Apple Granted Patent for Steering Wheel Remote Control - Wired News

An alternative to in-car voice control: a steering wheel-mounted click wheel. Image: Patently Apple

It’s rare that an Apple patent application passes through the system completely unnoticed until it’s actually granted, but such is the case with a patent for a wireless remote control for a car steering wheel.

The patent, “Wireless remote control device for a portable media device,” was discovered by Patently Apple Tuesday. It describes a touch-sensitive, iPod-style clickwheel device that attaches to a vehicle’s steering wheel, and is used to control a media player.

The patent specifically mentions the remote control’s potential for use with mobile devices like the iPhone, iPad, and iPod. It would hook onto your steering wheel using adjustable clamping feet, and the faceplate, which could use either capacitive or resistive touch technology, would be rotatable.

In-car entertainment and infotainment systems are becoming increasingly commonplace in today’s vehicles. You can find them in everything from Toyotas to Mercedes to Fords.

These systems are usually compatible with your smartphone, allowing you to play music from your device on your car’s stereo (among other uses). But there’s one problem: It’s not easy to safely control music playback functions while driving. Most current systems only output your device’s audio, and to advance through tracks and the like, you have to manually adjust your mobile device.

Some auto manufacturers are addressing the interface hurdle via voice recognition. But if you’re jamming out while you’re cruising down the highway, do you really want to have to turn down the volume or yell over the music just to skip to the next track? It could be quite useful instead adjust a remote control that’s just a thumb-click away.

In case your’e wondering, this patent wasn’t filed during the click-wheeled iPod’s heyday â€" it was originally filed in Q1 2011. It was designed by Apple UI Design Manager Policarpo Wood and Anton Davydov, a principal designer at Frog Design, the company behind the Apple IIc and NeXT workstation.