Vehicle Operation Control for Soft Key Detection Accuracy

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle-mounted apparatuses face malfunctions when controlling external apparatuses using soft keys displayed on a touch panel, as they cannot accurately determine which soft key has been pressed, leading to incorrect operation states and errors, especially when multiple functions are assigned to a single hard key like the play/pause button.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of an operation control apparatus in the vehicle-mounted apparatus that determines whether a touch panel press corresponds to an operation on a soft key by analyzing the change in audio information state and shifting the function acceptability state of the hard key accordingly, ensuring proper operation regardless of whether a hard key or soft key is used.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Area of stationary object

If soft keys are displayed on a touch panel based on image information from an external apparatus, then the space for hard keys can be reduced, but the vehicle-mounted apparatus cannot accurately determine which soft key has been pressed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespace for hard keysVSAvoiddetection accuracy of soft key press

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The external apparatus provides feedback by transmitting operational state information (play state, pause state) to the vehicle-mounted apparatus. The vehicle-mounted apparatus uses this feedback to determine whether a touch panel press corresponds to a soft key operation, thereby resolving the identification problem without requiring additional hard key space.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The operational state information transmitted from the external apparatus acts as an intermediary mechanism. Instead of directly identifying which soft key was pressed, the system uses the change in operational state as an intermediary indicator to infer the soft key operation, enabling accurate detection while maintaining space efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Device complexity

If multiple functions are assigned to a single hard key (e.g., play/pause button), then the number of hard keys can be reduced, but the function acceptability state may become incorrect when soft keys are used

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of hard keysVSAvoidfunction acceptability state accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses feedback from the external apparatus regarding operational state changes to correctly manage the function acceptability state of the hard key. When a soft key is pressed and the external apparatus transitions from play to pause state, this feedback ensures the hard key's acceptability state is updated accordingly, maintaining reliability despite multiple functions being assigned to one key.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The function acceptability state of the hard key is made dynamic rather than static. The system adapts the hard key's accepted function based on the current operational state, allowing the same physical key to reliably represent different functions (play or pause) depending on the context provided by the external apparatus's operational state.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Device complexity

If the vehicle-mounted apparatus transmits only pressed position information to the external apparatus, then the system simplicity is maintained, but the external apparatus cannot determine which specific soft key was pressed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication protocol complexityVSAvoidsoft key identification information

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The operational state information serves as an intermediary that carries the necessary identification information without requiring complex communication protocols. Instead of transmitting which specific soft key was pressed, the external apparatus uses the change in its operational state as an indirect indicator, maintaining system simplicity while preventing information loss.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of the vehicle-mounted apparatus identifying which soft key was pressed and transmitting that information, the approach is inverted: the external apparatus determines the soft key operation by observing changes in its own operational state after receiving the pressed position information. This inversion maintains communication simplicity while ensuring accurate soft key identification.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentUS9041670B2Operation control apparatus and operation control method for external apparatus connected to vehicle-mounted apparatus

Publication Date: 2015.05.26 ALPINE ELECTRONICS INC

AI summary

There are provided an operation determining unit which, when a touch panel is pressed, determines whether or not the press on the touch panel has been an operation on a soft key for designating one of the plurality of functions assigned to the one hard key, and a state transition unit which, when it is determined that the press corresponds to an operation on the soft key, shifts a function acceptability state of the one hard key. Thus, when the soft key corresponding to the hard key is pressed, the function acceptability state of the hard key is shifted to a correct state, even without actually operating one hard key.