Modular Vehicle Dashboard Using Swappable Redundant Tablets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle dashboards with built-in displays and controls are expensive to manufacture, repair, and maintain due to custom-built systems, and there is a need for standardized, mass-producible alternatives that can provide redundancy and centralized electronic control.
Innovation Solution
A system of identical touch-panel tablet computers reversibly mounted in the dashboard, capable of taking over the functions of multiple electronic control units, with standardized programming and communication via CAN bus, and equipped with intuitive graphical user interfaces for vehicle control and display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If custom-built displays and control panels are used for each vehicle application, then the system can be tailored to specific vehicle requirements, but manufacturing, repair, and replacement costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by using identical standardized tablets for multiple different vehicle applications and functions. Instead of custom-building displays for each vehicle type or function, the same tablet hardware can be configured through software to serve different purposes (climate control, entertainment, navigation, instrument cluster, etc.), thereby reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining adaptability to specific vehicle requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dynamics by making the tablet configuration flexible and changeable through software programming. The tablets can be dynamically reconfigured to perform different functions depending on the vehicle application, allowing the system to adapt to specific requirements without physical customization, thus lowering manufacturing costs while preserving versatility
2Reliability
If redundant systems are implemented in commercial aircraft, then system reliability improves, but manufacturing and maintenance expenses increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies copying by using identical tablet units that can serve as redundant replacements for one another. Instead of maintaining complex custom-built redundant systems, the vehicle can use multiple copies of the same standardized tablet, where any failed tablet can be replaced by an identical unit, providing redundancy while simplifying maintenance and reducing costs
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies homogeneity by standardizing all tablets to be identical in hardware construction. This homogeneity enables simplified maintenance and replacement procedures, as technicians deal with uniform units rather than varied custom-built systems, thereby maintaining reliability through redundancy while reducing maintenance expenses
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple electronic control units are distributed throughout the vehicle, then system functionality is achieved, but system complexity and expense increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies merging by consolidating the functions of multiple distributed electronic control units into single centralized tablet computers. Instead of having numerous separate ECUs throughout the vehicle, the tablets can be programmed to perform multiple control functions, thereby reducing system complexity and the number of components while maintaining full vehicle functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies universality by designing tablets that can perform multiple ECU functions through software configuration. A single tablet can be programmed to handle climate control, entertainment, navigation, and other vehicle subsystems, replacing the need for multiple specialized ECUs and reducing overall system complexity while preserving functionality
Data Source
AI summary
A touchscreen vehicle dashboard is provided, in which are mounted a plurality of tablet computers. The tablets are reversibly mounted, so that they are readily removed and easily re-installed or replaced. The use of commercial tablet computers reduces the cost of the vehicle, and the cost of repairs, relative to comparable vehicles having custom command and control systems. Through a graphical user interface, the tablets report the output of the vehicle's sensors, and enable the operator to operate various vehicle systems via touch controls. As a safety feature, each tablet can be programmed to assume the role of any other tablet, providing redundancy that is particularly valuable in aircraft applications.