Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H03—ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
  • H03K—PULSE TECHNIQUE
  • H03K17/00—Electronic switching or gating, i.e. not by contact-making and –breaking
  • H03K17/94—Electronic switching or gating, i.e. not by contact-making and –breaking characterised by the way in which the control signals are generated
  • H03K17/96—Touch switches
  • H03K17/962—Capacitive touch switches
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
  • D06F34/00—Details of control systems for washing machines, washer-dryers or laundry dryers
  • D06F34/28—Arrangements for program selection, e.g. control panels therefor; Arrangements for indicating program parameters, e.g. the selected program or its progress
  • D06F34/32—Arrangements for program selection, e.g. control panels therefor; Arrangements for indicating program parameters, e.g. the selected program or its progress characterised by graphical features, e.g. touchscreens
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
  • G06F3/041—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
  • G06F3/044—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means by capacitive means
  • G06F3/0443—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means by capacitive means using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H03—ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
  • H03K—PULSE TECHNIQUE
  • H03K2217/00—Indexing scheme related to electronic switching or gating, i.e. not by contact-making or -breaking covered by H03K17/00
  • H03K2217/94—Indexing scheme related to electronic switching or gating, i.e. not by contact-making or -breaking covered by H03K17/00 characterised by the way in which the control signal is generated
  • H03K2217/96—Touch switches
  • H03K2217/9607—Capacitive touch switches
  • H03K2217/960755—Constructional details of capacitive touch and proximity switches
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H03—ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY
  • H03K—PULSE TECHNIQUE
  • H03K2217/00—Indexing scheme related to electronic switching or gating, i.e. not by contact-making or -breaking covered by H03K17/00
  • H03K2217/94—Indexing scheme related to electronic switching or gating, i.e. not by contact-making or -breaking covered by H03K17/00 characterised by the way in which the control signal is generated
  • H03K2217/96—Touch switches
  • H03K2217/9607—Capacitive touch switches
  • H03K2217/960755—Constructional details of capacitive touch and proximity switches
  • H03K2217/96076—Constructional details of capacitive touch and proximity switches with spring electrode

Definitions

• Touch-sensitive input unit for a household appliance as well
• the invention relates to a touch-sensitive input unit for a domestic appliance and a domestic appliance.
• a touch-sensitive input unit (also called a touch foil or membrane keypad) of a domestic appliance can be understood as an input unit in which an operation (for example a program sequence) of the domestic appliance can be controlled by an approach or contact of a cover layer by a finger.
• capacitive touch-sensitive input units are e.g. known with a transparent metal oxide coated glass substrates. A voltage applied to the corners of the coating creates a uniform electric field. This results in a small charge transport which is measured during a discharge cycle in the form of a current at the corners. The resulting currents from the corners are in direct proportion to the touch position.
• a controller processes the information.
• Another type of capacitive touch-sensitive input unit utilizes two levels of conductive strips. The strips are orthogonal and isolated from each other.
• the touch-sensitive input unit can be combined with an imaging unit. It is the object of the present invention to provide a particularly thin and a space well-exploiting touch-sensitive input unit for a domestic appliance.
• a touch-sensitive input unit for a household appliance comprising at least one electrode carrier, which has a substrate and a plurality of electrode pads applied flatly on one side of the substrate made of a first electrically conductive material, wherein the substrate with its other side at least partially below one of each of the electrode pads of the electrode carrier is connected to a respective contact pad of a printed circuit board via a respective electrically conductive contact element and the contact element between respective associated electrode fields and contact fields electrically and mechanically contacting introduced, in particular clamped a user to operate the touch-sensitive input unit to be touched , is.
• Adhesive attachment allows a particularly thin substrate to be used without localized formation of gaps between the substrate and a support to which the electrode carrier is applied.
• the electrode carrier can be brought over its entire surface very close to the support, which allows a particularly low height, and also a lateral Maximum space can exploit. This, in turn, makes it possible to achieve a uniformly high sensitivity over a surface area with a large operating surface at the same time.
• the contact elements can also be dispensed with printed conductors on the substrate of the electrode carrier, which allows a particularly good surface coverage of the electrode fields (large electrode fields).
• a particularly simple and compact installation without connectors results.
• This development is particularly advantageous in connection with a conductor-web-free electrode carrier and / or use of the second material on the electrode carrier, as described in more detail below.
• the touch-sensitive input unit need not actually be touched by a user, but it may also be sufficient for the user, for example with one or more fingers, to come close to the touch-sensitive input unit.
• the electrode carrier is free of conductor tracks. As a result, particularly large electrode fields can be provided with only very small 'dead zones'.
• each of the electrode pads has at least one contact pad of a second electrically conductive material, wherein the second material is better suited as a mechanical contact material than the first material.
• the second material is more resistant to mechanical penetration than the first material.
• a hardness of the second material may be higher than a hardness of the first material and / or a resistance to a lateral displacement of the second material may be higher than the resistance of the first material.
• tin is rather soft as a bulk material, but exhibits a high resistance to lateral displacement as a layered material; This is also known as 'smearing' or 'lubricity', so that the tin layer is not completely pushed or displaced by a mechanical body (eg the contact element, in particular made of stainless steel) during a vertical load.
• a mechanical body eg the contact element, in particular made of stainless steel
• an electrode field with a comparatively less resistant or abrasion-resistant material can be mechanically contacted (eg by a contact spring, etc.) without the risk that the first material will be rubbed off over time by the mechanical contact and the substrate will be exposed.
• the first material may be, for example, a silver paste.
• the contact element (directly or indirectly) is introduced electrically and mechanically contacting between the two associated contact fields. This allows a particularly compact and safe design.
• the second material is a carbon based material, eg a carbon print material (material that can be used for a carbon print process).
• the carbon print material is typically by means of a carbon print applied.
• the second material may comprise tin
• the first material may be tinned, for example.
• the tinning has the further advantage that the first material is protected from oxidation.
• the first material is a, in particular metal-containing, thin film. This allows a particularly low height can be achieved.
• the first material can be printed, sprayed, glued, painted or otherwise applied.
• the contact pad of the printed circuit board may also be made of a material resistant to mechanical penetration, in particular tin, tinned copper or carbon.
• a particularly low height can also be achieved in that the substrate has a thickness of not more than 0.3 mm, in particular not more than 0.15 mm.
• the substrate has a thickness of not more than 0.3 mm, in particular not more than 0.15 mm.
• most plastics and possibly even some ceramic materials are sufficiently flexible for the purpose of use in the touch-sensitive input unit and yet sufficiently stable for handling (production, processing, application, etc.).
• the substrate is made of an electrically insulating plastic.
• the plastic may be any suitable plastic, e.g. PET.
• the substrate is flexible (provided for bending and designed). This results in the advantage that the substrate or the electrode carrier can also be applied to curved surfaces.
• the first material is printed on the substrate.
• the first material may then, for example, have been printed as a conductive ink, paste (eg silver paste) or ink.
• This embodiment is particularly inexpensive and easy to implement in terms of manufacturing technology.
• a variety of first materials can be printed. Since the first material according to this embodiment is typically soft, it is a preferred variant, in particular for this embodiment, that each of the Having electrode fields at least one contact field of the second electrically conductive material.
• the application of the first material is not limited to printing, especially not imprinting with a soft material.
• the first material may also be in platelet form, e.g. of a still flexible yet relatively mechanical penetration resistant material which does not require a second material and these platelets may e.g. be attached by means of an electrically conductive adhesive to the substrate of the electrode carrier.
• the electrode fields have been formed by structuring a lamination of a, in particular flexible (i.e., intended for bending), printed circuit board.
• a lamination of a, in particular flexible (i.e., intended for bending), printed circuit board can first be completely covered with a copper layer, into which the structure for working out the electrode fields is introduced, e.g. by etching away or by a material-removing machining of the spaces between the electrode fields.
• the electrode carrier can be adhesively applied directly or indirectly (via intermediate elements such as intermediate layers or intermediate layers) below the component forming the operating surface.
• the component may in particular be an electrically insulating cover layer or cover layer.
• the cover layer may be made of polycarbonate, PMMA, ABS, glass, a glass ceramic, etc., for example.
• the electrode carrier (with its side facing away from the electrode fields) is fastened by means of a (in particular transparent) adhesive film.
• the adhesive sheet has the advantage that its thickness is constant and known with high accuracy and its handling is easy.
• the adhesive film may e.g. be a double-sided tape. Alternatively, e.g. also a (in particular transparent) liquid adhesive can be used.
• the cover layer of a cover corresponds to a screen, or vice versa.
• the outside of the cover is in the area of the touch-sensitive input unit of a User touches to make an input via the touch-sensitive input unit.
• the touch-sensitive input unit can be manufactured together with the screen as a unit and then inserted into the domestic appliance.
• the cover layer corresponds to a cover plate of the domestic appliance, e.g. a glass ceramic plate.
• the printed circuit board may be a printed circuit board connector which is electrically or communicatively connected to a remotely located evaluation logic (e.g., another printed circuit board with corresponding components).
• the circuit board can have the evaluation logic, which allows a very compact solution.
• the contact element is a contact spring.
• the contact spring is preferably a metallic contact spring, in particular made of stainless steel.
• One of the advantages of metal, especially stainless steel, is that it can be used e.g. does not undergo any significant electrochemical reaction with tin or a carbon print material.
• the contact element may be clamped (directly or indirectly, for example via the contact fields of the second material) between the respectively associated electrode fields and contact fields.
• the electrode carrier is arranged towards an imaging front side of a screen and the printed circuit board is arranged towards a rear side of the screen.
• the screen is thus located between the electrode carrier and the circuit board.
• the input unit can at least partially surround or rotate the screen at its side edge.
• the screen may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), but is not limited. So the screen can also be a segment display or an LED display and so on.
• the input unit can also be used without a screen or display unit.
• a domestic appliance comprising at least one touch-sensitive input unit as described above.
• the invention will be described schematically with reference to an embodiment schematically. In this case, the same or equivalent elements may be provided with the same reference numerals for clarity.
• FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional side view of a touch-sensitive
• FIG. 2 shows a plan view of an electrode carrier of a touch-sensitive input unit.
• the touch-sensitive input unit 1 shows a sectional side view of a touch-sensitive input unit 1.
• the touch-sensitive input unit 1 has an electrically insulating cover layer or cover layer in the form of a plexiglass pane or plexiglass layer 2.
• the plexiglass layer 2 is touched or brought close to it by a finger F of a user on an outer side above the touch-sensitive input unit 1.
• the outer side or upper side 3 thus represents the operating surface of the touch-sensitive input unit 1.
• a substrate 6 is applied in a circumferential area 5, via an adhesive 7.
• the adhesive 7 is here a thin adhesive layer of about 0.075 to 0.15 mm thickness, eg a double-sided tape.
• the back side facing away from the adhesive 7 of the substrate 6 (which may be referred to as a front side of the substrate 6 in a production) is occupied with a plurality of separate and thus electrically not connected electrode fields ('touch fields') 8.
• the electrode fields 8 consist of a first, relatively soft electrically conductive material such as silver paste, which has been applied in a thin layer.
• the electrode pads 8 may be printed on the substrate 6, for example.
• the electrode fields 8 lie with their (laterally) inner edge ("support edge") 9 on a liquid crystal display (LCD). Spaced apart from the support edge 9 and thus also laterally to the liquid crystal panel 10, a contact pad 1 1 is arranged on the rearward side of each of the electrode pads 8.
• the contact field 1 1 consists of an electrically conductive second material, such as tin, preferably carbon (carbon), which is harder than the first material and thus in particular tribologically resistant.
• the substrate 6, the electrode fields 8 and, where present, the contact fields 1 1 can also be collectively referred to as an electrode carrier 21.
• a particularly thin substrate 6 (eg in the form of a foil) can be used, without the formation of gaps between the substrate 6 and the plexiglass layer 2 occurring locally.
• arranged holder terminal, pressing elements, etc.
• the substrate 6 or the electrode carrier 21 are brought very close to the plexiglass layer 2 over its entire surface can, which allows a particularly low height.
• a uniformly high sensitivity over the surface is made possible with a simultaneously large operating surface 22.
• the electrode fields 8 can be brought laterally very close to an image area of the liquid crystal screen 10, since they can rest on a non-imaging edge area of the liquid crystal screen 10, for example.
• the plexiglass layer 2 can simultaneously serve as a protective layer for the liquid crystal panel 10.
• the liquid crystal display 10 rests on a carrier 18, wherein the carrier 18 in turn rests on a printed circuit board 13 via spacers 12.
• the carrier 18 may be snapped onto the circuit board 13, for example.
• the printed circuit board 13 may include conventional printed conductors, contact pads ("contact pads"), plated-through holes, etc.
• the printed circuit board 13 has several at least on its side facing the substrate 6 Circuit board contact pads 14 on, and opposite to a respective contact pad 1 1, that is, in other words, in a longitudinal direction L spaced superimposed. Associated pairs of a contact pad 1 1 and a printed circuit board contact pad 14 are each electrically connected to each other by an electrically conductive spring 15 ('contact spring').
• the spring 15 can be clamped between the contact fields 1 1 and 14, so that a good mechanical contact and tolerance compensation are made possible.
• each of the electrode pads 8 can be contacted electrically without any conductor tracks (conductor track-free) required on the substrate 6. In other words, the electrical contacting can be led away directly from the substrate 6.
• the electrode fields 8 can be formed over a particularly large area (high area utilization).
• the second material of the contact pad 1 1 is so resistant to mechanical penetration, so that it does not yield completely to a Eindrückkraft the spring 15 and thus the spring 15 can not penetrate through the contact pad 1 1. This is particularly useful in household appliances, which vibrate regularly and thereby apply a particularly demanding alternating load, such as washing machines and / or tumble dryer.
• the electrode field 8 may also be completely covered or coated with an electrically conductive, harder second material, for example tin-plated.
• the first material of the electrode pad 8 may already be sufficiently resistant to mechanical penetration to abrasion by the springs 15, eg, a carbon based material, eg of carbon or carbon (eg, a carbon print material), copper, or a tin layer, so that then a contact field 1 1 can be dispensed with.
• the printed circuit board contact pad 14 may be formed of a material resistant to a mechanical penetration of the spring 15, for example made of carbon (carbon), preferably tin or partially tin-plated copper.
• the printed circuit board 13 can have an evaluation logic for the electrical signals supplied or tapped by the electrode fields 8 or serve for the distribution and forwarding of the electrical signals of the electrode fields 8 to a remotely located evaluation logic.
• the plexiglass layer 2 shows a view from below of the rectangular Plexiglas layer 2, on the circumferential edge region 5, the substrate 6 has been adhered.
• the plexiglass layer 2 is made rectangular, while the substrate 6 has a rectangular strip-shaped form.
• the substrate 6 and thus the peripheral edge region 5 are covered with a plurality of rectangular electrode fields 8 of different dimensions arranged in a row or one behind the other.
• the electrode fields 8 each have the contact fields 1 1 in the center.
• Adjacent electrode fields 8 are separated from one another by a small but electrically sufficiently insulating gap 16.
• the substrate 6 laterally surrounds a viewing area 17, through which an imaging area of the liquid crystal screen 10 is visible.
• a side frame of the liquid crystal screen 10 is covered by the support area of the electrode pads 8, so that the electrode pads 8 also serve as a privacy screen and the support area occupies no otherwise usable space.
• the contact pads 11, the springs 15, and the board contact pads 14 are arranged in a columnar shape around the liquid crystal panel 10.
• a capacitive value at this electrode field 8 is changed so far that this change recognizable at an approach of the finger F to Plexiglas layer 2 in a region above one of the electrode fields is, here: through the evaluation logic.
• the substrate 6 may in particular be a flexible substrate 6, so that it can also be attached to a bent Plexiglas layer 2.
• the substrate 6 may for example consist of PET with a thickness between 0, 1 mm and 0.3 mm, between 0, 1 mm and 0.2 mm, in particular of about 0, 125 mm, which allows a very low height.
• the present invention is not limited to the embodiment shown.
• the electrode fields 8 may also have been formed by structuring an initially full-surface lamination of a printed circuit board, in particular with a flexible substrate 6 ("flex plate” or "flex foil”).
• the lamination may e.g. Made of copper, which can be so resistant to mechanical penetration that can be dispensed with the additional contact fields 1 1.
• the plexiglass layer 2 may be dispensed with, and the substrate 6 may be dispensed directly to a cover plate of the household appliance, e.g. can consist of glass, glass ceramic or a transparent plastic, are adhesively secured.
• the cover plate then serves as the electrically insulating cover layer.
• the touch-sensitive input unit 1 can also be used independently of the liquid crystal panel 10 or other imaging unit
• the touch-sensitive input unit may have a cover layer which does not completely cover an imaging unit, but merely form the peripheral edge region 5.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Switches That Are Operated By Magnetic Or Electric Fields (AREA)
• Push-Button Switches (AREA)
• Electronic Switches (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

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• 2010
  • 2010-06-21 DE DE102010030315A patent/DE102010030315A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2011
  • 2011-06-09 CN CN2011800306740A patent/CN102947784A/zh active Pending
  • 2011-06-09 EA EA201291424A patent/EA201291424A1/ru unknown
  • 2011-06-09 EP EP11725917.6A patent/EP2583160A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2011-06-09 WO PCT/EP2011/059612 patent/WO2011160960A1/de active Application Filing

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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