Vehicle Display With Recessed Touchscreen and Rotary Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle display and control devices with mechanical buttons suffer from gaps that can allow liquids and food to penetrate, potentially damaging the electronics, especially during long journeys when drivers or occupants are inattentive.
Innovation Solution
A touchscreen display and control device with a closed operating surface, featuring a rotary or push control element and programmable control buttons arranged around a recess, eliminating gaps and providing tactile, acoustic, and visual feedback to enhance usability and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If mechanical control buttons are used, then ease of operation is improved, but gaps between buttons allow liquid and food ingress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical control buttons with a touchscreen display that detects touch inputs through capacitive or resistive sensing. This substitution eliminates the physical gaps between buttons while maintaining operational functionality, as the touchscreen surface is continuous and seamless, preventing liquid and food ingress while still allowing user interaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The touchscreen is implemented as a flexible or rigid thin film layer that covers the entire control surface without gaps. This continuous film acts as a barrier against liquid and food penetration while allowing touch detection through its sensitive layers, thus preventing harmful ingress while maintaining ease of operation.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a touchscreen is used, then gaps between buttons are eliminated, but tactile feedback is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The touchscreen incorporates feedback mechanisms such as haptic feedback (vibration or resistance simulation), visual feedback (display changes upon touch), or acoustic feedback (click sounds) to compensate for the lack of mechanical tactile feedback. This allows users to confirm their inputs through alternative sensory channels while maintaining the gap-free design.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If mechanical buttons with LED indicators are used, then visual feedback is provided, but gaps allow harmful substance penetration
Solution Approach 1:
The touchscreen serves multiple functions: it provides visual feedback through display changes, haptic feedback through vibration motors, and acoustic feedback through speakers. This multi-functional approach replaces the single-function mechanical buttons with LED indicators, eliminating gaps while maintaining and even enhancing feedback capabilities.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
A display and control device (10) for at least one vehicle component, which is in particular a radio, a CD and/or DVD or similar audio and/or video playback device, a navigation device, an infotainment device, a heating, ventilation and/or air conditioning control unit, or a human-machine interface, is provided with a mechanical control element (18) for setting an operating parameter of at least one first vehicle component and a touchscreen (12) for displaying information for the display of control buttons (14) and/or for entering further operating parameters for the first vehicle component and/or for at least one second vehicle component. The touchscreen (12) has a recess (16), and the mechanical control element (18) is arranged in the recess (16) of the touchscreen (12).