E-Mobility Engineering 016 l Aurora Powertrains eSled dossier l In Conversation: Thomas de Lange l Automated manufacturing focus l Torque sensing insight l Battery Show Europe 2022 report l Sodium batteries insight l User interfaces focus

easy reach of anyone in the car, allow customised access to and control of infotainment systems, mirrors, HVAC components and other features.” With many more options for interacting with the vehicle, getting the ergonomics right becomes far more complex. Channel selection While there are good rules of thumb for choosing the kinds of information to be conveyed through visual, acoustic and haptic channels, the optimum solution can vary as the driving situation changes, the HMI expert says. Visual channels are agreed as the best means of conveying primary data including speed and all space/ location-related information such as the proximity of obstacles shown by parking aids for example, while the acoustic channel works well for navigation and warnings in combination with visual cues. Haptics are good for immediate warnings and guidance, such as a vibration through the steering wheel to alert the driver to inadvertently wandering out of the lane. In this case, the haptic channel intuitively leads to the right response, the HMI expert says. However, none of these is necessarily the best option in all circumstances, so the interface must be adaptive. “For example, if the system recognises that the user is making a hands-free call, the navigation system should not use the acoustic channel at that moment, as it is then often perceived as annoying, even if acoustic navigation announcements work best in other situations,” he says. “Often a combination of channels works best, such as parallel visual and haptic output. The haptic sensory channel is an extremely good output method that the user perceives directly. However, this often has to be explained by another channel, telling the driver why the seat is vibrating, for instance.” Focus | User interfaces psychologist Paul Fitts, the law says that the time required to move rapidly to a target area is a function of the ratio between the distance to the target and the target’s width. The HMI expert confirms that Fitts’ Law is important in HMI development generally, with EVs being no exception. He explains that in order to make functions easier and safer to use according to the law, there are essentially two strategies. “On the one hand, there is the option of temporarily enlarged buttons on the touchscreen,” he says. “In this case, the system recognises the approach of the user’s finger and automatically adjusts the button size in the landing area of the finger. “On the other hand, the size and distance of buttons can be adjusted via configuration or personalisation options. For example, the user can choose to set minimal information features that include fewer menu buttons on the display, which can be displayed larger.” Modern interfaces also take passengers into account much more than before, so ergonomics as it relates to access to multiple systems from all seats is growing in importance, the UX software provider points out. “As just one example, Sony’s Vision-S EV prototype includes a total of nine displays scattered across the driver’s seat, centre console, front passenger seats and rear passenger seats,” he says. “These displays, which are within Some suppliers of user interface systems France Valeo +33 1 405 2020 www.valeo.com Germany Bosch +49 711 8110 www.bosch-home.co.uk Continental +49 51193801 www.continental.com Elektrobit +49 913177010 www.elektrobit.com Incari +49 3069535730 www.incari.com Japan Alpine Electronics +81 33726 1211 www.alpine.co.uk Denso Corporation +81 52 728 0771 www.denso.com Panasonic Corporation +81 6 6908 1121 www.holdings.panasonic/global USA Harman +1 203 328 3500 www.harman.com Visteon Corporation +1 734 627 7384 www.visteon.com Choosing which functions are best accessed using physical controls and which via graphical user interfaces is crucial in HMI design, with the drive selector being an obvious example (Courtesy of Incari) 68 Autumn 2022 | E-Mobility Engineering