Touch-Sensitive Vehicle Bodywork for Seamless Function Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing human-machine interface components in vehicles interfere with the aerodynamic and aesthetic profiles, necessitating joints and coupling elements that disrupt the body's smoothness and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle actuation system that allows operation through direct touch or gestures on the bodywork, utilizing sensorized panels with integrated sensing units to control movable parts without visible interfaces, enhancing aerodynamics and aesthetics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If human-machine interface components are assembled with the bodywork, then vehicle functions can be operated, but the aerodynamic performance and aesthetics are degraded due to joints and coupling elements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the function of physical interface components (handles, buttons, levers) and relocates it to touch-sensitive zones integrated directly into the bodywork surface. This eliminates the need for separate assembled components, removing joints and coupling elements that disrupt the aerodynamic profile while preserving all operational functions through contactless interaction zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the human-machine interface functionality with the bodywork structure itself by integrating touch-sensitive zones into the body panels. This combination eliminates the need for separate interface components and their associated mounting structures, achieving a unified surface that maintains both aerodynamic efficiency and operational capability.
2Ease of operation
If human-machine interface components are assembled with the bodywork, then vehicle functions can be operated, but the aesthetic appearance is degraded due to visible joints and coupling elements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts visible physical interface components from the bodywork surface and replaces them with integrated touch-sensitive zones. This removal of separate components eliminates visible joints and coupling elements, preserving the aesthetic continuity of the body surface while maintaining full operational functionality through contactless interaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different functional qualities to different zones of the bodywork surface. Specific areas are endowed with touch-sensitive properties that enable operational functions, while the rest of the surface maintains its pure aesthetic and aerodynamic qualities. This localized functional differentiation allows the bodywork to serve both aesthetic and operational purposes without compromise.
3Ease of operation
If separate human-machine interface components are used, then vehicle functions can be controlled, but the body aerodynamic performance is degraded due to interference with the profile
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts physical interface components from the external body surface and integrates their functionality directly into the body panels. This extraction eliminates protruding elements and joints that create aerodynamic drag and turbulence, allowing the body surface to maintain its streamlined profile while preserving all control functions through integrated touch-sensitive zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the control functionality with the aerodynamic surface by integrating touch-sensitive zones into the body panels. This merging eliminates the need for separate components that would interfere with the aerodynamic profile, achieving a unified structure that optimizes both airflow and operational control.
Data Source
AI summary
Method and vehicle presenting an actuation system sensitive to the direct touch between an external body and the bodywork; the actuation system having a sensing unit, which is shielded by the bodywork.