Vehicle Component Stiffness Modulation for Tactile Feedback
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Drivers face challenges in safely operating vehicle control systems as they need to look away from the road to determine the mode and available input gestures, increasing the risk of collisions.
Innovation Solution
A system that modifies the stiffness of vehicle components such as the armrest, steering wheel, and knob based on the mode of the vehicle control system, allowing drivers to determine the mode and available inputs through tactile feedback without looking at the screen.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If visual display and multiple input modes are provided, then system functionality and user control options are improved, but driver safety deteriorates due to required visual attention on the screen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces visual display mechanisms with haptic feedback mechanisms. Different stiffness levels in the armrest provide tactile information about system mode and available gestures, substituting the need for visual screen monitoring with mechanical feedback that the driver can perceive through touch while keeping hands on the wheel.
Solution Approach 2:
The armrest acts as an intermediary device that translates system state information into tactile feedback. Rather than directly displaying information on a screen that requires visual attention, the system uses the armrest's mechanical properties to communicate mode and gesture availability to the driver through touch.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple input gestures are supported, then system adaptability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to driver confusion about available gestures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different local qualities (stiffness levels) to different regions or states of the armrest to indicate specific gestures. By varying the mechanical property of the armrest itself rather than using separate indicators, the system provides localized tactile feedback that corresponds to specific input options available in the current mode.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses changes in mechanical property (stiffness) analogous to color changes in visual systems. Different stiffness levels serve as tactile 'colors' or indicators that communicate system state and available gestures to the driver through touch, similar to how visual systems use color to convey information.
3Loss of information
If mode information is displayed on screen, then information availability is improved, but loss of time increases due to driver needing to look away from road
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes visual information display with mechanical feedback. Instead of displaying mode information on a screen that requires the driver to look away from the road, the system encodes mode information in the mechanical properties of the armrest, allowing the driver to obtain information through touch while maintaining visual attention on driving conditions.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
A system for modifying a stiffness of at least a portion of a vehicle component includes one or more devices coupled to the vehicle component and a processor coupled to the one or more devices. The processor is configured to determine that a software application has switched from a first mode to a second mode and cause the one or more devices to modify the stiffness of the at least a portion of the vehicle component from a first stiffness associated with the first mode to a second stiffness associated with the second mode.