Modular Vehicle HMI Widgets for Configurable Tactile Controls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern vehicles often lack customizable tactile controls, failing to meet user preferences for hardware interaction despite having configurable digital displays.
Innovation Solution
A modular programmable widget system for vehicles, comprising a configurable display and HMI display system, allows users to attach, remove, and configure tactile controls like buttons and knobs, with electrical connectors and secure attachment mechanisms, enabling customizable tactile HMI for various vehicle functions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If configurable digital displays are used in vehicles, then information display flexibility is improved, but tactile control capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The HMI system is divided into separate modular components: configurable digital displays for information presentation and detachable programmable widgets for tactile control. Each widget contains physical controls (buttons, knobs, switches) that can be independently configured and assigned to different functions, allowing users to have both digital flexibility and physical tactile feedback without integration conflicts
Solution Approach 2:
Programmable widgets act as intermediary devices between the user and the vehicle's electronic systems. These widgets provide physical tactile interfaces that communicate with the digital display system through electrical connectors, bridging the gap between tactile control needs and digital information display capabilities
2Ease of operation
If fixed tactile controls are provided, then user preference for hardware interaction is satisfied, but customization capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The programmable widgets feature dynamically reconfigurable controls where each physical control element can be programmatically assigned to different functions through software configuration. The widgets maintain fixed physical forms but offer dynamic functional adaptability, allowing users to customize control assignments while preserving tactile hardware interaction
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows changing the functional parameters of physical controls through software programming. Each widget can be configured with different function assignments, enabling the same physical control hardware to serve multiple purposes based on user preferences and operational contexts
3Adaptability or versatility
If modular programmable widgets are added, then tactile control customization is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the HMI functionality into separate modular widgets that can be independently manufactured, configured, and attached. Each widget is a self-contained unit with its own controls and configuration capabilities, reducing overall system complexity compared to integrated solutions while maintaining high customization potential
Solution Approach 2:
The programmable widgets are designed as universal components that can be attached to various display units and configured for different functions. The standardized electrical connectors and configuration protocols allow the same widget hardware to serve multiple purposes across different vehicle applications, reducing the need for specialized components
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle system is provided for a modular human-machine interface (HMI). The system includes a configurable display of a vehicle; and an HMI display system of the vehicle, in communication with the configurable display. The HMI display system is configured to, responsive to detection of presence of a modular programmable widget having one or more physical controls, present a user interface to the configurable display for the configuration of the one or more physical controls of the modular programmable widget, receive, via the user interface, input assigning functions to the one or more physical controls, save the function assignment to display settings of the HMI display system, and in a runtime mode, perform an assigned function responsive to user input to the one or more physical controls.