Technical article, 05.10.2020

Preh's future in vehicle interiors

It is undisputed that vehicle interiors are increasingly being dominated by touch displays. Quite worn-out, conventional control elements are not far from becoming obsolete. Automotive supplier Preh shows with its concepts from pre-development and series solutions the optimal combination possibilities of both worlds. A tidy and clear design can be implemented by using touch displays and omitting most buttons and switches. For example, Preh has developed a completely integrated operating system for an electric 800V sports car, which includes touch display, carrier frame, electronics and haptic feedback module.

Active haptic feedback gives the driver clear, noticeable feedback when selecting a function. This means that his view is not distracted from the traffic and road safety is increased. Thanks to special actuator integration, Preh can completely stimulate the large display without vibrations being transmitted to other interior components. 

Preh meets customers' current design requirements with a "seamless design" haptic concept. The new door control module, which can be installed without gaps, has no moving parts and can be supplied in either plastic, glass, leather, wood or carbon optics. With Preh's "Seamless Design," no buttons are used; therefore, breakthroughs can be completely dispensed with. Feeling aids, i.e. depressions and elevations, in the surface contribute to better haptic orientation. 

A clear advantage of touch displays is they can be individually configured for different vehicle platforms. But rotary knobs have not lost their raison d'etre either. The combination of a haptic rotating bezel with touch display is being used in series production for the first time in the Ford Mustang Mach-E. Here the rotary knob is applied to the touch display using the pre-bonding process without any breakthroughs and reveals the display inside the ring. It is even possible to attach several such haptic rotating rings to the touch display, for more variability in the HMI design.

Preh offers even more possibilities with the latest development of a movable and even removable rotary knob. The freely movable control element can be maneuvered across the entire display and also personalized. 

To Article (German version only)