Touchscreen-Based Display Stowage Detection in Vehicle Armrests
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing display devices stored within vehicle armrests that do not rotate about a horizontal axis for stowage cannot be accurately detected using rotation sensors, necessitating costly sensor additions and recertification, which is undesirable.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing a housing with an object that interacts with the display screen to simulate a touch, allowing the display device to automatically power off when stowed by detecting specific patterns of interaction with the touchscreen.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If rotation sensors are used to detect stowage position, then detection accuracy is improved for rotating displays, but additional sensor electronics must be added which increases cost and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the display device's existing touchscreen to create a virtual copy of a physical sensor. By simulating touch events through software when the display is in stowage position, the system replicates sensor functionality without adding physical sensor electronics, thereby maintaining detection accuracy while reducing complexity and cost
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical sensor detection system with a software-based touch simulation system. Instead of using physical rotation sensors to detect stowage position, the system uses software to simulate touch events on the touchscreen, substituting a mechanical sensing approach with an information-processing approach that leverages the existing display interface
2Reliability
If additional sensor electronics are added to detect stowage, then detection capability is improved, but manufacturing cost and recertification requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the display device to detect its own stowage position using its existing touchscreen interface. The touchscreen serves dual purposes: as the user interface for normal operation and as a sensor for detecting stowage position through simulated touch events. This self-service approach eliminates the need for additional sensor electronics, reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining detection capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the touchscreen multi-functional by using it both as a user interface and as a sensor for stowage detection. The same touchscreen hardware serves dual purposes, eliminating the need for separate sensor components and thereby reducing manufacturing complexity and cost while maintaining reliable detection capability
3Ease of operation
If the display device remains powered on during stowage, then accessibility is improved, but power consumption and heat generation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the simulated touch events trigger the display device to automatically power down when stowage position is detected. The system continuously monitors for touch events, and when a stowage-pattern touch is detected, it activates a power-down sequence, creating a closed-loop control system that adjusts power state based on detected position
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary detection of stowage position through simulated touch events before actually powering down the display. The system detects the stowage condition in advance and then initiates the power-down sequence, allowing for a controlled transition from powered-on to powered-off state rather than an abrupt shutdown
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, apparatus, and methods are described herein for display stowage detection. A display device having a display screen can be disposed within a housing, such as an armrest of a vehicle. The housing can have one or more objects disposed within an interior of the housing such that the one or more objects interact with the display screen of the display device when the display device is being inserted into and/or removed from the housing. The specific interaction of the one or more objects with the display screen as the display device is being inserted into the housing causes the display device to automatically power off the display screen.