Ready to Take Your Hands Off the Wheel?

By Bill McLauchlan

Are you ready to flip through a file or take a nap while being driven robotically to work? It may be years yet before you can do it but the driverless is here. You’ve probably seen videos of the Google car.

The technology exists – car makers from Audi to Volvo and anyone in between have all showcased various permutations. But it’ll take some hard graft on system commonalities and global legal conformity to make it happen.

So, if a busy professional life, inherent laziness or physical limitations brought on by advancing years make the prospect sound worthwhile you’ll have to wait a while yet.

But automotive supplier TRW has come up with a new steering wheel concept that helps guide automakers down the path to automated driving and the car of the future.

Photo: Rinspeed

Unveiled earlier this month at the Geneva auto show, TRW’s approach was unveiled on the Rinspeed XchangE show car. The steering wheel offers a number of multi-functional features, including hands on/off detection to support the driver during semi-automated and automated driving situations.

Guido Hirzmann, group leader, new technology, Mechatronic, commented: “Rinspeed’s steer-by-wire XchangE vehicle featuring TRW’s steering wheel system opens up a world of possibilities to the driver. With the integrated hands on/off sensor and flexible positioning of the wheel, the driver can choose whether to drive the vehicle, pass control to the front passenger, or have the vehicle drive itself in automated mode.

Photo: PR NEWSWIRE/Newscom

“Furthermore, with the increasing number of electronically controlled functions in the vehicle, certain controls can be eliminated or packaged into the steering wheel, offering more space and flexibility for the car interior. For example, with the XchangE, we have been able to remove the centre console and integrate the gearshift into the steering wheel.”

The following functions can be activated by touching transparent switches:

• A Drive Mode Manager (DMM) display, located at the top of the steering wheel, illuminating ‘A’ when the vehicle is in automated mode. If the driver touches the steering wheel, ‘M’ (manual) is lit up indicating the driver is ready to take back control of the car. If ‘Push to Drive’ or ‘PTD’ is touched, control is given back to the driver. Similarly, if the driver takes hands off the wheel, the DMM display automatically changes from ‘M’ to ‘A’ and the car continues to drive in automated mode.

• Gear Shift – the driver can move from park, neutral, drive and reverse using the relevant switches on the steering wheel.

• Turn Indicators – the indicator switches are illuminated white (ambient lighting) and when activated the corresponding left and right turn arrows flash.

• Electronic Horn System (EHS) – the horn can be activated by touching a conductive area on the wheel’s central airbag cover.

Hirzmann concluded the concept “redefines the conventional role of the steering wheel as cars evolve and as a result can help to reduce some of the driving tasks and increase comfort.”