Portable electronic user device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9570254-B2
Application number	US-201414778657-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 19, 2014
Priority date	Mar 28, 2013
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

A portable electronic user device, in the form of an electronic key, having an inherently rigid button for activation by a user. The portable electronic user device further has a flexibly deformable membrane including a first side having at least one support section on which the at least one button is supported via the plunger, and an actuating section, separate from the at least one support section, for receiving and forwarding an actuation of the button to an electrical switch element. There is a rigid frame which bears the membrane on a second side opposite the first side, wherein, in the assembled state, having the membrane in the region of the at least one support section, the frame has at least one breakout, via which the membrane is moveable by the plunger upon activating the at least one button and, in dependence on the size and/or the shape of the breakout, provides a force for resetting the button. As a result of the separation of the generating of the reset force on the support sections movable by the first breakouts and the switch function in the region of the activation section, there is great freedom in the design of the portable electronic user device, wherein reliable triggering of the switch element is always ensured.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A portable electronic user device comprising:
one or more dimensionally rigid buttons for operation by a user;
one or more flexibly deformable diaphragms positioned beneath respective ones of the one or more buttons, each flexibly deformable diaphragm comprising:
a first side having
at least one bearing section on which the respective button is mounted by a tappet and
an operating section which is separate from the at least one bearing section, for receiving and passing on an operation of the respective button to an electrical switching element; and

a second side which is situated opposite the first side; and

one or more dimensionally rigid frames which support respective ones of the one or more flexibly deformable diaphragms on their second side, wherein each frame has at least one first aperture in the region of the at least one bearing section of the respective diaphragm, it being possible for a section of the second side opposite the bearing section of the respective diaphragm to be moved through said first aperture when the respective button is operated and the respective diaphragm providing a force for returning the button depending on the size and/or shape of the aperture.

2. The user device as claimed in claim 1 , in which the tappet is formed by a projection on the first side of the diaphragm in the region of the at least one bearing section.

3. The user device as claimed in claim 1 , in which the tappet is formed by a projection of the respective button which interacts mechanically with the at least one bearing section of the respective diaphragm.

4. The user device as claimed in claim 2 , in which a mechanical connection is formed between the projection of each diaphragm and a projection of the respective button, in which mechanical connection one of the projections has a receiving section on that section which faces the other projection, it being possible for the other projection to be received in said receiving section.

5. The user device as claimed in claim 1 , in which each frame has a second aperture in the region of the operating section of the respective diaphragm, it being possible for the operating section of the respective diaphragm to be moved through said second aperture in order to pass on a button operation to the electrical switching element.

6. The user device as claimed in claim 1 , in which each diaphragm has, on the first side, a second projection in the region of the operating section in order to provide an operative mechanical connection to the respective button and/or each button has a second projection for providing an operative mechanical connection to the operating section of the respective diaphragm.

7. The user device as claimed in claim 1 , in which each button has an operating surface, wherein, in the state in which the button and the respective diaphragm are assembled, the operating section of the respective diaphragm is situated beneath the geometric center of the operating surface.

8. The user device as claimed in claim 7 , in which each diaphragm has at least three bearing sections which span an area beneath the operating surface of the respective button.

9. The user device as claimed in claim 1 , in which each diaphragm is fastened onto the respective frame by at least one of adhesive bonding, friction welding, clips, lasers and ultrasound.

10. The user device as claimed in claim 1 , in which each diaphragm and the respective frame are in the form of a two-component injection-molded element, in which the diaphragm forms a soft component and the respective frame forms a hard component of the two-component injection-molded element.

11. The user device as claimed in claim 5 , in which the electrical switching element is provided on a printed circuit board which is arranged within each frame in such a way that the electrical switching element is situated beneath or within the second aperture.

12. The user device as claimed in claim 2 , in which the tappet is formed by a projection of the respective button which interacts mechanically with the at least one bearing section of the respective diaphragm.

13. The user device as claimed in claim 12 , in which a mechanical connection is formed between the projection of each diaphragm and the projection of the respective button, in which mechanical connection one of the projections has a receiving section on that section which faces the other projection, it being possible for the other projection to be received in said receiving section.

Assignees

• Continental Automotive Gmbh

Inventors

• Kropf Thomas
• Kaiser Wolfgang
• Schweiger Florian
• Renner Rudolf

Classifications

• G07C9/00944 Primary

  Details of construction or manufacture · CPC title

• H01H13/7006 Primary

  comprising a separate movable contact element for each switch site, all other elements being integrated in layers · CPC title

• H01H2221/03

  Stoppers for on or off position · CPC title

• H01H2223/003

  Membrane embracing all keys · CPC title

• H01H2221/036

  Return force · CPC title