Vehicle Touchscreen Actuator with Impact Displacement Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle user interfaces with touch-sensitive input surfaces and movably mounted actuating parts pose a risk of injury during collisions due to their mechanical stability, which is higher than conventional input devices, potentially causing harm to the operator.
Innovation Solution
The vehicle user interface incorporates means for the actuating part to displace from its operating position to a lowered position upon exceeding a predetermined impact force, with features like predetermined breaking points and elastically deformable areas on the carrier, ensuring the interface can retract without assigning switching or control functions to this displacement, thus reducing the overall height and risk of injury.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a touch-sensitive input surface with movably mounted actuating parts is used, then operating safety and ease of use are improved through haptic feedback, but the risk of injury in the event of a vehicle collision increases due to the mechanical stability of the input surface
Solution Approach 1:
The input surface is designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing it to dynamically change its position in response to impact forces. The surface can be displaced from its initial operating position toward the display device, enabling it to adapt to collision conditions and reduce injury risk while maintaining operational functionality during normal use.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates a cushioning mechanism that activates before severe injury can occur. The movable input surface acts as a cushioning element that can be displaced upon impact, absorbing and distributing collision forces before they reach the operator, thereby preventing injury while preserving the interface's operational capability.
2Strength
If the input surface is made of mechanically stable layers such as glass or plastic, then the structural integrity and durability are improved, but the risk of injury during collision is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanically stable input surface is coupled with a movable mounting mechanism that allows the surface to dynamically respond to impact forces. This combination maintains the surface's structural integrity and durability during normal operation while enabling it to safely displace during collisions, converting a potentially harmful rigid structure into a protective dynamic element.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanically stable input surface, which initially poses a injury risk during collision, is transformed into a beneficial protective element. By making the surface movable and coupling it with the display device, the system converts the surface's mechanical stability into a protective cushioning mechanism that absorbs and distributes collision forces, turning a harmful factor into a safety feature.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design reduces the risk of injury to the operator by allowing the actuating part to safely retract during a collision, maintaining interface functionality while minimizing the risk of harm from the impact.
Implementation Method 1
in the event of an impact force exceeding a predetermined amount and/or direction and acting on the actuating part
Implementation Method 2
areas that are elastically deformable, such as bending or folding points
Implementation Method 3
Previous approaches to this last principle made use of capacitive touch detection, in that the actuating part arranged on a capacitive touchscreen or capacitive touchpad interacted with the respective measuring capacitance
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
The invention relates to a vehicle user interface (1) having a housing (6), having a carrier (3, 4), having a touch-sensitive input surface (8) which is formed on the carrier (2, 4) and having an actuation part (2) which is arranged on the input surface (8) and is movably mounted on the input surface (8), wherein means (7, 9) are provided in order, in the event of an impact force (F) which exceeds a predefined magnitude and/or direction and acts on the actuation part, to enable an impact displacement (V) at least of the actuation part (2) from an operating position to a recessed position, which impact displacement (V) follows the impact force (F), wherein a switching or control function is not assigned to this impact displacement (V).