OPERATING UNIT FOR A DEVICE, IN PARTICULAR FOR A VEHICLE COMPONENT

Abstract

The operating unit for a vehicle, in particular for a vehicle component, is provided with a housing (10) which has an operating element (12), such as a display for example, and is designed to be secured in a device, in particular in a vehicle dashboard. The operating element (12) is elastically mounted on the housing (10). An actuator (16) is additionally provided for mechanically exciting the operating element (12) when an operation of the operating element (12) has been detected. Finally, the operating unit also has a vibration compensating mass (20) which can be mechanically excited by the actuator or by one actuator (16) when an operation of the operating element (12) has been detected and/or which is mounted on the housing (10) and can be moved in order to substantially compensate for forces acting on the housing (10) when the operating element (12) is moved.

Claims

1. An operating unit for a device, e.g. for a vehicle component, particularly a man-machine interface (MMI or HMI), comprising a housing which comprises an operating element having an operating panel such as e.g. a touchscreen or touchpad or display, and which is provided for attachment in a device, particularly in a vehicle dashboard or vehicle center console, wherein the operating element is elastically mounted on the housing, a sensor for detection of an actuation of the operating element, an actuator for mechanical excitation of the operating panel occurring upon detection of an operation of the operating element, and a compensating weight, wherein the compensating weight is adapted to be mechanically excited by said, or an, actuator upon detection of an operation of the operating element, and is elastically mounted in and/or on the housing and/or is elastically mounted at the operating element, wherein the compensating weight is movable to substantially compensate a movement of the housing upon activation of the actuator mechanically exciting the operating element.

2. The operating unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the compensating weight is designed as an element separated from said actuator or from an actuator, or as a part of the actuator mechanically exciting the operating panel.

3. The operating unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the compensating weight is movable with a phase shift of substantially 180? and thus in the opposite direction to the excitation movement of the operating element, wherein the movement stroke of the compensating weight is selected under consideration of at least the relation of the mass of the operating element to the mass of the compensating weight.

4. The operating unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the operating element inclusive of its elastic mounting to the housing and the compensating weight inclusive of its elastic mounting to the housing and/or to the operating element each have a natural frequency, wherein both eigenfrequencies are equal or substantially equal.

5. The operating unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the actuator is designed as a tie-rod or plunger-coil electromagnet comprising a stator and an armature, wherein the armatureor alternatively the statoris kinematically coupled to the operating element, and the statoror alternatively the armatureis kinematically coupled to the compensating weight.

6. The operating unit according to claim 5, characterized in that the stator is coupled kinematically to the compensating weightor alternatively the armatureforms or comprises the compensating weight.

7. The operating unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the operating unit is designed as a display and operating unit and that the operating element comprises, apart from an operating function, also a display function.

8. The operating unit according to claim 2, characterized in that the compensating weight is movable with a phase shift of substantially 180? and thus in the opposite direction to the excitation movement of the operating element, wherein the movement stroke of the compensating weight is selected under consideration of at least the relation of the mass of the operating element to the mass of the compensating weight.

Description

[0024] The invention will be described hereunder in greater detail and with reference to the drawing. In the individual Figures, the following is shown:

[0025] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of the forces occurring in an operating unit with active haptic feedback according to the state of the art,

[0026] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of the forces occurring when using a compensating weight as a compensating mass in the manner provided by the invention, and

[0027] FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of the design of a counterforce-free haptic feedback in an operating unit.

[0028] According to the invention, there is proposed the use of an elastically supported (see spring-mass damping system 22) movable countermass 20 between the actuator 16 and the housing 10 for balancing the forces acting on the housing 10. The actuation of the operating element 12 is detected by means of the actuation sensor 19. Thereupon, via an evaluation and control unit 21 which receives signals from the actuation sensor 19 and transmits control signals to the actuator 16, the actuator 16 will be controlled.

[0029] In case of a corresponding design of the additional spring-mass damping system 22 and c.sub.3, d.sub.3, m.sub.3, respectively, the resulting force F.sub.2(t) acting on the vehicle can be eliminated. (The static forces generated by gravitation do not play a role in the generating of noises or vibrations).

[0030] For a randomly predetermined display deflection x.sub.1(t), the deflection x.sub.2(t)/motion of the device housing and thus also the force F.sub.2(t) acting on the device fastening structure can be eliminated under the following conditions:

[00001]$c_3=c_1.Math.\frac{m_3}{m_1},.Math.d_3=d_1.Math.\frac{m_3}{m_1}$

[0031] From this, there results the deflection of the countermass 20:

[00002]$x_3?\left(t\right)=x_1?\left(t\right).Math.\frac{m_1}{m_3}$

[0032] Under these conditions, also the elasticity of the device fastening structure 18 will have no influence on the haptic feedback. The countermass 20 and m.sub.3, respectively, is normally restricted by the demands posed on the installation space and is smaller than the display mass m.sub.1. In the ideal case, it can be realized as a part of the actuator 16.

[0033] The present invention makes it possible [0034] to generate a haptic feedback on mass-carrying surfaces without causing effects of dynamic forces on the environment, [0035] to generate a haptic feedback in an operating device that is independent from the elasticity of the device fastening structure.

[0036] In FIG. 3, a device with counterforce-free haptic feedback is schematically outlined.

[0037] In the illustrated example, the actuator 20 is designed as a tie-rod electromagnet and comprises a stack of stator laminations, elastically supported on housing 10 and having an actuator coil, i.e. a stator 26 and an armature core tightly coupled to the operating element 12, i.e. an armature 28. The stator 26 forms a movable countermass 20 or comprises the same. When setting the air gap, shown at 30, in the tie-rod electromagnet, the maximum deflection of the display 10 and of the countermass 20 relative to each other has to be considered. The stator 26 is supported elastically (spring-mass damping system 22) on the housing 10 but alternatively can also be elastically coupled to the operating element 12. The operating element guide means is schematically represented at 32. The housing 10 is fastened to the vehicle 24 (e.g. at the instrument panel of the vehicle).

[0038] The invention has been described above by way of an operating unit for use in a vehicle but, as initially mentioned, is also applicable quite generally for operating units all of types of devices or systems. In devices that comprise more than one operating surface with haptic feedback, each operating surface can be mechanically excited independently from the at least one other operating surface in the manner provided by the invention. Thus, each operating surface comprises its own dedicated balance mass so as to be able to compensate for device forces and movements acting toward the outside, which are induced by mechanical excitation of any one of the operating surfaces.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0039] 10 housing [0040] 12 operating element [0041] 14 spring damping system of the elastic coupling of the operating element to the housing [0042] 16 actuator [0043] 18 spring damping system of the (elastic) coupling of the housing to the vehicle [0044] 19 actuation sensor [0045] 20 counterweight [0046] 21 evaluation and control unit [0047] 22 spring damping system of the elastic coupling of the counterweight to the housing and/or the operating element [0048] 24 vehicle or operating panel of the vehicle [0049] 26 stator of the tie-rod electromagnet designed as actuator [0050] 28 armature of the tie-rod electromagnet [0051] 30 air gap of the tie-rod electromagnet [0052] 32 guide means of the operating panel for the motion upon haptic feedback [0053] m.sub.1 mass of the operating panel [0054] x.sub.1(t) deflection of the operating panel [0055] F.sub.Akt(t) actuator force development [0056] F.sub.1(t) force of the operating panel acting on the housing 10 upon excitation of the operating panel (F.sub.1(t)=F.sub.Akt?m.sub.1?a.sub.1) [0057] c.sub.1 spring constant of the elastic coupling of the operating panel on the housing [0058] d.sub.1 damping of the elastic coupling of the operating panel on the housing [0059] m.sub.2 mass of the housing [0060] x.sub.2(t) deflection of the housing resulting from the force exerted by the mechanically excited operating panel [0061] F.sub.2(t) force acting on the housing fastening structure [0062] m.sub.3 mass of the counterweight [0063] x.sub.3(t) deflection of the counterweight [0064] F.sub.3 force acting on the housing by the counterweight [0065] c.sub.3 spring constant of the elastic coupling of the counterweight to the housing [0066] d.sub.3 damping of the elastic coupling of the counterweight to the housing