Abstract
In this paper, we describe a novel human interaction platform in a car, called buttons on demand, that will serve as buttons inside the interior of a car, which can be called upon and activated when required but remain concealed and inactive when not required. The mechanism to obtain such interaction is driven by a combination of smart materials and mechanical design. The elaboration of smart materials and mechanical design employed to achieve this mechanism is discussed. A demonstration of how the buttons on demand mechanism described in this paper can potentially substitute or minimize the use of bulkier physical buttons in cars and provide the user with haptic and tactile feedback with low power consumption and fast response time is also presented.
Highlights
Actuators 2021, 10, 251. https://Automobiles have become an integral part of people’s everyday lives as they help people commute from one place to another
Several works on the development of buttons that can provide haptic feedbacks and appear or disappear depending on their state have been undertaken by several groups, most notably mechanical buttons on demand that are driven using the electric motor [6], Tactus technology whereby the protrusion of the buttons are controlled by the movement of compressed fluid through narrow channels [7], and buttons whose actuation are controlled by an electro-magnetic mechanism [8]
We present a novel approach for the buttons on demand mechanism that combines mechanical design with smart materials to obtain the activation and inactivation of the buttons when required
Summary
Automobiles have become an integral part of people’s everyday lives as they help people commute from one place to another. Several works on the development of buttons that can provide haptic feedbacks and appear or disappear depending on their state have been undertaken by several groups (including Continental Automotive GmbH), most notably mechanical buttons on demand that are driven using the electric motor [6], Tactus technology whereby the protrusion of the buttons are controlled by the movement of compressed fluid through narrow channels [7], and buttons whose actuation are controlled by an electro-magnetic mechanism [8] These works have their respective limitations, such as the bulky size of the mechanical motor, the possible leakage of the fluid and friction between the fluid and the channels, and the relatively high voltage required to drive the electro-magnetic mechanism. Demonstration of the buttons on demand prototype that has been connected with the user interface software and efforts on visual enhancement of the buttons on demand are described in this paper
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