# US 10,118,490 B2 · Touch-pad integrated steering wheel for a motor vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,118,490 B2 - Document ID: US10118490B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/848,695 - Filed: 2010-08-02 - Published: 2011-02-10 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2009-08-06 - Assignees: Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft - Applicants: William Brian Lathrop - Inventors: William Brian Lathrop - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10118490B2 ## CPC - B60K 35/10: Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor - B60K 35/20: Output arrangements, i.e. from vehicle to user, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor - B60K 35/60: Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles (arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10) - G06F 3/03547: {Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface} - G06F 3/04883: for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text - B60K 2360/782: on the steering wheel - 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 - G06F 2203/04809: Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard - Y10T 74/20834: Hand wheels - B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## 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 ### Claim 1 A motor vehicle, comprising: a steering wheel extending substantially within a plane; a touchpad including a touch-sensitive surface adapted to input commands integrated into the steering wheel and situated in a channel extending substantially within the plane of the steering wheel; and a control system having an interface operably connected to the touchpad, and an evaluation module operably connected to the interface to register a coordinate of a first touch on the touchpad, and to determine a type of the first touch; wherein a course of the channel is (a) boomerang-shaped or (b) v-shaped, the touchpad is situated in a lateral region of the steering wheel, and no part of the touch pad is situated more than 15 cm from the edge of the steering wheel; wherein the type of the first touch is at least one of: (i) a withdrawal away from the touchpad; (ii) a pressing motion on the touchpad; and/or (iii) a touching motion on the touchpad; and wherein the touchpad includes (a) a grain, (b) a surface structure, (c) a structure, or (d) a texture; and wherein (a) the grain, (b) the surface structure, (c) the structure, or (d) the texture includes at least one group of convex dents. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the course of the channel includes a curvature in the plane that has an opening angle between 120° and 140°. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The motor vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the curvature opens downward when the steering wheel is directed straight ahead. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the 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. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the channel is between 65 mm and 45 mm long. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the channel is between 20 mm and 10 mm wide. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein (a) the grain, (b) the surface structure, (c) the structure, or (d) the texture is (a) rhombic, (b) square, or (b) rectangular. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The motor vehicle according to claim 7, wherein (a) the grain, (b) the surface structure, (c) the structure, or (d) the texture includes at least one group of dents. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein (a) the grain, (b) the surface structure, (c) the structure, or (d) the texture includes at least one group of bulges. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the touchpad is arranged in a lateral region of the steering wheel. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the touch-sensitive surface is a resistively touch-sensitive surface, or a capacitively touch-sensitive surface. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation module is adapted to register a coordinate of a second touch on the touchpad such that a distance between the coordinate of the first touch and the coordinate of the second touch is detected. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The motor vehicle according to claim 12, wherein, if the distance is within a specific threshold value, the coordinates are stored in the evaluation module. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation module is adapted to determine whether the first touch has been detected. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The motor vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the evaluation module is adapted to determine a type of the first touch including at least one of (i) a withdrawal from the touchpad; and/or (ii) a pressing action on the touchpad. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the touch pad is adapted to input commands to control a wirelessly connected mobile telephone. ### Claim 17 A motor vehicle, comprising: a steering wheel extending substantially within a plane; a touchpad including a touch-sensitive surface adapted to input commands integrated into the steering wheel and situated in a channel extending substantially within the plane of the steering wheel, a course of the channel including a curvature in the plane and a portion of the course of the channel extending radially; and a control system having an interface operably connected to the touchpad, and an evaluation module operably connected to the interface to register a coordinate of a first touch on the touchpad, and to determine a type of the first touch; wherein the course of the channel is (a) boomerang-shaped or (b) v-shaped, the touchpad is situated in a lateral region of the steering wheel, and no part of the touch pad is situated more than 15 cm from the edge of the steering wheel; wherein the curvature opens downward when the steering wheel is directed straight ahead; wherein the type of the first touch is at least one of: (i) a withdrawal away from the touchpad; (ii) a pressing motion on the touchpad; and/or (iii) a touching motion on the touchpad; and wherein the touchpad includes (a) a grain, (b) a surface structure, (c) a structure, or (d) a texture; and wherein (a) the grain, (b) the surface structure, (c) the structure, or (d) the texture includes at least one group of convex dents. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The motor vehicle according to claim 17, wherein the course of the channel includes a first section and at least one second section separated by the curvature from the first section. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The motor vehicle according to claim 18, wherein the first section is inclined between 2° and 20° with respect to horizontal when the steering wheel is directed straight ahead. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The motor vehicle according to claim 18, wherein the first section is situated above the second section when the steering wheel is directed straight ahead. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The motor vehicle according to claim 18, wherein the first section is inclined between 120° and 140° with respect to the second section. ### Claim 22 A motor vehicle, comprising: a steering wheel extending substantially within a plane; a first touchpad including a first touch-sensitive surface adapted to input commands integrated into the steering wheel and situated in a first channel extending substantially within the plane of the steering wheel, a course of the first channel being (a) boomerang-shaped or (b) v-shaped, the first touchpad is situated in a lateral region of the steering wheel, and no part of the first touch pad is situated more than 15 cm from the edge of the steering wheel; and a second touchpad including a second touch-sensitive surface adapted to input commands integrated into the steering wheel, spatially separated from the first touchpad, and situated in a second channel extending substantially within the plane of the steering wheel, a course of the second channel being (a) boomerang-shaped or (b) v-shaped, the second touchpad is situated in a lateral region of the steering wheel, and no part of the second touch pad is situated more than 15 cm from the edge of the steering wheel; and a control system having a first interface operably connected to the first touchpad, a second interface operably connected to the second touchpad, a first evaluation module operably connected to the first interface, and a second evaluation module operably connected to the second interface to register a coordinate of a first touch on at least one of the first and second touchpads, and to determine a type of the first touch; wherein the type of the first touch is at least one of: (i) a withdrawal away from the at least one of the first and second touchpads; (ii) a pressing motion on the at least one of the first and second touchpads; and/or (iii) a touching motion on the at least one of the first and second touchpads; and wherein the first and second touchpads include (a) a grain, (b) a surface structure, (c) a structure, or (d) a texture; and wherein (a) the grain, (b) the surface structure, (c) the structure, or (d) the texture includes at least one group of convex dents. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The motor vehicle according to claim 22, wherein the course of the first channel is in a mirror image to the course of the second channel. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The motor vehicle according to claim 22, wherein the first touchpad is arranged in a left lateral region of the steering wheel. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The motor vehicle according to claim 24, wherein the course of the first channel includes a curvature that opens to the right downward when the steering wheel is directed straight ahead. ### Claim 26 (depends on 22) The motor vehicle according to claim 22, wherein the second touchpad is arranged in a right lateral region of the steering wheel. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The motor vehicle according to claim 26, wherein the course of the second channel includes a curvature that opens to the left downward when the steering wheel is directed straight ahead. ### Claim 28 (depends on 22) 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. ### Claim 29 (depends on 22) The motor vehicle according to claim 22, wherein the first touch-sensitive surface is a resistively touch-sensitive surface, or a capacitively touch-sensitive surface, and the second touch-sensitive surface is a resistively touch-sensitive surface, or a capacitively touch-sensitive surface.