Tailgate Lamp Switch Integration for External Vehicle Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle control systems require users to be inside the vehicle to operate components, limiting functionality and convenience, especially when users need to access or control external vehicle features without manual dexterity or while carrying heavy loads.
Innovation Solution
A system with an integrated button on an external vehicle structure, coupled with an electronic control unit (ECU), that allows manual actuation or proximity detection to initiate button selection events, enabling control of vehicle components such as doors, audio systems, and external power outlets without physical entry or dexterous movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If control devices are located inside the vehicle cabin on dashboard, then vehicle control functions are available, but users cannot control vehicle components when located outside the vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the control system into multiple segments: internal control devices within the cabin and external control devices on the vehicle exterior. This segmentation allows different control interfaces to serve different user locations and needs, enabling both interior and exterior control capabilities without interfering with each other.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extends the control interface from the traditional two-dimensional dashboard surface into three-dimensional space by placing buttons on external vehicle structures at various locations. This dimensional expansion allows users to access control functions from outside the vehicle, effectively adding a new spatial dimension for interaction.
2Adaptability or versatility
If small buttons are placed under door handles or lips for external control, then external vehicle component control is enabled, but users require dexterous movement to operate them
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making specific external structures (door handles, lips, bumpers) themselves functional control elements. Rather than adding separate small buttons, these existing structural components are designed with integrated buttons or actuation surfaces that can be operated with simple physical interactions like pushing, pulling, or leaning, accommodating users with limited hand dexterity.
Solution Approach 2:
The external button structures are designed to be operated through natural physical interactions with the vehicle components themselves (e.g., pushing the door handle, leaning on the bumper). This self-service approach allows the vehicle structure to facilitate its own control function without requiring separate control mechanisms or complex user actions.
3Ease of operation
If buttons are exposed on external vehicle structures, then external control functionality is accessible, but buttons may be accessed by unauthorized users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nesting by placing buttons inside or within the structure of existing external vehicle components (within door handles, inside bumper cavities, embedded in light assemblies). This nested arrangement maintains external accessibility for authorized users while providing natural concealment that deters or prevents unauthorized access by strangers or thieves.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the vehicle's existing external structures (door handles, bumpers, light covers) as protective shells that both expose and conceal the buttons simultaneously. These structures act as flexible interfaces that users can interact with while also serving as protective barriers that hide the buttons from casual observation or unauthorized manipulation.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for controlling a function of a vehicle by activation of a vehicle button includes a vehicle component configured to receive a signal and to perform an electrical or mechanical function in response to receiving the signal. The system further includes a physical structure located on an exterior of the vehicle and having an integrated button such that at least one of manual actuation of or physical proximity to the physical structure initiates a button selection event. The system further includes an electronic control unit (ECU) coupled to the vehicle component and to the integrated button and configured to identify the button selection event and to transmit the signal to the vehicle component in response to identifying the button selection event to cause the vehicle component to perform the electrical or mechanical function.