Heated Vehicle Surface Control with Redundant User Inputs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle systems with touchscreen controls for heated surfaces, such as motorcycle handgrips, fail to provide alternative input mechanisms when the touchscreen malfunctions or the user cannot interact with it, impairing user experience and functionality.
Innovation Solution
A system with multiple input devices communicatively coupled to an electronic control unit, including a first input device and a second input device, allowing user control of heated surfaces via different connections, ensuring redundancy and continued functionality even if one input device fails or is inaccessible.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a touchscreen is used as the sole input device for controlling heated surfaces, then the ease of operation and information display are improved, but the reliability deteriorates when the touchscreen malfunctions or becomes inaccessible
Solution Approach 1:
The input control system is segmented into multiple independent input devices (touchscreen, physical buttons, switches) that can operate separately. Each input device is connected through different communication pathways to the control unit, allowing the system to function even if one input method fails or becomes inaccessible to the user.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of the heated surfaces based on inputs from different device types. The control unit receives signals in different formats from various input devices and adjusts heating parameters accordingly, allowing flexible control through multiple interfaces with different interaction characteristics.
2Reliability
If multiple input devices with different connections are used to control heated surfaces, then the reliability is improved through redundancy, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit is designed with universal functionality to accept inputs from multiple types of devices (touchscreen, buttons, switches) through different connections. This multi-functional design consolidates what could be separate control systems into a single unified controller, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining reliability through redundancy.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ensures continuous control of heated vehicle surfaces by providing redundant input mechanisms, maintaining user comfort and safety even when primary input devices are malfunctioning or inaccessible.
Implementation Method 1
a heating element positioned proximate to a user contact surface of the vehicle
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2~3
AI summary
Systems and methods for heating a surface of a vehicle. One system includes heated surface system for a vehicle. The heated surface system includes a heating element positioned proximate to a user contact surface of the vehicle, a first input device for receiving user input for controlling the heating element and is communicatively coupled to an electronic control unit over a first connection, and a second input device for receiving user input for controlling the heating element and is communicatively coupled to the electronic control unit over a second connection different from the first connection, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to control the heating element based on user input received via the first input device or the second input device.