Touchscreen Support Surface Setup for Vehicle Error Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor vehicle operating devices with touch-sensitive screens face challenges in user convenience and error prevention while driving, as they require a steady hand and often restrict screen design, and existing solutions either require complex hand position evaluation or prioritize keys, making it difficult to distinguish between intentional and unintentional inputs.
Innovation Solution
A method and operating device that allows users to set up a support surface on the touch-sensitive input surface by marking a contour, center point, or selecting suggested elements, which defines a region where fingers can rest without triggering actions, reducing operating errors and allowing for adjustable support surfaces without hardware changes, primarily through software adaptation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a touch-sensitive screen is used for vehicle operation, then user convenience is improved, but operating errors increase due to lack of tactile feedback and steady hand requirement
Solution Approach 1:
The touch-sensitive input surface is segmented into two functional zones: a support surface zone where users can rest their hands without triggering inputs, and an active input zone where touch actions are detected. This segmentation allows users to stabilize their hands while operating the device, reducing operating errors while maintaining touch interface convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The support surface acts as an intermediary element between the user's hand and the active input areas. It provides a tactile reference point and stabilization zone that mediates the interaction, allowing users to maintain steady hand positions without accidentally triggering input actions in the active zones.
2Reliability
If troughs are added to the touch-sensitive surface to provide support, then operating errors are reduced, but screen design freedom is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical trough structure with a software-defined support surface zone on the touch-sensitive display. Instead of physically modifying the screen surface with depressions, the system uses touch coordinate detection and zone-based input differentiation to provide hand support functionality, thereby maintaining full screen design freedom while achieving the same ergonomic benefit.
3Ease of operation
If hand position determination is implemented to adapt button positions, then ease of operation is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuously tracking and adapting button positions based on hand movement, the system preliminarily defines fixed support surface zones and active input zones before user interaction. This preliminary zonation provides immediate hand placement guidance without requiring complex real-time hand position analysis or dynamic interface reconfiguration, thus maintaining simplicity while improving ease of operation.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an operating device, a method and a computer-readable storage medium with instructions for setting up an operating device. In a first step, a set-up mode of the operating device is activated (10). Details regarding a support surface of the touch-sensitive input surface, in which a user can support his fingers, can then be determined (11). The support surface of the touch-sensitive input surface is defined on the basis of the determined details (12). Lastly, the set-up mode of the operating device is ended (13).