Design and evaluation of a new kind of remote control switches for automotive applications

Electronic systems are being increasingly introduced in automotive vehicles for serving many different purposes, e.g. control, safety, comfort, etc. Nowadays, most mid-and high-class cars incorporate the possibility for the driver to remotely act on the audio and/or the cruise control systems without fully releasing the steering wheel and while keeping the sight on the road. This is accomplished by putting the corresponding remote control switches next to or integrated with the steering wheel. The aim of this work is the design, implementation and validation of a new kind of integrated switches with enhanced features: In this paper, the structure of the switches and their integration with steering wheels and data buses is described from both the mechanical and the electrical points of view. The paper also presents the system that has been developed to test the operation of the switches.