KR20110057688A - Switching unit for detecting spacial controlling motion - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A switch device is provided to implement various functions by generating various electric signals according to the current change of a light receiving unit due to the movement of a reflector using a light emitting unit and the light receiving unit. CONSTITUTION: A switch device includes a housing(100), a light emitting unit(E), a light receiving unit(D), and a controller. The housing is comprised of a housing body(110) and a housing cover(120). A base plate is mounted in the housing to fix and support various components. The light emitting unit is arranged in the housing and emits light to pass through an optical pad(400). A contact sensing unit(800) is combined with one side of the optical pad to check whether a reflector is contacted with the optical pad and applies a contact sensing signal to the controller.

Description

Switch device {SWITCHING UNIT FOR DETECTING SPACIAL CONTROLLING MOTION}

The present invention relates to a switch device. More specifically, by using an LED emitting infrared light and a light receiving sensor that receives the infrared light of the LED to generate an electrical signal to perform a variety of functions according to the current change of the light receiving sensor caused by the movement of the reflector, two-dimensional plane and It can detect the movement of the reflector in three-dimensional space and operate it in contact or non-contact manner with the switch device, and it is provided with contact sensing means for detecting the contact between the reflector and the optical pad. The present invention relates to a switch device capable of generating different electrical signals, thereby converging more various functions.

BACKGROUND ART Vehicles, such as automobiles, require functions as various convenient means for allowing a user to provide a more stable and comfortable driving state beyond the function as a moving means. Accordingly, the vehicle is equipped with various convenience facilities and various switches for operating and controlling the same.

In general, when operation in opposite directions is required, a seesaw switch device or sliding switch device is used such that the vertical movement of the window corresponds to the operation of the front and rear ends, for example, opening and closing the window of the vehicle. For the on / off operation of the room lamps, a button switch device that operates in a pressing manner corresponding to the number of room lamps is used. Also, in recent years, as the sunroof mounting rate increases in a vehicle, a button switch device for opening and closing the sunroof is mounted on the ceiling of the vehicle interior together with the room lamp switch device.

These switch devices are increasing due to the recent increase in various electronic devices and convenience devices of the vehicle, and thus, a plurality of switch devices for performing various functions are arranged in various locations, such as around the driver's seat and the ceiling of the vehicle cabin. have. Therefore, since too many switch devices are installed in the vehicle interior, the operation is not easy and adversely affects the interior aesthetics. In particular, there is a problem that the safe driving state cannot be maintained by the operation of the switch device while driving. there was.

In order to solve this problem, a variety of touch pad-type switch devices having high recognition rate and easy-to-use on a two-dimensional plane have recently been developed. These touch pad-type switch devices are also widely applied because they are expensive and not easy to manufacture. There was a problem that can not be, in particular, the vehicle switch of the type that can be manipulated in the three-dimensional space is more such a situation that is not currently applied.

The present invention has been invented to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide various functions according to the current change of the light receiving unit generated by the movement of the reflector using the light emitting unit emitting light and the light receiving unit receiving infrared light of the light emitting unit. It is to provide a switch device for generating an electrical signal to perform.

Another object of the present invention is to detect the movement of the reflector in the two-dimensional plane and three-dimensional space to operate in a manner of contacting or non-contact with the switch device, and thus can perform various functions through a single switch device It is to provide a switch device that is easy to operate.

Another object of the present invention is to generate an electrical signal having a variety of functions through one switch device can reduce the number of switch devices mounted in the vehicle interior, thereby improving the aesthetics of the vehicle interior and more stable running It is to provide a switch device that can provide a condition.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a contact sensing means for detecting the contact between the reflector and the optical pad to generate a different electrical signal in the two-dimensional plane and three-dimensional space can aggregate more various functions It is to provide a switch device.

The present invention, the housing is coupled to the optical pad through which light can pass; A light emitting part disposed in the housing to emit light to pass through the optical pad; A light receiving unit disposed inside the housing and generating a current by receiving light reflected by a reflector located outside the optical pad, wherein a light amount of the incident light changes according to the movement of the reflector to change the amount of current; Contact sensing means coupled to one side of the optical pad to detect whether the reflector is in contact with the optical pad and to apply a touch sensing signal to the controller; And a controller configured to control operations of the light emitter and the light receiver, and to generate an electrical signal according to a change in the amount of current in the light receiver and the touch detection signal.

In this case, the light emitting unit includes at least one main LED emitting infrared light, and the light receiving unit receives the infrared light, and the infrared rays reflected by the reflector and incident on the light receiving sensor have the same amplitude and frequency and are in phase. And a compensation LED that directly emits the opposite infrared rays to the light receiving sensor, and the light receiving sensor may receive the infrared light emitted from the main LED and the compensation LED to generate a direct current.

The controller may generate an electrical signal only when a rate of change in the amount of current generated by the movement of the reflector falls within a preset speed range.

In addition, the control unit controls the main LED to emit infrared light in sequence, and detects the position coordinates of the reflector according to the amount of current of the light receiving sensor sequentially generated by each main LED, and for the position coordinates of the reflector Various electrical signals are generated according to the change path, and the electrical signals generated according to the change path with respect to the position coordinates of the reflector may be controlled by the controller to be signals having different functions according to whether the touch sensing signal is generated. have.

The controller may generate various electrical signals according to a holding time of the touch sensing signal and a repetition number of the touch sensing signal per unit time.

In addition, the touch sensing means senses the position coordinates of the reflector in the state in which the reflector contacts the optical pad and applies the control unit to the control unit, and the control unit transmits various electrical signals according to a change path with respect to the position coordinates of the reflector. Can be generated.

In addition, the touch sensing means may be formed of a mesh type ITO electrode or a metal electrode through which light can pass.

According to the present invention, by using a light emitting unit for emitting light and a light receiving unit for receiving infrared light of the light emitting unit generates a variety of electrical signals in accordance with the current changes in the light receiving unit generated by the movement of the reflector, a variety of functions through one switch device There is an effect that can be performed.

In addition, by operating the LED and the light receiving sensor to detect the movement of the reflector in the two-dimensional plane and three-dimensional space, it can be operated in both contact or non-contact method, according to which the operation is easy and convenient for the user and stable running It has the effect of providing a condition.

In addition, since a single switch device can generate electrical signals having various functions, the number of switch devices mounted in the vehicle interior can be reduced, thereby improving the aesthetics of the vehicle interior and improving the freedom of design of the vehicle interior. It can be effected.

In addition, by providing a contact sensing means for detecting whether the reflector and the optical pad is in contact, it is possible to generate a different electrical signal in the two-dimensional plane and three-dimensional space can have the effect of condensing more various functions.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First of all, in adding reference numerals to the components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same reference numerals are used as much as possible even if displayed on different drawings. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing the shape of a switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the internal configuration of the switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention, 3 is a plan view schematically showing the internal arrangement of the switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured in such a manner as to perform various functions according to the current change of the light receiving sensor generated by the movement of the reflector by using the LED emitting infrared light and the light receiving sensor receiving the infrared light of the LED. do. At this time, the movement of the reflector may proceed in a state of being in contact with the switch device or may be in a state of being in non-contact with the switch device. Therefore, the switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention can detect the movement of the reflector in the three-dimensional space and generate an electrical signal that performs different functions according to the movement path, and thus through one switch device Various functions can be performed and these functions are configured to be performed both when the reflector moves in contact or non-contact state with the switch device.

The switch device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a contact between the housing 100, the light emitting unit E for emitting light, the light receiving unit D for receiving light, the reflector H, and the optical pad 400. It comprises a contact detecting means 800 for detecting a state, and a control unit 10 for controlling them.

The housing 100 is detachably formed by the housing main body 110 and the housing cover 120 so that an accommodation space is formed therein, and is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and fixed to the vehicle body as shown in FIG. 2. A circular through hole 121 is formed at one side of the housing cover 120 so that the inner space of the housing 100 is opened to the outside, and the through hole 121 is for coupling the optical pad 400 to be described later. The shape of the optical pad 400 may be changed to various shapes such as a circle or a quadrangle. In the housing 100, a separate base plate 130 may be mounted to fix and support various components.

Inside the housing 100, a PCB substrate 200 on which the light emitting unit E, the light receiving unit D, the operation display unit 800, and the controller 10 may be mounted is mounted, and at one side of the PCB substrate 200. The connection part 210 may be formed to protrude so that the PCB 200 and the external electric device may be connected to each other, and the electrical signal of the PCB 200 may be transmitted to the external electric device by the connection part 210. .

The light emitting unit E is disposed inside the housing 100 to emit light to pass through the optical pad 400, and includes at least one main LED 300 emitting infrared rays according to an embodiment of the present invention. Can be configured.

The main LED 300 is mounted on the PCB 200 and is configured with an infrared LED method that emits infrared light. The main LED 300 of the infrared LED type is emitted by being limited to the infrared emission region within a predetermined angle range, and thus, the main LED is formed on a virtual plane set in a direction perpendicular to the infrared emission direction of the main LED 300 ( The infrared emission area of 300 represents a circle and represents a wider circular area as the virtual plane moves away from the main LED 300. In addition, the infrared light quantity distribution in the infrared emission region formed on the imaginary plane is the highest at the point emitted in the straight direction from the main LED 300 and appears to be lowered toward the edge. Also, as the virtual plane moves away from the main LED 300, the absolute amount of light formed on the virtual plane decreases. This infrared light quantity distribution is a natural result according to the general characteristic that the light quantity of light is inversely proportional to the distance. According to this characteristic, the main LED 300 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is preferably disposed such that a straight emission point of infrared rays is formed at the edge of the optical pad 400 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Detailed description thereof will be described later.

In addition, at least one main LED 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention is disposed at least four, preferably as shown in Figures 2 and 3 orthogonal to the first axis and the second axis orthogonal to each other Two may be disposed on each of the first axis and the second axis so as to be located at the same distance from the point. In other words, the four main LEDs 300 may be disposed at positions symmetrical with each other so as to form a 90 degree angle on the same circumference. However, in addition to the arrangement form, it is possible to change to various other forms, and in particular, only two may be arranged to be positioned on the same straight line with each other.

As described above, the optical pad 400 blocks the through hole 121 of the housing 100 and is coupled to the through hole 121. Infrared rays emitted from the main LED 300 pass through the optical pad 400. It consists of a lens frame 420 of the form surrounding the lens 410 and the lens 410 in the center to proceed to the outside of the housing 100. In this case, the optical pad 400 is disposed to be spaced apart from the main LED 300 by a predetermined interval, and the distances between the optical pads 400 may be determined according to the arrangement state of the main LED 300, which will be described later.

The light receiving unit D is disposed inside the housing 100 so as to generate light by receiving light reflected by the reflector H located outside the optical pad 400, and the light receiving unit D is an embodiment of the present invention. According to the exemplary embodiment, the light receiving sensor 600 may receive an infrared ray of the main LED 300, and the compensation LED 500 may emit another infrared ray to the light receiving sensor 600.

The light receiving sensor 600 is mounted on the PCB 200 to receive infrared light emitted from the main LED 300 and reflected by the external reflector H adjacent to the optical pad 400. The light receiving sensor 600 receives the infrared light emitted from the LED and generates a current. Preferably, the photodiode is used according to an embodiment of the present invention. The position of the light receiving sensor 600 is arranged to be spaced apart from the main LED 300 by a predetermined interval. When the plurality of main LEDs 300 are provided, it is preferable to be located at the center of the plurality of main LEDs 300. That is, as described above, when four main LEDs 300 are arranged at the same circumference at an angle of 90 degrees, the light receiving sensor 600 is preferably located at the center of the four main LEDs 300. In other words, it is preferable to be located at the point where the above-mentioned first axis and the second axis are orthogonal to each other. Of course, unlike this, the light receiving sensor 600 may be disposed at various other positions, and the plurality of light receiving sensors 600 may be disposed at various positions according to the arrangement state of the main LED 300.

The compensation LED 500 is mounted on the PCB 200 as the main LED 300 and is configured in an infrared LED method that emits infrared rays, and emits infrared rays to the light receiving sensor 600 separately from the main LED 300. That is, when the infrared light emitted from the main LED 300 is reflected by the reflector H and received by the light receiving sensor 600, the compensation LED 500 has the same amplitude as the reflected infrared light received by the light receiving sensor 600. And to emit infrared light of opposite phase with frequency to the light receiving sensor 600. By the compensation LED 500, the light receiving sensor 600 generates a direct current having a predetermined size.

In more detail, in general, since the infrared light emitted by the infrared LED is transmitted to the light receiving sensor 600 in the form of a constant wave, the current generated by receiving the infrared light of the light receiving sensor 600 represents a form of alternating current. . The switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention converts an alternating current into a direct current so as to easily detect a change in current generated by the light receiving sensor 600 and transmits it to the control unit. At this time, the compensation LED 500 emits a separate infrared ray to the light receiving sensor 600 to change the current generated by the light receiving sensor 600 in the form of direct current, the infrared ray emitted by the compensation LED 500 is received Infrared rays directly incident on the sensor 600 have the same amplitude and the same frequency as the infrared rays emitted and reflected by the main LED 300 and have opposite phases. Therefore, in the light receiving sensor 600, a direct current having a predetermined magnitude without phase difference is generated by mutual compensation by infrared rays emitted and reflected by the main LED 300 and infrared rays of opposite phases incident by the compensation LED 500. According to this structure, the current change by the light receiving sensor 600 to be described below will be understood to mean a change to the DC current even without further mention of the compensation LED (500).

The controller controls the operation of the main LED 300 and the compensation LED 500. That is, the controller controls an operation state such as simultaneous operation or sequential operation of the main LED 300, and as described above, the infrared rays emitted by the main LED 300 are reflected by the reflector H to receive the light receiving sensor ( When the incident light 600 is detected, the compensation LED 500 controls to emit infrared rays to the light receiving sensor 600. The control unit is preferably mounted on the PCB 200, but may be configured as a separate device. In addition, the controller generates different electrical signals according to the current change generated from the light receiving sensor 600. For example, the control unit generates the electric signal only when the current change generated from the light receiving sensor 600 becomes a predetermined magnitude or more. Alternatively, the position coordinate and position coordinate change of the reflector H may be determined through a current change, and thus an electric signal may be generated. The electrical signal generated by the control unit is transmitted to the ECU or the external electric device of the vehicle, and varies according to the needs of the user so as to perform a specific function, for example, an on / off operation of the room lamp or an opening / closing operation of the sunroof. Can be configured.

According to this configuration, the switch device according to the embodiment of the present invention receives a separate light reflector (H) as the light receiving sensor as the contact or non-contact state of the optical pad 400 from the outside of the optical pad 400 The current generated by the 600 is changed and thus operates in a manner in which various electrical signals are generated by the controller.

In more detail, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5, the user may move the contact or non-contact state of the optical pad 400 from the outside of the optical pad 400 using the user's finger as the external reflector H. In this case, in addition to the user's finger as a reflector (H), it may be utilized as a reflector (H) using a separate probe bar. As described above, when the user moves the reflector H, the infrared rays emitted by the main LED 300 are reflected by the reflector H and incident to the light receiving sensor 600. In this case, the infrared light quantity distribution of the main LED 300 is distributed. As described above, only exists in the infrared emission region, and even within this infrared emission region, the intensity of light amount decreases toward the edge and decreases toward the edge. Since this relates to the amount of light distribution in the circular infrared emission region formed on the same virtual plane, this property is equally seen on the surface of the optical pad 400 as well as on any virtual plane outside of the optical pad 400. Therefore, when the reflector H moves in contact or non-contact state with the optical pad 400, the infrared light quantity distribution changes according to the moving position, so that the reflector H is reflected by the reflector H and incident on the light receiving sensor 600. Infrared intensity (light quantity) changes. In addition, since the infrared light quantity distribution is inversely proportional to the distance from the main LED 300 as described above, the reflector H moves by changing the distance from the main LED 300 by the reflector H. The intensity (light quantity) of infrared rays reflected and incident on the light receiving sensor 600 is changed. When the amount of infrared light incident on the light receiving sensor 600 changes in accordance with the movement of the reflector H, the current generated by the light receiving sensor 600 is changed. Will generate

Therefore, the switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention may generate various kinds of electrical signals according to the movement type and the path of the reflector H, and thus may be performed through a plurality of button switch devices or a seesaw switch device. Since a plurality of functions can be performed through one device, the number of mounting of the switch device in the vehicle interior can be reduced, and thus the user can easily operate the switch device and provide stable driving conditions. .

Next, looking at the specific configuration of the switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention in more detail, first, at least one main LED 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention is preferably the same circumferential Four are arranged at intervals of 90 degrees, and a separate frame 700 is mounted so that the main LEDs 300 do not interfere with each other. The frame 700 is mounted between the PCB 200 and the optical pad 400 to maintain a separation distance between the main LED 300 and the optical pad 400 mounted on the PCB 200. In order to prevent the infrared rays of the main LED 300 from directly entering the light receiving sensor 600, the spaces of the light receiving sensor 600 and the main LED 300 are separated and at the same time, the infrared rays interfere with each other. In order not to separate the space of each main LED (300). Accordingly, the frame 700 is formed with a circular separator 710 having a shape surrounding the light receiving sensor 600 and a straight separator 720 for separating and separating each main LED 300 from each other. According to this characteristic, the frame 700 is preferably formed of plastic of a material which can absorb infrared rays without reflecting them.

On the other hand, unlike the main LED 300, since the infrared ray of the compensation LED 500 should be incident directly to the light receiving sensor 600, the compensation LED 500 is infrared light emitted by the compensation LED (500) A separate prism 510 may be mounted to be concentrated at 600. The prism 510 is formed such that both ends of the compensation LED 500 are in close proximity to the compensation LED 500 and the light receiving sensor 600 so that the infrared rays of the compensation LED 500 are directly incident to the light receiving sensor 600. Can be formed.

The operation state of the main LED 300 and the compensation LED 500 by the frame 700 and the prism 510 can be operated more accurately by preventing the interference of infrared light.

On the other hand, in the switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the touch sensing means 800 is coupled to one side of the optical pad 400, and the touch sensing means 800 has the reflector H at the optical pad 400. It is configured to detect whether a contact has been made and apply a touch detection signal to the controller 10. In addition, the touch sensing means 800 is mounted to be coupled to the inner surface of the optical pad 400 as shown in FIG. 2 and configured in a manner of detecting a contact force acting on the optical pad 400 by the reflector H. This may be described in detail later.

4 is a view schematically showing an arrangement state and a light quantity distribution state of the main LED according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 5 is an operation of receiving the infrared light of the main LED to the light receiving sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention 6 and 7 are diagrams schematically illustrating types of moving paths that may be moved in a state in which a reflector is in contact with an optical pad, according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. Is a view schematically illustrating the types of movement paths through which the reflector may move without being contacted from the optical pad according to one embodiment of the present invention.

4 illustrates an arrangement state and a light quantity distribution state of the main LED 300 and the optical pad 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the main LED 300 includes an optical pad (as shown in FIG. 4). It is preferred that at the center of 400 the respective infrared emitting regions are arranged to intersect each other. That is, when two main LEDs 300 are disposed on the first axis and the second axis that are orthogonal to each other, the two main LEDs 300 disposed on the first axis according to an embodiment of the present invention. When the two main LEDs 300, which are referred to as the first and second main LEDs 301 and 302 and are disposed on the second axis, are called the third and fourth main LEDs 303 and 304, the first and second main LEDs 301 and 302 may be used. Are positioned such that the infrared emitting regions of the optical pad 400 cross each other at the center of the optical pad 400 and the infrared emitting regions of the third and fourth main LEDs 303 and 304 cross each other at the center of the optical pad 400.

In this case, the infrared light quantity distribution of each main LED 300 is, for example, the light quantity distribution of the first and second main LEDs 301 and 302 is an infrared ray on the same plane from the straight direction of the main LED 300 as shown in FIG. 4. It gradually decreases toward the edge of the emission area. In this case, since the first and second main LEDs 300 are disposed so that the straight emission direction is located at the edge of the optical pad 400, the amount of light is reduced in the central portion of the optical pad 400 as shown in FIG. 4. And intersect with each other. Accordingly, the infrared light amount distribution on the straight line connecting the first and second main LEDs 300 represents a maximum value at both edges of the optical pad 400 and a minimum value at the center thereof.

In addition, the arrangement state of the main LED 300 determines the separation distance between the optical pad 400 and the main LED 300. That is, since the infrared emission region of the main LED 300 is represented in the form of a region having a constant emission angle and expanding in space as described above, the two main LEDs 300, for example, the first and The infrared emission regions of the second main LED 300 cross each other from a point spaced apart from the first and second main LED 300 by a predetermined interval in the infrared emission direction. Therefore, since the optical pad 400 is disposed so that such an intersecting area can be formed at the center of the optical pad 400, the separation distance between the optical pad 400 and the main LED 300 is determined experimentally or in accordance with these conditions. Determined by geometric calculations.

FIG. 5 conceptually illustrates a method in which infrared light emitted by the main LED 300 is reflected by the reflector H and incident to the light receiving sensor 600 according to the structure. As shown in FIG. When (H) is positioned at the edge of the optical pad 400 in contact with the optical pad 400, the infrared rays of the first main LED 300 is reflected by the reflector (H), for example, as shown in FIG. It is reflected by the light incident on the light receiving sensor 600. In this state, when the reflector H moves to the central side of the optical pad 400, since the amount of light of the first main LED 300 decreases, the amount of infrared light incident on the light receiving sensor 600 decreases, thereby receiving the light receiving sensor 600. The magnitude of the current generated by this is reduced. Subsequently, when the reflector H moves to the opposite edge of the optical pad 400, the second main LED 300 moves closer to the second main LED 300 as shown in FIG. 5. The amount of infrared light is increased so that the amount of infrared reflection and the amount of current generated by the light receiving sensor 600 are increased.

The change in the current generation amount of the light receiving sensor 600 is sensed by the controller to generate a corresponding electrical signal according to the form of the current change. That is, since the current change of the light receiving sensor 600 of this type is generated when the reflector H moves in the transverse direction on the optical pad 400, for example, the light receiving sensor ( 600 may be configured to preset a current change that may be generated by the database, and then generate an electrical signal corresponding thereto. In this case, it may be configured in such a manner that a separate condition is processed as a formula without storing and storing the preset current change data as a database.

In this case, the electrical signal generated by the control unit is generated when the current change generated by the movement of the reflector H according to the above-described method corresponds to a preset current change degree, so that the reflector H is in accordance with the intention of the user. Regardless of the movement, an electrical signal can be generated. That is, the movement of the reflector H in the space where the infrared emission region passing through the optical pad 400 is formed may generate an electrical signal regardless of the user's intention to operate the switch. Therefore, the control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured to generate an electrical signal only when the current change rate of the light receiving sensor 600 generated by the movement of the reflector H falls within a preset speed range. In other words, the control unit is preferably configured to distinguish whether the movement of the reflector (H) is due to the user's intention or unintentional, according to an embodiment of the present invention Only when it is the user's intention, it is configured to generate an electrical signal only in this case. Accordingly, the switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention has a stable operation structure in which electrical signals and functions are not exerted by unintentional movement of the reflector H inside the vehicle.

According to this structure, the switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention may generate various electrical signals. In addition, the reflector H may include an optical pad according to an embodiment of the present invention to generate more various electrical signals. The position coordinates of the reflector H may be detected in contact or non-contact state with the 400, and may be configured in a manner of generating various electrical signals according to a change path with respect to the position coordinates of the reflector H. In addition, the reflector H may be configured to generate electrical signals according to different operating states in the contact / non-contact state of the optical pad 400 or to generate signals of different functions for the same operating states. It can be variously changed.

To this end, a contact detecting means 800 for detecting whether the reflector H is in contact with the surface of the optical pad 400 may be mounted. The touch sensing means 800 may be configured in the form of a pressure sensing film mounted on the upper surface of the optical pad 400. Alternatively, a separate optical sensor may be formed along the circumference of the through hole 121 of the housing 100. Not shown) may be configured in a variety of forms, such as may be configured in a plurality arrangement. The touch sensing means 800 according to the embodiment of the present invention is preferably formed of a transparent material to be coupled to the lower surface of the optical pad 400 and to allow light to pass therethrough. The contact position of the reflector (H) can be formed in the form that can be detected as a coordinate, a detailed description thereof will be described later.

The touch sensing means detects whether the reflector H is in contact with the surface of the optical pad 400 and transmits a touch sensing signal to the control module. The touch sensing is performed while the reflector H is kept in contact with the optical pad 400. It is desirable to continuously transmit the signal to the control module. Therefore, the control module detects whether the reflector H is in contact with the optical pad 400 and accordingly controls the operation of the main LED 300 in a different form.

For example, when the reflector H contacts the optical pad 400, a touch sensing signal is generated by the touch sensing means 800, and the controller 10 controls the plurality of main LEDs 300 according to the touch sensing signal. Can be controlled to emit infrared light sequentially. The control unit 10 having such a control scheme may detect the position coordinates of the reflector H by sequentially detecting the main LED 300 generating the current change of the light receiving sensor 600, that is, each main LED ( The position coordinates of the reflector H may be sensed according to the amount of current of the light receiving sensor 600 sequentially generated by 300, and various electrical signals are generated according to the change paths of the position coordinates of the reflector H, respectively. It can be configured to.

In more detail, for example, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, when the four main LEDs 300 operate simultaneously with the first to fourth main LEDs 301, 302, 303 and 304, the reflector H Is moved across the optical pad 400, the four main LEDs (301, 302, 303, 304) are formed symmetrically with each other, even if the movement path of the reflector (H) is different, the same current change occurs. That is, when the reflector H moves in the direction from the first main LED 301 to the second main LED 302 and in the direction from the third main LED 303 toward the fourth main LED 304, the same is true. Since a current change is generated and thus the electric signals generated by the controller are all generated in the same manner, it is impossible to generate relatively more various electric signals.

Therefore, the control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention sequentially controls the four main LEDs 301, 302, 303, and 304 so that different electrical signals may be generated even when the movement path of the reflector H changes. When the main LED 300 is sequentially controlled as described above, the reflector H moves from the first main LED 301 toward the second main LED 302 and the fourth main from the third main LED 303. Since the movement of the reflector H in the direction of the LED 304 is distinguished in time by the controller, different electrical signals may be generated according to the movement path of the reflector H. That is, even if the same current change is generated by the main LED 300, since the current change can be identified by which of the main LEDs among the four main LEDs 301, 302, 303, and 304, the movement of the reflector H is performed. The path is known so that other electrical signals can be generated.

In this case, since the main LED 300 operates sequentially, the main LED 300 operates in order to determine the moving path of the reflector H, which main LED 300 is the amount of current generated by the light receiving sensor 600 sequentially. As can be seen, the amount of current of the light receiving sensor 600 generated by the main LED 300 is changed constantly according to the distance between the reflector H and the main LED 300 as described above. Through the position coordinates of the reflector H can be detected. Therefore, the movement path of the reflector H can be grasped through the change path with respect to the position coordinate of the reflector H.

As described above, the method of grasping the position coordinates and the position coordinate change path of the reflector H is more advantageous in terms of accuracy in the state where the reflector H is in contact with the optical pad 400, but the reflector H is Even if the optical pad 400 is not in contact with the optical pad 400, the position coordinates of the reflector H can be grasped in the same manner. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, even when the reflector H is not in contact with the optical pad 400, various electrical signals are generated according to the movement path of the reflector H that is linearly or rotationally moved on a predetermined virtual plane. Can be configured.

In particular, when the reflector H is not in contact with the optical pad 400, the movement path of the reflector H may be more diversified. For example, as shown in FIG. It may have a travel path that moves near or remotely toward 400, and may be configured to generate another electrical signal. When the electrical signal is generated according to the proximity / remote movement of the reflector H as described above, it is not necessary to detect the position coordinates in the direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the reflector H, so that the plurality of main LEDs 300 are all It can also be controlled to emit infrared light at the same time.

In more detail, as described above, since the infrared light quantity distribution of the main LED 300 represents a relationship inversely proportional to the distance of the main LED 300, the reflector H in the state in which the main LED 300 operates at the same time. Is moved closer to or farther away from the main LED 300, the amount of infrared light reflected by the reflector (H) is changed according to the distribution of infrared light amount to change the amount of infrared light incident on the light receiving sensor 600 As a result, the current generated by the light receiving sensor 600 is changed. According to the current change, the controller generates different electrical signals. That is, when the reflector H moves closer to the optical pad 400, the distance from the main LED 300 becomes close, so that the current change increases, and for example, the room lamp is turned off according to the current change. The electrical signal may be configured to be generated, and when the reflector H is remotely moved away from the optical pad 400, the distance from the main LED 300 is increased so that a change in current appears in a reduced form and such a change in current. Can be configured to generate, for example, an electrical signal that turns on the room lamp. In this case, the electrical signal for turning on / off the room lamp is described as an example, and the electrical signal may be changed to have various other functions.

On the other hand, in the case of the configuration that detects the movement of the reflector H in a state in which the reflector (H) is in non-contact with the optical pad 400 as described above according to the distance between the reflector (H) and the optical pad 400 It is preferable to limit the electric signal to be generated only when the degree of the current change is preset and the current change due to the movement of the reflector H is detected within the set range. It is possible to prevent the electrical signal is generated by the movement of) to enable a more stable operation.

In the above description, when the reflector H contacts the optical pad 400 with respect to the operation state of the main LED 300 and a touch sensing signal is generated from the touch sensing means 800, the plurality of main LEDs 300 operate sequentially. And, when contacted but described in the form of operating at the same time, this is one example. Accordingly, the switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention controls the plurality of main LEDs 300 to be operated sequentially regardless of whether the reflector H and the optical pad 400 are in contact with each other, and thus, the electrical devices are operated in the same manner as described above. It may be configured to generate a signal. That is, the main LED 300 is sequentially operated regardless of whether or not the reflector H is in contact with the optical pad 400, thereby detecting the position coordinate on the same plane of the reflector H in the same manner as described above. And generate different electrical signals according to the change path of the position coordinate on the same plane. In addition, even when the main LED 300 is configured to operate in this way, the current change of the light receiving sensor 600 according to the close movement and the remote movement of the reflector H with respect to the optical pad 400 is as described above. Since it is generated in the same manner, it may be configured to generate different electrical signals according to this movement path.

As described above, when the main LED 300 is sequentially operated irrespective of the touch detection signal, an electrical signal and a touch detection signal generated according to the position coordinate change path of the reflector H in the state where the touch detection signal is generated are not generated. In this state, the electrical signal generated according to the position coordinate change path of the reflector H may be controlled to be a signal having different functions. Therefore, even in the same operation, different signals are generated depending on whether the reflector H is in contact with the optical pad 400, and thus, a variety of electrical signals may be generated through one switch device. For example, when the reflector H is moved left and right while the reflector H is not in contact with the optical pad 400, a signal is generated so that the front right room lamp is turned on, and the reflector H is turned on the optical pad ( When the reflector H is moved left and right while in contact with 400, the signal may be generated so that the rear right room lamp is turned on.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention may be configured to generate an electrical signal of a specific function as the touch sensing means 800 itself, for example, by reflecting the reflector (H) to the touch sensing means (800) The electrical signal may be generated according to the holding time of the generated touch sensing signal, or the electrical signal may be issued according to the number of repetitions of the touch sensing signal per unit time. That is, the electrical signal is generated through the operation of clicking the touch sensing means 800, and according to the number of clicks and the holding time, for example, an electrical signal of a function such as a room lamp off or a sunroof closing may be generated. Can be.

In addition to such a configuration, the switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention may be configured to repeat the cycle of the main LED 300 each emits infrared light in sequence, and then emits infrared light at the same time. For example, the first main LED 301, the second main LED 302, the third main LED 303, and the fourth main LED 304 sequentially emit infrared rays, and then the first to fourth main LEDs. The LEDs 301, 302, 303, and 304 may all operate in a five-step infrared emission scheme that emits infrared light at the same time. These five stages of infrared emission consist of one cycle, which is controlled so that the cycle is repeatedly performed. Therefore, the movement path on the same plane of the reflector H is sensed by the configuration in which the main LED 300 operates sequentially, and the perspective of the optical pad 400 by the configuration in which the main LED 300 operates simultaneously. It can be configured in such a way that the path of movement is sensed.

As described above, the switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention is easy to operate, and in particular, a single switch device can generate electrical signals having various functions, thereby reducing the number of switches mounted in the vehicle interior. It is possible to thereby improve the aesthetics of the interior of the vehicle and provide more stable driving conditions.

6 to 8 illustrate various types of electrical signals that may be generated according to various movement paths of the reflector H described above, and various movements of the reflector H shown by arrows in FIGS. 6 to 8. The path can be detected by controlling the plurality of main LEDs 300 to operate sequentially.

In this case, FIG. 7 illustrates a form in which the position coordinates of the reflector H may be directly detected by the touch sensing means 800 as described above. That is, the touch sensing means 800 is formed of a transparent material to be coupled to the lower portion of the optical pad 400 and to allow light to pass therethrough, and the reflector H is in contact with the optical pad 400. It is configured to detect the position coordinates of the control unit 10 to be applied. The touch sensing means 800 is a mesh type indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode or metal electrode in the form of an electrode that recognizes a contact state of the reflector H in a capacitive or resistive manner according to an embodiment of the present invention. It can be formed as.

Such an electrode is a dielectric filled between the first electrode 801 arranged horizontally, the second electrode 802 arranged vertically, and the first electrode 801 and the second electrode 802. It may be configured to include (not shown). Accordingly, the first electrode 801 and the second electrode 802 cross each other to form a mesh structure, and when the reflector H contacts the optical pad 400, the corresponding intersection is detected as an electrode signal and thus the reflector ( The position coordinate of H) is detected. Since the ITO electrode and the metal electrode are generally known to be widely used in display devices and the like, a detailed description of the configuration is omitted.

As described above, when the touch sensing means 800 is formed to grasp the position coordinates of the reflector H, the switch device according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention has a state in which the reflector H is not in contact with the optical pad 400. The position coordinates of the reflector H are determined by the current change of the light receiving unit D, and in the state where the reflector H contacts the optical pad 400, the position coordinates of the reflector H are detected by the contact sensing means 800. Will be identified. Therefore, the position coordinates of the reflector H can be more precisely grasped to generate a more accurate electrical signal according to the user's intention.

9 is a schematic functional block diagram of a switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Looking at the operating state of the components for the switch device according to the present invention described above, as shown in Figure 9, when the power is supplied to the control unit 10 from the power input unit 20 formed separately in the vehicle, the control unit Reference numeral 10 controls the light emitting unit E and the light receiving unit D to generate various electrical signals according to the movement of the reflector H. Such electrical signals are transmitted to the function operating unit 40 to perform specific functions, such as room lamp operation, sunroof opening and closing, as described above, and a separate monitor user interface (UI) 30 displaying these functions. Function to control). In addition, a separate touch sensing means 800 is mounted to generate more various electrical signals according to the movement path of the reflector H. The touch sensing means 800 detects whether the reflector H is in contact with the optical pad 400, generates a touch sensing signal, and applies the generated touch sensing signal to the controller 10, through which the controller 10 emits light. You can adjust the operation state of the. The electrical signal generated by the controller 10 may be generated in various ways according to the touch sensing signal, and the touch sensing signal itself may serve as an electrical signal that performs one function. In addition, the contact detecting means 800 is formed in the form of an electrode that can detect the position coordinates of the reflector H, so that the position coordinates of the reflector H directly in the state where the reflector H is in contact with the optical pad 400. It can also be configured to understand.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiments, the switch device has been described on the basis of being mounted on a vehicle. However, the switch device may be mounted on various electric control devices such as a control module unit within the above-described configuration. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present invention but to describe the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing the shape of a switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing an internal configuration of a switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a plan view schematically illustrating an internal arrangement state of a switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a view schematically showing an arrangement state and a light amount distribution state of a main LED according to an embodiment of the present invention;

5 is an operating state diagram conceptually showing an operating state in which infrared light of the main LED is received by the light receiving sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention;

6 and 7 schematically illustrate types of movement paths that can be moved while the reflector is in contact with the optical pad according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a view schematically showing the types of movement paths through which the reflector may move without being contacted from the optical pad according to one embodiment of the present invention;

9 is a schematic functional block diagram of a switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

100: housing 200: main PCB board

300: main LED 400: optical pad

500: compensation LED 600: light receiving sensor

700: frame 800: contact detection means

Claims (7)

A housing to which an optical pad through which light can pass is coupled to one side; A light emitting part disposed in the housing to emit light to pass through the optical pad; A light receiving unit disposed inside the housing and generating a current by receiving light reflected by a reflector located outside the optical pad, wherein a light amount of the incident light changes according to the movement of the reflector to change the amount of current; Contact sensing means coupled to one side of the optical pad to detect whether the reflector is in contact with the optical pad and to apply a touch sensing signal to the controller; And Control unit for controlling the operation of the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit and generates an electrical signal according to the change in the current amount of the light receiving unit and the touch detection signal Switch device comprising a. The method of claim 1, The light emitting unit includes at least one main LED emitting infrared rays, The light receiving unit includes a light receiving sensor for receiving infrared rays, and a compensation LED for directly emitting to the light receiving sensor infrared rays having the same amplitude and frequency and opposite phase as the infrared rays reflected by the reflector and incident on the light receiving sensor, The light receiving sensor is a switch device, characterized in that for generating a direct current by receiving the infrared rays emitted from the main LED and the compensation LED. The method of claim 2, And the control unit generates an electrical signal only when a rate of change in the amount of current generated by the movement of the reflector falls within a preset speed range. The method of claim 2, The control unit controls the main LEDs to emit infrared light sequentially and detects the position coordinates of the reflector according to the amount of current of the light receiving sensor sequentially generated by each main LED, According to the present invention, various electrical signals are generated, and electrical signals generated according to a change path with respect to the position coordinates of the reflector are controlled by the controller to be signals having different functions according to whether the touch detection signal is generated. Switch device. The method of claim 2, The control unit is characterized in that for generating a variety of electrical signals according to the holding time of the touch detection signal and the number of repetition of the touch detection signal per unit time. The method of claim 2, The touch sensing means detects the position coordinates of the reflector in the state in which the reflector is in contact with the optical pad and applies them to the controller, and the controller generates various electrical signals according to a change path with respect to the position coordinates of the reflector. Switch device, characterized in that. The method of claim 6, And the touch sensing means is formed of a mesh type ITO electrode or a metal electrode through which light can pass.

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