Reconfigurable Vehicle Accessory Controller With Tactile Switch Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle electronics controllers are limited in their ability to accommodate a wide range of accessories and lack tactile feedback, making them inadequate for off-road applications where multiple devices need to be controlled independently of the vehicle's ignition.
Innovation Solution
A reconfigurable controller system with a relay junction and a controller head unit that includes programmable switch buttons with independent indicator screens and a scroll dial, allowing for customizable input function mappings and unified control of multiple electronic accessories.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a unified controller aggregates switches for multiple accessories into a single head unit, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to different accessory types is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The controller employs a touchscreen display with graphical icons that can be dynamically reconfigured to represent different accessory types. The system adapts its interface based on which accessories are detected and connected, allowing the same physical controller to serve multiple accessory categories through software-based reconfiguration rather than hardware changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified controller head unit is designed to control multiple different types of accessories through a single interface. By using a touchscreen with reconfigurable graphical icons, the controller can universally manage various accessories (lights, winches, compressors, etc.) without requiring dedicated switches for each device type.
2Adaptability or versatility
If touch screen displays with graphical icons are used for reconfigurable control, then adaptability to different devices is improved, but tactile feedback is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the advantages of touchscreen reconfigurability with tactile feedback by combining graphical icons with physical switch buttons. Each switch button is associated with a graphical icon on the touchscreen, allowing users to benefit from both the visual customization and the tactile confirmation of physical switches.
Solution Approach 2:
The touchscreen display acts as an intermediary between the physical switch buttons and the accessory control system. It provides visual feedback and configuration options while the physical switches provide tactile input, creating a hybrid interface that mediates between tactile and visual interaction modes.
3Ease of operation
If pre-configured switch controllers with fixed categories are used, then ease of operation is maintained, but versatility for expanding accessories is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The controller transitions from static, pre-configured switch categories to a dynamic system where graphical icons can be reconfigured to match any connected accessory. The system automatically detects accessories and adjusts the displayed icons and control mappings accordingly, maintaining operational simplicity while enabling unlimited accessory expansion.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller changes its operational parameters by allowing users to customize the graphical icons and their associated functions. This parameter change enables the same physical controller to adapt to different accessory configurations without changing the hardware, thereby maintaining ease of operation while expanding versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
A reconfigurable controller system for one or more switchable electronic devices has a relay junction with a plurality of relay connections, each of which includes at least a load circuit input, a load circuit output connectible to a respective one of the one or more switchable electronic devices, and a control circuit line. A controller head unit connectible to the relay junction includes a plurality of switch buttons, each with an independent indicator screen programmable with one or more display outputs, and associated output functions to a specific one the control circuit lines generated when the switch is actuated. A scroll dial is receptive to a rotary input that responsively switches, for one or more of the plurality of switch buttons, given ones of the display outputs and associated output functions to another one of the display outputs and associated output functions.