JP2015035166A - Operation switch - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an operation switch which has a wide detection range obtained by touch sensors, without increasing the cost.SOLUTION: An operation switch 10 includes a plurality of touch sensors 50, 52, and 54, and each of the touch sensors has a plurality of detection units 60 and an ECU 58. That is, the operation switch has detection units of which the number is obtained by multiplying the number of touch sensors by the number of detection units in each touch sensor, so that a detection range obtained by the touch sensor is widened. When a prescribed sequence is given to the plurality of touch sensors, the plurality of detection units are alternately arranged in a prescribed direction in accordance with the prescribed sequence. For example, in the case where three touch sensors are provided and each of the touch sensors has three detection units, an input medium is detected by nine detection units of three touch sensors. Thus, the input medium is detected in many positions by a small number of touch sensors, so that the input medium can be detected in a wide range without increasing the cost.

Description

  The present invention relates to an operation switch for operating an interior product of a vehicle.

  Many interior items are provided in the vehicle, and many of these interior items are activated by operating an operation switch. Specifically, for example, a so-called power that includes an electromagnetic motor for operating at least a part of a seat provided in a vehicle in a predetermined direction and an operation switch for operating the operation of the electromagnetic motor. There is a sheet. In recent years, in order to improve the operability of a power seat, development of a power seat employing a touch sensor as an operation switch has been promoted as described in the following patent document.

JP 2011-201379 A

  As described in the above patent document, the operability is improved by adopting a touch sensor as the operation switch. In order to further improve operability, it is desired to widen the detection range by the touch sensor. However, in order to widen the detection range by the touch sensor, it is necessary to increase the size of the detection unit of the touch sensor or to provide many touch sensors, which increases the cost. The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to provide an operation switch having a wide detection range by a touch sensor without increasing the cost.

  In order to solve the above problems, an operation switch according to claim 1 of the present application is provided with a plurality of touch sensors, and is an operation switch for operating an interior part of a vehicle, and each of the plurality of touch sensors includes: A plurality of detection units for detecting the approach / contact of the input medium and a detection result acquisition unit for acquiring the detection result of the input medium by the plurality of detection units, and assigning a predetermined order to the plurality of touch sensors In this case, the plurality of detection units of each of the plurality of touch sensors are arranged so as to be alternately arranged in a predetermined direction according to the predetermined order of the plurality of touch sensors. And

  In the operation switch according to claim 2, in the operation switch according to claim 1, each of the plurality of touch sensors is further formed of the same material as the plurality of detection units, and the plurality of detection units It has the connection part which connects.

  The operation switch according to claim 1 includes a plurality of touch sensors, and each of the plurality of touch sensors includes a plurality of detection units and one detection result acquisition unit. That is, in the operation switch, the number of detection units obtained by multiplying the number of touch sensors by the number of detection units included in each touch sensor is arranged so as to be arranged in a predetermined direction. Specifically, for example, when there are three touch sensors and each of the touch sensors has three detection units, nine detection units are arranged in a predetermined direction. Thereby, the detection range by a touch sensor becomes wide. Further, when a predetermined order is assigned to the plurality of touch sensors, the plurality of detection units are alternately arranged in a predetermined direction according to the predetermined order. Thereby, for example, when there are three touch sensors and each of the touch sensors has three detection units, the nine detection units can detect the input medium by the three touch sensors. That is, the input medium can be detected in many places by a small number of touch sensors. Accordingly, it is possible to detect a wide range of input media with a small number of touch sensors, and it is possible to improve operability without increasing costs.

  In the operation switch according to the second aspect, the plurality of detection units are connected by a connection unit formed of the same material as the plurality of detection units. As a result, it is not necessary to connect a plurality of detection units by wiring or the like, and the structure of the operation switch can be simplified.

It is a perspective view which shows the vehicle seat provided with the operation switch of the Example. It is the schematic which shows the operation switch of an Example. It is the schematic which shows the touch sensor which an operation switch has. It is sectional drawing which shows the electrically conductive cloth arrange | positioned between the seat pad and the seat cover. It is a block diagram which shows the control apparatus with which a vehicle seat is provided. It is the schematic which shows the operation switch of the modification 1. It is the schematic which shows the operation switch of the modification 2. It is the schematic which shows the touch sensor which the operation switch of the modification 2 has. It is the schematic which shows the touch sensor which the operation switch of the modification 2 has. It is the schematic which shows the touch sensor which the operation switch of the modification 2 has. It is the schematic which shows the insulation cloth which the operation switch of the modification 2 has.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as modes for carrying out the present invention.

<Configuration of vehicle seat>
FIG. 1 shows a vehicle seat 20 provided with an operation switch 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention from a perspective from an oblique front. The vehicle seat 20 includes a seat cushion 22 that supports the driver's buttocks, a seat back 24 that supports the driver's back, and a headrest 26 that is provided at the upper end of the seat back 24 and supports the driver's head. The pair of side shields 28 that cover both side surfaces of the seat cushion 22 are configured. The vehicle seat 20 is a so-called power seat that can electrically adjust various seating postures, and the operation switch 10 is a switch for adjusting the seating posture of the vehicle seat 20.

  A slide mechanism 30 is employed as a mechanism for adjusting the seating posture of the vehicle seat 20. The slide mechanism 30 includes a lower rail 32 that is fixed to the vehicle floor, an upper rail 34 that is slidable with respect to the lower rail 32, and an electromagnetic motor that relatively moves the lower rail 32 and the upper rail 34 (see FIG. 5). ) 36, and the vehicle seat 20 can be slid in the front-rear direction by the operation of the electromagnetic motor 36.

  The operation switch 10 for sliding the vehicle seat 20 in the front-rear direction is provided on the left side surface of the seat cushion 22 and includes three touch sensors 50, 52, and 54 as shown in FIG. . Since the three touch sensors 50, 52, and 54 have substantially the same structure, the touch sensor 50 will be described as a representative.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3, the touch sensor 50 includes a conductive cloth 56 and a touch sensor ECU 58. The conductive cloth 56 is configured by three generally strip-shaped detection units 60 and a connection unit 62 that connects the three detection units 60. The three detection units 60 are generally arranged in parallel, and are connected by a connection unit 62 at each end. That is, the conductive cloth 56 is generally “E” -shaped.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the conductive cloth 56 is interposed between the seat pad 66 and the seat cover 68 covering the seat pad 66 on the side surface of the seat cushion 22. The conductive cloth 56 is obtained by sewing a conductive thread 70 (see FIG. 5) that can be energized to a non-conductive cloth, and has conductivity by the conductive thread 70 that can be energized. As a method for sewing the conductive thread 70, various sewing methods such as main stitching, staggered stitching, wave stitching, single-ring stitching, etc. can be employed. It is sewn on a conductive cloth. Specifically, the conductive thread 70 is used as an upper thread of a sewing machine that can be sewn, and a normal sewing thread (not shown) is used as a lower thread, with respect to a non-conductive base cloth (not shown). Perform the main sewing. Thereby, the conductive cloth 56 is sewn.

  The conductive yarn 70 may be anything that can be energized, such as metal, alloy wire, carbon fiber filament, non-conductive wire plated with metal, alloy, etc., metal, It is possible to employ various types such as those in which an alloy wire and a non-conductive wire are twisted together. Moreover, as a base fabric, what is necessary is just a normal cloth material, and various things, such as a woven fabric, a knitted fabric, and a nonwoven fabric, are employable.

  The conductive cloth 56 having the above-described structure is disposed between the seat pad 66 and the seat cover 68 with the surface of the base cloth to which the conductive thread 70 is sewn in contact with the seat cover 68. Yes. When the input medium such as the user's finger approaches the conductive cloth 56, the touch sensor 50 can detect the approach of the input medium. Specifically, as the input medium approaches the conductive cloth 56, the capacitance of the conductive yarn 70 changes, and the change value of the capacitance is input to the touch sensor ECU 58. Thereby, the touch sensor 50 detects the approach of the input medium. That is, the touch sensor 50 is a capacitive touch sensor.

  The conductive cloth 56 having the above-described structure is arranged in a posture in which each detection unit 60 is positioned above the connection unit 62. As shown in FIG. 2, the conductive cloths 56 of the three touch sensors 50, 52, and 54 are arranged so that the detection parts 60 of the conductive cloths 56 are alternately arranged in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. Has been. Specifically, the detection unit 60 located at the vehicle rear end of each conductive cloth 56 is the first detection unit 60a, the detection unit 60 located at the vehicle front end is the second detection unit 60b, and the first detection unit 60a. And the second detection unit 60b are defined as a third detection unit 60c. Of the three touch sensors 50, 52, and 54, the one disposed closest to the vehicle rear side is the first touch sensor 50, and the one disposed closest to the vehicle front side is the third touch sensor 54. A device other than the first touch sensor 50 and the third touch sensor 54 is defined as a second touch sensor 52. In such a case, the first detection unit 60a is arranged in the order of the first touch sensor 50, the second touch sensor 52, and the third touch sensor 54 toward the front of the vehicle. And behind that, the third detection unit 60c is arranged in the order of the first touch sensor 50, the second touch sensor 52, and the third touch sensor 54 toward the front of the vehicle, and the second detection unit 60b The first touch sensor 50, the second touch sensor 52, and the third touch sensor 54 are arranged in this order toward the front of the vehicle.

  Further, the connecting portion 62 of the conductive cloth 56 of each touch sensor 50, 52, 54 and the portion below the detecting portion 60 that is continuous with the connecting portion 62 are covered with the side shield 28. For this reason, each touch sensor 50, 52, 54 detects the approach of the input medium in the detection unit 60. In addition, although the conductive cloth 56 of each touch sensor 50, 52, 54 overlaps in part, an insulating cloth (illustration omitted) is inserted in the overlapping part, and each conductive cloth 56 is Insulated from each other.

  Furthermore, the vehicle seat 20 includes a control device 80 as shown in FIG. The control device 80 includes a controller 82 mainly composed of a computer having a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like, and a drive circuit 84 for the electromagnetic motor 36. An electromagnetic motor 36 is connected to the controller 82 via a drive circuit 84 so that the operation of the slide mechanism 30 can be controlled. A touch sensor ECU 58 is connected to the controller 82. In other words, the conductive yarn 70 of the touch sensors 50, 52, 54 is connected to the controller 82 via the touch sensor ECU 58. Therefore, when the approach of the input medium is detected due to the change in the capacitance of the conductive yarn 70, the ON signal is input to the controller 82 via the touch sensor ECU 58, and the separation of the input medium is detected. In this case, an OFF signal is input to the controller 82 via the touch sensor ECU 58.

<Operation of slide mechanism>
In the vehicle seat 20, a seated person operates the touch sensors 50, 52, 54 to control the operation of the slide mechanism 30. A specific operation method will be described below.

  For example, when the vehicle seat 20 is slid rearward, the seated person moves the left hand from the front toward the rear along the left side surface of the seat cushion 22. The detection unit 60 of each touch sensor 50, 52, 54 is repeatedly arranged in the order of the third touch sensor 54, the second touch sensor 52, and the first touch sensor 50 from the front to the rear of the vehicle. For this reason, the seated person is, for example, the detection unit 60 located closest to the rear of the vehicle from the detection unit 60 located closest to the vehicle among all the detection units 60, that is, the second detection unit 60b of the third touch sensor 54. That is, when the left hand is moved to the first detection unit 60a of the first touch sensor 50, the controller 82 repeatedly repeats the third touch sensor 54, the second touch sensor 52, and the first touch sensor 50 in this order. Is entered. That is, the ON signal from the second touch sensor 52 is input after the ON signal from the third touch sensor 54, and the ON signal from the first touch sensor 50 is input after the ON signal from the second touch sensor 52, After the ON signal from the first touch sensor 50, the ON signal from the third touch sensor 54 is input.

  Therefore, in the vehicle seat 20, when the ON signal from the second touch sensor 52 is input after the ON signal from the third touch sensor 54, the first touch sensor 50 is input after the ON signal from the second touch sensor 52. When the ON signal by the third touch sensor 54 is input after the ON signal by the first touch sensor 50, the electromagnetic motor 36 is driven and the vehicle seat 20 is moved rearward. Slide towards you. That is, the seated person moves the left hand toward the rear from the detection unit 60 except for the detection unit 60 located at the rearmost of the vehicle among all the detection units 60, so that the vehicle seat 20 moves toward the rear. Slide.

  Further, the slide amount is set according to the number of ON signal inputs. Specifically, for example, when the second detection unit 60b of the third touch sensor 54 is operated to the second detection unit 60b of the first touch sensor 50, the ON signal is input to the controller 82 three times. . The slide amount at this time is set to L. On the other hand, for example, when the operation from the third detection unit 60 c of the third touch sensor 54 to the first detection unit 60 a of the first touch sensor 50 is performed, the ON signal is input to the controller 82 six times. The slide amount at this time is set to 2L. Thus, in the vehicle seat 20, the slide amount is set according to the number of times the ON signal is input. Note that if the seated person moves the left hand from the front to the rear and does not move away from the touch sensors 50, 52, and 54, the vehicle seat 20 continues to slide rearward.

  When the vehicle seat 20 is slid forward, the seated person moves the left hand from the rear to the front along the left side surface of the seat cushion 22. The detection units 60 of the touch sensors 50, 52, and 54 are repeatedly arranged in the order of the first touch sensor 50, the second touch sensor 52, and the third touch sensor 54 from the rear to the front of the vehicle. For this reason, if a seated person moves a left hand from the 1st detection part 60a of the 1st touch sensor 50 to the 2nd detection part 60b of the 3rd touch sensor 54, for example, the controller 82 will have the 1st touch sensor 50. , The second touch sensor 52 and the third touch sensor 54 are repeated in this order, and an ON signal is input. That is, the ON signal from the second touch sensor 52 is input after the ON signal from the first touch sensor 50, and the ON signal from the third touch sensor 54 is input after the ON signal from the second touch sensor 52, After the ON signal from the third touch sensor 54, the ON signal from the first touch sensor 50 is input.

  Therefore, in the vehicle seat 20, when the ON signal from the second touch sensor 52 is input after the ON signal from the first touch sensor 50, the third touch sensor 54 is input after the ON signal from the second touch sensor 52. When the ON signal by the first touch sensor 50 is input after the ON signal by the third touch sensor 54, the electromagnetic motor 36 is driven, and the vehicle seat 20 moves forward. Slide towards you. That is, the seated person moves the left hand toward the front from the detection unit 60 excluding the detection unit 60 positioned most forward of the vehicle among all the detection units 60, so that the vehicle seat 20 moves forward. Slide. Note that the forward slide amount is set according to the number of times the ON signal is input, similarly to the backward slide amount.

  Thus, when the seated person moves the left hand from the front to the rear, the vehicle seat 20 slides backward, and when the seated person moves the left hand from the rear to the front, the vehicle seat 20 The seat 20 slides forward. Thereby, the seated person can operate the slide mechanism 30 intuitively. In the vehicle seat 20, the slide amount is set according to the number of times the ON signal is input. That is, the slide amount is set according to the left hand movement amount. This also allows the seated person to operate the slide mechanism 30 intuitively.

  The operation switch 10 includes three touch sensors 50, 52, and 54, and each of the three touch sensors 50, 52, and 54 has three detectors 60. That is, the operation switch 10 has nine detection units 60. Nine detection units 60 are arranged in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the slide mechanism 30 can be operated by operating from any one of the nine detection units 60. Yes. Thereby, the operation range by the operation switch 10 is widened, and the operability of the operation switch 10 is improved.

  Further, in the operation switch 10, touch sensors 50, 52, 54 having three detection units 60 are arranged so that the detection units 60 are alternately arranged sequentially in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. That is, the nine detection units 60 are alternately arranged in the order of the touch sensors 50, 52, and 54. As a result, the three detection sensors 60 can detect the input medium by the three touch sensors 50. That is, the input medium can be detected in many places by a small number of touch sensors 50. Thereby, it is possible to detect a wide range of input media with a small number of touch sensors 50, and it is possible to improve the operability of the operation switch 10 without increasing the cost.

<Modification 1>
An operation switch 100 according to the first modification is shown in FIG. The operation switch 100 includes nine conductive cloths 110a to 110i and three touch sensors ECUs 112a to 112c. The conductive cloths 110a to 110i have the same structure as the conductive cloth 56 and have a strip shape. The conductive cloths 110a to 110i are arranged side by side so that their long sides are adjacent to each other without contacting each other. In addition, the conductive cloth 110a-i is arrange | positioned toward the back from the vehicle front in alphabetical order of a code | symbol.

  Each touch sensor ECU 112a-c is connected to three conductive cloths 110a-i. Specifically, the touch sensor ECU 112a is connected to the conductive cloth 110a, the conductive cloth 110d, and the conductive cloth 110g by the wiring 114a. The touch sensor ECU 112b is connected to the conductive cloth 110b, the conductive cloth 110e, and the conductive cloth 110h by the wiring 114b. Further, the touch sensor ECU 112c is connected to the conductive cloth 110c, the conductive cloth 110f, and the conductive cloth 110i by the wiring 114c.

  With the above structure, when the input medium approaches any of the conductive cloth 110a, the conductive cloth 110d, and the conductive cloth 110g, the change value of the capacitance of the conductive yarn 70 is input to the touch sensor ECU 112a via the wiring 114a. The That is, the touch cloth 116a, d, g, the touch sensor ECU 112a, and the wiring 114a constitute a touch sensor 116a that detects the approach of the input medium to the conductive cloth 110a, d, g. Similarly to the touch sensor 116a, the conductive cloth 110b, e, h, the touch sensor ECU 112b, and the wiring 114b constitute a touch sensor 116b that detects the approach of the input medium to the conductive cloth 110b, e, h. The conductive cloth 110c, f, i, the touch sensor ECU 112c, and the wiring 114c constitute a touch sensor 116c that detects the approach of the input medium to the conductive cloth 110c, f, i.

  In the operation switch 100 of the first modification, the slide mechanism 30 can be operated in the same manner as the operation switch 10, and the seated person can intuitively operate the slide mechanism 30. In the operation switch 100, nine conductive cloths 110 are alternately arranged in the order of the touch sensors 116a, b, and c. Accordingly, the input medium can be detected in the nine conductive cloths 110a to 110i by the three touch sensors 116a, 116b, and 116c. Therefore, similarly to the operation switch 10, the operation switch 100 can detect a wide range of input media by using a small number of touch sensors 116a, 116b, 116c, and can improve operability without increasing costs. It becomes possible to improve. However, since the three conductive cloths 110 are connected by the wiring 114 in the touch sensors 116a, b, and c of the operation switch 100, the structure is slightly complicated. That is, the structure is simplified by connecting the three detection units 60 with the connection unit 62 having the same structure as the detection unit 60 like the touch sensors 50, 52, and 54 of the operation switch 10 of the embodiment. It becomes possible.

<Modification 2>
An operation switch 120 of the second modification is shown in FIG. The operation switch 120 is formed by alternately laminating a plurality of conductive cloths and a plurality of insulating cloths. Specifically, a touch sensor 122 shown in FIG. 8 is disposed at the bottom of the operation switch 120. The touch sensor 122 includes a generally rectangular conductive cloth 124 and a touch sensor ECU 126. The conductive cloth 124 has the same structure as the conductive cloth 56, and the change value of the capacitance of the conductive yarn 70 of the conductive cloth 124 is input to the touch sensor ECU 126.

  A touch sensor 128 shown in FIG. 9 is disposed on the touch sensor 122. The touch sensor 128 includes a conductive cloth 130 and a touch sensor ECU 132. The conductive cloth 130 has the same structure as the conductive cloth 56, and the change value of the capacitance of the conductive yarn 70 of the conductive cloth 130 is input to the touch sensor ECU 132. The outer dimension of the conductive cloth 130 is the same as the outer dimension of the conductive cloth 124, and three strip-shaped notches 134 are formed in the conductive cloth 130. The conductive cloth 130 is laminated on the conductive cloth 124 via an insulating cloth (not shown) having the same shape as the conductive cloth 130. For this reason, the conductive cloth 124 is exposed from the notch 134 of the conductive cloth 130.

  A touch sensor 140 shown in FIG. 10 is disposed on the touch sensor 128. The touch sensor 140 includes a conductive cloth 142 and a touch sensor ECU 144. The conductive cloth 142 has the same structure as the conductive cloth 56, and the change value of the capacitance of the conductive yarn 70 of the conductive cloth 142 is input to the touch sensor ECU 144. Further, the outer dimensions of the conductive cloth 142 are the same as the outer dimensions of the conductive cloth 130, and the three notches 146 are formed in the conductive cloth 142 at the same positions as the three notches 134 of the conductive cloth 130. Has been. Furthermore, three strip-shaped notches 148 are formed in the conductive cloth 142 next to each of the three notches 146. The conductive cloth 142 is laminated on the conductive cloth 130 via an insulating cloth (not shown) having the same shape as the conductive cloth 142. For this reason, the conductive cloth 124 is exposed from the notch 146 of the conductive cloth 142, and the conductive cloth 130 is exposed from the notch 148.

  An insulating cloth 150 shown in FIG. 11 is disposed on the touch sensor 140. The outer dimension of the insulating cloth 150 is the same as the outer dimension of the conductive cloth 142, and the insulating cloth 150 has three notches 152 formed at the same positions as the three notches 146 of the conductive cloth 142. Three notches 154 are formed at the same position as the three notches 148 of the conductive cloth 142. Furthermore, three strip-shaped notches 156 are formed in the insulating cloth 150 next to each of the three notches 154. An insulating cloth 150 is laminated on the conductive cloth 142. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7, the conductive cloth 124 is exposed from the notch 152 of the insulating cloth 150, the conductive cloth 130 is exposed from the notch 154, and the conductive cloth 142 is exposed from the notch 156. Exposed.

  In the operation switch 120 configured as described above, similarly to the operation switch 10, the slide mechanism 30 can be operated, and the seated person can intuitively operate the slide mechanism 30. Become. In the operation switch 120, the conductive cloth 124 is exposed from the notch 152, the conductive cloth 130 is exposed from the notch 154, and the conductive cloth 142 is exposed from the notch 156. The conductive cloths 124, 130, and 142 are alternately exposed from the two notches 152, 154, and 156. That is, nine notches 152, 154, 156 capable of detecting the input medium are alternately arranged in the order of the touch sensors 122, 128, 140. Accordingly, the input medium can be detected in the nine cutout portions 152, 154, and 156 by the three touch sensors 122, 128, and 140. Accordingly, the operation switch 120 can detect a wide range of input media by a small number of touch sensors 122, 128, and 140, similarly to the operation switch 10, and can improve operability without increasing costs. It becomes possible to improve.

  Incidentally, in the above-described embodiments and modifications, the operation switches 10, 100, and 120 are examples of operation switches. The vehicle seat 20 is an example of an interior product. The touch sensors 50, 52, 54, 116a, 116b, 116c, 122, 128, and 140 are examples of touch sensors. The detection unit 60 is an example of a detection unit. The connection part 62 is an example of a connection part. Touch sensor ECU58,112a, 112b, 112c, 126,132,144 is an example of a detection result acquisition part. The conductive cloth 110 is an example of a detection unit. The conductive cloths 124, 130, and 142 exposed from the notches 152, 154, and 156 are an example of a detection unit.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said Example and modification, It can implement in the various aspect which gave various change and improvement based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. Specifically, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the slide mechanism 30 is employed as a mechanism for operating the vehicle seat 20, but other types of mechanisms can be employed. Specifically, a reclining mechanism that can change the inclination angle of the seat back with respect to the seat cushion, a lumbar support mechanism that can adjust the holding state of the seated person's waist, a lifter mechanism that can adjust the height of the vehicle seat, and a seat cushion Front tilt mechanism that can change the tilt amount of the front part of the seat, the length of the seat cushion in the front-rear direction, the folding angle of the seat back, the folding angle of the side support, the tilt angle of the headrest, etc., for vehicles A mechanism or the like for adjusting the temperature of the sheet 20 can be employed.

  Moreover, in the said Example, although the vehicle seat 20 is employ | adopted as a vehicle interior goods operated by the operation switch 10 grade | etc., It is possible to employ | adopt various vehicle interior goods. Specifically, the window, sunroof, sunshade opening / closing mechanism, door locking mechanism, etc. are adopted, and the above technology is applied to operation switches for opening / closing windows, sunroofs, sunshades, etc., door locking, etc. Is possible. Furthermore, for example, the above technique can be applied to operation switches such as an air conditioner, a room lamp, and an audio device.

  In addition, the above technique can be applied to operation switches of vehicles, specifically, interior products of various vehicles such as airplanes and trains.

  In the above-described embodiment, the conductive cloth 56 in which the conductive thread 70 is sewn on the cloth is used as the touch sensor. However, a general touch sensor, specifically, a top cover, a substrate, and an electrode are used. It is possible to employ an electrode configured to detect contact or approach of an input medium depending on a change in capacitance. Furthermore, it is possible to employ a touch sensor of a type different from the capacitive type touch sensor. Specifically, various types of touch sensors such as a surface acoustic wave method, a resistance film method, an electromagnetic induction method, an infrared method, and the like can be employed.

10: Operation switch 20: Vehicle seat (interior product)
50, 52, 54: Touch sensor 58: Touch sensor ECU (detection result acquisition unit)
60: Detection unit 62: Connection unit 100: Operation switch 110: Conductive cloth (detection unit)
112: Touch sensor ECU (detection result acquisition unit)
116: Touch sensor 120: Operation switch 122, 128, 140: Touch sensor 124, 130, 142: Conductive cloth (detection unit)
126, 132, 144: Touch sensor ECU (detection result acquisition unit)

Claims (2)

An operation switch having a plurality of touch sensors for operating interior parts of a vehicle,
Each of the plurality of touch sensors is
A plurality of detection units for detecting the approach / contact of the input medium;
A detection result acquisition unit for acquiring the detection result of the input medium by the plurality of detection units,
When the predetermined order is assigned to the plurality of touch sensors, the plurality of detection units of each of the plurality of touch sensors are alternately directed in a predetermined direction according to the predetermined order of the plurality of touch sensors. An operation switch that is arranged in a line. Each of the plurality of touch sensors further includes:
The operation switch according to claim 1, wherein the operation switch is formed of the same material as the plurality of detection units and includes a connection unit that connects the plurality of detection units.

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