Steering Wheel Assembly for a Motor Vehicle and Method for Operating a Portable Functional Component

• US 20100321200A1
• Filed: 11/13/2007
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Takata - Petri AG (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata - Petri AG (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Bender, Jürgen, Germuth-Löffler, Michael, Bischoff, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,067,543 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.22
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0264 for control means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/001 Vehicle control means, e.g. steering-wheel or column
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20834 Hand wheels

Abstract

A steering wheel assembly is provided for a motor vehicle, comprising a steering wheel, at least one actuating element disposed on the steering wheel, the actuating element being mounted and provided for the actuation of at least one first functional component of the motor vehicle installed in the motor vehicle, and further comprising a control electronics unit cooperating with the actuating element for controlling the actuating element, wherein according to the invention the control electronics unit is configured to associate the actuating element with a portable second functional component, which is located in an effective environment of the control electronics unit such that the portable second functional component can be actuated instead of the first functional component by means of the actuating element. The invention further relates to a method for operating a portable second functional component in a motor vehicle having a steering wheel assembly according to the invention, comprising the following steps: receiving a first identifier of the portable second functional component by the control electronics unit, the subsequent returning of a second identifier to the portable second functional element by the control electronics unit, wherein at least the number of the actuating elements available at the steering wheel for actuating the second functional component is encoded in the second identifier, and selecting at least one actuating element from the number of available actuating elements by means of the portable second functional component.

Claims

1. A steering wheel assembly for a motor vehicle having:

a steering wheel, and

at least one actuating element which is arranged on the steering wheel and which is configured and provided for actuating at least a first functional component of the motor vehicle, which is installed in the motor vehicle, and

an electronic control unit which interacts with the actuating element and has the purpose of controlling the actuating element, characterized in that the electronic control unit is designed to assign the actuating element to at least one portable second functional component, which is positioned in the effective surroundings of the electronic control unit, with the result that the portable second functional component can be actuated by means of the actuating element.

2. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the electronic control unit is designed to assign the actuating element to the at least one portable second functional component in such a way that the portable second functional component can be actuated instead of the first functional component by means of the actuating element.

3. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the electronic control unit is arranged in the steering wheel.

4. The steering wheel as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the electronic control unit is designed to exchange data with the portable second functional component via a signal transmitting link, embodied for wireless exchange of data, in order to assign the actuating element to the second functional component.

5. The steering wheel as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the electronic control unit has, for the wireless transmission of data to the second functional component, a transmitting unit as a component of the signal transmitting link.

6. The steering wheel as claimed in one of claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the electronic control unit has, for the wireless reception of data from a portable second functional component, a receiving unit as a component of the signal transmitting link.

7. The steering wheel as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the effective surroundings of the electronic control unit is defined by the range of the signal transmitting link, wherein the effective surroundings are limited, to an interior space of a motor vehicle in which the steering wheel assembly is to be arranged.

8. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the actuating element has a plurality of settings which are each assigned an output signal of the electronic control unit for acting on a functional component.

9. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the electronic control unit is designed to transmit the output signals for the actuation of the first functional component to the first functional component.

10. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the electronic control unit is designed to transmit, in response to a first identifier transmitted by the second functional component to the electronic control unit via the signal transmitting link, a second identifier via the signal transmitting link to the second functional component in which at least the number of actuating elements which are available for operating the second functional component is encoded.

11. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the electronic control unit is configured and provided for assigning the output signals to the second functional component in response to a response signal, provided for this purpose, of the second functional component, with the result that the portable second functional component can be actuated instead of the first functional component by means of the actuating element.

12. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the electronic control unit is configured to use the transmitting unit to transmit to the second functional component (F) the output signals which are assigned to the second functional component.

13. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 4, characterized by an adaptor unit which is to be arranged in the effective range of the electronic control unit, is connected to the electronic control unit via the signal transmitting link and is configured and provided to be connected to the second functional component with the result that the adaptor unit can receive data from the second functional component and transmit data to the second functional component.

14. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that the adaptor unit is designed to transmit a response signal of the second functional component to the electronic control unit in order to cause the electronic control unit to assign output signals to the second functional component with the result that the second functional component can be actuated by means of the actuating element.

15. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that the adaptor unit has, for the transmission of the response signal, a transmitting unit as part of the signal transmitting link.

16. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 14 or 15, characterized in that the adaptor unit is designed to receive the output signals from the electronic control unit and to convert them and transmit them to the second functional component in such a way that the second functional component can be actuated by means of the actuating element.

17. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 16, characterized in that the adaptor unit has, for the reception of the output signals, a receiving unit as part of the signal transmitting link.

18. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the actuating element has a display element for displaying information.

19. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that the electronic control unit is configured to display an operating state, which can be varied by means of the actuating element, of the first or second functional component using the display element.

20. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized by a second functional component which is designed, in particular as one of the following functional components:

a portable navigation device, in particular satellite controlled, for displaying a route,

a portable PDA,

a mobile phone,

a portable audio device, in particular MP3 player, or

a portable PC (Notebook).

21. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the second functional component is designed to transmit the operating state, to be displayed by means of a display element, to the control unit via the signal transmitting link, in order to display the operating state by means of the display element.

22. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in one of claim 20 or 21, characterized in that the second functional component has a transmitting unit as a component of the signal transmitting link.

23. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 22, characterized in that the second functional component is configured to use the transmitting unit to transmit to the electronic control unit the operating state which is to be displayed, in order to display the operating state by means of the display element.

24. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 15, characterized in that the adaptor unit is designed to transmit, via its transmitting unit, the operating state to be displayed to the electronic control unit.

25. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the first functional component is embodied as one of the following functional components:

a car radio,

a telephone,

an on-board computer, and

a navigation device.

26. The steering wheel as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of actuating elements are arranged on the steering wheel, which actuating elements are configured and provided for actuating at least a first functional component which is installed in the motor vehicle.

27. The steering wheel as claimed in claim 26, characterized in that the electronic control unit is configured to assign a group from the totality of the actuating elements to a portable second functional component which is located in the effective surroundings of the electronic control unit, with the result that the portable second functional component can be actuated instead of at least a first functional component by means of the group of actuating elements.

28. A method for operating a portable functional component having a steering wheel assembly for a motor vehicle, comprising the steps:

providing a steering wheel assembly, having at least one actuating element which is arranged on the steering wheel and has the purpose of actuating at least one first functional component of the motor vehicle, which is installed in the motor vehicle and having an electronic control unit which interacts with the actuating element and has the purpose of controlling the actuating element,

receiving a first identifier, transmitted in a wireless fashion, to a portable second functional component by the electronic control unit,

subsequently wirelessly transmitting a second identifier to the second functional component by the electronic control unit wherein at least the number of actuating elements which are available at the steering wheel for operating the second functional component is encoded in the second identifier, and

selecting at least one actuating element from the number of available actuating elements of the steering wheel by means of the portable second functional component.

29. The method as claimed in claim 28, characterized in that by means of the second functional component, a response signal, provided for this purpose, is transmitted to the electronic control unit, in order to assign at least one actuating element of the second functional component, with the result that the second functional component instead of the first functional component with the at least one actuating element can be operated.

30. The method as claimed in claim 29, characterized in that, by means of the electronic control unit, different settings of the actuating element can each be assigned an output signal for acting on the first or second functional component in a uniquely defined way.

31. The method as claimed in claim 30, characterized in that the output signals are assigned to the second functional component by the electronic control unit after the electronic control unit has received a corresponding response signal from the second functional component.

32. The method as claimed in claim 31, characterized in that the output signals are transmitted in wireless fashion to the second functional component, with the result that the second functional component can be actuated by means of the at least one actuating element.

33. The method as claimed in claim 32, characterized in that the output signals are transmitted to the second functional component only if the transmission has been enabled by inputting an enabling code by means of the at least one actuating element.

34. The method as claimed in claim 29, characterized in that, by means of a display element which is provided on the at least one actuating element, an operating state, set by means of the at least one actuating element, of the second functional component is displayed if the at least one actuating element has been assigned to the second functional component.

35. The method as claimed in claim 34, characterized in that, the operating state which is to be displayed is transmitted in a wireless fashion to the display element via the second functional component.

36. The method as claimed in claim 30, characterized in that, the output signals assigned to the second functional component are assigned to the first functional component in that the second portable functional component is removed from the effective surroundings of the electronic control unit.

37. The method as claimed in claim 30, characterized in that, the output signals, assigned to the second functional component, are assigned to the first functional component by means of wireless transmission of an abort signal, generated by the second functional component, to the electronic control unit with the result that the first functional component can be actuated by means of the at least one actuating element.

38. The method as claimed in claim 29, characterized in that, when there is a first functional component which is configured and provided for outputting acoustic signals, acoustic signals of the second functional component are played back by means of the first functional component if the at least one actuating element is assigned to the second functional component.

39. The method as claimed in claim 29, characterized in that, during a playback of an acoustic signal by the second functional component an acoustic indication of the first functional component is switched to mute if the at least one actuating element is assigned to the second functional component.