EP1197980B1 - Control device with push button - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a touch control device.

It relates more particularly to a control device comprising a pivotally mounted key on a support and able to actuate at least one contactor in response to an eccentric thrust exerted on it in a given direction. It applies, in particular, to the sequential control of a drop-down menu for the control of equipment of a motor vehicle.

The equipment of motor vehicles such as heaters or air conditioning of the cabin can be controlled mechanically by buttons located on the facade of the dashboard. They can also be electronically controlled by switches operated by keys located on the facia of the dashboard.

Switches of this type are already known. They comprise a tilting mounted key on an intermediate plate arranged between the facade of the dashboard and a printed circuit board. The key acts on one or more spacers guided in the intermediate plate. Each spacer actuates a contactor such as a pushbutton mounted on the printed circuit board disposed perpendicularly to the direction of movement of the spacers.

US-A-6037552 discloses a rocker switch of this type.

These known devices have disadvantages. They have a large number of pieces. Their editing is long and delicate. In addition the card bearing the switch is necessarily oriented perpendicular to the thrust exerted on the key.

The present invention overcomes these disadvantages. It offers a control device that has a smaller number of parts and is also easier and more quick to assemble. Its manufacturing cost is therefore lower.

These objects are achieved, according to the invention, in that the key comprises an arm having a longitudinal direction through which it actuates the switch in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the arm.

Thanks to these features, the arm acts directly on the contactor, without the presence of an intermediate spacer. The number of pieces is reduced.

Preferably, the control device comprises a housing forming a facade and the key is mounted directly on this housing.

Thus, the intermediate plate which, in the prior art, served as a support and pivot to the key is no longer necessary. The number of pieces is further reduced by this fact.

According to a preferred embodiment variant, at least one of the contactors is a selection contactor which makes it possible to select different values by successive maneuvers, in particular values from a drop-down menu.

Thus, by a succession of pulses on the key, or by continuous support on this key, the driver of the vehicle or a passenger can scroll through the different options of a drop-down menu.

Preferably, the control device further comprises a validation contactor which makes it possible to validate the last value selected by means of the selection contactor.

Advantageously, the key is also mounted movably in translation relative to the validation contactor, a thrust centered on the key for actuating the validation contactor.

Advantageously, the key is mounted on the support by means of rotation guiding means comprising two elongate lugs which can rotate in respective circular openings, each opening having a notch in which the lug can engage during the movement. translation of the key.

The key can thus perform two movements, namely a rocking movement and a translational movement. When biased in an eccentric portion, the elongated lugs rotate in the circular openings and the selector switch is actuated. On the contrary, when the key is pressed in its central part, the lugs engage in the notches and the validation switch is actuated. Thus, in a simple way, and by means of a single control device, first of all the selection of a value from the drop-down menu and then the validation of the value thus selected.

The controller may include a single selection contactor. In this case, the menu values scroll in one direction and you must cycle through to return to the initial value of the menu.

In another embodiment, the control device has two parallel selection arms acting in opposite directions on respective contactors.

In this embodiment, when the key is rotated in one direction, the values of the menu are incremented. When you rotate the key in the other direction, the menu values are decremented. This makes it easier to make a selection without having to go through all the values of the menu when a desired value has been exceeded.

• la figure 1 est une vue en coupe d'un dispositif de commande conforme à la présente invention ;
• la figure 2 est une vue en perspective du dispositif de commande représenté sur la figure 1 ;
• les figures 3 et 4 sont des vues en coupe du dispositif de commande représenté sur les figures 1 et 2 montrant respectivement une position pivotée et une position enfoncée de la touche ;
• la figure 5 est une vue de détail de l'articulation de la touche sur le boîtier du dispositif de commande.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following description of an exemplary embodiment given by way of illustration with reference to the appended figures. In these figures:

• Figure 1 is a sectional view of a control device according to the present invention;
• Figure 2 is a perspective view of the control device shown in Figure 1;
• Figures 3 and 4 are sectional views of the control device shown in Figures 1 and 2 respectively showing a rotated position and a depressed position of the key;
• Figure 5 is a detailed view of the articulation of the key on the housing of the control device.

In FIG. 1, the reference numeral 2 designates a housing comprising a frontage 4 and two wings 5. The frontage 4 comes substantially flush with the surface of the dashboard 6 of the vehicle, represented in phantom, and the wings 5 are extend forward of the vehicle perpendicular to the facade. A key, designated as a whole by the reference 8, is pivotally mounted on the housing 2 in a manner to be described later. Advantageously, the key 8 is illuminated by a light source such as a diode (not shown), disposed inside the housing, to make it more visible in the dark.

As can be seen in Figure 2, the key 8 comprises two arms 10 and 12 spaced apart from each other, having an elongated shape and oriented substantially perpendicularly to the front 4. A printed circuit board 14 is arranged perpendicularly at the front 4 between the arms 10 and 12. The card 14 is fixedly mounted in the housing 2. On one of its faces, facing downwards, the printed circuit board 14 carries a contactor 16 arranged opposite the end of the arm 10. On its other side, the card 14 carries a switch 18 disposed opposite the end of the arm 12. In the example described, the contactors 16 and 18 are pushbuttons. Their axes are perpendicular to the plane of the map 14.

In Figure 1, the key 8 is shown in its rest position, a position it occupies when no external action is exerted on it. On the contrary, when the driver of the vehicle or a passenger presses an eccentric part of the key, located above the plane of the card 14 and preferably marked by a pictogram 20 such as an arrow pointing upwards, the key rotates at an angle of 5 ° to 10 ° around its axis which is horizontal in the embodiment shown. As a result of this pivoting movement, the end of the arm 12 pushes the contact of the pushbutton 18.

It is thus observed that the arm 12 is parallel to the plane of the card 14 and that it actuates the push button 18 in a direction perpendicular to its longitudinal direction. This action is direct, that is to say that it is done without the presence of an intermediate spacer.

In an alternative embodiment (not shown), one could have the card 14 parallel to the front 4 and mount the push buttons 16 and 18 so that their axes are parallel to the plane of the card 14. In this variant also, the arms 10 and 12 would act directly on the push buttons in a direction perpendicular to their longitudinal direction.

One could also imagine that the arms 10 and 12 are not, as in the example shown, substantially perpendicular to the facade, that is to say parallel to the action exerted on the key, but form an angle that can go up to 90 ° with this direction. In this case, the orientation of the plane of the map 14 should naturally be modified appropriately.

The example described is particularly applicable to the sequential control of a drop-down menu. The action exerted on the key has the effect of scrolling the values of a drop-down menu displayed for example on a screen (not shown) of the dashboard. Every pulse on the 8 key increments the values in the drop-down menu by one, or pressing and holding down this key cycles these values continuously. When the desired value is reached, the driver or the passenger releases the pressure on the key which then returns to its initial position under the effect of the return spring provided in the switch 18. The desired value of the menu is then selected. If the operator has exceeded the desired value, or if he wants to go back in the pull-down menu, he turns the key 8 in the opposite direction by pressing an eccentric zone 22 of the key opposite to the zone 20 (at below the map plane 14) and also indicated by a pictogram such as an arrow pointing downwards.

This thrust has the effect of actuating the switch 16 disposed opposite the arm 10 and to decrement the values of the drop-down menu. When the operator has reached the desired value, he releases the pressure on the zone 22 and the key 8 returns to its initial position shown in FIG. 1. The validation of the selected value can be carried out by means of a special key. But it can also, as is the case in the embodiment shown, be performed by means of the key 8 itself. To this end, the printed circuit board 14 supports a validation switch 24. This switch is also a push button. It will be noted that, unlike the pushbuttons 16 and 18, it is arranged so that its axis is parallel to the plane of the card 14. The key 8 comprises a pin 26 adapted to actuate the switch 24 with which it is aligned. By a thrust exerted in the center of the key 8, the value selected in the previous step is thus validated by means of the selection switches 16 and 18. This depressed position is represented in FIG. 4.

As can be seen, the key 8 must be able to move relative to the casing 2, sometimes in rotation, sometimes in translation. For this purpose (see FIG. 5), the key 8 comprises two pins 28 mutually aligned along its axis of rotation on either side of the arms 10 and 12 and the pin 26, and elongated in its translational direction. Each of the lugs 28 is engaged in a circular opening 30 provided in a lug 31 formed inside the housing 2. Alternatively, the lugs could be formed on the housing, and the openings 30 in a wall of the key 8. A notch 32 is formed in the contour of each circular opening 30. The width of this notch is slightly greater than that of the elongated pin 28. In the rest position of the key, the pins 28 occupy the position shown in solid lines on Figure 5. The lugs 28 are held against the circular portion of the opening by the return spring of the validation switch 24. When an eccentric pressure is exerted on the key 8, for example on the zone 20 (see Figure 3 ) the elongate pin 28 pivots and angularly deviates from the notch 32, so that the lugs 28 can no longer penetrate into this notch. The key 8 is thus mobile in rotation only. On the contrary, if the operator exerts a push on the central part of the key 8 to validate a chosen value of the drop-down menu, as has been explained previously, each of the two lugs 28 begins to penetrate into the notch 32. view of which is one of its ends in the rest position of the key. The key is then locked in rotation. It can no longer rotate and only the validation switch 24 is actuated. The rotational and translational movements are clearly separated.

Thus, the control device of the invention comprises a small number of parts easy to assemble and its manufacturing cost is therefore low.

The device more particularly described and shown has the advantage, as explained above, of allowing the same key to perform two functions, namely a selection function by a tilting movement and a function of validation by a translational movement. Moreover, these two movements can not be simultaneous so validation can only be done for the value previously selected by the user.

Claims (13)

1. Control device comprising a key (8) installed free to rotate with respect to a box (2) and capable of actuating at least one selection contactor (16, 18) in response to an eccentric thrust applied to it along a given direction,
   characterised in that the key (8) actuates a validation contactor (24) in response to a thrust applied at the centre of the key (8) in a translation movement with respect to the box (2).
2. Control device set forth in claim 1, characterised in that the key (8) comprises an arm (10, 12) with a longitudinal direction, along which it actuates the selection contactor (16, 18) along a direction approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the arm (10, 12).
3. Device set forth in claim 2, characterised in that the longitudinal direction of the arm (10, 12) is approximately parallel to the direction of the thrust applied on the key (8).
4. Device set forth in claim 2 or 3, characterised in that the selection contactor (16, 18) is installed on a printed circuit board (14) and in that this board is approximately parallel to the longitudinal direction of the arm (10, 12).
5. Device set forth in one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that it includes the box (2) comprising a front (4) and in that the key (8) is installed directly on the box (2).
6. Device set forth in one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the selection contactor (16, 18) is used to select different values by successive movements.
7. Device set forth in any one of the previous claims, characterised in that the validation contactor (24) is used to validate the last value selected using the selection contactor (16, 18).
8. Device set forth in any one of claims 6 and 7, characterised in that the key (8) is installed on the box (2) through rotation guiding means including two elongated pins (28) that can turn in the corresponding circular openings (30) and translational guiding means including a notch (32) formed in the contour of the circular opening (30) in which the pin (28) can engage during translation movement of the key (8).
9. Device set forth in the previous claim, characterised in that the key (8) includes pins (28) that engage in the circular opening (30) provided in a tab (31) formed inside the box (2).
10. Device set forth in claim 8, characterised in that the box (2) includes pins (28) that engage in the circular opening (30) provided in a wall of the key (8).
11. Device set forth in claim 8, characterised in that the engagement of the pin (28) into the notch (32) separates rotation and translation movements.
12. Device set forth in one of claims 1 to 11, characterised in that the key (8) includes a lug (26) that can activate the validation contactor (24).
13. Device set forth in one of claims 1 to 11, characterised in that it includes two parallel arms (10, 12) acting in opposite directions on the corresponding contactors (16, 18).

Images