According to a recent Financial Times report, more and more automakers are pushing back on Apple's plan to expand into future vehicle dashboards. While this is occurring, a Apple patent application published yesterday illustrates their continuing effort to advance CarPlay that could applied to various style of vehicles. The patent describes a new combination interface with both a touch display and a mechanical dial. Apple also describes how this new interface could be applied to a Smart Home device - that’s been rumored for some time.   

Vehicles: Advanced CarPlay Platform+

Apple’s patent FIG. 1B below illustrates an example platform. In some embodiments, the platform (#150) is a mobile platform such as, e.g., a vehicle, car, bus, truck, train, bike, motorcycle, boat, plane, golf cart, and/or all-terrain vehicle (ATV), or other mobile vehicle. Apple further noted that vehicles could be semi-autonomous or completely autonomous (e.g., partially autonomous, conditionally autonomous, highly autonomous, or fully autonomous).

Apple’s patent FIGS. 2A-2D below depict input mechanism #200 in a front plan view (left, labeled “ONE”) and a side plan view (right, labeled “TWO”). Input mechanism #200 includes a touch-based input portion (e.g., a touch-based input mechanism) #202, and a mechanical input portion (e.g., a mechanical input mechanism) #204.

Touch-based input portion 202 is a touch-sensitive display capable of receiving touch-based user inputs and displaying content. The Mechanical input portion is an extendable and retractable knob that is configured to receive rotational inputs (e.g., rotation of mechanical input portion) and depression inputs (e.g., depression and/or pressing of mechanical input portion).

In FIG. 2A, touch-based input portion #202 displays graphical objects #208a-208d that correspond to various settings and/or characteristics, and are selectable by a user in order to modify the selected setting using the mechanical input portion.  

For example, in some embodiments, the input mechanism is part of a platform, such as a vehicle (e.g., an automobile), and objects 208a-208d correspond to a respective vehicle settings (e.g., temperature, volume, window opening, window tint, cabin light brightness, and the like).

In some embodiments, a vehicle includes multiple instances of input mechanism #200 and a particular instance of input mechanism corresponds to a particular user (e.g., corresponds to a particular seating position within the vehicle cabin). Accordingly, in some embodiments, if a first input mechanism is used to modify a setting, the setting is modified for a first seating position and/or a first user corresponding to the first input mechanism, and if a second input mechanism is used to modify the setting, the setting is modified for a second seating position and/or a second user corresponding to the second input mechanism.

Smart Home Platform

 In some embodiments, the platform is a smart home platform and/or a home automation platform, input mechanism #200 controls one or more features and or functions of a home and/or building (e.g., objects/icon- buttons #208a-208d correspond to respective home settings (e.g., temperature, volume, window opening, window tint, light brightness, and the like).

A user is able to select an object/icon button to modify the corresponding setting (e.g., to modify temperature, modify volume, open or close a window, darken or brighten a window, darken or brighten a light) using the mechanical input portion (e.g., by rotating and/or pressing mechanical input portion). In this way, the input mechanism allows a user to modify a multitude of settings using a single input mechanism.

Apple’s patent FIGS. 2A-2D also illustrate a retraction and deployment (e.g., extension) feature of mechanical input portion #204. In some embodiments, mechanical input portion is movable between a plurality of deployment configurations.

In FIG. 2A, the mechanical input portion is retracted into the touch-based input portion as can be seen in the side plan view illustrated above. In this stowed configuration, the mechanical input portion lies flush and/or substantially flush with touch-based input portion. In some embodiments, in this stowed configuration, the mechanical input portion is not configured to receive rotational inputs.

In some embodiments, platform #150 includes an interior portion (e.g., a cabin). In some embodiments, the interior portion is fully or partially enclosed and includes furniture such as, e.g., chairs, benches, tables, and/or armrests. In some embodiments, the furniture is configured to be controlled or actuated autonomously and/or manually (e.g., via computer system #152 and/or input device(s) #158).

Apple’s patent application that was published yesterday listed a whopping 21 engineers responsible for this invention.