An operating unit for a vehicle, e.g., an infotainment system for controlling diverse vehicle components, can include a housing and an operating element mounted in a spring-elastic manner on and/or in the housing along a vertical axis of movement extending substantially orthogonally to the operating surface and along a lateral axis of movement extending substantially transversely to the vertical axis of movement. The operating unit can also include at least one sensor for detecting an actuating movement of the operating element in the direction of the vertical axis of movement and an actuator arranged in and/or on the housing for the feedback movement of the operating element at least also in the lateral axis of movement during a detected actuating movement of the operating element, and a spring frame for the spring-elastic mounting of the operating element.

A touch sensor that generates an output based on an operation performed to the touch sensor by an operator; a transducer attached to the touch sensor and configured to vibrate the touch sensor so as to give a touch feeling to the operator contacting the touch sensor; and a controller configured to (i) determine a content of the operation performed to the touch sensor by the operator based on the output of the touch sensor and (ii) select one of the plurality of operation modes based on the determined content of the operation performed to the touch sensor by the operator. The controller causes the transducer to vibrate the touch sensor with different patterns of vibration so as to give different touch feelings to the operator contacting the touch sensor depending on the determined content of the operation performed to the touch sensor by the operator.

A controller according to one aspect of an embodiment includes: a position detecting unit; an operation detecting unit; a vibration controlling unit; and a correction unit. The position detecting unit detects a touch position on an operation surface. The operation detecting unit detects a touch operation on the operation surface. The vibration controlling unit controls and causes one or more vibration elements to vibrate the operation surface. The correction unit corrects, on the basis of the touch position on the operation surface, at least one of detection of the touch operation performed by the operation detecting unit and vibration of the operation surface caused by the vibration controlling unit.

A steering apparatus for a vehicle that utilizes steer-by-wire controls and may selectively be operated in an autonomous mode comprises a body mounted sliding steering column. The body mounted sliding steering column includes an arm that slides between a stowed position and a use position on at least one rail attached to a frame of the vehicle. The arm supports a steering column that may also be adjustable between a retracted position and an extended position. The arm also houses a force feedback motor in force-transmitting communication with the steering column.

A charging cable unit for a charging column of an electric filling station has a cooling unit and a charging cable which is preferably provided with cable shoes. The coding unit includes a heat exchanger with first connections and second connections. The charging cable has a secondary coolant circuit that is fluidically connected to the second connections. The cooling unit is designed to cool the secondary coolant circuit if the first connections are fluidically connected to a common primary coolant circuit of the electric filling station. Also described is a mounting method using such a charging cable unit.

The present invention relates to a vehicle control device provided in a vehicle and a method of controlling the vehicle. A vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a communication unit configured to perform communication with a shoe, a sensing unit configured to sense information related to the vehicle and a position of the shoe, and a processor configured to control the communication unit such that the shoe outputs an alarm based on a situation in which the vehicle is to be accelerated or decelerated and the position of the shoe when the situation is detected through the sensing unit.

An information processing and display system comprising steering wheel (10) having a rim (12) and at least one spoke (14), and a plurality of sensors (102, 106, 108) placed about one or both of the rim and the spoke, each sensor selectively actuable due to the proximity of a finger, fingers, a hand or hands of a driver; and a processor, logic device or computer (120) in communication with each sensor and capable of detecting specific hand or finger movements corresponding to specific desirable functions.

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for vehicles changing lanes based on trailing vehicles. An example vehicle includes a vehicle speed sensor to measure a vehicle speed, a rearview camera to capture images when the vehicle speed is greater than a threshold, and a lane controller. The lane controller is to detect whether there is a trailing vehicle based on the images and determine, responsive to detecting the trailing vehicle, whether the trailing vehicle is providing a message to change lanes. The lane controller also is to send a lane-changing signal responsive to identifying the message.

An input apparatus includes an operation panel, a vibrator, and a holding part. The operation panel includes an operation surface. The vibrator is attached to the operation panel, and vibrates the operation panel in a plurality of modes having different vibration frequencies. The holding part holds the operation panel. The holding part includes a first holding part, and a second holding part that has a higher hardness than the first holding part, and is arranged to be laminated on the first holding part.

A glass element is manufactured by a deep-drawing process with a plurality of surface regions marked by corresponding structure elements in the glass element such that they can be haptically sensed. A respective operator control input can be made by touching the surface regions.