Vehicle Function Menu With On-Demand Unavailability Information
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing complexity of vehicle electronics and frequent alerts lead to information overload, with existing solutions failing to effectively inform drivers about unavailable functionalities, particularly for advanced features that are rarely activated due to specific conditions.
Innovation Solution
A device with a touchscreen menu that displays the state of vehicle functions as activated, deactivated, or unavailable, featuring an unavailability window providing specific information when a function is unavailable, allowing users to select and activate/deactivate functions while prioritizing unavailability information within this window.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If alert messages are displayed on screens to inform drivers of unavailable functions, then information completeness is improved, but information overload and clutter increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments information display by creating a dedicated unavailability window separate from the main menu. When a function is unavailable, its indicator is moved from the main menu to this specific window, which only displays unavailable function indicators. This segmentation prevents information clutter in the main menu while ensuring complete information about unavailable functions is still provided to the driver.
2Loss of information
If detailed unavailability information is always displayed in the main menu, then information completeness is improved, but driver attention and usability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts unavailable function indicators from the main menu and places them in a dedicated unavailability window. This extraction allows the main menu to remain clean and easy to operate, while the unavailability window specifically handles the display of unavailable function information. The driver's attention is not constantly drawn to the main menu for unavailability information, improving ease of operation while maintaining information completeness.
3Loss of information
If multiple screens are used to display all vehicle functions and alerts, then information completeness is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a temporal dimension to information display by using different display areas at different times. The unavailability window is activated specifically when functions are unavailable, while the main menu remains the primary display area for normal operation. This dimensional approach to information organization allows complete information display without requiring multiple physical screens, as the same screen dynamically adjusts its display areas based on the operational state.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates to a device (1) for controlling the activation/deactivation of at least one function (2) performed by electronic equipment of a vehicle, the device (1) comprising a screen (3) able to display a first menu (4) for activating/deactivating said functions (2) and having a plurality of displayed elements (5) comprising, for at least one of the functions (2), a state of the function (2) from among three states chosen from an activated state, a deactivated state and an unavailable state, the device (1) comprising selection means for selecting and activating at least one displayed element (5), characterized in that, when the state of a function (2b) is the unavailable state, the first menu (4) is designed to display an element (8) associated with said unavailable function (2b) and the selection of which makes it possible to display an unavailability window (9) containing unavailability information (10) regarding the unavailable state.