FR3056164A1 - CONTROL ORDER - Google Patents

Abstract

A control member comprises a contactor (4) having a recessed central portion, a body (10) movably mounted in the control member to actuate the contactor (4), and a light source (6) arranged at the outside the body (10) so as to illuminate, through said central portion, an inner face of an at least partially translucent member (12) of the body (10). The body (10) extending laterally beyond said central portion. A light guide (20) has an input face (21), arranged to receive light emitted by the light source (6), and is arranged to transmit at least a portion of said light towards the light source (6). a region (15) of the inner face located laterally with respect to the central portion.

Description

Holder (s): VALEO COMFORT AND DRIVING ASSISTANCE Simplified joint-stock company.

Extension request (s)

Agent (s): VALEO COMFORT AND DRIVING ASSISTANCE.

(04) CONTROL BODY.

FR 3 056 164 - A1 yf) A control member comprises a contactor (4) having a recessed central part, a body (10) movably mounted in the control member so as to actuate the contactor (4), and a source of light (6) arranged outside the body (10) so as to illuminate, through said central part, an internal face of an element (12) at least partially translucent of the body (10).

The body (10) extending laterally beyond said central portion.

A light guide (20) has an entrance face (21), arranged so as to receive light emitted by the light source (6), and is arranged to transmit at least part of said light in direction d 'a region (15) of the internal face located laterally with respect to the central part.

Technical field to which the invention relates

The present invention relates to control members having a part illuminated by means of a light source, such as certain keys used in motor vehicles.

It relates more particularly to a control member.

The invention applies particularly advantageously in the case where it is desired to mount the light source on a printed circuit, on an opposite face from the face of the printed circuit carrying a contactor of the control member.

TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

Use is made, in particular in motor vehicles, of control members comprising a contactor, a body mounted to move in the control member so as to actuate the contactor, and a light source intended to illuminate an internal face of a part at less partially translucent of the body to form an illuminated symbol visible to the user.

According to a conceivable design, the contactor has a hollowed-out central part and the light source is arranged outside the body and illuminates the internal face through said central part.

This construction does not generally make it possible to correctly illuminate the entire internal face because the body extends laterally beyond said central part. The symbol is then not uniformly illuminated.

Object of the invention

In this context, the present invention provides such a control member, characterized by a light guide comprising an entry face, arranged so as to receive light emitted by the light source, and arranged to transmit at least part of said light towards a region of the internal face situated laterally with respect to the central part.

Thus, the light emitted by the light source (located outside the body) also reaches lateral parts of the internal face, although these lateral parts are not located in alignment with the light source and the recessed central part of the contactor. The illumination of the symbol is therefore more uniform.

According to other optional features (and therefore non-limiting):

- the control member comprises a printed circuit carrying the contactor and having an opening in line with the hollowed-out central part;

- the light source is mounted so that the light flux passes through the opening;

the light source is mounted on one face of the printed circuit opposite the face carrying the contactor;

- the light guide comprises a tubular part carrying said entry face and engaged in said opening;

- The light guide has a conical face designed to at least partially reflect said light in the direction of a facet;

- Said facet is designed to reflect said light in the direction of said region located laterally;

- the conical face is designed to transmit in part by refraction said light towards a central region of the internal face (located in line with said central part of the contactor);

- the light guide is overmolded on an opaque part of the body;

- said opaque part forms a base on which said element is mounted (said element forming for example a cap of the control member);

- A membrane covers at least partially the contactor and / or comprises a part interposed between the contactor and the light guide so as to actuate the contactor when the body is moved;

- the light guide comprises a tubular part and a circular part which extends from the tubular part and which has a flat face and a face, oriented opposite the flat face, which is shaped like a staircase;

- the face shaped as a staircase has inclined facets and annular facets, the inclined facets and the annular facets being arranged alternately.

Detailed description of an exemplary embodiment

The description which follows with reference to the appended drawings, given by way of nonlimiting examples, will make it clear what the invention consists of and how it can be carried out.

In the accompanying drawings:

- Figure 1 shows a control member according to the invention in the relaxed position; and

- Figure 2 shows the control member of Figure 1 in the depressed position.

The control member shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a printed circuit 2, on which a metal contactor 4 is formed, and a body 10 movable relative to a support 8 secured to the printed circuit 2 so as to actuate the metal contactor 4 The body 10 is an actuating key.

The control unit described here is a button fitted to a steering wheel of a motor vehicle. The support 8 corresponds in this case to part of the steering wheel. The control unit could however alternatively equip another element of the vehicle, for example a control panel.

The printed circuit 2 has a through opening 5 located in the center of the contactor 4. The contactor 4 has a hollowed-out central part located at the right of this through opening 5. A light source 6 (here a light-emitting diode) is mounted in this opening 5 , while being fixed on the printed circuit 2 at the level of the face opposite to that carrying the metal contactor 4.

The controller also includes a membrane 50, here made of silicone, in order to seal the printed circuit 2 and to achieve a softer tactile effect.

The membrane 50 comprises a periphery part 52, which extends in contact with the face of the printed circuit 2 carrying the metal contactor 4, a cylindrical part 54, which extends around the opening 5, and a connection part 56 connecting the peripheral part 52 and the cylindrical part 54.

The cylindrical part 54 of the membrane 50 comprises a first axial end 53 arranged in contact with the body 10 and a second axial end 55 arranged in contact with the metal contactor 4.

The body 10 comprises a translucent cabochon 12 in places so as to cause a symbol to appear on the external face of the cabochon 12 (external face directed towards the user) when the internal face of the cabochon 12 (internal face located inside the body 10) is illuminated. For example, the cabochon 12 is covered with black paint in places and is free in other places.

The body 10 also comprises a base 14 on which the cap 12 is mounted, here by snap-fastening as clearly visible in FIGS. 1 and 2. The base 14 is further designed to actuate the metal contactor 4 (here by means of the cylindrical part 54 of the membrane 50) when the body 10 (as a whole) is moved towards the printed circuit 2 (generally due to a voluntary pressure exerted by the user on the body 10).

In the example described, the base 14 includes an opaque part 16 (made of plastic), forming the side wall of the base 14, and a light guide 20 made of a translucent or transparent plastic material, molded here on the opaque part. 16.

The production of the entire base 14 in the form of two overmolded parts 16, 20 makes it possible to limit mechanical dispersions and to conform more easily to the dimension chain.

The base 14 may however alternatively be produced by assembling by clipping a first part forming the opaque part 16 and a second part forming the light guide 20.

We also note that the realization of the side wall 16 of the base 14 (and therefore of the body 10) makes it possible to avoid light leaks on the contour of the control member.

In the example described here, part of the light guide 20 is arranged in contact with the axial end 53 of the cylindrical part 54 of the membrane 50, so that it is at the level of the light guide 20 that transmitted to the cylindrical part 54 the driving force of the body 10 aimed at actuating the metal contactor 4.

As clearly visible in FIGS. 1 and 2, the light guide 20 comprises a tubular part 22, located in line with the opening 5 made in the printed circuit 2 (and therefore in line with the light source 6), and a circular part 24 which extends from the tubular part 22. It will be observed that the tubular part 22 is a solid cylinder which widens towards the circular part 24.

The tubular part 22 is slightly flared (i.e. at least partly has a truncated cone shape) in order to take account of the angular spreading of the light source 6.

The tubular part 22 is also engaged (at its small diameter part, where the inlet face 21 of the light is formed in the light guide 20) in the opening 5 of the printed circuit 4.

The circular part 24 and the tubular part 22 meet at the end of the tubular part 22 opposite the inlet face 21 (inlet face 21 located opposite the light source 6) . The tubular part 22 is also surrounded by the cylindrical part 54 of the membrane 50 over most of its length along the axis of the light source 6. The tubular part 22 therefore allows the passage of light through the part central recess of the metal contactor 4 and the cylindrical part 54 of the membrane 50, up to the circular part 24 of the light guide 20.

The circular part 24 has a flat face 23 facing the cap 12 (this flat face 23 being perpendicular to the axis of emission of the light source 6), except at its central region (ie in line with the source 6) where the circular part 24 has a conical face 25.

The face of the circular part 24 oriented opposite the cap 12 (that is to say directed towards the printed circuit 2) is in turn shaped staircase and thus has a plurality of inclined facets 26 connected by facets ring finger 27.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, another annular facet (not referenced) connects the tubular part 22 and an inclined facet 26, and receives the axial end 53 of the cylindrical part 54 of the membrane 50 (for transmission of the driving force of the control member, as already indicated).

The light emitted by the light source 6 enters the light guide 20 at its tubular part 22 through the inlet face 21 (perpendicular to the axis of the light source 6) and traverses the tubular part 22 ( which extends along the axis of the light source 6) until it meets the conical face 25.

The angle of inclination of the conical face 25 relative to the axis of the light source 6 (for example between 40 ° and 50 °) is such that part of the light is transmitted by refraction outside the light guide 20, in the direction of the lens 12, while another part of the light is reflected in the direction of one of the facets 26.

Due to the free space formed (in the body 10) between the light guide 20 and the cap 12, the light transmitted by refraction at the level of the conical face 25 propagates to a central region 13 of the internal face. of the cabochon 12.

Likewise, the facets 26 are oriented so that the light reflected by the conical face 25 is reflected by one of these facets 26 in the direction of the lens 12, in particular in the direction of a lateral region 15 of the inner face of the lens 12.

Specifically, because of its arrangement, the conical face 25 reflects the light flux present in the tubular part 22 (light flux oriented generally along the axis of the light source 6) in a direction generally perpendicular to the axis of the source 6. The facets 26 are moreover oriented approximately parallel to the conical face 25 so that the light flux resumes an orientation generally along the axis of the light source 6 (in the direction of the lateral regions 15 of the internal face of the cabochon 12) after reflection on the facets 26.

Note in this regard that the flat face 23 is perpendicular to the axis of the light source 6 and that the light flux reflected by the facets 26 (oriented along the axis of the light source 6 as it has just been indicated) consequently leaves the light guide 20 without undergoing a change of orientation (by refraction).

Thus, thanks to the use of the light guide 20, the entire inner face of the cap 12 is illuminated (either by the light refracted at the conical face 25, or by the light reflected by the facets 26) and the symbol is clearly visible, as a whole, on the external face of the lens 12.

The body 10 is also retained in its visible position in FIG. 1 by elastic means, here the elasticity of the metal contactor 4.

When a user presses on the body 10, the body 10 sinks into the support 8 as shown in FIG. 2: the part of the base 14 (here the light guide 20) in contact with the cylindrical part 54 of the membrane 50 is then moved to the printed circuit 2 so that the axial end 55 of the cylindrical part 54 presses on the metal contactor 4 until this metal contactor 4 comes into contact with a corresponding track formed on the printed circuit 2 (as shown in Figure 2), which closes an electrical circuit and controls an associated functionality of the vehicle.

Claims (11)

1. Control member comprising a contactor (4) having a recessed central part, a body (10) movably mounted in the control member so as to actuate the contactor (4), and a light source (6) arranged at the outside of the body (10) so as to illuminate, through said central portion, an internal face of an element (12) at least partially translucent of the body (10), the body (10) extending laterally beyond said central part, characterized by a light guide (20) having an entry face (21), arranged so as to receive light emitted by the light source (6), and arranged to transmit a part to the less of said light towards a region (15) of the internal face situated laterally with respect to the central part. 2. Control unit according to claim 1, comprising a printed circuit (2) carrying the contactor (4) and having an opening (5) in line with the hollowed-out central part. 3. Control member according to claim 2, wherein the light source (6) is mounted so that the light flux passes through the opening (5). 4. Control unit according to any one of claims 2 or 3, in which the light source (6) is mounted on one face of the printed circuit (2) opposite to the face carrying the contactor (4). 5. Controller according to one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the light guide (20) comprises a tubular part (22) carrying said inlet face (21) and engaged in said opening (5). 6. Control member according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the light guide (20) has a conical face (25) designed to at least partially reflect said light towards a facet (26). 7. A controller according to claim 6, wherein said facet (26) is designed to reflect said light towards said laterally located region (15). 8. Control unit according to any one of claims 6 or 5 7, in which the conical face (25) is designed to transmit in part by refraction said light towards a central region (13) of the internal face. 9. Control member according to any one of claims 1 to 8, in which the light guide (20) is molded onto an opaque part (16) of the 10 bodies (10). 10. Control member according to claim 9, wherein said opaque portion (16) forms a base on which is mounted said element (12). 11. Control member according to one of claims 1 to 10, in which a membrane (50) covers at least part of the contactor (4) and comprises a part (54) interposed between the contactor (4) and the guide. light (20) so as to actuate the switch (4) when the body (10) is moved. 1/1