Control unit, in particular for a vehicle component

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9331691-B2
Application number	US-201113991196-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2011
Priority date	Dec 3, 2010
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

The control unit, in particular for a vehicle component, is provided with a manually actuable control element ( 12 ) for selecting and optionally for activating a control function, wherein the control element ( 12 ) can be moved manually into a selection and/or trigger position for selecting and optionally for activating a control function. In addition, the control unit has a capacitive tactile sensor ( 41 ) for identifying manual touching contact with the control element ( 12 ) and optionally identifying the event of a hand approaching the control element ( 12 ), wherein the tactile sensor ( 41 ) has a first and a second electrode ( 38, 40 ), which have electrode sides which substantially face one another and are spaced apart from one another. The first electrode ( 38 ) is arranged on the control element ( 12 ). The second electrode ( 40 ) is arranged immovably. The two electrodes ( 38, 40 ) extend with respect to one of the two dimensions thereof spanning the electrode sides parallel to the direction of the relative movement of the two electrodes ( 38, 40 ), said relative movement being performed as the control element ( 12 ) is moved manually into the selection and/or trigger position, wherein the size of the overlapping areas ( 34, 36 ) of the opposing electrode sides, which overlapping areas are provided during the relative movement of the two electrodes ( 38, 40 ), remains substantially the same.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control unit, comprising
a manually actuable control element for selecting and optionally for activating a control function,
wherein the control element can be moved manually from a non-selection and/or non-trigger position into a selection and/or trigger position for selecting and optionally for activating a control function, and
a capacitive tactile sensor for detecting manual touching contact with the control element and optionally for detecting the event of a hand approaching the control element,
wherein the tactile sensor has a first and a second electrode, which have electrode sides which substantially face one another and are spaced apart from one another,

wherein
the first electrode is arranged on the control element,
the second electrode is arranged immovably, and
the two electrodes extend with respect to one of two dimensions thereof spanning the electrode sides parallel to the direction of movement of the first electrode relative to the second electrode, said movement being performed as the control element is moved manually into the selection and/or trigger position,
wherein a size of overlapping areas of opposing electrode sides, existing during the movement of the first electrode relative to the second electrode between the non-selection and/or non-trigger position to the selection and/or trigger position, remains substantially the same.

2. The control unit of claim 1 , wherein the control element is a depressible key or a toggle switch adapted to be toggled in one or in two mutually opposite directions.

3. The control unit of claim 1 , wherein the control element is designed as a control knob element or a slide element adapted to be moved manually from a currently assumed rotary or sliding position to a selection position and from there onward to the trigger position.

4. The control unit of claim 1 , wherein the control element comprises a contact surface for manual contact by a person, and that the contact surface is electrically conductive and is electrically connected with the first electrode.

5. The control unit of claim 1 , wherein the control element has a contact surface for manual contact by a person, and that the contact surface is coupled with the first electrode not conductively, but capacitively.

6. A control unit, comprising
a manually actuable control element for selecting and optionally for activating a control function,
wherein the control element can be moved manually for selecting and optionally for activating a control function, and
a capacitive tactile sensor for detecting manual touching contact with the control element and optionally for detecting the event of a hand approaching the control element,
wherein the tactile sensor has a first and a second electrode, which have electrode sides which substantially face one another and are spaced apart from one another,
wherein
the first electrode is arranged on the control element,
the second electrode is arranged immovably, and
the two electrodes extend with respect to one of two dimensions thereof spanning the electrode sides parallel to the direction of movement of the first electrode relative to the second electrode, said movement being performed as the control element is moved manually into the selection and/or trigger position,
wherein a size of overlapping areas of opposing electrode sides, existing during the movement of the first electrode relative to the second electrode, remains substantially the same, wherein the electrode side of the first electrode has a dimension parallel to the direction of movement of the first electrode relative to the second electrode that is smaller than a dimension of the electrode side of the second electrode parallel to the direction of movement, and that, during the movement of the first electrode relative to the second electrode, the electrode side of the first electrode remains inside the electrode side of the second electrode, when seen in projection at right angles to the direction of relative movement.

Assignees

• Fust Winfried
• Vogt Frank
• Behr Hella Thermocontrol Gmbh

Inventors

• Fust Winfried
• Vogt Frank

Classifications

• H03K17/962 Primary

  Capacitive touch switches · CPC title

• H03K17/965 Primary

  Switches controlled by moving an element forming part of the switch · CPC title

• H03K17/96

  Touch switches (specially adapted for electronic time-pieces with no moving parts G04G21/08) · CPC title

• H03K17/00

  Electronic switching or gating, i.e. not by contact-making and –breaking (gated amplifiers H03F3/72; switching arrangements for exchange systems using static devices H04Q3/52) · CPC title

• H03K17/975

  using a capacitive movable element · CPC title