This application claims the priority of German application 198 32 869.9, filed in Germany on Jul. 22, 1998, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a control stalk for a vehicle which includes a control shaft and a head rotatably mounted thereon.
A control stalk is known from German Patent Document DE-0S 20 49 849 whose head is rotatably mounted. The head can assume a plurality of radial switch positions. In addition, an axially movable switch knob is provided endwise on the head for triggering additional switch functions.
By contrast with this prior art, a goal of the invention is to provide a control stalk that permits improved operation, especially when different devices to be operated are associated with the various radial switch positions.
This goal is achieved according to preferred embodiments of the invention by providing a control stalk for a motor vehicle comprising a support shaft and a head mounted on the support shaft, with at least the head being rotatably mounted on the support shaft, with latching in various radial switch positions and with additional switch positions being triggerable in each radial switch position by pivoting of the support shaft, wherein at least the head can be brought into a specified radial switch position when actuated by outside force.
It is proposed by the invention that at least the head be actuated by outside force to assume a specified radial switch position. Advantageously, the control stalk can be moved into a specified radial switch position by an external signal, namely the outside force, independently of previously performed manual actuation by the driver.
Advantageous features of preferred embodiments of the invention are described herein and in the claims.
Thus, it is proposed in certain preferred embodiments of the invention to design a latch that holds the head in the various radial switch positions so that it can be released by outside force and also keeps the head centered at a specified radial switch position. Thus, the head on the control stalk returns to the specified radial switch position when the latch is released by an outside force, for example an electromagnet.
In addition it is proposed according to certain preferred embodiments of the invention that a device be associated with each radial switch position of the head, said device being operable in this radial switch position by the additional switch positions of the control stalk. Thus, a plurality of devices can be operated with the aid of the control stalk; by selecting the radial switch position, the device is selected and this device can then be operated by pivoting the control stalk. In conjunction with the return of the control stalk actuated by the outside force, the device associated with a specified radial switch position can always be operated following a return performed by outside force.
In addition it is proposed according to certain preferred embodiments of the invention that the device associated with the specified radial switch position control the outside force. In an advantageous manner, therefore, the device associated with the specified radial switch position can bring the control stalk into a position in which this device can be operated. This is especially advantageous when the device is a telephone for example. A telephone of this kind can bring the control stalk into a radial switch position when a call comes in, in which position the telephone can be operated and hence the incoming call can be answered regardless of the radial switch position into which the control stalk was previously brought manually by the driver.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.