Vehicle having a gearshift element arranged on the steering wheel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9415683-B2
Application number	US-201213367691-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 7, 2012
Priority date	Oct 17, 2009
Publication date	Aug 16, 2016
Grant date	Aug 16, 2016

Abstract

A vehicle has a transmission and a gearshift element pivotally arranged on a steering wheel of the vehicle. By actuating the gearshift element, the transmission is shiftable in an electrically controlled manner from one transmission gear to a next-higher or a next-lower transmission gear. At least one electric switch element and/or at least one optical display device is arranged on the gearshift element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle having a steering wheel, the vehicle comprising:
a gear shift element pivotally arrangeable on a side of the steering wheel facing away from a driver of the vehicle, wherein the gear shift element is configured to electrically shift a transmission of the vehicle, wherein actuation of the gearshift element shifts the transmission in an electrically controlled manner from one transmission gear to a next-higher or a next-lower transmission gear; and
each of an electric switch element and optical display device operatively arranged on the gearshift element, and wherein the optical display device is operatively arranged on a front face of the gearshift element that is visible to the driver of the vehicle,
wherein the optical display device is integrated in the electric switch element and comprises a gearshift recommendation display.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the electric switch element is operatively configured and arranged such that a force required for actuating the electric switch element does not cause an actuation of the gearshift element.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein a direction of force to be applied for actuating the electric switch element is substantially perpendicular to a direction of force to be applied for actuating the gearshift element.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein a direction of force to be applied for actuating the electric switch element is substantially perpendicular to a direction of force to be applied for actuating the gearshift element.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein the electric switch element is operatively arranged in an edge area of the gearshift element.

6. The vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein the edge area is one of a lateral, an upper, and a lower edge of the gearshift element.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the electric switch element is operatively arranged in an edge area of the gearshift element.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the electric switch element is a push button switch.

9. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the electric switch element is a rocker switch providing two push buttons.

10. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the electric switch element comprises at least a segment of a knurled wheel.

11. The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a menu driven selection or information system; and
wherein the electric switch element is operatively configured for selecting menus of the selection or information system.

12. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the optical display device comprises a light-emitting diode.

13. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the optical display device comprises one of an OLED display and a luminous foil display.

14. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein several electric switch elements and several optical display devices are provided, each one of the optical display devices being logically assigned to a respective one of the switch elements.

15. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein several electric switch elements and several optical display devices are provided, one of the optical display devices being logically assigned to all of the switch elements.

16. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the gearshift element is pivotable in two mutually opposite directions.

17. The vehicle according to claim 16 , wherein the two mutually opposite directions are substantially along a driving direction axis of the vehicle.

Assignees

• Walter Martin
• Tille Thomas
• Bayerische Motoren Werke Ag

Inventors

• Walter Martin
• Tille Thomas

Classifications

• B62D1/046

  Adaptations on rotatable parts of the steering wheel for accommodation of switches · CPC title

• F16H2059/0243

  with push buttons, e.g. shift buttons arranged on steering wheel · CPC title

• F16H63/42

  Ratio indicator devices · CPC title

• Y10T74/2003

  Electrical actuator · CPC title

• B60Q1/1469

  controlled by or attached to a single lever, e.g. steering column stalk switches · CPC title