Human Machine Interface 4

[GrySql]

I was looking at a Ford on Etis tonight and one description in the list of the car equipment was "Human Machine Interface 4".

Now, that could be a switch, knob, button or lots of other gizmos but I wonder what that actually is and what it does, any ideas?

 

 

[jeff_h]

Yes - this is the module that translates the human's controls into the actions by the car to make them do what the human wants.

 

Next week I will hit the 1-year mark with my 2016 Volt and the only thing that was an issue was that I needed to have the HMI replaced, and a few others on the Volt forum reported the same. Shortly after I had mine replaced they put out a service bulletin that alerted dealers to either get a software update (I think that was the first step) or HMI replacement (if update didn't help) if the owner reported issues such as the following. I had the first two symptoms as the screen would go blank, and the volume knob would not work but the volume buttons on the steering wheel would work fine.

 

• Random Infotainment system resets while driving, screen temporarily goes blank and then returns after approximately 5 seconds
• The radio volume knob (non Cadillac) or slider bar (Cadillac) will not function
• The HVAC controls function but will not show changes on the display

 

So based on the list that you found in Etis, the Fusion Hybrid apparently has an 'HMI 4' to manage the human's inputs on the touchscreen etc into actions by the car.

[GrySql]

Thanks Jeff, that makes sense.

BTW, this Etis list was for an Explorer, not a FFH. Etis shows a lot of police package items in that Explorer summary list (ie. - Less Body Armor, Less Speaker Wiring - 2 Way Radio), so maybe it shows the specific HMI version for the VIN requested, Commercial or Police - my guess anyway.

 

 

[B25Nut]

One of the best books on the general subject of human and machine interface is Digital Apollo by David A. Mindell. It details the battles between the geniuses at MIT and the pilots/astronauts in the 1960s. It's a fascinating read that would be enjoyed by many on this forum.

[Waldo]

HMI in Ford's build sheets basically refers to the Sync package. Most Ford's have 3 different instrument clusters and 3 different center stacks (4in screen, touchscreen, touchscreen with Sony). Explorer probably has an extra one for Police so that bumps the count up to 4. So they use the term HMI to refer to that package.

Edited October 24, 2016 by Waldo