US 2026/0200317 A1Published application

Knob, vehicle, and method for controlling vehicle

AssigneesHyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation

InventorZhe LI

Life of this patent

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Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a control knob, a vehicle and a method for controlling the vehicle. The control knob may include a bottom portion, a top portion, and a controller circuit. The bottom portion may include: a contact panel and a magnet. The top portion may be configured to: connect to and rotate with respect to the bottom portion, and be pressed with respect to the bottom portion. The top portion may include a touch display panel. The controller circuit may be configured to: switch, based on receiving a control knob mode switching signal from the vehicle, an operation mode of the control knob; display, on the touch display panel, a user interface corresponding to control function information received from the vehicle; and transmit, based on a user input received by the top portion, an operation signal for a control function corresponding to the user input.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A control knob of a vehicle, the control knob comprising:

a bottom portion comprising:
a contact panel provided on a bottom surface of the bottom portion, and
a magnet installed on an inner surface of the contact panel, wherein the magnet is configured to attach, by magnetic force, to a magnetic material installed inside a display of the vehicle;
a top portion configured to:
connect to the bottom portion,
rotate with respect to the bottom portion, and
be pressed with respect to the bottom portion,
wherein the top portion comprises a touch display panel provided on an upper surface of the top portion;
and
a controller circuit configured to:
switch, based on receiving a control knob mode switching signal from the vehicle, an operation mode of the control knob to one of:
a multi-function mode, a remote-control mode, or a smart key mode;
display, on the touch display panel and based on the control knob being switched to the multi-function mode, a user interface corresponding to control function information received from the vehicle;
and
transmit, to the vehicle and based on a user input received by the top portion, an operation signal for a control function corresponding to the user input, wherein the user input comprises at least one of:
a rotation of the top portion, a press of the top portion, or a touch input on the touch display panel.

13 more elements

A vehicle comprising:

a display device comprising a magnetic material portion, wherein the magnetic material portion is configured to attach, by magnetic force, to a magnet installed in a removable control knob;
and
a controller circuit configured to:
transmit, to the removable control knob and based on a user input signal indicating an operation mode of the removable control knob, a corresponding control knob mode switching signal;
based on the operation mode of the removable control knob being a multi-function mode and based on receiving the user input signal regarding a control function, transmit, to the removable control knob that is attached to the display device, control function information corresponding to the user input signal;
and
control, based on an operation signal for the control function received from the removable control knob that is attached to the display device, the control function.

4 more elements

A method performed by an apparatus for a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving a user input requesting to switch an operation mode of a removable control knob of the vehicle to a multi-function mode;
switching, based on the receiving of the user input requesting to switch to the multi-function mode, the operation mode of the removable control knob to the multi-function mode by transmitting, to the removable control knob, a control knob mode switching signal for the multi-function mode;
receiving a user input signal regarding a control function;
based on receiving the user input signal, transmitting, to the removable control knob that is attached to a display device of the vehicle, control function information to cause the removable control knob to display, on a touch display panel of the removable control knob, a control knob user interface corresponding to the control function information;
receiving, from the removable control knob, an operation signal, for the control function, corresponding to a user operation of the removable control knob;
and
controlling, based on the operation signal, the control function.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 19/446,255Filed 12 Jan 2026
Priority: CN 202510051988.213 Jan 2025
Published: 16 Jul 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

B60K 35/10
Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles: input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle,…
B60K 35/212
Using visual output, e.g. blinking lights or matrix displays: displaying on manual operation elements, e.g. on a knob
B60K 35/22
Using visual output, e.g. blinking lights or matrix displays: display screens
B60K 35/60
Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles: instruments characterised by their location or relative…