Steering Wheel Touch Activation for Hill Descent Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

The overcrowding of controls near the steering wheel in motor vehicles, particularly due to infrequently used functions like hill descent control, leads to driver disorientation and reduced aesthetic appeal, necessitating a more efficient allocation of controls based on usage frequency.

Innovation Solution

A touch-sensitive portion on the steering wheel allows enabling the hill descent control function through a user interface, with a control unit detecting the enablement and initiating the function upon a touch, ensuring it is only activated under specific conditions, thus maintaining a clean and functional steering wheel design.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the hill descent control activation button is added to the steering wheel along with other controls, then the driver can easily activate the function, but the steering wheel area becomes overcrowded and loses aesthetic appeal

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveActivation accessibilityVSAvoidControl clutter

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The touch-sensitive area on the steering wheel is designed to serve multiple functions: it acts as a general touch interface for various vehicle controls while specifically enabling hill descent control when the function is enabled. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for dedicated physical buttons for each function, reducing control clutter while maintaining ease of activation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts the functionality of the touch-sensitive area based on whether hill descent control is enabled. When enabled, the touch-sensitive area responds to touches as an activation control; when disabled, it maintains aesthetic simplicity without displaying activation indicators. This dynamic behavior allows the same physical area to adapt to different operational states.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Productivity

If the hill descent control function is always available on the steering wheel, then frequent users benefit from easy access, but infrequent users experience unnecessary complexity and visual clutter

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveActivation speed for frequent usersVSAvoidVisual complexity for infrequent users

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system requires preliminary enabling of the hill descent control function through a user interface before the touch-sensitive area on the steering wheel becomes an active activation control. This preliminary action ensures that the simplified steering wheel interface with touch activation is only presented to users who have explicitly chosen to enable the function, avoiding unnecessary complexity for those who don't need it.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS12534080B2Motor vehicle with hill descent control function which can be enabled by a dedicated command and enablement process of the hill descent control function

Publication Date: 2026.01.27 FERRARI SPA

AI summary

A motor vehicle including a steering wheel comprising a touch-sensitive portion, a user interface comprising a control device for triggering an enablement of a hill descent control function, and a control unit coupled to the steering wheel and to the user interface is disclosed. The control unit is configured to detect the enablement of the hill descent control function by the control device and to start the hill descent control function in response to a touch on the touch-sensitive portion by a driver of the motor vehicle, provided that the hill descent control function is enabled.