Programmable foot switch useable in a communications user interface in a vehicle
First Claim
1. A user interface for a wireless communications system in a vehicle, the user interface comprising:
- an in-vehicle communications controller for controlling wireless communications within the vehicle; and
at least one foot pedal for providing input to the controller to control wireless communications within the vehicle.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A communications system for a vehicle having a foot pedal useable to control communications at a user interface in the vehicle. By controlling the user interface at least in part through activation of the foot pedal, communications in the vehicle are made more convenient and less dangerous as the user need not use his hands to operate the communications user interface. The foot pedal may perform a dedicated communications control function, or may be programmable to perform a communications control function of a user'"'"'s choosing. Several foot pedals may be used, either in conjunction with a single seat, or each associated with a particular seat in the vehicle. Foot pedal communication settings may also be stored within the communications user interface for easy retrieval, and may be retrievable through entry of a user ID, such as may come from a key fob.
42 Citations
35 Claims
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1. A user interface for a wireless communications system in a vehicle, the user interface comprising:
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an in-vehicle communications controller for controlling wireless communications within the vehicle; and
at least one foot pedal for providing input to the controller to control wireless communications within the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A user interface for a vehicle, the user interface comprising:
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a controller for controlling a plurality of operations of the vehicle; and
at least one programmable foot pedal for providing input to the controller to control at least one of the plurality of operations of the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A communication system in a vehicle comprising:
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a programmable foot switch;
a controller that is capable of receiving an input from the programmable foot switch; and
a wireless network device that is capable of establishing a wireless communication link in response to the input received by the controller from the programmable foot switch. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32)
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33. A communication system in a vehicle for establishing a wireless communication channel, the communication system comprising:
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a controller;
a user interface connected to the controller, the user interface having a foot switch, a microphone, a speaker, and a means for allowing a user in the vehicle to select from a plurality of wireless communication channels; and
a Telematics control unit in wireless communication with a remote server;
wherein the controller is configured to only allow audio from the microphone to be transmitted through the Telematics control unit to the remote server when the user presses the foot switch and is configured to only allow audio received from the remote server to be heard by the user when the user is not pressing the foot switch. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35)
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Specification