Remote control means

• US 7,456,777 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2006
• Issued: 11/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BURY Spzoo
• Original Assignee: BURY Sp. z o.o.
• Inventors: Piekarz, Roman
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, ALBERT KANG
• Application Number:
  US11/399,596
• Publication Number:
  US 20070100509A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 341/173, 341/176, 341/20, 361/680, 361/681, 224/577, 224/578
• US Class Current: 341/176
• 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: B60R 2011/0059 using clips, clamps, straps or the like

Abstract

A remote control for electronic devices in motor vehicles, having a holding part with attachment elements for mounting the holding part on a steering wheel in a releasable manner, having operator control keys on a housing of the remote control means, and having a unit for transmitting control signals, which are triggered by operating the operator control keys, to the at least one electronic device, has at least one operator control key which is arranged on the rear face of the housing of the remote control, which rear face points away from the driver when the remote control is mounted on the steering wheel, in such a way that a driver can use his fingertips to operate the operator control key when gripping the steering wheel.

Claims

1. A remote control means for electronic devices in motor vehicles, having a holding means with attachment elements for mounting the holding means on a steering wheel in a releasable manner and which prevents slipping or twisting on said steering wheel, having operator control keys arranged on at least two surfaces of a housing of the remote control means, and having a unit for transmitting control signals, which are triggered by operating the operator control keys, to the at least one electronic device, and further having at least one operator control key is arranged on the rear face of the housing of the remote control means, which rear face points away from the driver when the remote control means is mounted on the steering wheel, in such a way that a driver can use his fingertips to operate said operator control key when gripping the steering wheel when the remote control means is mounted on the steering wheel, wherein further operator control keys are arranged on the front face of the housing of the remote control means.

2. The remote control means as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing of the remote control means has locking elements for clamping the housing of the remote control means to the holding means in a releasable manner.

3. The remote control means as claimed in claim 1, wherein operator control keys on the front face comprise a 10-digit numerical keypad plus special characters.

4. The remote control means as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmission unit is designed to transmit radio data, optical data, in particular with an infrared transmitter, or acoustic data, in particular with ultrasound.

5. The remote control means as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one operator control key is in the form of a rotary rocker or rotary regulator.

6. The remote control means as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one operator control key is in the form of a switch.

7. The remote control means as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one operator control key has a tactile marker on one surface.

8. The remote control means as claimed in claim 1, distinguished by an illumination unit in the remote control means.

9. The remote control means as claimed in claim 8, wherein the illumination unit can be activated as a function of operation of the operator control keys.

10. The remote control means as claimed in claim 8, distinguished by a light sensor, which is connected to the illumination unit, in the housing of the remote control means for activating the illumination means when a defined brightness limit is not reached, with the illumination unit being designed to switch on the illumination means after any operator control key is operated and a brightness limit is not reached.