Contact and/or proximity-sensitive input device

Abstract

A contact and/or proximity-sensitive input device has a cover plate with a light-transmissive control section facing a user of the input device and forming a control field for the user. A light-transmissive sensor film has at least one capacitive sensor field. A carrier plate carries at least one lighting device. The input device also has a light-transmissive decorative film with at least one decorative element. The film is a separate component from the sensor film so that the decorative film can be produced independently of the sensor film and can be adapted simply to desired variants of the input device. The carrier plate, decorative film, sensor film and cover plate are arranged successively in such a way that the light emitted by the lighting device passes through the decorative film, sensor film and control section of the cover plate.

Claims

1. A contact and/or proximity-sensitive input device, comprising: a cover plate having at least one at least partially light-transmissive control section, the control section facing toward a user of the input device and forming a control field for the user; an at least partially light-transmissive sensor film having at least one capacitive sensor field, said sensor film having at least one electrical contact field; an at least partially light-transmissive decorative film having at least one decorative element, said decorative film being configured as a separate component from said sensor film; a carrier plate and at least one lighting device disposed on said carrier plate; at least one electrical contact element disposed on said carrier plate; and at least one spacer element having a contacting section configured to keep said at least one electrical contact field of said sensor film in electrically conductive contact with said at least one electrical contact element disposed on said carrier plate; said carrier plate, said decorative film, said sensor film and said cover plate being successively disposed relative to one another so that light emitted by said lighting device passes through said decorative film, said sensor film and said control section of said cover plate.

2. The input device according to claim 1, configured for integration in a household electronic appliance.

3. The input device according to claim 1, wherein: said at least one electrical contact field of said sensor film being electrically conductively connected to said capacitive sensor field; and said at least one electrical contact element is in electrically conductive contact with said electrical contact field of said sensor film.

4. The input device according to claim 1, wherein said decorative film is fixedly connected to said sensor film.

5. The input device according to claim 1, wherein said decorative film is fixedly connected to said cover plate or to said spacer element.

6. The input device according to claim 1, which comprises at least one spacer element on a side of said carrier plate facing toward said cover plate, said at least one spacer element separating said decorative film, said sensor film and/or said cover plate from said at least one lighting device on said carrier plate.

7. The input device according to claim 6, wherein said sensor film is fixedly connected to said spacer element.

8. The input device according to claim 6, wherein said at least one spacer element is a light guide element configured for guiding light emitted by said at least one lighting device in a direction of said cover plate.

9. The input device according to claim 6, wherein said sensor film has said capacitive sensor field and at least one electrical contact field that is electrically conductively connected to said capacitive sensor field, and wherein said sensor film is bent so that said at least one capacitive sensor field and said at least one electrical contact field are positioned in two different planes extending approximately parallel to said carrier plate.

10. The input device according to claim 6, wherein said sensor film is fixedly connected to a side of said cover plate averted from the user.

11. The input device according to claim 10, wherein said cover plate has a contacting section configured to keep said at least one electrical contact field of said sensor film in electrically conductive contact with said at least one electrical contact element on said carrier plate.

12. A household electronic appliance, comprising at least one contact and/or proximity-sensitive input device according to claim 1.

13. The household electronic appliance according to claim 12, wherein the control section of the cover plate of the input device is arranged behind an at least partially light-transmissive control panel or in a recess of a control panel of the electronic appliance.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

(1) FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of an input device according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention;

(2) FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the input device of FIG. 1;

(3) FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a premounted component for the input device of FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 4 shows an exploded perspective representation of an input device according to a second exemplary embodiment of the invention;

(5) FIG. 5 is a perspective partial sectional view of the input device of FIG. 4;

(6) FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a premounted component for the input device of FIG. 4; and

(7) FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a further intermediate step during the assembly of the input device of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(8) Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first, particularly, to FIGS. 1-3 thereof, a first exemplary embodiment of a contact and/or proximity-sensitive input device, such as may for example be used in a (large) household appliance, for example a washing machine or a dishwasher, will now be described in more detail.

(9) The input device is installed behind a control panel 10, for example made of plastic, in the household appliance. In this case, a rectangular recess 12 or cutout 12 is provided in the control panel 10. Instead of the recess 12, the control panel 10 may also have a transparent region. The (outer) side facing toward the user is respectively on the top in FIGS. 1 to 3.

(10) A cover plate 14, for example made of a transparent, or at least translucent, electrically insulating plastic, glass or glass ceramic material, is arranged on the side of the control panel 10 facing away from the user. This cover plate 14 has an essentially planar plate section 14a. On the side of this plate section 14a facing toward the user, the cover plate 14 has an essentially planar control section 14b. This control section 14b is shaped and dimensioned in accordance with the recess 12 in the control panel 10, so that it protrudes into the recess 12 and ends essentially flush with the outer side of the control panel 10 (cf. FIG. 1). The cover plate 14 is, for example, adhesively bonded to the control panel 10, and any gap between the control section 14b and the edge of the recess 12 is preferably encapsulated or adhesively bonded.

(11) As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cover plate 14 furthermore has a contacting section 14c, which is connected to the plate section 14a via a multiply bent connecting section 14d. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the plate section 14a and the contacting section 14c of the cover plate 14 extend in different planes A and B, respectively. The planes A and B are (substantially) parallel to the control panel 10. The cover plate 14 is preferably formed integrally with its various sections 14a-d. Furthermore, the contacting section 14 is preferably connected rigidly to the plate section 14a, so that the contacting plane B is positioned at a predetermined and fixed distance from the sensor plane A.

(12) In this exemplary embodiment, the described cover plate 14 is used as a carrier for a sensor film 16. The sensor film 16 is configured as a nonrigid component and is firmly connected to the side of the cover plate 14 facing away from the user, for example by means of a transparent adhesive.

(13) The sensor film 16 consists essentially of a transparent plastic film (for example PET or PC). It is furthermore printed with electrically conductive structures, which form in particular capacitive sensor fields 18, electrical contact fields 20 and electrical connections between them. While the capacitive sensor fields 18 are positioned in the region of the control section 14b of the cover plate 14 in the sensor plane A, the electrical contact fields 20 are provided in the region of the contacting section 14c of the cover plate 14 in the contact plane B. In general, one sensor field 18 is respectively connected electrically conductively to one contact field 20. Depending on the application, one or more sensor fields 18 may be provided in order to provide the user with one or more control elements.

(14) Each capacitive sensor field 18 forms, together with for example a finger of the user, by means of the cover plate 14 as a dielectric, a capacitor which is variable according to the actuation of the input device, i.e. the contact or noncontact, or proximity or nonproximity, of the control section 14b of the cover plate 14. The variation in the capacitance of the capacitive sensor field 18 may be acquired at the contact field 20, connected to the sensor field 18, of the sensor film 16 and processed and evaluated by suitable evaluation electronics.

(15) The input device furthermore contains a decorative film 22, a spacer element 24 and a carrier plate 26, which may be present as premounted components, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

(16) Similarly to the sensor film 16, the decorative film 22 consists essentially of a transparent plastic film (for example PET or PC). It is furthermore provided with one or more decorative elements 23 in the form of symbols, numbers, letters, segments, a pictogram, bars, etc. and single or multiple combinations of these elements, which may be configured as positive or negative elements and/or optionally colored, provided. The decorative elements 23 are, for example, printed onto the decorative film 22.

(17) A plurality of lighting devices 28 or light sources 28 in the form of light-emitting diodes or light-emitting diode groups, as well as a plurality of electrical contact elements 30 in the form of contact spring, are arranged on the carrier plate 26. On the side of the carrier plate (printed circuit board or simple plastic plate) 26 facing toward the user, the spacer element 24 is positioned in the form of a so-called lightbox. This lightbox 24 ensures on the one hand the separation of the decorative film 22, the sensor film 16 and the cover plate 14 from the lighting device 28 on the carrier plate 26, and on the other hand separate backlighting or transmitted illumination of individual regions of the decorative film 22, the sensor film 16 and the control section 14b of the cover plate 14. To this end, the walls of the lightbox 24 are preferably configured to be reflective.

(18) As represented in FIG. 3, the decorative film 22 is adhesively bonded onto the spacer element 24, which may in turn be connected firmly to the carrier plate 26 (for example by adhesive bonding, snap-fastening or the like).

(19) As can be seen in FIG. 2, the decorative elements 23 of the decorative film 22 are not necessarily positioned directly behind the sensor fields 18 of the sensor film 22, but may optionally also be offset therefrom. Owing to the production of the decorative film 22 separately from the production of the sensor film 16, the decorative film 22 can be adapted simply and flexibly to different variants of the input device, without also having to modify the sensor film 16.

(20) In the assembled state of the input device (cf. FIG. 1), the electrical contact fields 20 of the sensor film 16 are electrically conductively in contact with the electrical contact elements 30 on the carrier plate 26. To this end, the contact fields 20 of the sensor film 16 are pressed with the aid of the contacting section 14c of the cover plate 14 in the direction of the carrier plate 26, and the contact elements 30 on the carrier plate 26 are configured as resilient contact springs which are prestressed in the direction of the cover plate 14.

(21) The contact elements 30 on the carrier plate 26 are electrically conductively connected to evaluation electronics (not illustrated), which are preferably likewise arranged on the carrier plate 26 (for example on its lower side facing away from the user). The evaluation electronics are in turn connected to an appliance controller or integrated into such a controller.

(22) The mutual positioning of the carrier plate 26 (with the lightbox 24 and decorative film 22) on the one hand and the cover plate 14 (with the sensor film 16) on the other hand may, for example, be achieved by direct connection of these components to one another or by connection of these components respectively to the control panel 10 or to another component of the household appliance.

(23) Referring to FIGS. 4 to 7, a second exemplary embodiment of a contact and/or proximity-sensitive input device, such as may for example be used in a (large) household appliance, for example a washing machine or a dishwasher, will now be described in more detail. In this case, identical or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numbers as in the first, abovedescribed exemplary embodiment.

(24) In the second exemplary embodiment, the spacer element 24 designed as a lightbox is used as a carrier for the sensor film 16. That is to say, the sensor film 16 is adhesively bonded onto the upper side of the lightbox 24 facing toward the user. In order to keep the electrical contact fields 20 in electrically conductive contact with the contact springs 30 on the carrier plate 26, in this exemplary embodiment the lightbox 24 is provided with a contacting section 25, or is rigidly connected to such a section. As represented in FIGS. 5 and 7, the sensor film 16 is for example threaded through an opening in the contacting section 25 of the lightbox 24 to its lower side facing toward the carrier plate 26. In this configuration of the input device, the contacting section 14c on the cover plate 14 may correspondingly be omitted.

(25) The decorative film 22 with the decorative elements 23 may, for example, be laminated onto the sensor film 16 as represented in FIG. 6, and then adhesively bonded together therewith onto the lightbox 24. As an alternative, the decorative film 22 may also be adhesively bonded to the lower side of the cover plate 14 facing away from the user.

(26) In other regards, the components of the input device of FIGS. 4 to 7 correspond to those of the first exemplary embodiment.

(27) Although not represented, in both exemplary embodiments it is also possible to adhesively bond the decorative film 22 onto the outer side, facing toward the user, of the control section 14b of the cover plate 14.

(28) The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention: 10 control panel 12 recess 14 cover plate 14a plate section 14b control section 14c contacting section 14d connecting section 16 sensor film 18 capacitive sensor field 20 electrical contact field 22 decorative film 23 decorative element 24 spacer element 25 contacting section 26 carrier plate 28 lighting device 30 electrical contact element A sensor plane B contacting plane