Vehicle Wireless Charger Interruption Detection and Notification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless charging systems in vehicles often experience interruptions due to movement of mobile devices caused by vehicle inertia during travel, which can be misinterpreted as intentional action by passengers, leading to inadequate notification of charging interruptions.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle control apparatus with an interruption detector, cause determination unit, and notification controller that distinguishes between interruptions caused by vehicle inertia and those caused by passengers, providing more prominent notifications for the former.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the notification system notifies all charging interruptions equally, then all interruptions are communicated to passengers, but important interruptions (inertia-caused) are not distinguished from less important ones (passenger-caused)
Solution Approach 1:
The notification controller implements feedback by detecting the cause of charging interruption through the cause determination unit. The system continuously monitors charging status, detects interruptions, determines whether they are caused by vehicle inertia or passenger action, and adjusts notification prominence accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures that notification strategy is dynamically adapted based on the detected cause, resolving the contradiction between providing complete information and avoiding unnecessary complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The notification system applies local quality by differentiating notification prominence based on the specific cause of interruption. Instead of using a uniform notification approach, the system provides prominent notifications specifically for inertia-caused interruptions while using subtle or no notifications for passenger-caused interruptions. This localized differentiation ensures that critical information is emphasized without adding unnecessary complexity to the overall notification mechanism.
2Reliability
If prominent notifications are provided for all charging interruptions, then passengers are well-informed about charging status, but unnecessary distractions occur during intentional interruptions by passengers
Solution Approach 1:
The notification controller changes the parameter of notification prominence based on the detected cause of interruption. When inertia-caused interruption is detected, the notification parameter is set to prominent mode to ensure reliable information delivery. When passenger-caused interruption is detected, the notification parameter is adjusted to subtle or suppressed mode to eliminate harmful distractions. This dynamic parameter adjustment resolves the contradiction between maintaining reliable detection and avoiding harmful side effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts the potentially harmful effect of passenger distraction into a beneficial outcome by using the cause determination unit to identify when interruptions are intentionally caused by passengers. Instead of treating all interruptions uniformly and causing unnecessary distraction, the system recognizes passenger-caused interruptions and adjusts notifications accordingly, transforming what could be a harmful distraction into a beneficial, context-aware notification strategy that maintains reliability without causing harm.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If subtle notifications are used for all charging interruptions, then passenger distraction is minimized, but important inertia-caused interruptions are not adequately communicated
Solution Approach 1:
The notification controller dynamically changes the notification parameter based on the detected cause. For inertia-caused interruptions, the parameter is set to prominent to prevent information loss. For passenger-caused interruptions, the parameter is set to subtle to minimize distraction. This conditional parameter adjustment resolves the contradiction between minimizing harmful distractions and preventing important information loss.
4Ease of operation
If the system determines cause of interruption, then notification appropriateness is improved, but system complexity increases due to additional detection and determination functions
Solution Approach 1:
The notification controller implements multi-functionality by integrating multiple functions into a single component: detecting charging status, detecting interruptions, determining the cause of interruptions, and selecting appropriate notification strategies. This universal approach allows the system to improve notification appropriateness without proportionally increasing overall system complexity, as the notification controller performs multiple functions that would otherwise require separate components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively notifies drivers of charging interruptions due to vehicle movement without intention, encouraging them to reposition devices and resume charging, while minimizing distractions during intentional interruptions by passengers.
Implementation Method 1
a wireless charger for charging a mobile device that is placed on the wireless charger
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle control apparatus is to be provided in a vehicle including a wireless charger that charges a mobile device placed on the wireless charger. The vehicle control apparatus includes an interruption detector, a cause determination unit, and a notification controller. The interruption detector detects interruption of charging of the mobile device by the wireless charger, based on an operating state of the wireless charger. The cause determination unit determines whether a cause of the interruption of the charging is a first or second cause. The first cause is that the mobile device is moved by inertia during traveling. The second cause is that the mobile device is moved by a passenger. When the cause is determined as being the first cause, the notification controller notifies information about the interruption of the charging in a more prominent manner than when the cause is determined as being the second cause.