operating device with a plurality of actuating elements (30, 31, 32), in particular buttons and/or keys, arranged next to and/or below one another; wherein the plurality of actuating elements (30, 31, 32) are at least in part delimited by at least one frame element (42, 44, 46); wherein the frame element (42, 44, 46) is provided at least in some areas with surface portions (41, 43, 45), which are formed in such a way that they can be detected by touch; wherein at least some of the surface portions (41, 43, 45) that can be detected by touch are each assigned an actuating element (30, 31, 32).