MOTOR VEHICLE

• US 20110030502A1
• Filed: 08/02/2010
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: LATHROP, William Brian
• Granted Patent: US 10,118,490 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 74/552
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/782 on the steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/782 on the steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 37/06 of controls, e.g. controls knobs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20834 Hand wheels

Abstract

A motor vehicle includes a steering wheel and a touchpad integrated into the steering wheel, situated in a channel, and adapted to input commands.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle, comprising:

a steering wheel; and

a touchpad adapted to input commands integrated into the steering wheel and situated in a channel.

2. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the touchpad is concavely shaped.

3. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the touchpad forms a concavely shaped bottom surface of the channel.

4. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a course of the channel includes a curvature.

5. The motor vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the curvature opens downward when the steering wheel is directed straight ahead.

6. The motor vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the curvature has an opening angle between 120°

and 140°

.

7. The motor vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the curvature opens downward when the steering wheel is directed straight ahead.

8. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a course of the channel is at least one of (a) boomerang-shaped and (b) v-shaped.

9. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a course of the channel includes a section that is inclined between 2°

and 20°

with respect to horizontal when the steering wheel is directed straight ahead.

10. The motor vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the course of the channel includes a first section and at least one second section separated by the curvature from the first section.

11. The motor vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the first section is inclined between 2°

and 20°

with respect to horizontal when the steering wheel is directed straight ahead.

12. The motor vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the first section is situated above the second section when the steering wheel is directed straight ahead.

13. The motor vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the first section is inclined between 120°

and 140°

with respect to the second section.

14. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the channel is between 65 mm and 45 mm long.

15. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the channel is between 20 mm and 10 mm wide.

16. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the touchpad includes at least one of (a) a grain, (b) a surface structure, (c) a structure, and (d) a texture.

17. The motor vehicle according to claim 16, wherein the at least one of (a) the grain, (b) the surface structure, (c) the structure, and (d) the texture is at least one of (a) rhombic, (b) square, and (b) rectangular.

18. The motor vehicle according to claim 17, wherein the at least one of (a) the grain, (b) the surface structure, (c) the structure, and (d) the texture includes at least one group of dents.

19. The motor vehicle according to claim 16, wherein the at least one of (a) the grain, (b) the surface structure, (c) the structure, and (d) the texture includes at least one group of bulges.

20. The motor vehicle according to claim 16, wherein the at least one of (a) the grain, (b) the surface structure, (c) the structure, and (d) the texture includes at least one group of convex dents.

21. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the touchpad is arranged in a lateral region of the steering wheel.

22. A motor vehicle, comprising:

a steering wheel;

a first touchpad adapted to input commands integrated into the steering wheel and situated in a first channel; and

a second touchpad adapted to input commands integrated into the steering wheel, spatially separated from the first touchpad, and situated in a second channel.

23. The motor vehicle according to claim 22, wherein a course of the first channel is in a mirror image to a course of the second channel.

24. The motor vehicle according to claim 22, wherein the first touchpad is arranged in a left lateral region of the steering wheel.

25. The motor vehicle according to claim 24, wherein a course of the first channel includes a curvature that opens to the right downward when the steering wheel is directed straight ahead.

26. The motor vehicle according to claim 22, wherein the second touchpad is arranged in a right lateral region of the steering wheel.

27. The motor vehicle according to claim 26, wherein a course of the second channel includes a curvature that opens to the left downward when the steering wheel is directed straight ahead.

28. The motor vehicle according to claim 22, further comprising a coordination module adapted to generate a command to operate a function of the motor vehicle as a function of a touch motion over the first touchpad and a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad.