Steering wheel and integrated touchpads for inputting commands

• US 9,238,409 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2010
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Lathrop, William Brian, Small, Evan, Rodriguez, Enrique
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdulselam, Abbas
• Assistant Examiner(s): OLIVER, GERALD L
• Application Number:
  US12/848,657
• Publication Number:
  US 20110043468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,996 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 340/407.1, 340/407.2, 701/36
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/782 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: 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, a first touchpad integrated into the steering wheel adapted to input commands, a second touchpad integrated into the steering wheel and spatially separated from the first touchpad adapted to input commands, and 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.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle, comprising:

a steering wheel;

a first touchpad integrated into the steering wheel adapted to input commands;

a second touchpad adapted to input commands integrated into the steering wheel and spatially separated from the first touchpad;

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; and

a display adapted to represent a map detail, the map detail be scalable as a function of a touch motion over the first touchpad and a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad;

wherein the map detail is enlargeable as a function of a touch motion over the first touchpad and a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad, the touch motion over the first touchpad and the touch motion over the second touchpad being directed toward the edge of the steering wheel and in substantially opposite directions from each other.

2. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the first touchpad is situated in a left lateral region of the steering wheel.

3. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the second touchpad is situated in a right lateral region of the steering wheel.

4. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the map detail is reducible as a function of a touch motion over the first touchpad directed toward a center of the steering wheel and a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad directed toward the center of the steering wheel.

5. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the first touchpad is situated in a left lateral region of the steering wheel, the second touchpad is situated in a right lateral region of the steering wheel, and the map detail is enlargeable as a function of a touch motion over the first touchpad directed toward the left and a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad directed toward the right.

6. The motor vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the map detail is reducible as a function of a touch motion over the first touchpad directed toward the right and a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad directed toward the left.

7. The motor vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the map detail is shiftable in a direction of a touch motion over the first touchpad directed toward an edge of the steering wheel as a function of the touch motion over the first touchpad directed toward the edge of the steering wheel and a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad directed toward a center of the steering wheel.

8. The motor vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the map detail is shiftable in a direction of a touch motion over the first touchpad directed toward the center of the steering wheel as a function of the touch motion over the first touchpad directed toward the center of the steering wheel and a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad directed toward the edge of the steering wheel.

9. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a display adapted to represent a list of selectable list entries, the list scrollable at a first scrolling speed as a function of a touch motion over the first touchpad through the list, the list scrollable at a second scrolling speed as a function of a touch motion over the first touchpad and a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad, the second scrolling speed being greater than the first scrolling speed.

10. A motor vehicle, comprising:

a steering wheel;

a first touchpad integrated into the steering wheel adapted to input commands;

a second touchpad adapted to input commands integrated into the steering wheel and spatially separated from the first touchpad;

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; and

a display adapted to represent a map detail, the map detail be shiftable as a function of a touch motion over the first touchpad and a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad;

wherein the map detail is shiftable in a direction of a touch motion over the first touchpad directed toward an edge of the steering wheel as a function of the touch motion over the first touchpad directed toward the edge of the steering wheel and a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad directed toward a center of the steering wheel.

11. The motor vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the map detail is shiftable in a direction of a touch motion over the first touchpad directed toward the center of the steering wheel as a function of the touch motion over the first touchpad directed toward the center of the steering wheel and a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad directed toward the edge of the steering wheel.

12. The motor vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the first touchpad is situated in a left lateral region of the steering wheel, the second touchpad is situated in a right lateral region of the steering wheel, and the map detail is shiftable toward the left as a function of a touch motion over the first touchpad directed toward the left and a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad directed toward the left.

13. The motor vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the map detail is shiftable toward the right as a function of a touch motion over the first touchpad directed toward the right and a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad directed toward the right.

14. The motor vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the map detail is shiftable downward as a function of a downwardly-directed touch motion over the first touchpad and a simultaneously-occurring downwardly-directed touch motion over the second touchpad.

15. The motor vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the map detail is shiftable upward as a function of an upwardly-directed touch motion over the first touchpad and a simultaneously-occurring upwardly-directed touch motion over the second touchpad.

16. A method for operating a motor vehicle having a steering wheel, a first touchpad integrated into the steering wheel adapted to input commands, and a second touchpad integrated into the steering wheel and spatially separated from the first touchpad adapted to input commands, comprising:

detecting a touch motion over the first touchpad;

detecting a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad;

generating a command to operate a function of the motor vehicle as a function of the touch motion over the first touchpad and the simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad; and

displaying a map detail, the map detail scalable as a function of a touch motion over the first touchpad and a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad;

wherein the map detail is enlargeable as a function of a touch motion over the first touchpad and a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad, the touch motion over the first touchpad and the touch motion over the second touchpad being directed toward the edge of the steering wheel and in substantially opposite directions from each other.

17. A method for operating a motor vehicle having a display, a steering wheel, a first touchpad integrated into the steering wheel adapted to input commands, and a second touchpad integrated into the steering wheel and spatially separated from the first touchpad adapted to input commands, comprising:

detecting a touch motion over the first touchpad;

detecting a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad; and

scaling a map detail represented by the display as a function of the touch motion over the first touchpad and the simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad;

wherein the scaling includes enlarging the map detail as a function of a touch motion over the first touchpad and a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad, the touch motion over the first touchpad and the touch motion over the second touchpad being directed toward the edge of the steering wheel and in substantially opposite directions from each other.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the scaling includes reducing the map detail as a function of a touch motion over the first touchpad directed toward a center of the steering wheel and a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad directed toward the center of the steering wheel.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the first touchpad is situated in a left lateral region of the steering wheel, the second touchpad is situated in a right lateral region of the steering wheel, and scaling including enlarging the map detail as a function of a touch motion over the first touchpad directed toward the left and a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad directed toward the right.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the scaling includes reducing the map detail as a function of a touch motion over the first touchpad directed toward the right and a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad directed toward the left.

21. A method for operating a motor vehicle having a display, a steering wheel, a first touchpad integrated into the steering wheel adapted to input commands, and a second touchpad integrated into the steering wheel and spatially separated from the first touchpad adapted to input commands, comprising:

detecting a touch motion over the first touchpad;

detecting a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad; and

shifting a map detail represented by the display as a function of the touch motion over the first touchpad and the simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad;

wherein the shifting includes at least one of;

(a) shifting the map detail left as a function of a touch motion over the first touchpad directed to the left and a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad directed toward the left;

(b) shifting the map detail right as a function of a touch motion over the first touchpad directed toward the right and a simultaneously-occurring touch motion over the second touchpad directed toward the right;

(c) shifting the map detail downward as a function of a downwardly-directed touch motion over the first touchpad and a simultaneously-occurring downwardly-directed touch motion over the second touchpad; and

(d) shifting the map detail upward as a function of an upwardly-directed touch motion over the first touchpad and a simultaneously-occurring upwardly directed touch motion over the second touchpad.