Input device with a movable handling means on a capacitive detection surface and a redundant capacitive potential coupling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10775950-B2
Application number	US-201916534387-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2019
Priority date	Aug 23, 2018
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

The invention relates to an input device including: a capacitive detector with a detection surface forming an array of electrodes; an electronic evaluation unit electrically connected to the electrodes and forming an associated array of electrical measuring fields for the spatially resolving detection of a capacitive influence on the detection surface; a handling means disposed on the detection surface in a manner movable along an adjustment path to perform an operating input by means of a movement by an operator; a coupling electrode assembly which is partially moved along with the handling means and disposed in an electrically insulated manner with respect to the operator while they touch the handling means, and where at least one position of the handling means is provided where two measuring fields are capacitively influenced by a means of the coupling electrode assembly, where these influences are detected to obtain position information.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An input device, comprising:
a capacitive detector, which has a detection surface while forming an array of electrodes associated with the detection surface;
an electronic evaluation unit, which is electrically connected to the array of electrodes in order to form an associated array of electrical measuring fields for spatially resolving detection of a capacitive influence on the detection surface;
a handling means, which is disposed on the detection surface in a manner movable along an adjustment path in order to perform an operating input by means of a movement by an operator;
a coupling electrode assembly, which is at least partially moved along with the handling means and which is disposed in an electrically insulated manner with respect to the operator while they touch the handling means, where at least one position of the handling means is provided in which a first portion of the coupling electrode assembly is disposed adjacent to a first electrode of the array of electrodes, in order to obtain a capacitive coupling between the first portion and the first electrode, and at least one second portion of the coupling electrode assembly electrically connected to the first portion is disposed adjacent to a second electrode of the array of electrodes that differs from the first electrode, in order to obtain a capacitive coupling between the second portion and the second electrode;
wherein the evaluation unit is configured to generate a first electrical measuring field emanating from at least the first electrode and to apply a predetermined electric potential (V 0 ) to the second electrode in a first measuring step in order to influence the first electrical measuring field by means of the capacitive coupling and the electric connection to the first portion provided by the coupling electrode assembly;
wherein the evaluation unit is configured to generate a second electrical measuring field emanating from the second electrode and to apply a predetermined electric potential (V 0 ) to the first electrode in a second measuring step in order to influence the second electrical measuring field by means of the capacitive coupling and the electric connection to the second portion provided by the coupling electrode assembly;
wherein the electronic evaluation unit is further configured to determine both the influence on the first electrical measuring field and the influence on the second electrical measuring field and associate them to a first and a second detection result, and to obtain and output position or movement information of the handling means from the first or second detection result.

2. The input device of claim 1 , wherein a distance (Δb) between the detection surface and the second portion and a distance (Δa) between the detection surface and the first portion are in each case smaller than a minimum distance of 1 mm.

3. The input device of claim 2 , wherein a distance in an orthogonal direction to the detection surface between the first portion and the second portion is at least twice as large as the minimum distance.

4. The input device of claim 1 , wherein the second portion has a surface (F b ), relative to a plane parallel to the detection surface, which is greater than the surface (F a ) of the first portion relative to the same plane.

5. The input device of claim 1 , wherein the second portion or portions are electrically connected to the first portion via one or more conductor portions of the coupling electrode assembly, which is or are spaced further apart from the detection surface than the first portion and the second portion.

6. An input device of claim 1 , wherein the handling means is mounted on the detection surface in a manner movable about a rotation axis orthogonal to the detection surface.

7. The input device of claim 6 , wherein several second portions are provided which are distributed about the rotation axis.

8. The input device of claim 1 , wherein the first portion and the second portion are disposed in a common plane which is parallel to the detection surface.

9. The input device of claim 1 , wherein the evaluation unit is configured to determine second electrodes most closely adjacent to the second portion depending on a position detection directly precedent in time, in order to apply to this determined second electrode the predetermined electric potential (V 0 ).

10. The input device of claim 1 , wherein several first electrodes that can be selectively contacted by the evaluation unit and several second electrodes that can be selectively contacted by the evaluation unit are in each case provided and arranged in such a way that several positions along the adjustment path of the handling means are detectable by the evaluation unit given a corresponding position of the handling means.

11. The input device of claim 1 , wherein the capacitive detector is a touchpad or a touchscreen.

12. The input device of claim 1 configured to use in a motor vehicle.

13. A method for evaluating a position of a handling means of an input device, comprising:
providing the input device with a capacitive detector, which has a detection surface while forming an array of electrodes associated with the detection surface, with an electronic evaluation unit, which is electrically connected to the array of electrodes, in order to form an associated array of electrical measuring fields for the spatially resolving detection of a capacitive influence on the detection surface, and with a handling means, which is disposed on the detection surface in a manner movable along an adjustment path, in order to perform an operating input in case of a movement, particularly while touching the handling means by an operator, with a coupling electrode assembly, which is at least partially moved along with the handling means and which is disposed in an electrically insulated manner with respect to the operator while they touch the handling means, and at least one position of the handling means is provided in which a first portion of the coupling electrode assembly is disposed adjacent to a first electrode of the array of electrodes in order to enable a capacitive coupling between the first portion and the first electrode, and at least one second portion of the coupling electrode assembly electrically connected to the first portion is disposed adjacent to a second electrode of the array that differs from the first electrode in order to enable a capacitive coupling between the second portion and the second electrode;
generating by means of the evaluation unit a first electrical measuring field emanating from at least the first electrode and applying a predetermined electric potential (V 0 ) to the second electrode by means of the evaluation unit in a first measuring step, in order to influence the first electric measuring field by means of the capacitive coupling and the electric connection to the first portion provided by the coupling electrode assembly;
generating by means of the evaluation unit a second electrical measuring field emanating from the second electrode and applying a predetermined electric potential (V 0 ) to the first electrode by means of the evaluation unit in a second measuring step, in order to influence the second electrical measuring field by means of the capacitive coupling and the electric connection to the second portion provided by the coupling electrode assembly;
determining the influence on the first electrical measuring field and the influence on the second electrical measuring field by means of the evaluation unit and providing an associated first and second detection result;
determining, by means of the evaluation unit, the posit

Assignees

• Preh Gmbh

Inventors

• Bauer Norbert
• Kleffel Thomas

Classifications

• G06F3/03547

  Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface · CPC title

• H03K17/955

  using a capacitive detector · CPC title

• G06F3/0412 Primary

  Digitisers structurally integrated in a display · CPC title

• H03K2217/94073

  with capacitive detection · CPC title

• G06F3/0362

  with detection of one-dimensional [1D] translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts · CPC title