An automobile with a construct and components with an appearance of an airplane. The back seats, and optionally the front seats, are bench style, with armrests that may be rotated out of position and located at opposing sides of the seat when the seat is a two-person bench. For a three-person bench, there are intermediate armrests. The airplane-type seats include headrests integrated into the seat rather than being extendible from the top of the seat. The bench seat is removably affixed to an underlying support substrate, which may be substantially hollow and arranged to enable access to storage within the support substrate. The interior of the automobile of the present invention includes controllable lighting and air located above the passenger's head, either directly or to the side above a window. An instrument and control panel that supplies the driver with information and control expected for an automobile is configured with the appearance and content of an instrument and control panel a pilot would expect to see in an airplane. Controls are positioned sufficiently close to the driver to be accessed and employed as needed. Wheels of the automobile of the present invention are designed to give the appearance of the stators or rotors of an airplane jet engine.

An operating device for a steering wheel comprises an operating element, which can be selectively rotated about a first rotation axis and a second rotation axis for controlling a control system by means of an actuation, wherein the operating element can be rotated to an actuation stage from a starting position, wherein the first rotation axis is coaxial to the longitudinal axis of the operating element, and the second rotation axis is substantially transverse to the first rotation axis, wherein a force application point has a mechanical advantage with respect to the second rotation axis when actuated about the second rotation axis, and wherein the force application point has no substantial mechanical advantage in relation to the second rotation axis when the operating element is actuated about the first rotation axis, in order to prevent a simultaneous actuation of the operating element about the first and second rotation axes.

An operating apparatus for a vehicle component comprises an operating panel (12) as well as an electric motor (34) mechanically coupled thereto with an unbalance mass. A detector (20) can capture the contact of the operating panel (12) by a user. A sensor (46) is provided in order to set exactly the number of revolutions of the electric motor in response to the contact of the operating panel by a user. The number of revolutions of the rotor is determined via this sensor.

The present invention discloses a steering wheel indicating paddle for displaying a power rotating speed of an automobile. The paddle comprises an emitting panel connected with an OBD port of the automobile, a receiving panel mounted on an R paddle or an L paddle of the automobile, a first lamp panel mounted on another paddle and a second lamp panel integrated to the receiving panel. The emitting panel comprises an OBD signal access circuit, a first master control chip, a first power supply circuit and a wireless sending module. The receiving panel comprises a second master control chip, a second power supply circuit and a wireless sending module. According to the present invention, the OBD signal access circuit is connected with the OBD port of the automobile, so that it acquires a rotating speed condition of an engine.

A vehicle input control device includes: an operation reception unit that receives input from operation switches provided in a vicinity of a driver's seat of a vehicle; a function switching reception unit that receives input from function switching switches that switch functions allocated to the operation switches; and a function switching restriction unit that restricts switching of the functions by the function switching reception unit in a case in which a driving mode of the vehicle is a predetermined driving mode.

A vehicular display control device that is configured to: display, at a display, an image of a switch that causes a transition from a first state to a second state in response to being pressed a first time and does not cause a return from the second state to the first state in response to being pressed a second time or more than a second time; and display, at the display, a text string indicating that the transition to the second state is complete in response to the switch having been pressed once in a state in which the image is displayed.

An interface device to be mounted on an autonomous vehicle includes: a right operation switch and a left operation switch provided on a steering wheel; a display device disposed ahead of the steering wheel; and an IF controller configured to control the display device, the controller being configured to cause the display device to display an intention confirmation image when it is necessary to confirm a driver's intention regarding autonomous travel. The intention confirmation image includes an inquiry image, a right guide image displayed on the right side of a horizontal center of the inquiry image, the right guide image indicating a choice selectable with the right operation switch, and a left guide image displayed on the left side of the horizontal center of the inquiry image, the left guide image indicating a choice selectable with the left operation switch.

A vehicle display control device that is configured to: switch between a plurality of screen displays containing information relating to a variety of functions; display one of the plurality of screen displays at a display region of a display; and between an on state and an off state of a specific function, change a number of the plurality of screen displays being switched between.

When an occupant has performed a specific operation that is an operation different to an input operation on a state switching section while in a state in which a display section capable of displaying information related to an input section is not displaying the information, a processor causes the information to be displayed on the display section and places the input section in an input enabled state in which the input operation is receivable. Moreover, when the occupant has not performed the specific operation on the state switching section while in state in which the information is not being displayed on the display section, the processor does not cause the information to be displayed on the display section and places the input section in an input disabled state in which the input operation is not receivable.

A processor controls a first display section and a second display section provided to a vehicle such that when an occupant of the vehicle has performed a first operation while in a state in which a message is being displayed on the first display section and the second display section, the message is cleared from the first display section and the message continues to be displayed on the second display section.