Steering wheel assembly for a motor vehicle

• US 7,605,694 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2007
• Issued: 10/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Germany GmbH (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata-Petri AG
• Inventors: Keudel, Frederike, Neumann, Delf, Prost-Fin, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US11/826,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20080023254A1
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 340/438, 340/575, 340/576, 180/272, 180/273, 701/45
• US Class Current: 340/438
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/179 Distances to obstacles or vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/782 on the steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/179 Distances to obstacles or vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/782 on the steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• 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 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• 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: B60N 2/02246 Electric motors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0244 with logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/026 varying hardness or support of upholstery, e.g. for tuning seat comfort when driving curved roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42763 with anti-submarining systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4279 electric or electronic triggering
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2002/981 Warning systems, e.g. the seat or seat parts vibrates to warn the passenger when facing a danger
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/161 characterised by additional means for controlling deployment trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/203 in steering wheels or steering columns
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/046 Adaptations on rotatable parts of the steering wheel for accommodation of switches
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/06 Rims, e.g. with heating means; Rim covers B62D1/11 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/029 : Steering assistants using warnings or proposing actions to the driver without influencing the steering system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 : indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 : having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 : Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 : Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space

Abstract

A steering wheel assembly for a motor vehicle is provided. The assembly includes a steering wheel, a steering wheel rim of the steering wheel at least partially rotating about a steering axis about which the steering wheel is mounted to be rotatable at an angle to the steering axis, at least one display device, arranged on the steering wheel, for displaying travel-related information of a motor vehicle, and at least one detection device, disposed on the steering wheel, for detecting an attentiveness level of the driver of the motor vehicle. The detection device is adapted to control the display device depending on the detected attentiveness level of the driver. The application is characterized that the at least one display device is mounted on the steering wheel rim.

Claims

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

a steering wheel rotatably mounted about a steering axis;

a steering wheel rim for activating the steering wheel;

at least one display device, arranged on the steering wheel, for displaying travel-related information of a motor vehicle; and

at least one detection device, arranged on the steering wheel, for detecting the state of attentiveness of a driver of the motor vehicle, wherein the detection device serves to actuate the display device as a function of the state of attentiveness of the driver, characterized in that, in a straight-ahead travel position of the steering wheel, the display device is arranged on the steering wheel rim along the vertical axis of the vehicle above the steering axis, and in that, in a straight-ahead travel position of the steering wheel, the detection device is arranged on the steering wheel rim adjacent to the display device along the vertical axis of the vehicle above the steering axis.

2. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the detection device is embodied as a camera.

3. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display device has at least a first and a second display element.

4. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the detection device is arranged along the steering wheel rim between the first and second display elements.

5. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the distance between the detection device and in each case one of the two display elements along the steering wheel rim is smaller than the width of at least one of the two display elements.

6. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein further detection devices are provided for detecting the state of attentiveness of the driver of the motor vehicle.

7. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein the further detection devices are embodied as cameras.

8. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the detection devices are arranged along the steering wheel rim in such a way that at least one of the detection devices is arranged on the vertical axis of the vehicle above the steering axis irrespective of the position of the steering wheel rim.

9. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein a hub element which can rotate about the steering axis and which is connected to the steering wheel rim by means of at least one spoke.

10. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein a region of the steering wheel rim which comprises the at least one display device.

11. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein an airbag module which is arranged on the hub element, having an airbag which, in order to protect the driver, can unfold in a main unfolding direction running on the steering axis, and as it unfolds transversely with respect to the steering axis it can impact against the region of the steering wheel rim.

12. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 11, wherein the region of the steering wheel rim interacts with the airbag in such a way that the latter is deflected in the main unfolding direction when it impacts against the region.

13. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 12, wherein the region for deflecting the unfolding airbag has a deflection slope.

14. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 12, wherein the region for deflecting the unfolding airbag has a surface with a low coefficient of friction.

15. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein a sensor device which can be arranged in or on the motor vehicle and has the purpose of detecting distances between the motor vehicle and objects in the surroundings of the motor vehicle.

16. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 15, wherein the display device is designed and provided for displaying the distances detected by the sensor device.

17. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 16, wherein a transmission unit for transmitting output signals of the sensor device to the display device.

18. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 15, wherein the sensor device is provided and designed for converting the measured distances into the size of a parking area.

19. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 15, wherein the sensor device is provided and designed for detecting whether a parking area in the surroundings of the motor vehicle is large enough to park the motor vehicle on this parking area.

20. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 15, wherein the sensor device is provided and designed for displaying information about a parking area by means of the display device.

21. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display device is provided and designed for displaying a speed limit.

22. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 21, wherein an activation device which is arranged in the vicinity of the steering wheel and is designed and provided for activating a cruise controller which limits the speed of a motor vehicle to the speed limit displayed by means of the display device.

23. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 22, wherein the cruise controller regulates the speed of the motor vehicle to the speed limit which is displayed by means of the display device.

24. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 22, wherein the activation device is arranged on the steering wheel.

25. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein an interface which is arranged on the steering wheel and via which at least an instantaneous rotational speed of an engine and/or a gear speed of a transmission of a motor vehicle can be transmitted to the display device in order to display the rotational speed and/or the gear speed.

26. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 25, wherein the display device is connected to an electronic evaluation system which is designed and provided for proposing to the driver a gear speed to be used at least as a function of the instantaneous rotational speed and the instantaneous gear speed.

27. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 26, wherein the display device is provided and designed for displaying the proposal.

28. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display device is embodied as a visual display.

29. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 28, wherein the visual display has at least one LED.

30. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 28, wherein the visual display has a plurality of LEDs.

31. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 30, wherein the visual display has an LED array.

32. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 28, wherein the visual display has a screen.

33. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display device is embodied as an acoustic indicator.

34. The steering wheel assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display device is embodied as a haptic indicator.