Snow Groomer Touchscreen Layout for Cross-Vehicle Operator Consistency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Operators of tracked vehicles face difficulties in managing diverse and personalized display interfaces across different vehicles, leading to increased complexity and preference for specific vehicles based on display familiarity rather than operational needs.
Innovation Solution
A tracked vehicle with a user interface featuring a touch-sensitive display that can be customized by the operator to display various data portions, allowing selection of preferred information and settings, thereby providing a unified and adaptable interface for different operators and vehicles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If each tracked vehicle has a different display layout and information placement, then each vehicle can be customized to specific operator preferences, but operators face difficulty in adapting to different vehicles and must learn multiple display configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The display device is designed to show multiple types of information simultaneously across different display areas, making it universal enough to accommodate various operator preferences and vehicle types without requiring separate customized displays for each vehicle
Solution Approach 2:
The display is divided into multiple display areas (first display area, second display area, etc.), each capable of showing different information types. This segmentation allows operators to view multiple parameters simultaneously while maintaining a consistent overall layout across different vehicles
2Loss of information
If all necessary information is displayed on a single display, then operators have access to all data in one place, but the display becomes cluttered and difficult to navigate
Solution Approach 1:
The display device is divided into multiple distinct display areas, each dedicated to showing specific types of information (e.g., vehicle parameters, accessory data, diagnostic information). This segmentation organizes information logically while keeping the overall display manageable and navigable
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of overwhelming operators with all information in a single area, the patent distributes information across multiple spatial dimensions (different display areas arranged in specific layouts), making the information architecture more manageable and easier to navigate
3Adaptability or versatility
If operators must learn different display configurations for different tracked vehicles, then each vehicle can maintain its unique display characteristics, but operator training time increases and operational efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The display device is designed with a universal layout structure that can accommodate various information types and configurations within the same framework, allowing operators to transfer their display knowledge across different vehicle types while still accessing vehicle-specific information
Data Source
AI summary
A snow groomer with touch screen controls for tensioning tracks, suspension, drive unit, accessories and other, comprising:a plurality of tracks;at least one accessory device selected in a group comprising a shovel or blade, a tiller assembly and a winch assembly; anda user interface comprising a display and a selector device for receiving commands from an operator, preferably the selector device is a device that detects a touch of an operator on the display;a control unit coupled to the user interface, in particular to the display, for sending images to be displayed to the display and receiving commands from the display which are related to the touches detected;wherein the control unit is configured to display on the display a main screen divided into a plurality of main screen portions, wherein the plurality of main screen portions are displayed together in the main screen and each in a different position in the main screen; wherein each main screen portion is configured to display an image that illustrates one or more pieces of data and/or information correlated to the tracked vehicle;the control unit is configured to detect one or more selections made by an operator, preferably on the display by means of a touch, corresponding to the type(s) of data or information that are required to be displayed in each portion of the display, and to display a main screen portion in each portion of the display, wherein each main screen portion is configured to illustrate a respective image relating to the data or information selected by the operator for said portion of the display.