Manually operated switching device for a vehicle with a sensor activation device

Abstract

A manually operated switching device for a vehicle, with a switch lever and at least one touch-sensitive sensor device formed on the switch lever, which is designed for detecting an effect on a sensor surface of the sensor device that leaves the switch lever positionally unchanged and that triggers a switching signal, wherein an activation device is formed, with which the detecting state of the sensor device is activated as defined by the user.

Claims

1. A manually operated switching device for a vehicle, comprising: a switch lever; and a touch-sensitive sensor device formed on the switch lever, wherein the touch-sensitive sensor device is for detecting an effect on a sensor surface of the sensor device that leaves the switch lever positionally unchanged and that triggers a switching signal, further comprising an activation device, with which a detecting state of the sensor device is activated as defined by a user, wherein the activation device comprises an operating element farmed on the switch lever, wherein the operating element is formed outside a region of an end piece of the switch lever that is provided for gripping by the user operating the switch lever, and wherein the switching device is a steering column switch, formed from an elongated, curved and hollow body.

2. The switching device according to claim 1, wherein the operating element and the sensor surface are disposed on opposite edge regions of an edge of the switch lever.

3. The switching device according to claim 2, wherein the operating element is formed on a lower edge region of the switch lever.

4. The switching device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor surface is illuminated at least in some regions in an activated state of the sensor device.

5. The switching device according to claim 4, wherein the sensor surface is illuminated in a first light color in the activated state of the sensor device and is illuminated in a second light color in a deactivated state of the sensor device.

6. The switching device according to claim 1, further including a vibration device, with which a vibration signal is generated as haptic feedback to the user in case of an effect on the sensor surface of the sensor device in an activated state that triggers a switching signal.

7. The switching device according to claim 6, wherein the vibration device comprises a vibration motor disposed in the switch lever.

8. The switching device according to claim 7, wherein the vibration motor is contacted by spring arms or a cable on a control unit on a circuit board.

9. The switching device according to claim 7, wherein the vibration motor is soldered to a flexible circuit board, which comprises at least one capacitive sensor of the sensor device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in detail using schematic figures. In the figures:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective representation of sub components of an exemplary embodiment of a switching device according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a further perspective representation of the embodiment according to FIG. 1; and

(4) FIG. 3 shows a partial exploded representation of the switching device according to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

(5) In the figures, identical or functionally equivalent elements are provided with the same reference characters.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) In FIG. 1 a manually operated switching device 1 is provided, which can be disposed in a vehicle and which is in the form of a steering column switch 1. The steering column switch 1 can e.g. be disposed in the region of a steering wheel and comprises a switch lever 2. The switch lever 2 is designed to be elongated and curved in the exemplary embodiment and is hollow. A plurality of components are disposed in a cavity 3 bounded by a rear wall 4, a front wall that is not shown in FIG. 1 and thereby allows a view into the cavity 3, and a circumferential edge 5 that connects the front wall and the rear wall 4.

(7) Moreover, a touch-sensitive sensor device 6 is formed on the switch lever 2. The sensor device 6 is designed for detecting an effect on a sensor surface of the sensor device 6 that leaves the switch lever 2 positionally unchanged and that triggers a switching signal. In the exemplary embodiment, two sensor surfaces 7 and 8 are formed. These are configured on different edge regions of the edge 5, wherein for this purpose the sensor surface 7 is formed on an upper edge region 9 and the sensor surface 8 is formed on a lateral edge region 10.

(8) In particular, the sensor device 6 comprises capacitive sensors 11 and 12 coupled to the sensor surfaces 7 and 8.

(9) It is preferably provided that the capacitive sensors 11 and 12 are formed by a conducting copper surface on a flexible film. In particular, it is provided that said flexible film is connected to a control unit 13 and constitutes a direct interaction with an activating element, which e.g. can be a finger of a user. The sensor surfaces 7 and 8 can be connected to the outer casing and thus to the edge 5 of the switch lever 2, so that the lever is directly underneath the touch-sensitive surface.

(10) It is advantageous here that no air gap is formed between the sensor 11 or 12 of such a form and the outer casing and therefore the edge 5. For this purpose it is especially provided that the capacitive sensors 11 and 12 are each applied to a film 26 and said film is joined to the outer casing and thus to the edge 5, e.g. using an adhesive 27, or is suitably encapsulated, resulting in integration of the film within the synthetic material of the edge 5.

(11) The capacitive sensors 11 and 12 are preferably connected to a flexible circuit board 14 as a flexible film, which in turn is directly connected to the control unit 13. The control unit 13 is applied to as circuit board in this case, which can likewise be flexible or can be in the form of a rigid board 33.

(12) It is preferably provided that the control unit 13 or the corresponding circuit is disposed in the immediate vicinity of the sensors 11 and 12 and is thus positioned close to the sensors 11 and 12 in the cavity 3. By such a directly adjacent positioning between the control unit 13 and the sensors 11 and 12, the self-capacitance of the sensors 11 and 12 can be kept very small in relation to the mass, because otherwise longer conducting tracks also interact with the surroundings and increase the capacitance. High functional dependability and reliability can thus also be achieved by a very compact and close arrangement with respect to each other.

(13) In the exemplary embodiment it is provided that operating functions of functional units 28 of the vehicle can be triggered by touching a sensor surface 7 or 8, or a switching signal can be triggered by fingers or similar merely entering as working range of the sensor surface 7, 8 without contact. Said operations thus take place such that no positional change of the switch lever 2 is carried out. In addition, for this purpose it can be provided that the switch lever 2 position can also be changed in order to be able to trigger suitable switching signals for operating functions of functional units.

(14) With regard to such functional units, e.g. a light unit, a windscreen wiper device, a windscreen washer system, a flasher, a navigation system, an audio system or an infotainment system can be examples and can be provided.

(15) An effect on the sensor surface 7 or 8 is thus possible by means of a direct contact and also by means of non-contact and penetration into a detection region.

(16) In order to be able to prevent unwanted erroneous settings and operations just of the capacitive sensors 11 and 12, and thus an unwanted erroneous operation in the case of an effect on the sensor surface 7 and 8 that does not change the position of the switch lever 2, the switching device and thus the steering column switch 1 comprises an activation device 15. The activation device 15 is formed on the switch lever 2 separately from and at a distance from the capacitive sensors 11 and 12, and thus also from the sensor surfaces 7 and 8. The activation device 15 comprises an operating element 16, which is externally accessible and can be operated by means of a lower edge region 17 of the edge 5. The operating element 16 can be a manually operated press-button switch or a toggle switch or similar. The operating element 16 can, however, also be a touch-sensitive operating surface.

(17) The capacitive sensors 11 and 12 are deactivated in their basic state according to an exemplary embodiment, and therefore detection cannot occur. This means that even if an effect on the sensor surfaces 7 and 8 occurs, no detection takes place and thus also no associated switching signal is triggered, so that in addition the operating function associated with the switching signal is not initiated or triggered.

(18) By means of an operation of the operating element 17, the capacitive sensors 11 and 12 and thus also the entire sensor device are transitioned from a deactivated state into an activated state and the sensor device is thus transferred into the detecting state. Only then can an effect on the sensor surfaces 7 and 8 be recognized and recorded and the corresponding switching signal can be triggered. The operating element 16 is also electrically connected to the flexible circuit board 14 and by means of the same to the control unit 13.

(19) With the activation device 15, the detecting state of the sensor device 6 is activated as defined by the user.

(20) It can be provided that the activated state of the sensor device 6 is also deactivated again as defined by the user, especially by the operation of the operating element 16. It can, however, also be provided that the deactivated state is automatically set again after a predetermined period of time following the setting of the activated state.

(21) In particular, it is also provided that the sensor surfaces 7 and 8 are illuminated at least in some regions 31. For example, light emitting diodes 30 can be provided here, which are disposed in the cavity 3. It can preferably be provided for this that the sensor surfaces 7 and 8 are illuminated in a first light colour in an activated state of the sensor device 6, and are illuminated in a second light colour in the deactivated state of the sensor device 6.

(22) It is preferably also provided that the operating element 16 is illuminated at least in some regions.

(23) By means of the activation device 15 it is ensured that no lever function is unintentionally activated by contact with the sensitive surfaces or the sensor surfaces 7 and 8 during the operation of a basic switch function, which can be e.g. indicator flashing, headlight flashing, main beam or windscreen washing.

(24) According to the representation in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, it can also be recognized that the operating element 16 is formed outside of a region 18 of an end piece 19 of the switch lever 2 that is provided for gripping by a user. Said region 18 is especially necessary and provided if the switch lever 2 position has to be changed for triggering a switch signal for a specific operating function and therefore has to be suitably gripped by a user. For such specific positioning of the operating element 16, unintentional operation of the operating element 16 can be prevented during gripping of said region 18 by a user.

(25) With regard to the visualisation of the activated sensor surfaces 7 and 8, e.g. a change of light colour from red to green can take place and the green light colour illuminates if the activated state of the sensor device 6 occurs. However, illuminated symbols 29 can also be provided, which also signal the ready state to the driver of the vehicle by means of a change of light colour and hence indicate the activated state.

(26) It is also particularly advantageous that the embodiment of the steering column switch 1 comprises a vibration device 20 (FIG. 3), which is likewise disposed in the cavity 3. In FIG. 3 a partially exploded representation of the steering column switch 1 is shown for this. It can be recognized thereby that a vibration motor 21 of the vibration device 20 is disposed beneath the circuit board of the control unit 13. It is thus disposed directly adjacent to said circuit board and accordingly can be connected to the same. By means of the vibration device 20, the user is given haptic feedback in the form of a vibration signal in order to be able to confirm the operation and the effect on the sensor surfaces 7 and 8. The vibration signal is thereby transferred to the switch lever 2 by means of the vibration motor 21, so that direct and definite feedback is given to a user.

(27) It can be provided that the vibration motor 21 is contacted by spring arms 25a or a cable 25b on the control unit 13 on the circuit board. It can also be provided that the vibration motor 21 is soldered onto a flexible circuit board, especially the circuit board 14. In particular, the vibration motor 21 can also be soldered by means of the cable to the circuit board of the control unit 13.