Most Recent Update: Sep 12, 2019
Comments: Diagram added. Will continue to add more details on switch functionality
Introduction
As we have continued to progress through the design cycle of MS-XIV, the vision of the interiors team has also continued to evolve and develop.
The main focus of interiors has and will continue to be on the occupants of the vehicle. However, our vision must also be designed around the higher goals of the car and the team.
For MS-XIV, we set out to design the winning cruiser-class solar car. In order to support this vision, interiors must also reframe its vision.
The 3 pillars of interiors should be:
- Minimalistic scoring-focused design
- Strategic feature inclusion
- Designing for ease of manufacturing and implementation
With this in mind, driver controls must also be designed as to build on these pillars. This means designing things in such away that they are strategic in points-scoring (both practicality and efficiency) while also being easily implemented both in hardware and in firmware.
Major Features
Driver Controls can be broken down as follows
Barebones Driver Controls & Display:
- Push-to-start
- E-stop
- Cabin BPS indicator
- Horn
- Accelerator Pedal
- Brake Pedal
- (Electronic) Parking Brake (*the electronic part is a strategic feature)
- Steering Wheel
- Turn Signal
- Drive State Selection (P,R,N,D)
- Headlights
- Hazard Light
- Rearview Camera
- Speedometer
Strategic Feature Inclusions:
- Side Cameras
- Cruise Control
- Regen Braking Toggle
- Radio PTT
- Infotainment Screen with smartphone connectivity
- Sound system
- Adjustable ventilation fans
These features are summarized below:
| Barebone Feature | Physical Location in Car | Primary Functionality | Secondary Functionality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Push-to-start | Centre console | Turns on car | |
| E-stop | Centre console | Driver presses button to kill car | Indicator light illuminates on dash |
| Cabin BPS indicator | Centre console | Turns on if BPS fault | |
| Horn | Steering wheel | honk | |
| Accelerator Pedal | Pedal cluster | go faster | |
| Brake Pedal | Pedal cluster | mechanical brake; regen brake | brake light, disables cruise control, enables car to be turned on, enables shifting drive modes into D or R |
| (Electronic) Parking Brake | Centre console | engage electronic parking brake | indicator light on dash |
| Steering Wheel | Steering wheel | turns car | resets turn signals stalk |
| Turn Signal | Power Stalk | blinky lights, either temporary or locked | |
| Drive State Selector | Centre Console | Changes drive mode from Park, Reverse, Neutral, and Drive | Appropriate rear signal lights turn on. reverse = reverse lights, all else = running lights Drive mode indicated on dash |
| Headlights | Power Stalk | headlights turn on, toggle between off, on, and maybe hi-beam? | indicator light for on and hi-beam on dash |
| Hazard Light | Centre console | flashy flashy | |
| Rearview Camera | Centre console or dash | continuous rearward vision (from 0-30 deg from centre) | |
| Speedometer | Dash | continuously displays speed of car | |
| Strategic Features | Physical Location in Car | Primary Functionality | Secondary Functionality |
| Side Cameras | Centre console or dash | intermittent L/R side vision (30-60 deg from centre) | |
| Cruise Control (CC) | Steering wheel | maintains vehicle speed when activated. Target speed can be increased/decreased using buttons on steering wheel. CC can be disabled either from steering wheel or by pressing brake pedal | indicator light on dash. shows target speed on dash |
| Regen Braking Toggle | Steering Wheel | Turns on/off regen | Regen level displayed on dash |
| Radio PTT | Steering wheel | activates radio | indicator light on dash |
| Infotainment Screen with smartphone connectivity | Center console | shows a range of information non-essential to driving; supports android auto and apple car play for maps, music | |
| Sound System | Throughout vehicle | Plays sick beats | |
| Adjustable ventilation fans | Dash | Adjusts fan power for occupant ventilation |
Archived Resources: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1x7w4-MW3RmPzg76oRLMWgeVUpJ6C05qT
