Input Device Vibration Filtering for Motor Vehicles
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing input devices, especially those used in mobile and machine-oriented areas, face issues with unintentional operation due to vibrations, leading to erroneous inputs that can cause loss of time, miscommunication, and safety concerns, particularly in motor vehicles, as they struggle to distinguish between user-generated and external vibrations.
Innovation Solution
An input device comprising a touch-sensitive surface, a vibration sensor, and a force sensor, with a control unit that validates inputs by correlating touch, force, and vibration signals, discarding unintended inputs and determining the intended force component by accounting for temporal correlations and thresholds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a force sensor is used to detect force applications on the touch-sensitive surface, then input detection capability is improved, but false inputs caused by vibrations are not effectively filtered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a vibration sensor as an intermediary detection device that specifically monitors vibration conditions. This intermediary sensor provides additional information about the operational environment, allowing the control unit to distinguish between intentional inputs and vibration-induced false inputs by analyzing the relationship between force sensor signals and vibration sensor signals.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit implements a feedback mechanism by continuously monitoring both force sensor and vibration sensor outputs, analyzing their temporal and contextual relationships, and using this feedback to validate or reject force applications as intentional inputs. This closed-loop validation process significantly reduces false inputs while maintaining accurate detection of legitimate user actions.
2Reliability
If vibration filtering is applied to eliminate false inputs, then input reliability is improved, but legitimate force applications during vibrations may be incorrectly discarded
Solution Approach 1:
The validation criteria are made dynamic rather than static. The control unit adjusts the validation threshold based on real-time vibration conditions, allowing legitimate inputs to pass through during high-vibration periods while still filtering false inputs. The system dynamically adapts its sensitivity based on the operational context provided by the vibration sensor.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters used for input validation by considering multiple factors including force magnitude, duration, temporal pattern, and correlation with vibration signals. By analyzing multiple parameters simultaneously rather than relying on a single force threshold, the system can distinguish between intentional inputs and vibration-induced false inputs even during high-vibration conditions.
3Measurement precision
If multiple sensors (touch, force, vibration) are integrated, then input validation accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit is designed to perform multiple functions: it processes touch sensor signals, force sensor signals, and vibration sensor signals, and implements the validation logic. This multi-functional approach consolidates the processing requirements into a single control unit, reducing overall system complexity despite the multiple sensor inputs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the processing of multiple sensor types into a unified validation framework. Instead of implementing separate processing chains for each sensor, the control unit integrates all sensor inputs into a single validation process that analyzes the relationships between different sensor signals to determine input authenticity.
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
The solution effectively reduces false inputs by accurately differentiating between intended and unintended operations, enhancing input reliability and safety, particularly in vibration-prone environments like motor vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
a vibration sensor and a control unit which is coupled with the force sensor, the touch-sensitive surface and the vibration sensor
Implementation Method 2
The force sensor can measure a force application, for example, on the basis of an elastic deformation
Implementation Method 3
or by means of piezoceramic elements or resistive sensors
Implementation Method 4
The touch-sensitive surface can detect a touch, for example, optically, acoustically, resistively or capacitively
Data Source
AI summary
An input device is described which comprises a touch-sensitive surface and a force sensor, wherein the force sensor is adapted to detect a force applied to the touch-sensitive surface. The input device further comprises a vibration sensor and a control unit, wherein the control unit is coupled with the force sensor, the touch-sensitive surface and the vibration sensor. The control unit is adapted to validate a force detected by the force sensor as an input in dependence on a touch of the touch-sensitive surface and in dependence on a vibration detected by the vibration sensor. There is further described a motor vehicle which comprises such an input device. A method of detecting an input at an input device is further described.