FR2958445A1 - CONTROL MODULE - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a control module (1), in particular for a motor vehicle comprising at least one sensor (7) comprising at least one active control zone (9), and a facade (3) comprising at least one deformable zone ( 5) associated with said at least one active zone (9) of said sensor (7). According to the invention, said module (1) comprises a wall (15) disposed facing said at least one active zone (9) of said sensor (7), said wall (15) having protrusion (17) of concentration of force configured to come into contact with said at least one active zone (9) of said sensor (7) during a pressing on said at least one deformable zone (5) of the facade (3) associated with said at least one active zone ( 9) of said sensor (7).

Description

-1- Control module

The present invention relates to a control module, in particular for a motor vehicle.

More specifically, such a module finds an advantageous application for the controls of the dashboard. The invention can also be applied to controls located at the console between the two front seats of a motor vehicle for example to control air conditioning functions, an audio system, a telephony system or even of a navigation system, or alternatively in a region of the vehicle called the dome which is at the usual location of the interior rearview mirror, for example to control interior lights, central locking, sunroof, lights distress or mood lights. Also known are control modules able to illuminate the buttons for driving at night in a motor vehicle, the lighting being performed by the back of the button ie through the button. For example, when driving by day, the driver clearly sees a pictogram on the button, and when driving at night, the backlight allows the driver easy location of the command. To increase ergonomic comfort, in the automotive field, the use of a touch sensor technology for the controls of the various electrical components can be considered as an interesting development. Indeed, tactile sensors, especially for the automotive field, have made significant progress. These tactile surfaces make it possible to detect a simple support of the driver's finger and, depending on the position of the detected support and / or the subsequent displacement of this support on the surface, to trigger a particular type of action or control of vehicle organ. These touch surfaces can be of any type and use different technologies. Examples that may be mentioned include capacitive or optical technologies or else using pressure-sensitive resistors (also known as the "FSR" sensor for "Force Sensing Resistor") having an ease of implementation and guaranteeing a certain robustness. . BRT0548 - SFR5186

-2- Whatever the technology used, the touch sensor is protected by a facade on which a user exerts a support to actuate the sensor. This facade must therefore allow deformation to actuate the sensor. However, some rigidity is required for notions of perceived user quality and stability. In addition, in the known prior art the actuating force may not be homogeneous when pressing the center or being a little offset from the touch zone. In another aspect, inadvertent actuation of the touch sensor can be caused for example because of pressures or unwanted support by the user exerted on the facade or for example because of a dilation of the facade due to the temperature. The invention therefore aims to provide a control module to overcome these disadvantages of the state of the art. For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a control module, in particular for a motor vehicle comprising at least one sensor comprising at least one active control zone, and a facade comprising at least one deformable zone associated with said at least one zone. active said sensor, characterized in that said module comprises a wall disposed facing said at least one active zone of said sensor, said wall having force concentration protuberances configured to come into contact with said at least one active zone of said sensor when a support on said at least one deformable zone of the facade associated with said at least one active zone of said sensor. The protuberances therefore make it possible to concentrate the actuating force towards the active zone of the sensor concerned, which is supported, for example, in the center or offset from the tactile zone. This concentration of force therefore provides a facade with a certain rigidity while ensuring a slight deformation in the active areas of the touch sensor.

Said control module may further comprise one or more of the following features, alone or in combination: said wall is disposed between said sensor and the facade, said wall is the rear face of the facade, said wall is disposed on the side of said sensor opposite to the facade, said wall is a separate part made of a flexible material such as silicone or thermoplastic elastomer, the protuberances are bosses, the protuberances are made with a generally parallelepipedic general shape Said sensor comprises a plurality of active zones interposed between neutral zones of said control separation sensor, and said wall has separation stops opposite neutral zones of said sensor, the separation stops being configured to come into contact with the neutral zones when pressing the facade so as to prevent the inadvertent activation of several active areas, the separation stops have a height greater than or equal to the height of the protuberances, said wall has positioning stops bearing on said sensor, the positioning stops have a height greater than the height of the 20 protuberances, the positioning stops have a height greater than the height of the separation stops, said at least one deformable zone of the facade comprises symbols or control signs made of a material allowing at least partially the light to pass through, so that the symbols or control signs are visible in backlight, said wall is made of transparent or translucent material at least at a zone facing said at least one deformable zone of the facade, the facade is made of transparent or translucent material at least on the BRT0548 - SFR5186 2958445 -4- e said at least one deformable zone, - said sensor is made of transparent or translucent material at least at a zone facing said at least one deformable zone of the facade, 5 - the facade is made of polycarbonate, - said at least one deformable zone of the facade is formed by thinning of the facade, said sensor is a pressure sensitive sensor using FSR technology. Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following description, given by way of example, without limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1a is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the control module in the rest position, FIG. 1b is a cross-sectional view of the control module of FIG. 1a when a support is exerted on the control module, FIG. cross-section of the control module comprising a plurality of tactile bearing zones, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the control module comprising a plurality of tactile bearing zones and a slightly curved front, FIG. 4 is a partial diagrammatic representation of FIG. 5a is a top view of a wall of the control module of FIG. 2 or 3, FIG. 5b is a perspective view of the wall of FIG. 5a, FIG. e 6 is a sectional view of a variant of FIG. 3 with a wall interposed between the facade and the sensor of the control module, FIG. 7a illustrates a first exemplary embodiment of a protuberance, FIG. 7b illustrates a second Embodiment of a protrusion, Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the control module, and Fig. 9 is a sectional view of a variant. of FIG. 8 with a wall interposed between the facade and the sensor of the control module. In these figures and in the following description, the identical elements are identified by the same reference numbers.

The invention relates to a control module 1 for example capable of controlling at least one electrical or electronic member of a motor vehicle such as, for example, an air conditioning, an audio control, a navigation system, a telephony system, a control motorized window regulators, an external mirror adjustment control, an adjustment control in the position of a sunroof, an interior lighting control or an adjustment control of a motor vehicle seat. This control module 1 is for example installed at the dashboard. FIGS. 1a, 1b show a first embodiment of the control module 1. This control module 1 comprises a front panel 3 with a control touch zone 5 on which the user can press for example with his finger. a sensor 7 having an active control zone 9 associated with the tactile zone 5 for controlling the associated vehicle member, and possibly a support 11 carrying the sensor 7 on the side of the control module 1 opposite the frontage 3. The facade 3 is for example polycarbonate and may have a significant thickness of the order of 0.5 mm to 0.8 mm. This thickness therefore gives a certain rigidity to the facade 3. This facade 3 can also be formed by stacking several layers.

The sensor 7 is for example a pressure sensitive sensor using the "FSR" technology in English "Force Sensing Resistor" that is to say pressure sensitive resistors. Such a sensor comprises semiconductor layers facing one another. At rest, no electrical contact is established. Conductive tracks make it possible to connect these semiconductor layers to the external connection of the sensor. By exerting a pressure on the semiconductor layers, an electrical contact is established, the ohmic resistance of which varies inversely with the pressure exerted, thus making it possible, by applying a suitable current, to measure the applied pressure. and / or the location of the place where the pressure is exerted. The sensor 7 then generates signals corresponding to the support coordinates that are used to carry out the control of a specific electrical function associated with the affected area. The sensor 7 may comprise transparent or opaque conductive ink. In the example illustrated in FIGS. 1a, 1b there is illustrated a single sensor 7 with an active zone 9.

FIG. 2 illustrates a variant with a single sensor 7 having a plurality of active zones 9. It is also possible to provide a plurality of sensors 7 to an active zone 9 respectively dedicated to a touch zone 5 of the facade 3 or several sensors 7 9. Another variant embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 3, in which the control module 1 has a slightly curved shape. In order to allow the control of the vehicle components, the facade 3 must therefore make it possible to transmit a pressure or a support at least locally to the sensor 7. For this purpose, the facade 3 is deformable at the level of the tactile zone (s). this can be achieved by thinning or narrowing of the facade 3 at the level of the touch zone (s) 5. The tactile zone (s) 5 respectively associated with an active zone (9) are for example disposed at these active zones (9). are therefore above the active zones 9. In a variant, the active zone or zones 9 may not be at the level of the tactile zones 5, for example the sensor 7 (see FIG. 4) may have one or more neutral zones z below the one or more tactile zones 5 and surrounded by an active zone 9. In addition, in order to facilitate the manipulation of the control module 1, the facade 3 may present at the touch zone (s) 5, symbols or signs or still numbers, letters or pictograms (not shown in the figures) in relation to the organ or function to be controlled. Referring again to FIGS. 1a to 3, the front wall 3 may for example comprise a decorative film 13 and possibly a protective film, for example made of plastic, and the symbols may be made by screen printing on the lower side of the film 13. These symbols may be permanently visible or alternatively only by backlighting. In this case, the symbols are made of a material allowing the light to pass at least partially and in the absence of a light source, the facade 3 appears uniform without indication or writing at the touch zone (s). edge therefore appears uniform, for example with a smooth visible surface. It may also be provided that the facade 3 is made of a transparent or translucent material at least at the level of the tactile zone (s) 5 having the symbols. In addition, the facade 3 has on its wall or lower face 15 facing the sensor 7 (wall better visible in Figures 5a and 5b), protuberances 17 at an active area 9 of the sensor 7 which come into contact with the active zone 9 facing 15 during a support for example of a finger of the user on the facade 3, as shown in Figure lb. These protuberances 17 act as force concentrators since the actuating force F1 exerted on the facade 3 is concentrated at the active zone 9 of the sensor 7 so that the force F2 at the active zone 9 is greater than the 20 F1 force exerted. The pressure in the active zone 9 is increased. In the state of rest, that is to say when no support is exerted (FIGS. 1a, 2 and 3) on the touch zone 5 of the facade 3, a functional clearance ja is provided between these protuberances 17 and the sensor 7 in order to avoid inadvertent tripping of electrical functions due for example to a temperature expansion or a geometrical dispersion of the facade resulting from the assembly / manufacturing tolerances. . This functional clearance ja is for example of the order of 0.15 mm. When there are several sensors 7, one can provide the same clearance ja between the protuberances 17 and the sensors 7 also to prevent inadvertent tripping.

In the example illustrated in FIGS. 1a to 3, the protuberances 17 are borne by the facade 3. According to an alternative represented in FIG. 6, the protuberances 17 are carried by a separate wall 115 of FIGS. 3. In this case, the face of the facade 3 opposite the sensor 7 is smooth. This wall 115 may be made, for example by molding, of a more flexible material than the facade 3 such as silicone or elastomer thermoplastic. The protuberances 17 carried by the lower wall 15 of the facade 3 (FIGS. 1 to 3) or by a separate wall 115 (FIG. 6) may be bosses with a circular shape as in FIG. 7a or, alternatively, have a shape generally parallelepipedal as in Figure 7b.

As illustrated in FIGS. 5a and 5b, the protuberances 17 may be arranged in such a manner as to delimit the periphery of the active zone 9 facing each other and are therefore not placed opposite the interior of an area. active 9, the middle and the inside of the active zones 9 remain free. Thus, when a support is exerted on the facade 3, the protuberances 17 come into contact not with the middle of the active zone 9 but with the periphery of this active zone 9. This configuration is particularly advantageous in the case where symbols on the touch zone (s) 5 of the facade 3 must be backlit, the light sources 26 being for example arranged under the support 11 facing the zones 19 delimited by the protuberances 17 (see FIGS. 1a to 3 and 6) . In this case, the wall 15 or 115 may be transparent or translucent at least locally in the zones 19 delimited by the protuberances 17 and therefore at the active zone (s) 9 of the sensor 7 and the tactile zone (s) 5. facade 3 bearing the symbols to backlight. The sensor 7, and in particular the areas of the sensor 7 at a touch zone 5, can also be made of a transparent or translucent material. In addition, it can be provided that the zone of the sensor 7 at a touch zone 5 is an active zone 9 which comprises transparent conductive ink, or according to the variant illustrated in FIG. 4, that this zone is a non-active zone z of the sensor 7 surrounded by an active zone 9. In addition, by separating the protuberances 17 from the medium corresponding to the place where the user generally presses, the actuating force is decreased; the greater the distance between the protuberances 17 and the middle is large, the force is important for the same race when the user presses in the middle, which is explained by a leverage effect. On the other hand, referring again to FIGS. 2, 3 and 6, it can be seen that the wall 15 or 115 may have separation stops 21 arranged facing neutral zones 23 of the sensor 7, that is to say say not active for the control of an electrical function. These separation stops 21 make it possible to dissociate the different active zones 9 from the sensor 7. In fact, when pressing on a touch zone 5 of the facade 3, the separation stops 21 come into contact with the neutral zones 23 between which the active zone 9 at the touch zone 5 is interposed and the protuberances 17 come into contact with the active zone 9. For this, the height of the separation stops 21 must be greater than or equal to that of the protuberances 17. The contact separation stops 21 with the sensor 7 thus makes it possible to prevent the other protuberances 17 associated with the adjacent active zones 9 of the sensor 7 15 from activating these active zones 9. A functional clearance jb is also provided between these separation stops 21 and the sensor 7 in the rest state, so as not to deform the surface in contact with the front panel 3. This functional clearance jb is less than the functional clearance ja between the protuberances 17 and the sensor 7.

The wall 15, 115 may further comprise positioning stops 25 which bear on neutral zones 23 of the sensor 7. These positioning stops 25 are therefore higher than the protuberances 17 (FIGS. 1a to 3 and 6) and the stops. separating 21 when there are (FIGS. 2,3,6), and make it possible to guarantee and control the functional clearance ja between the sensor 7 and the protuberances 17 and possibly the functional clearance jb between the sensor 7 and the stops A second embodiment of the control module 1 is illustrated in FIG. 7. This second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the force-concentrating wall 215 carrying the protuberances 17 is located in the second embodiment. In this case, the contact for controlling an electrical function is from below, namely between the sensor 7 and, for example, the support 11, and no. n further between the sensor 7 and the facade 3. In addition, when the facade 3 has symbols at the touch zones 5 5 to backlight, the light sources 26 may be arranged below the support 11 at the zones 19 framed by the protuberances 17 being therefore facing the active areas 9 of the sensor 7. In this case, the sensor 7, and in particular the areas of the sensor 7 at the touch zones 5, may be made of a transparent or translucent material. In addition, it can be provided that the zone of the sensor 7 at the touch zone 5 is an active zone 9 which comprises transparent conductive ink, or according to the variant illustrated in FIG. 4, that this zone is a zone not active z of the sensor 7 surrounded by an active area 9. In the illustrated example, this wall 215 is integrated into the support 11 as illustrated in FIG. 7. As a variant it may be a separate part 315 interposed between the support 11 and the sensor 7 as shown in Figure 9. In all cases presented, the surface of the facade 3 and therefore the dashboard visible to the user is uniform and continuous, for example smooth. It is therefore understood that such a control module makes it possible to activate the sensor 7 more precisely by concentrating the actuating force on the active area 9 concerned by means of the protuberances 17. The actuating force of the sensor 7 is therefore reduced despite the rigidity of the facade 3. BRT0548 - SFR5186

Claims (19)

REVENDICATIONS1. Control module, in particular for a motor vehicle comprising: at least one sensor (7) comprising at least one active control zone (9), a facade (3) comprising at least one deformable zone (5) associated with said at least one active zone (9) of said sensor (7), characterized in that said module comprises a wall (15, 115, 215, 1515) disposed facing said at least one active zone (9) of said sensor (7), said wall (15, 115, 215, 1515) having protuberances (17) force concentration configured to come into contact with said at least one active zone (9) of said sensor (7) during a pressing on said at least one deformable zone (5) of the facade (3) associated with said at least one active area (9) of said sensor (7). 2. Module according to claim 1, characterized in that said wall (15,115) is disposed between said sensor (7) and the front (3). 3. Module according to claim 2, characterized in that said wall (15) is the rear face of the facade (3). 4. Module according to claim 1, characterized in that said wall (215,315) is disposed on the side of said sensor (7) opposite the front (3). 5. Module according to one of claims 2 or 4, characterized in that said wall (115,315) is a separate part made of a flexible material such as silicone or thermoplastic elastomer. 6. Module according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the protuberances (17) are bosses. 7. Module according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that BRT0548 - SFR5186 2958445 -12- the protuberances (17) are made with a substantially parallelepiped general shape. 8. Module according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said sensor (7) comprises a plurality of active zones (9) interposed between neutral zones (23) of said control separation sensor, characterized in that said wall (15,115,215,315) has separation stops (21) facing neutral zones (23) of said sensor (7), the separation stops (21) being configured to come into contact with the neutral zones (23) facing each other when a support on the front (3) so as to prevent the inadvertent activation of several active areas (9). 9. Module according to claim 8, characterized in that the separation stops (21) have a height greater than or equal to the height of the protuberances (17). 10. Module according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said wall (15,115,215,315) has positioning stops (25) bearing on said sensor (7). 11. Module according to claim 10, characterized in that the positioning stops (25) have a height greater than the height of the protuberances (17). 20 12. Module according to one of claims 8 or 9, taken in combination with claim 10, characterized in that the positioning stops (25) have a height greater than the height of the separation stops (21). 13. Module according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one deformable zone (5) of the facade (3) comprises 25 symbols or control signs made of a material allowing light to pass at least partially. , so that the symbols or control signs are visible in backlight. BRT0548 - SEN5186 2958445 -13- 14. Module according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said wall (15,115,215,315) is made of transparent or translucent material at least at a zone (19) facing said at least one deformable zone (5). ) of the facade (3). 5 15. Module according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the facade (3) is made of transparent or translucent material at least at said at least one deformable zone (5). 16. Module according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said sensor (5) is made of transparent or translucent material at least 10 at a zone (9, z) opposite said at least one zone deformable (5) of the facade (3). 17. Module according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the front (3) is made of polycarbonate. 18. Module according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one deformable zone (5) of the facade (3) is formed by thinning of the facade (3). 19. Module according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said sensor (7) is a pressure sensitive sensor using FSR technology. BRT0548 - SFR5186