PROGRAMMABLE FOOT SWITCH USEABLE IN A COMMUNICATIONS USER INTERFACE IN A VEHICLE

摘要

A communications system for a vehicle (26) having a foot pedal (110, 210, 310, 410) useable to control communications at a user interface (51) in the vehicle (26). By controlling the user interface (51) at least in part through activation of the foot pedal (110, 210, 310, 410), communications in the vehicle (26) are made more convenient and less dangerous as the user need not use his hands to operate the communications user interface (51). The foot pedal (110, 210, 310, 410) may perform a dedicated communications control function, or may be programmable to perform a communications control function of a user's choosing. Several foot pedals may be used, either in conjunction with a single seat, or each associated with a particular seat in the vehicle (26). Foot pedal communication settings may also be stored within the communications user interface for easy retrieval, and may be retrievable through entry of a user ID, such as may come from a key fob.