CN112542333A

CN112542333A - Touch control operation device

Info

Publication number: CN112542333A
Application number: CN201910893537.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王水昌; 张玉东; 邓双明; O.英蒂尼; N.瓦杰达; S.斯托德; J.格伦塞
Original assignee: Valeo Interior Controls Shenzhen Co Ltd
Current assignee: Valeo Interior Controls Shenzhen Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-09-20
Filing date: 2019-09-20
Publication date: 2021-03-23
Anticipated expiration: 2039-09-20
Also published as: CN112542333B

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a touch operation device, which includes: an upper cover assembly including an upper cover and an upper cover holder carrying the upper cover, a touch sensor being provided between the upper cover and the upper cover holder; a housing supporting an upper cover assembly on an upper side thereof in a first direction, the upper cover assembly being movable between an initial position and a depressed position relative to the housing in the first direction; a rear cover fixedly coupled to a lower side of the case, with a printed circuit board disposed therebetween; a haptic feedback device capable of driving the upper cover assembly to vibrate in a second direction, the second direction being parallel to a plane along which the upper cover extends; and a balance mechanism including a plurality of claws extending downward in a first direction from the upper cover holder and a plurality of projections formed in the housing, the plurality of projections being engaged with the plurality of claws, respectively; wherein the plurality of jaws are flexible in the second direction such that the cover assembly can be driven by the haptic feedback device to vibrate in the second direction. The present disclosure also relates to a motor vehicle.

Description

Touch control operation device

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a touch-control operation device, such as a touch-control operation device installed inside a motor vehicle.

Background

People often control the functions and operations of electromechanical devices by means of switching devices. For example, motor vehicle interiors are often equipped with switching devices for activating or adjusting functions of various modules of the motor vehicle, such as lights, sounds, air conditioning, and the like.

A conventional switch device may include a fixed portion and a movable portion that receives a pressing operation from a user to move relative to the fixed portion. The switching device may further comprise a sensor to detect movement of the movable part relative to the fixed part to trigger a corresponding function of the switching device.

However, in prior designs, the movable portion is often secured to the fixed portion by bolts and preloaded with a certain force. This results in a cumbersome assembly process of the switchgear and in high demands on the machining tolerances of the switchgear.

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure is directed to at least solve the above problems, and to provide a touch operation device with a simple structure and easy assembly.

The present disclosure provides a touch operation device, which includes: the upper cover assembly comprises an upper cover and an upper cover retainer for bearing the upper cover, the upper cover extends along a plane, and a touch sensor is arranged between the upper cover and the upper cover retainer; a housing supporting the upper cover assembly on an upper side thereof in a first direction perpendicular to a plane along which the upper cover extends, the upper cover assembly being movable relative to the housing between an initial position and a depressed position in the first direction; a rear cover fixedly coupled to a lower side of the case, with a printed circuit board disposed therebetween; a haptic feedback device mounted at a lower surface of the upper cover holder, the haptic feedback device being electrically connected to the printed circuit board, the haptic feedback device being capable of driving the upper cover assembly to vibrate in a second direction, the second direction being parallel to a plane along which the upper cover extends; and a balancing mechanism including a plurality of claws extending downward from the upper cover holder in the first direction and a plurality of projections formed in the housing, the projections being engaged with the plurality of claws, respectively; wherein the plurality of jaws are flexible in the second direction such that the cover assembly is capable of being driven by a tactile feedback device to vibrate in the second direction.

By replacing the bolts in the conventional design with the snap structure between the cover assembly and the housing, the touch control operation device according to the present disclosure can be assembled quickly and simply without the need of an additional tool. Moreover, the snap structure allows the touch control operation device to have relatively large dimensional tolerance. Also, since the jaws have flexibility in the second direction, the upper cover assembly is easily vibrated in the second direction by the driving of the linear actuator.

In some embodiments, each jaw is capable of bending in a plane defined by the first direction and the second direction.

In some embodiments, each jaw is provided with an elastic material on the side facing the housing.

In some embodiments, each jaw is less flexible in a direction perpendicular to the second direction.

In some embodiments, the counter balance mechanism further comprises a plurality of resilient elements pre-compressed between the upper cap retainer and the housing such that the upper cap retainer is pre-loaded with a force and the upper cap assembly is movable in the first direction relative to the housing between an initial position and a depressed position, wherein the plurality of resilient elements are cylindrical.

In some embodiments, the number of the plurality of elastic elements is three or more.

In some embodiments, each of the plurality of pawls includes a first locking surface, and each of the plurality of projections includes a second locking surface, and in the initial position, the first locking surfaces of the plurality of pawls are engaged with the second locking surfaces of the plurality of projections due to a resilient force of the plurality of resilient elements that are pre-compressed to lock the upper lid holder to the housing in the first direction, and in the depressed position, the first locking surface of at least one pawl is disengaged from the second locking surfaces of at least one projection.

In some embodiments, an elastic material is disposed on the first and/or second locking surfaces.

In some embodiments, each pawl includes a first arm extending downward from the lid holder in the first direction, a second arm, and a third arm connecting the first arm and the second arm, the third arm extending in a third direction parallel to a plane in which the lid extends and perpendicular to the second direction, wherein the first locking surface is an upper surface of the third arm and the second locking surface is a lower surface of the protrusion.

The present disclosure also proposes a motor vehicle comprising a touch-control operating device as described above.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. Together with the general description given above, and the detailed description of exemplary embodiments and methods given below, the drawings serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. The objects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent upon a study of the following specification in light of the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are given the same or similar reference numerals, and in which:

fig. 1 is an exploded view of a touch-operated device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a touch-operated device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a touch-operated device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an upper cover assembly from the underside according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 5 is a perspective view of a housing according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, viewed from an upper side;

fig. 6 is a perspective view of the housing from the upper side, with the elastic member and the cushioning member shown separated, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7A is a side view of a touch device with a cover assembly in an initial position according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of the touch device of FIG. 7A along line A-A;

FIG. 8 is a side view of a touch device with a cover assembly in a depressed position according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a touch-operated device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a lid assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 11 is a perspective view of a housing according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, viewed from an upper side;

fig. 12 is a sectional view of a touch-operated device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments and methods of the present disclosure as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts. It should be noted, however, that the disclosure in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described in connection with the exemplary embodiments and methods.

This description of the exemplary embodiments is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description. In the description, relative terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "back-right," as well as derivatives thereof (e.g., "downwardly," "upwardly," etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description and are not intended to require a particular orientation. Unless expressly stated otherwise, the terms "connected," coupled, "and the like refer to a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both movable or rigid attachments or relationships. The term "operatively connected" is a connection that allows the associated structure to have the connection during operation or actual use.

Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a touch-operated device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. According to this embodiment, the touch operation device includes a cover assembly a, a case 5, and a rear cover 7. The upper cover assembly a, the housing 5 and the rear cover 7 are made of an insulating material, such as plastic. The rear cover 7 is fixedly connected to the underside of the housing 5, for example by means of a number of screws 72 as shown in fig. 1. A printed circuit board 6 is disposed between the rear cover 7 and the housing 5, and electronic components such as a control unit are distributed thereon. The printed circuit board 6 is connected to an external power source through the conductive terminals 71.

The upper cover assembly a includes an upper cover 2 and an upper cover holder 4 carrying the upper cover 2. The upper cover 2 and the upper cover holder 4 are connected to each other by, for example, ultrasonic welding. A touch sensor 3 is provided between the upper cover 2 and the upper cover holder 4. The upper cover 2 is configured to receive an operation input from a user. The touch sensor 3 is, for example, a capacitive film, and is configured to detect the operation input and provide positional information about the operation input. An xyz coordinate system is defined on the basis of the cover 2, wherein the cover 2 extends substantially parallel to the xy-plane and the x-axis and the y-axis are perpendicular to each other. The z-axis is the axis perpendicular to the upper cover 2. The direction along the z-axis is referred to as a first direction, the direction along the x-axis is referred to as a second direction, and the direction along the y-axis is referred to as a third direction. The terms "upper", "lower", "front" and "rear" as used in this disclosure are defined along the z-axis.

The case 5 supports the upper cover assembly a floatingly on its upper side in the z-axis direction, that is, the upper cover assembly a is movable between an initial position and a depressed position in the z-axis direction with respect to the case 5. The depression stroke of the cap assembly a is defined by an uppermost initial position and a lowermost end position. The pressing position is any position below the initial position in the pressing stroke.

In some embodiments, in the initial position, the upper lid holder 4 and the housing 5 may have a predetermined first clearance C1 (see fig. 3), for example, 0.5mm, in the z-axis direction. The first clearance C1 may provide a moving space for the depression stroke of the upper lid holder 4. In other embodiments, in the initial position, there may be no gap between the upper cover holder 4 and the housing 5 in the z-axis direction, and the moving space for the depression stroke of the upper cover holder 4 may alternatively be provided by an elastic member interposed between the upper cover holder and the housing.

Note that "the upper cover assembly a is movable between the initial position and the depressed position in the z-axis direction with respect to the case 5" is not limited to a case where the movement locus of the upper cover assembly a is strictly in the z-axis direction. The cover assembly a may also be movable in a direction that is at an angle to the z-axis. "the cover assembly a is movable in the z-axis direction between an initial position and a depressed position relative to the housing 5" is to be understood that the movement of the cover assembly a contains a component in the z-axis direction.

In some embodiments, the touch-operated device includes a balancing mechanism. The balance mechanism makes it possible to receive an operation input at any position of the upper cover 2, i.e., the upper cover assembly a can be moved smoothly without jamming from the initial position to the depressed position. That is, even if the user presses the edge position of the upper cover 2, resulting in the moving direction of the upper cover assembly a being at an angle to the z-axis direction, the upper cover assembly a can smoothly transit from the initial position to the pressed-down position, thereby normally detecting the operation input. Referring to fig. 2, the balancing mechanism may include a plurality of elastic members 11 between the upper cover holder 4 and the case 5 so that the upper cover assembly a can move between an initial position and a depressed position. The elastic element 11 is substantially cylindrical. The number of the elastic elements 11 is, for example, three or more. In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, the balancing mechanism comprises four elastic elements 11. The elastic element 11 is for example a spring, or the elastic element 11 is made of a silicone material or a thermoplastic elastomer material.

The elastic element 11 is in a pre-compressed state, whereby the cover assembly a can automatically return to the initial position under the resilient force of the elastic element 11 when the cover assembly a is released from the depressed position. When the operation input is located at the edge position of the upper cover 2, the elastic element 11 may slightly deflect along the xy-plane direction, thereby ensuring that the upper cover assembly a smoothly transits from the initial position to the depression position without the occurrence of the phenomenon of jamming. As shown in fig. 2, the housing 5 comprises a plurality of elastic element receptacles 51 for receiving a plurality of elastic elements 11. The elastic element 11 is, for example, interference fitted with the elastic element receptacle 51 receiving it, so that the elastic element 11 is firmly mounted to the housing 5.

In some embodiments, the plurality of elastic elements 11 are arranged such that they together provide an elastic force of more than 200N with the upper cover assembly a in the end position of its depression stroke. In this way, an excessive pressing force applied to the upper cover due to, for example, an erroneous operation does not damage the touch operation device.

With further reference to fig. 3, the resilient element 11 comprises a guide slot 12, said guide slot 12 extending in the z-axis direction. The upper lid holder 4 includes a guide pin 41 that cooperates with the guide groove 12. The guide pin 41 protrudes downward in the z-axis direction from the lower side of the upper cover holder 4, and is configured to be received in the guide groove 12 of the elastic member 11. The upper lid holder 4 may further include a plurality of guide sleeves 49 extending in the z-axis direction. The guide sleeve 49 protrudes downward from the lower side of the upper cap holder 4, and is configured to receive the plurality of elastic elements 11. The guide sleeve 49 together with the guide pin 41 can guide the movement of the upper lid holder 4 between the initial position and the depressed position to ensure that the movement is substantially in the z-axis direction, avoiding a large deflection of the resilient element 11 in the xy-plane. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2, the plurality of resilient elements 11 are formed as discrete components. While in other embodiments at least two of the plurality of resilient elements 11 are connected together by a connecting arm. As shown in fig. 6, the four elastic members 11 are connected together in pairs by connecting arms 16. Optionally, three or more of the plurality of resilient elements 11 are connected together by connecting arms. In this way, the assembly of the elastic element 11 with the housing 5 can be carried out in a more efficient manner, thereby simplifying the process and reducing the production costs.

Referring to fig. 2, the balancing mechanism may further include a plurality of claws 14 extending downward from the upper cover holder 4 in the z-axis direction and a plurality of projections 15 formed in the housing 5. In the exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 2, the upper lid holder 4 comprises four claws 14 distributed on both sides of the upper lid holder 4. Correspondingly, the housing 5 also comprises four protrusions 15 cooperating with the four claws 14.

The structures of the claw 14 and the protrusion 15 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to fig. 4 and 5. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the upper cover assembly a as viewed from the lower side, and fig. 5 is a perspective view of the housing 5 as viewed from the upper side.

As shown in fig. 4, each of the claws 14 includes a first arm 141 extending downward from the upper lid holder 4 in the z-axis direction, a second arm 142, and a third arm 143 connecting one ends of the first and

second arms

141 and 142, the third arm extending in the y-axis direction, for example. The first arm 141, the second arm 142, and the third arm 143 collectively define a window 144. When the cover assembly a is assembled to the housing 5, the projections 15 of the housing 5 project into the windows 144 of the respective claws 14 in the x-axis direction. Unlike the locking engagement of a typical snap-fit arrangement, the engagement of the latch 14 and the protrusion 15 of the present disclosure floatingly locks the cover assembly a to the housing 5, allowing the cover assembly a to move between an initial position and a depressed position, as explained in detail below.

Fig. 7A is a side view of the touch device with the cover assembly a in an initial position, and fig. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along line a-a of fig. 7A. FIG. 8 is a side view of the touch device with the cover assembly A in a depressed position. Each pawl 14 includes a first locking surface S1, which in the illustrated embodiment is an upper surface of the third arm 143 of the pawl 14, S1. Accordingly, each protrusion 15 may include a second locking surface S2, and in the illustrated embodiment, the second locking surface S2 is a lower surface of the protrusion 15.

It will be appreciated that in the initial position shown in fig. 7A, since the elastic member 11 between the upper cap holder 4 and the housing 5 is in a pre-compressed state, the elastic member 11 exerts an upward force on the upper cap holder 4 in the z-axis direction. This causes the first locking surface S1 of each claw 14 to engage with the second locking surface S2 of the corresponding projection 15, whereby the upper lid holder 4 is locked to the housing 5 in the z-axis direction.

In some embodiments, as previously described, in the initial position, there is a certain clearance C1 between the upper lid holder 4 and the housing 5 in the z-axis direction, thereby providing a moving space for the depression stroke of the upper lid holder 4. Furthermore, in the initial position, as shown in fig. 7B, there is also a certain clearance C2 between the third arm 143 of the pawl 14 and the housing 5 in the x-axis direction, allowing the cover assembly a to move angularly with respect to the z-axis.

Whereas in the depressed position shown in fig. 8, the operation input from the user causes the lid assembly a to move downward substantially in the z-axis direction, so that the gap between the lid assembly a and the housing 5 in the z-axis direction is reduced. The first locking surface S1 of at least one pawl 14 is disengaged from the second locking surface S2 of the corresponding projection 15. With the upper cover 2 uniformly pressed, the gap between the upper cover assembly a and the housing 5 is reduced to zero, and the first locking surfaces S1 of all the claws 14 are disengaged from the second locking surfaces S2 of the corresponding projections 15.

It should be understood that the disengagement of the respective first locking surfaces S1 from the respective second locking surfaces S2 may be different depending on the position of the user operation input. For example, in the case where the position of the user operation input is located on one side of the upper cover 2, the portion of the upper cover assembly a near this position is depressed to a large extent, so that the first locking surfaces S1 of the claws 14 near this position are disengaged from the second locking surfaces S2. A small degree of depression of the portion of the cover assembly a remote from this position may occur and the first locking surfaces S1 of the pawls 14 near this position may still be engaged by the second locking surfaces S2.

Of course, other forms of pawl and projection shapes and configurations are contemplated by those skilled in the art. Alternatively, the claws may be formed in the housing 5 and the projections formed in the upper cover holder 4. Alternatively, the pawl may be formed as a catch rather than the window structure described in the above embodiments.

In some embodiments, the touch-operated device may comprise a buffer 13, which is an elastic material, such as a silicone material or a thermoplastic elastic material, provided at the first locking surface of the pawl and/or the second locking surface of the protrusion.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 5 and 6, the buffers 13 are formed at the second locking surfaces of the protrusions and the number of the buffers 13 corresponds to the number of the protrusions 15. Each cushion member 13 covers at least the lower surface of the corresponding projection 15. Optionally, the buffers 13 may further include portions covering the sides of the protrusions 15 to attach the buffers 13 to the corresponding protrusions 15. When the cover assembly a is released from the depressed position, the cover assembly a will return to the initial position under the resilient force of the resilient element 11 and the third arms 143 of the jaws 14 will move towards the projections 15 until the upper surfaces of the third arms 143 engage the lower surfaces of the projections 15. The damper 13 can avoid rigid collision of the first locking surface and the second locking surface and reduce noise generated thereby.

It should be understood that, in the case where the touch-operated device includes a buffer, the engagement of the first locking surface and the second locking surface means that the first locking surface is pressed to the second locking surface via the buffer.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 6, the buffer 13 may be integral with the elastic element 11, both being made for example of the same material and connected to each other by connecting arms. The buffer 13 may be molded together with the elastic element 11. In this case, the buffer 13 is formed as a separate component from the projection 15 of the housing 5. The buffers 13 may be fitted to the corresponding protrusions 15 during assembly.

In some embodiments (not shown), the cushioning element may be integrally formed with the boss 15, such as by a two-shot molding process. In this case, the buffer 13 is formed as a separate component from the elastic element 11.

In some embodiments (not shown), the bumper 13 may be formed as a separate component from the projections 15. The buffers 13 may be fitted to the corresponding protrusions 15 during assembly. Also, the buffer member and the elastic member 11 are formed as separate members.

Referring to fig. 9, the touch-operated device includes a pressure sensor 8 located at the center of the printed circuit board 6. The upper cover holder 4 includes a pressing rod 43 extending downward in the z-axis direction, the pressing rod 43 being provided at a position corresponding to the pressure sensor 8 thereof, and a hole 54 (fig. 2 and 9) allowing the pressing rod 43 to pass therethrough being provided in the housing 5, the pressing rod 43 being capable of applying pressure to the pressure sensor 8 at the pressed-down position. When the pressure sensor 8 detects a certain pressure, the function corresponding to the operation input is triggered accordingly.

As described above, due to the presence of the balance mechanism, the touch-operated device can receive an operation input at an arbitrary position, and the upper cover assembly a smoothly transitions from the initial position to the depressed position. Thus, the touch operation device according to the present disclosure can achieve detection of operation inputs to different areas only by providing one pressure sensor 8 at the center of the printed circuit board 6, thereby reducing the number of parts and corresponding manufacturing costs.

In addition, since the upper cover assembly a is floatingly supported with respect to the housing 5 and the housing 5 is fixed with respect to the rear cover 7, mounting spaces (see fig. 9) are left on both the upper side of the printed circuit board 6 facing the housing 5 and the lower side facing the rear cover 7, and electronic components can be arranged on both sides of the printed circuit board 6, thereby improving the flexibility of arrangement of the electronic components on the printed circuit board 6 and improving the utilization efficiency of the internal space of the touch operation device.

In some embodiments, the touch-operated device further includes a first protection element 81 and a second protection element 82 made of an elastic material. The first protective element 81 covers at least the lower end of the pressure rod 43. As shown in fig. 9, the first protection element 81 is sleeved around the pressing rod 43 and covers the lower end of the pressing rod 43. The second protective member 82 is disposed at a position of the rear cover 7 corresponding to the pressure sensor 8. As shown in fig. 9, the second protection member 82 is an elastic post mounted in the rear cover 7 with an upper end portion thereof close to the lower surface of the printed circuit board 6. The first protection element 81 and the second protection element 82 can provide buffering protection for the pressure sensor 8 along the z-axis direction, and prevent the pressure sensor 8 from being damaged by accidental impact.

In some embodiments, the touch-operated device further comprises a haptic feedback device 44. Referring to fig. 10, the haptic feedback device 44 may be mounted at the lower surface of the upper cover holder 4. The haptic feedback device 44 is electrically connected to the printed circuit board 6, for example, by a haptic feedback device connector 443. The tactile feedback device 44 can drive the cover assembly a to vibrate to provide a compression feedback if the pressure sensor 8 detects a certain pressure. In some embodiments, the haptic feedback device 44 is a linear actuator that can drive the cover assembly A to vibrate at least along the x-axis.

In some embodiments, the touch-operated device may include a mount 45 for the haptic feedback device 44. The cradle 45 includes a plurality of side walls 451 and a bottom wall 452, the plurality of side walls 451 and the bottom wall 452 defining an interior space for housing the haptic feedback device 44. The plurality of side walls 451 are fixedly connected to the upper cover holder 4, for example by a snap connection. The side wall 451 may include a guide groove 453 extending in the z-axis direction, which cooperates with a guide rib 454 extending in the z-axis direction in the upper cover holder 4, for guiding the assembling operation of the bracket 45 with the upper cover holder 4.

The tactile feedback device 44 is fixedly connected at its upper surface to the upper cover holder 4. In some embodiments, the tactile feedback device 44 is bonded at its upper surface to the cover holder 4, for example by adhesive tape or other adhesive material, as indicated by reference numeral 441 in fig. 10. In this way, the vibration of the tactile feedback device 44 can be directly transmitted to the entire upper cover assembly a without passing through any intermediate member, thereby improving the efficiency of energy transmission and providing a better vibration feedback effect.

The haptic feedback device 44 is supported at its lower surface via the elastically deformable material 442 on the bottom wall 452 of the holder 45. In some embodiments, the resiliently deformable material is a foam or an elastomeric material. Thus, noise generated by vibration of the haptic feedback device 44 may be reduced.

A certain gap 455 is provided between the side wall 451 of the tactile feedback device 44 and the side wall 451 of the bracket 45 to allow the tactile feedback device 44 to vibrate in the xy-plane.

In some embodiments, the tactile feedback device further comprises an audible feedback means 46 (see fig. 1), such as a buzzer. An audible feedback device 46 is electrically connected to the printed circuit board 6, the audible feedback device 46 being capable of emitting an alert tone in case a certain pressure is detected by the pressure sensor 8. The auditory feedback device 46 enriches the form of active feedback provided by the touch-operated device to meet the customized needs of different customers for the product.

In some embodiments, the substantially cylindrical elastic elements 11 may have cut-outs on both sides in the x-axis direction, as shown in fig. 11, so that the rigidity of each elastic element 11 in the x-axis direction is reduced, and therefore, the elastic elements 11 have a lower rigidity in the x-axis direction over a small distance range to allow the upper cover assembly a to vibrate at least in the x-axis direction under the driving of the linear actuator. Due to the cut-out, the rigidity of the elastic member 11 in the x-axis direction is different from the rigidity in the y-axis direction. In the embodiment shown in fig. 11, the stiffness of the elastic element 11 in the x-axis direction is smaller than the stiffness in the y-axis direction. In some embodiments, the elastic element 11 may not be flexible in the y-axis direction.

Further, due to the presence of the cut-out portion, the sectional area of the elastic member 11 perpendicular to the z-axis direction is reduced, and thereby the rigidity of the elastic member in the z-axis direction is also reduced. In some embodiments, the stiffness of the resilient element 11 in the z-axis direction is set such that the depression stroke of the cover assembly can cover the detection stroke of the cover assembly along the z-axis. The sensing stroke refers to a stroke of the upper cover assembly in which the pressure sensor can effectively sense the pressure. That is, the detection stroke is a part of the depression stroke of the upper cover assembly, and the pressure sensor can correctly detect the operation input at the upper cover.

In some embodiments, the jaws 14 may be flexible in the x-axis direction, such that the cover assembly a can be driven by a linear actuator to vibrate in the x-axis direction.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 12, the jaws 14 are able to flex in the xz-plane to allow for vibration of the cover assembly in the x-axis direction. The direction in which the two jaws are bent is schematically shown in fig. 12, about the connection of which jaws 14 with lid holder 4 can be bent.

In other embodiments, not shown, the jaws 14 may be provided with an elastic material on the side facing the housing 5. For example, the resilient material may be adhered to the side of the jaws 14 facing the housing 5, or the resilient material may be integrally formed with the jaws 14. The elastic material is elastically deformable between the jaws and the housing to allow the upper cover assembly to vibrate in the x-axis direction with respect to the housing.

In some embodiments, the jaws 14 may have less flexibility in a direction perpendicular to the x-axis, i.e., the jaws 14 may be less flexible in the y-axis and z-axis directions than in the x-axis direction to ensure the stiffness of the jaws as a whole.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 10, the upper cover 2 includes an effective operation surface 21 for receiving a touch input, and an edge of the touch sensor 3 extends beyond an edge of the effective operation surface 21. Thereby, an operation input close to the edge of the effective operation surface 21 can be effectively detected, thereby improving the touch sensitivity of the position of the edge of the effective operation surface 21.

Due to the presence of the gap between the upper cover holder 4 and the housing 5, static electricity from the outside, for example, static electricity carried by the hand of the user, may enter between the upper cover holder 4 and the housing 5 from the gap, thereby adversely affecting the capacitive film as the touch sensor 3.

Referring to fig. 4, the capacitor film may include a terminal 31 extending downward in the z-axis direction, the terminal 31 being electrically connected to the printed circuit board 6. The upper cover holder 4 may be provided with a terminal protection wall 47 extending downward in the z-axis direction. The terminal protection wall 47 is formed of an insulating material, for example, integral with the housing 5. The terminal protection wall 47 at least partially covers a surface of the terminal 31 facing the outside of the touch operation device, thereby providing electrostatic protection for the terminal 31.

Referring to fig. 9, a light emitting device 61 is disposed at an upper surface of the printed circuit board 6. The housing 5 has a light guide wall 53 formed therein, which is formed in a cylindrical shape or a tapered shape tapering downward and extends downward in the z-axis direction. The light guide wall 53 surrounds the light emitting device 61 and guides light emitted from the light emitting device 61 toward the upper cover 2. The upper cover holder 4 has a passage 42 formed therein for allowing light emitted from the light emitting device 61 to pass therethrough. Due to the passage 42, external static electricity entering from the gap between the upper cover holder 4 and the case 5 may reach the capacitive film in the upper cover assembly a from via the passage 42. For this purpose, an electrostatic protection wall 48 is provided in the upper lid holder 4 so as to surround the passage 42 and extend downward in the z-axis direction. The electrostatic protection wall 48 is, for example, cylindrical or tapered downward, and generally follows the shape of the light guide wall 53 in the housing 5. The electrostatic protection wall 48 lengthens a creepage path for external static electricity to reach the capacitor film (shown by a dotted line in fig. 9), thereby providing effective electrostatic protection for the capacitor film. Various modifications, changes, and variations may be implemented with the above-described embodiments.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the foregoing description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure has been presented for the purpose of illustration. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. The embodiments disclosed above were chosen in order to best explain the principles of the disclosure and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the disclosure in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated, as long as the principles described herein are followed. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the disclosure using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this disclosure pertains. Accordingly, changes may be made in the above disclosure without departing from the intent and scope of the disclosure. It is also intended that the scope of the disclosure be defined by the claims appended hereto.

Claims

1. A touch control operation device is characterized by comprising:

an upper cover assembly (A) comprising an upper cover (2) and an upper cover holder (4) carrying the upper cover (2), the upper cover (2) extending along a plane, a touch sensor (3) being arranged between the upper cover (2) and the upper cover holder (4);

a casing (5) supporting on its upper side the upper cover assembly (a) along a first direction (z) perpendicular to a plane along which the upper cover (2) extends, the upper cover assembly (a) being movable relative to the casing (5) along the first direction (z) between an initial position and a depressed position;

a rear cover (7) fixedly connected to a lower side of the housing (5), a printed circuit board (6) being disposed between the rear cover (7) and the housing (5);

a tactile feedback device (44), said tactile feedback device (44) being mounted at a lower surface of said upper cover holder (4), said tactile feedback device (44) being electrically connected to said printed circuit board (6), said tactile feedback device (44) being capable of driving said upper cover assembly (A) to vibrate along a second direction (x) parallel to a plane along which said upper cover (2) extends; and

a balance mechanism including a plurality of claws (14) extending downward in the first direction (z) from the upper cover holder (4) and a plurality of projections (15) formed in the housing (5) that are respectively engaged with the plurality of claws (14); wherein the content of the first and second substances,

the plurality of jaws (14) are flexible in the second direction (x) such that the cover assembly (a) can be driven by a tactile feedback device (44) to vibrate in the second direction (x).

2. Touch-operated device according to claim 1, wherein each claw (14) is bendable in a plane defined by the first direction (z) and the second direction (x).

3. Touch-operated device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that each claw (14) is provided with an elastic material on the side facing the housing (5).

4. Touch-operated device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that each claw (14) is less flexible in a direction perpendicular to the second direction (x).

5. Touch-operated device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the balancing mechanism further comprises a plurality of pre-compressed elastic elements (11) between the upper cover holder (4) and the housing (5), such that the upper cover holder (4) is pre-loaded with a certain force and the upper cover assembly (A) is movable in relation to the housing (5) in the first direction (z) between an initial position and a depressed position, wherein the plurality of elastic elements are cylindrical.

6. The touch control operation device according to claim 5, wherein the number of the plurality of elastic elements (11) is three or more.

7. Touch-operated device according to claim 5, wherein each pawl (14) comprises a first locking surface (S1), each protrusion (15) comprises a second locking surface (S2), in the initial position the first locking surfaces (S1) of the plurality of pawls (14) engage with the second locking surfaces (S2) of the plurality of protrusions (15) due to the resilient force of the pre-compressed plurality of resilient elements (11) to lock the cover holder (4) to the housing (5) in the first direction (z), in the depressed position the first locking surfaces (S1) of at least one pawl (14) disengage from the second locking surfaces (S2) of at least one protrusion (14).

8. Touch-operated device according to claim 7, characterized in that an elastic material is provided on the first and/or second locking surface.

9. Touch-operated device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein each jaw (14) comprises a first arm (141) extending downwards from the upper cover holder (4) in the first direction (z), a second arm (142) and a third arm (143) connecting the first arm (141) and the second arm (142), the third arm (143) extending in a third direction (y) parallel to the plane in which the upper cover (2) extends and perpendicular to the second direction (x), wherein

The first locking surface (S1) is an upper surface of the third arm (143), and the second locking surface (S2) is a lower surface of the protrusion (15).

10. A motor vehicle comprising the touch-operated device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.