SENSOR DEVICE, OPERATING DEVICE AND HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE HAVING THE OPERATING DEVICE

Abstract

A sensor device which can be used, for example, for an operating device, for example of an electronic household appliance, in order to detect a movement and/or position of a first component relative to a second component. The first component can be moved about a or in the direction of an axis of movement along a movement path, includes a sensor electrode arrangement on the second component and a signal element on the first component opposite and at a distance to the sensor electrode arrangement. The signal element has electrically conductive sections and electrically non-conductive sections, as well as a sensor control system for inputting sensor signals and receiving measurement signals at/from the sensor electrode arrangement and an evaluation unit for determining a movement and/or position of the first component relative to the second component based on the measurement signals of the sensor control system.

Claims

1. A sensor device for detecting a movement and/or position of a first component relative to a second component, wherein the first component is spaced apart from the second component and the first component can be moved about a or in a direction of an axis of movement along a movement path running perpendicular to a distance direction between the first and second components, the sensor device comprising: a first sensor electrode being disposed on the second component on a side facing the first component and runs along an entire length of the movement path; at least one second sensor electrode being disposed on the second component adjacent to said first sensor electrode in the movement path at a distance to said first sensor electrode and extending over a part of the movement path; a signal element disposed on the first component on a side facing the second component at a distance to the second component and having an electrically conductive first electrode section opposite said first sensor electrode and a second electrode section opposite said at least one second sensor electrode, wherein said electrically conductive first electrode section and said second electrode section are electrically connected to one another and said second electrode section having at least one electrically conductive part and at least one electrically non-conductive part; a sensor control system with a sensor signal generator for inputting a sensor signal at at least one of said at least one second sensor electrode and with a measurement signal receiver for receiving a measurement signal at said first sensor electrode; and an evaluation unit for determining the movement and/or position of the first component relative to the second component based on measurement signals of said sensor control system.

2. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein: said at least one second sensor electrode is one of at least two second sensor electrodes disposed on the second component adjacent to said first sensor electrode in the movement path at a distance to said first sensor electrode, said at least two second sensor electrodes each extend over a part of the movement path and are electrically separated from one another; and said sensor signal generator of said sensor control system inputs the sensor signal alternately at said at least two second sensor electrodes.

3. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein said sensor signal generator of said sensor control system generates an alternating sensor signal.

4. The sensor device according to claim 1, further comprising an insulating element disposed between said first sensor electrode and said at least one second sensor electrode.

5. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein, if the first component is rotatable about an axis of rotation relative to the second component: said first sensor electrode is circular or annular in shape and said at least one second sensor electrode is annular sector-shaped or circular sector-shaped and is positioned in a radial direction inside or outside of said first sensor electrode; and said electrically conductive first electrode section of said signal element is circular or annular in shape and said at least one electrically non-conductive part or said at least one electrically conductive part of said second electrode section of said signal element is annular sector-shaped or circular sector-shaped and is positioned in a radial direction inside or outside said electrically conductive first electrode section.

6. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein, if the first component can be displaced relative to the second component along a thrust axis: said first sensor electrode is linear in shape and said at least one second sensor electrode is block-shaped and is positioned adjacent to said first sensor electrode; and said electrically conductive first electrode section of said signal element is linear in shape and said at least one electrically non-conductive part or said at least one electrically conductive part of said second electrode section of said signal element is block-shaped and is positioned adjacent to said electrically conductive first electrode section.

7. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein, if the first component can additionally be moved by a pressure actuation in a distance direction between said first and second sensor electrodes and said signal element relative to the second component, said evaluation unit detects a change in distance between said first and second sensor electrodes and said signal element further based on the measurement signals of said sensor control system and identifies the pressure actuation of the first component based on a detected change in distance.

8. An operating device, comprising: a cover plate with a user side facing a user and an internal side facing away from the user; a switching device with an operating head on said user side of said cover plate, wherein said switching device can be moved about a or in a direction of an axis of movement along a movement path in a plane parallel to said cover plate relative to said cover plate, said switching device further having a supporting element; a supporting plate on said internal side of said cover plate which is orientated parallel to said cover plate; a sensor device according to claim 1 for detecting a movement and/or position of said switching device; and said first and second sensor electrodes are disposed on a side of said supporting plate, said signal element is disposed on a side of said supporting element which is fixedly connected to said operating head of said switching device, said supporting element is orientated parallel to said cover plate and is spaced apart from said supporting plate, and said evaluation unit determining a movement and/or position of said switching device based on the measurement signals of said sensor control system.

9. The operating device according to claim 8, wherein: said switching device has a shaft and said supporting element is connected to said operating head of said switching device via said shaft; and said cover plate has an opening formed therein through which runs said shaft of said switching device.

10. The operating device according to claim 8, wherein: said supporting element of said switching device is disposed on a side of said supporting plate which faces said cover plate; and said signal element is provided on a side of said supporting element which faces away from said cover plate, and said first and second sensor electrodes are provided on said side of said supporting plate which faces said cover plate.

11. The operating device according to claim 8, wherein: said supporting element of said switching device is disposed on a side of said supporting plate which faces away from said cover plate; and said signal element is provided on a side of said supporting element which faces said cover plate, and said first and second sensor electrodes are provided on said side of said supporting plate which faces away from said cover plate.

12. The operating device according to claim 8, wherein: said switching device is rotatable about an axis of rotation which runs perpendicular to said cover plate; said supporting element is rotatable about the axis of rotation relative to said supporting plate; said first sensor electrode is circular or annular in shape and said at least one second sensor electrode is annular sector-shaped or circular sector-shaped and is positioned in a radial direction inside or outside of said first sensor electrode; and said electrically conductive first electrode section of said signal element is circular or annular in shape and said at least one electrically non-conductive part or said at least one electrically conductive part of said second electrode section of said signal element is annular sector-shaped or circular sector-shaped and is positioned in a radial direction inside or outside said electrically conductive first electrode section.

13. The operating device according to claim 8, wherein: said switching device is rotatable about an axis of rotation which runs perpendicular to said cover plate; said switching device can be displaced along a thrust axis which runs parallel to said cover plate; said supporting element is displaced relative to said supporting plate along said thrust axis; said first sensor electrode is linear in shape and said at least one second sensor electrode is block-shaped and is positioned adjacent to said first sensor electrode; and said electrically conductive first electrode section of said signal element is linear in shape and said at least one electrically non-conductive part or said at least one electrically conductive part of said second electrode section of said signal element is block-shaped and is positioned adjacent to said electrically conductive first electrode section.

14. The operating device according to claim 8, wherein: said switching device can be moved by a pressure actuation of said operating head in a direction perpendicular to said cover plate relative to said cover plate; and said evaluation unit of said sensor device detects a change in distance between said first and second sensor electrodes and said signal element further based on the sensor signals of said sensor control system and identifies a pressure actuation of said operating head based on the detected change in distance.

15. The operating device according to claim 8, wherein said sensor device is one of a plurality of sensor devices; wherein said switching device is one of a plurality of movable switching devices which are each associated with one of the plurality of sensor devices; and said plurality of sensor devices have a common sensor control system with a common sensor signal generator.

16. An electronic household appliance, comprising: at least one operating device according to claim 8.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0031] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, sectional view of an operating device with a rotatable switching device according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] FIG. 2A is a perspective plan view of a signal element of the operating device from FIG. 1 according to a first embodiment variant;

[0033] FIG. 2B is a perspective plan view of the signal element of the operating device from FIG. 1 according to a second embodiment variant;

[0034] FIG. 3 is a perspective plan view of sensor electrodes of the operating device from FIG. 1 in combination with the signal element from FIG. 2;

[0035] FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective views of two electrodes in two different positions relative to one another in order to explain the operating principle of the sensor device according to the invention;

[0036] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the sensor electrodes and the signal element in order to explain the mode of operation of the sensor device;

[0037] FIG. 6A are illustrations of two equivalent circuit diagrams of the sensor device of an operating device of the present invention for two different states of the sensor device;

[0038] FIG. 6B is an illustration showing signal timing diagrams for a measurement signal and a sensor signal for the two different states of the sensor device according to FIG. 6A according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention;

[0039] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a structure of an exemplary embodiment of a sensor control system for an operating device of the present invention;

[0040] FIG. 8A is a graph showing an example of signal timing diagrams of the different signal levels in the sensor control system from FIG. 7;

[0041] FIGS. 8B and 8C are enlarged representations of details Z1 or Z2 of the signal timing diagrams from FIG. 8A;

[0042] FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the operating device with the rotatable switching device according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the operating device with a displaceable switching device according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] FIG. 11 is a plan view of an embodiment variant of the signal element of the operating device from FIG. 10; and

[0045] FIG. 12 is a plan view of an embodiment variant of the sensor electrodes of the operating device from FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0046] Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly to FIGS. 1 to 3 thereof, there is shown a structure of an exemplary first exemplary embodiment of an operating device with a rotatable switching device and a sensor device according to the invention is firstly explained in greater detail.

[0047] The operating device 10 has a cover plate 12, for example in the form of an operating panel, with a user side 12a which faces a user (above in FIG. 1) and an internal side 12b which faces away from a user (below in FIG. 1). The cover plate 12 additionally has a through-opening 13. The material of the cover plate 12 is, in principle, arbitrary.

[0048] The operating device 10 further has a switching device 14. The switching device 14 has an operating head 15 which is positioned on the user side 12a of the cover plate 12 and can therefore be accessed and operated by the user. The switching device 14 further has a shaft 16 which runs from the operating head 15 through the opening 13 in the cover plate 12 to the internal side 12b of the cover plate and runs substantially perpendicular to the cover plate 12. The switching device 14 has a supporting element 17 at the internal end of the shaft 16, which supporting element is connected to the operating head 15 via the shaft 16 in a rotationally fixed manner. The supporting element 17 is configured to be substantially disk-shaped and extends substantially parallel to the cover plate 12. The switching device 14 of this exemplary embodiment is rotatable about an axis of rotation 18 which is orientated substantially perpendicular to the cover plate 12. A rotational actuation 34 of the operating head 15 by a user automatically causes the supporting element 17 to also rotate about the axis of rotation 18. As represented in FIG. 1, a signal element 19 is provided on the side of the supporting element 17 of the switching device which faces the cover plate 12.

[0049] The operating device 10 further has a sensor device 40. The sensor device 40 has a supporting plate 20, preferably in the form of a printed circuit board, which is orientated substantially parallel to the cover plate 12. In this exemplary embodiment, the supporting plate 20 is located between the cover plate 12 and the supporting element 17 of the switching device 14. The supporting plate 20 therefore also has a through-opening 21 through which runs the shaft 16 of the switching device 14. In a different embodiment variant of the invention, the supporting plate 20 can also be positioned below the supporting element 17 of the switching device 14.

[0050] As represented in FIG. 1, the sensor device 40 has a first sensor electrode 22 and at least one second sensor electrode 23 on the side of the supporting plate 20 which faces the supporting element 17, i.e. in this exemplary embodiment on the side of the supporting plate 20 which faces away from the cover plate 12. The sensor device 40 further has a sensor control system 25, which is preferably assembled on the supporting plate 20, and an evaluation unit 31 which has a microprocessor, for example, and can optionally also be assembled on the supporting plate 20. As indicated in FIG. 1, the sensor control system 25 has a sensor signal generator 26 and a measurement signal receiver 27 and, in this exemplary embodiment, also a signal amplifier 28, a peak-to-peak detector 29 and a comparator 30. The evaluation unit 31 is connected to an appliance control system of the appliance, for example, in/at which the operating device 10 is installed.

[0051] Optionally, at least one light-emitting element 32 can also be assembled on the supporting plate 20. In this case, the cover plate 12 is configured to be at least partially transparent, so that the region of the cover plate 12 around the operating head 15 can be back-lit, for example, in order to make it easier for the user to identify the position of the switching device 14 and/or to display status information of the operating device 10.

[0052] As illustrated in FIG. 2A, the supporting element 17 of the switching device 14 is substantially circular in shape. The signal element 19 includes a first electrode section 19a which runs around the shaft 16 substantially annularly and a second electrode section 19b which runs around the first electrode section substantially annularly. The first electrode section 19a is a fully electrically conductive electrode. In the embodiment variant from FIG. 2A, the second electrode section 19b has an electrically conductive part 19c in the form of a large area electrode which is electrically connected to the first electrode section 19a and extends over a large part of the circumferential direction, and has at least one electrically non-conductive part 19d in the form of a gap.

[0053] In the embodiment variant from FIG. 2B, the supporting element 17 of the switching device 14 is also substantially circular in shape. The signal element 19 includes a first electrode section 19a which runs around the shaft 16 substantially annularly and a second electrode section 19b which runs around the first electrode section 19a substantially annularly. The first electrode section 19a is a fully electrically conductive electrode. In this embodiment variant, the second electrode section 19b has at least one electrically conductive part 19c in the form of an annular sector-shaped electrode which is electrically connected to the first electrode section 19a and only extends over a limited part of the circumferential direction, and has at least one electrically non-conductive part 19d which extends over the remaining part of the circumference.

[0054] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the first sensor electrode 22 is substantially annular in shape and extends away across the entire rotation zone 37. In this case, the first sensor electrode 22 is positioned opposite the first electrode section 19a, 19a of the signal element 19, 19. In this exemplary embodiment, ten second sensor electrodes 23 are provided in total which are each annular sector-shaped and are separated from one another in the circumferential direction and are arranged radially outwardly of the first sensor electrode 22 and in each case at a distance to the first sensor electrode 22. Overall, the second sensor electrodes 23 are positioned opposite the second electrode section 19b, 19b of the signal element 19, 19. The first and second sensor electrodes 22, 23 can be formed by a copper layer on the supporting plate or printed circuit board 20, for example. The first and second sensor electrodes 22, 23 are spaced apart from the signal element 19, 19 on the supporting element 17, for example by approximately 0.5 mm or approximately 1.0 mm.

[0055] The number of second sensor electrodes 23 is not limited to this exemplary embodiment. The numbers of electrically non-conductive gaps 19d or of electrically conductive electrodes 19c of the signal element 19, 19 are also not limited to this exemplary embodiment.

[0056] While in this exemplary embodiment the second sensor electrodes 23 are positioned in a radial direction outside the first sensor electrode 22, this can also be reversed within the scope of the invention, i.e. the second sensor electrodes 23 can be positioned in a radial direction inside the first sensor electrode 22. In this case, the first electrode section 19a, 19a and the second electrode section 19b, 19b would then also be reversed on the supporting element 17, so that the first electrode section 19a, 19a is located opposite the first sensor electrode 22 and the second electrode section 19b, 19b is located opposite the second sensor electrodes 23.

[0057] Referring to FIGS. 5 to 8, the mode of operation of the sensor device will now be explained in greater detail by way of example.

[0058] As illustrated in FIG. 5, the first sensor electrode 22 forms a capacitor with a capacitance Crx together with the opposite first electrode section 19a, 19a of the signal element 19, 19, and a second sensor electrode 23 forms a capacitor with a capacitance Ctx together with the opposite second electrode section 19b, 19b of the signal element. While the first and the second electrode section of the signal element 19, 19 are connected to one another in an electrically conductive manner, the first and second sensor electrodes 22, 23 are spaced apart from one another and preferably additionally electrically insulated from one another by an insulating element 24.

[0059] In the bottom part of the picture, FIG. 6A shows an equivalent circuit diagram in the event of the second sensor electrode 23 which is controlled as a transmitter being located opposite an electrically conductive part 19c, 19c of the signal element 19, 19. In this case, the sensor signal generator 26 of the sensor control system 25 inputs a sinusoidal sensor signal Tx at the one second sensor electrode 23 which is controlled as a transmitter, as represented by way of example in the top timing diagram from FIG. 6B, while the other nine second sensor electrodes 23 are connected to ground. The sensor signal Tx is then transmitted from the second sensor electrode 23 via the capacitor, which is formed by the second sensor electrode 23 and the opposite electrically conductive part 19c, 19c of the second electrode section 19b, 19b of the signal element 19, 19 and has a capacitance value of Ctx1 in this fully overlapping positioning, and the further capacitor, which is formed by the first sensor electrode 22 and the first electrode section 19a, 19a of the signal element 19, 19 and always has a capacitance value of Crx, to the first sensor electrode 22, where it is received by the measurement signal receiver 27 of the sensor control system 25 as a measurement signal Rx1, which is represented by way of example in the bottom timing diagram from FIG. 6B. As shown when comparing the sensor signal Tx to the measurement signal Rx1, the course of the measurement signal Rx1, similarly to the sensor signal, is also sinusoidal and the amplitudes are only slightly reduced.

[0060] In the top part of the picture, FIG. 6A shows an equivalent circuit diagram in the event that the second sensor electrode 23 which is controlled as a transmitter is located opposite an electrically non-conductive part 19d, 19d of the signal element 19, 19. The sensor signal Tx which is input by the sensor signal generator 26 at the one second sensor electrode 23 which is controlled as a transmitter is then transmitted from the second sensor electrode 23 via the capacitor, which is formed by the second sensor electrode 23 and an offset electrically conductive part 19c, 19c of the second electrode section 19b, 19b of the signal element 19, 19 and has a significantly reduced capacitance value of Ctx2 in this non-overlapping positioning, and the further capacitor, which is formed by the first sensor electrode 22 and the first electrode section 19a, 19a of the signal element 19, 19 and always has a capacitance value of Crx, to the first sensor electrode 22, where it is received by the measurement signal receiver 27 of the sensor control system 25 as a measurement signal Rx2, which is represented by way of example in the middle timing diagram from FIG. 6B. As shown when comparing the measurement signals Rx1 and Rx2, the amplitudes of the measurement signal Rx2 are almost eliminated and the measurement signals in the two states described are clearly different, so that the evaluation unit can identify these different positions of the second electrode section 19b, 19b of the signal element 19, 19 on the supporting element 17 of the switching device 14 relative to the second sensor electrode 23 in a simple and reliable manner.

[0061] In order for the evaluation unit 31 to evaluate the measurement signals Rx in a simpler manner, the sensor control system 25 preferably carries out additional signal processing, as represented in FIG. 7 by way of example. The sensor signal generator 26 generates the sensor signal Tx and inputs it to a second sensor electrode 23. The measurement signal receiver 27 receives the measurement signal Rx at the first sensor electrode 22 and passes it on to the signal amplifier 28 as a raw signal A1. The signal amplifier 28 then passes on the amplified signal A2 to a peak-to-peak detector 29 which converts the sinusoidal signal A2 into a temporal course of the peak-to-peak distances. This peak-to-peak signal PP is then passed on to a comparator 30 which compares it with a reference value, in order to transmit an output signal OUT to the evaluation unit 31 which specifies the points in time at which the peak-to-peak distances exceed a predetermined threshold value, i.e. the amplitude values are very high, which is only the case in the event of a maximum overlap of the second sensor electrode 23 with the electrically conductive part 19c, 19c of the second electrode section 19b, 19b of the signal element 19, 19.

[0062] In order to clarify the signal processing described by means of FIG. 7, FIGS. 8A-C show exemplary timing diagrams of the different signal processing stages A1, A2, PP and OUT.

[0063] The diagrams from FIGS. 6 to 8 clarify how a movement of the switching device 14 relative to the supporting plate 20 and to the cover plate 12 can be detected by means of a signal transmission from a second sensor electrode 23 to the first sensor electrode 22 via the signal element 19, 19. If, as in this exemplary embodiment, a plurality of second sensor electrodes 23 are provided on the supporting plate 20, they are controlled alternately by the sensor control system 25 with the sensor signal Tx, while all other second sensor electrodes 23 are each connected to ground. The precision of the movement detection can then be further improved by evaluating the corresponding plurality of measurement signals Rx.

[0064] Referring to FIG. 9, the structure of an exemplary second exemplary embodiment of an operating device with a rotatable switching device and a sensor device according to the invention will now be explained. The same or corresponding components are identified with the same reference numbers as in FIG. 1.

[0065] The operating device 10 from FIG. 9 is different from the operating device of the first exemplary embodiment in that the switching device 14, in addition to a rotational actuation 34 about an axis of rotation 18, can also experience a pressure actuation 35, by means of which it can be displaced in a direction perpendicular to the cover plate 12. As represented in FIG. 9, the operating device 10 has a spring element 33 which pretensions the operating head 15 of the switching device 14 in the direction away from the user side 12a of the cover plate 12 (upwards in FIG. 9). In the case of a pressure actuation 35 of the operating head 15 by a user, the operating head 15 is pressed in the direction towards the cover plate 12 and thus the supporting element 17 of the switching device 14 is also pressed further away from the internal side 12b of the cover plate 12 (downwards in FIG. 9). As a result, the signal element 19 on the supporting element 17 is further away from the sensor electrodes 22, 23 on the supporting plate 20. As a result, both capacitance values Ctx and Crx are significantly reduced in the case of a pressure actuation 35 of the switching device 14, which causes a significant change in the measurement signal Rx which can be identified in a simple manner by the evaluation unit 31.

[0066] Moreover, the second exemplary embodiment from FIG. 9 corresponds to the first exemplary embodiment. In particular, the sensor device 40 of the operating device 10 also corresponds to that of the operating device of the first exemplary embodiment, except for the additional identification of the pressure actuation 35.

[0067] In an alternative exemplary embodiment (not represented), the supporting plate 20 with the sensor electrodes 22, 23 can also be arranged below the supporting element 17 of the switching device 14. In this case, a pressure actuation 35 of the switching device 14 would lead to a reduction in the distance of the signal element 19 from the sensor electrodes 22, 23, up to the point of contact, which also causes a significant change in the measurement signal Rx which can be identified in a simple manner by the evaluation unit 31.

[0068] Referring to FIGS. 10 to 12, the structure of an exemplary third exemplary embodiment of an operating device with a switching device and a sensor device according to the invention will now be explained. The same or corresponding components are identified with the same reference numbers as in the first exemplary embodiment.

[0069] The operating device 10 from FIGS. 10 to 12 is different from the operating device of the first exemplary embodiment in that the switching device 14 is not rotatable about an axis of rotation, but rather can be displaced along a thrust axis 18 which runs parallel to the cover plate 12. The opening 13 in the cover plate is designed as a correspondingly long slot so that the switching device can be moved along a thrust line 37. As represented in FIG. 10, the signal element 19 and the sensor electrodes 22, 23 are only arranged on one side of the shaft 16. However, they could also optionally be arranged on two opposite sides of the shaft 16.

[0070] As illustrated in FIG. 11, the supporting element 17 of the switching device 14 is substantially rectangular in shape. The signal element 19 includes a first electrode section 19a which runs substantially in a straight line parallel to the thrust axis 18 adjacent to the shaft 16, and a second electrode section 19b which is located substantially in a straight line adjacent to the first electrode section 19a. In this exemplary embodiment, the second electrode section 19b has an electrically conductive part 19c in the form of an electrode which runs substantially perpendicular to the first electrode section 19a and is electrically connected to the first electrode section 19a, and has two electrically non-conductive parts 19d which are located in front of and behind the electrodes 19c in the direction of the thrust direction 18.

[0071] As represented in FIG. 12, the first sensor electrode 22 is configured in a straight line (generally linear in shape) and extends along the entire thrust line 37. In this case, during a thrust actuation 36 of the switching device 14, the first electrode section 19a of the signal element 19 is moved relative to the first sensor electrode 22. In this exemplary embodiment, a total of seven second sensor electrodes 23 are provided which are each block-shaped and are separated from one another in the direction of the thrust line 37 and are arranged adjacent to the first sensor electrode 22 and in each case at a distance to the first sensor electrode 22 in the direction perpendicular to the thrust line 37. In this case, during a thrust actuation 36 of the switching device 14, the second electrode section 19a of the signal element 19 with the one electrode 19c is moved relative to the second sensor electrodes 23.

[0072] The number of second sensor electrodes 23 is not limited to this exemplary embodiment. The numbers of electrodes 19c of the signal element 19 are also not limited to this exemplary embodiment.

[0073] Moreover, the structure and mode of operation of the operating device of this third exemplary embodiment correspond to those of the first exemplary embodiment.

[0074] The above-mentioned second exemplary embodiment and the above-mentioned third exemplary embodiment can also be combined with one another as a further exemplary embodiment of the invention. In other words, the switching device 14 can additionally be moved by a pressure actuation even in the operating device from FIGS. 10-12 with a displaceable switching device.

[0075] The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention: [0076] 10 operating device [0077] 12 cover plate [0078] 12a/12b user side/internal side [0079] 13 opening [0080] 14 switching device [0081] 15 operating head [0082] 16 shaft [0083] 17 supporting element [0084] 18 axis of movement (e.g. axis of rotation or thrust axis) [0085] 19, 19 signal element [0086] 19a, 19a first electrode section [0087] 19b, 19b second electrode section [0088] 19c, 19c electrically conductive part [0089] 19d, 19d electrically non-conductive part [0090] 20 supporting plate (in particular printed circuit board) [0091] 21 opening [0092] 22 first sensor electrode [0093] 23 second sensor electrodes [0094] 24 insulating element [0095] 25 sensor control system [0096] 26 sensor signal generator [0097] 27 measurement signal receiver [0098] 28 signal amplifier [0099] 29 peak-to-peak detector [0100] 30 comparator [0101] 31 evaluation unit [0102] 32 light-emitting element [0103] 33 spring element [0104] 34 rotational actuation [0105] 35 pressure actuation [0106] 36 thrust actuation [0107] 37 movement path (e.g. rotational zone or thrust line) [0108] 40 sensor device