EP1197980A1 - Control device with push button - Google Patents

Abstract

The command mechanism has a push button (8) on a support and acting a contact (18) when an eccentric push is carried out. The button has an arm (12) with longitudinal direction which actions the contact.

Description

The invention relates to a button control device.

It relates more particularly to a control device comprising a pivotally mounted button on a support and suitable actuating at least one contactor in response to a push eccentric exerted on it in a given direction. She applies, in particular, to the sequential command of a menu drop-down for ordering a vehicle's equipment automobile.

Motor vehicle equipment such as cabin heating or air conditioning systems can be controlled mechanically by buttons located on the front of the dashboard. They can also be electronically controlled by actuated switches by keys located on the front of the board edge.

We already know switches of this type. They include a rocker mounted key on an intermediate plate arranged between the front of the dashboard and a card printed circuit board. The key acts on one or more spacers guided in the intermediate plate. Each spacer operates a contactor such as a push button mounted on the printed circuit board arranged perpendicularly the direction of movement of the spacers.

These known devices have drawbacks. They contain a large number of parts. Their mounting is long and delicate. In addition, the card carrying the contactor is necessarily oriented perpendicular to the thrust exerted on the key.

The present invention overcomes these drawbacks. She offers a control device which has a higher number reduced parts and which is also easier and more quick to assemble. Its manufacturing cost is therefore less Student.

These objects are achieved, in accordance with the invention, by the causes the key to have an arm with direction longitudinal through which it operates the contactor in a direction perpendicular to the direction longitudinal of the arm.

Thanks to these characteristics, the arm acts directly on the contactor, without the presence of an intermediate spacer. The number of pieces is therefore reduced.

Preferably, the control device comprises a housing forming facade and the key is mounted directly on this housing.

Thus, the intermediate plate which, in the prior art, served as support and pivot for the key, is no longer necessary. The number of parts is further reduced as a result.

According to a preferred embodiment, at least one of the contactors is a selection contactor which allows select different values by successive operations, including values from a drop-down menu.

Thus, by a succession of impulses on the key, or by continuous press on this key, the driver of the vehicle or a passenger can scroll through the different options a drop-down menu.

Preferably, the control device further comprises a validation contactor which validates the last value selected using the selection switch.

Advantageously, the key is further mounted movable in translation relative to the validation contactor, a push centered on the key used to activate the validation contactor.

Advantageously again, the key is mounted on the support by means of rotating guide means comprising two elongated lugs which can rotate in respective circular openings, each opening having a notch in which the lug can engage during the translational movement of the key.

The key can thus perform two movements, namely a rocking movement and translational movement. when is stressed in an eccentric part, the pins elongated rotate in the circular openings and the selection switch is actuated. On the contrary, when the button is pressed in its central part, the pins engage in the notches and this is the contactor of validation which is activated. We can thus simple, and by means of a single control device, first select a value from the drop-down menu then validation of the value thus selected.

The control device may include a contactor for unique selection. In this case, the menu values scroll in one direction and you have to go through a cycle to return to the initial value of the menu.

In another embodiment, the control device has two parallel selection arms acting in opposite directions on respective contactors.

In this embodiment, when the key is rotated in a sense, the menu values are incremented. When the key is rotated in the other direction, the values of menu are decremented. This makes it easier to perform a selection without having to browse through all the values from the menu when a desired value has been exceeded.

• la figure 1 est une vue en coupe d'un dispositif de commande conforme à la présente invention ;
• la figure 2 est une vue en perspective du dispositif de commande représenté sur la figure 1 ;
• les figures 3 et 4 sont des vues en coupe du dispositif de commande représenté sur les figures 1 et 2 montrant respectivement une position pivotée et une position enfoncée de la touche ;
• la figure 5 est une vue de détail de l'articulation de la touche sur le boítier du dispositif de commande.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent on reading the following description of an exemplary embodiment given by way of illustration with reference to the appended figures. In these figures:

• Figure 1 is a sectional view of a control device according to the present invention;
• Figure 2 is a perspective view of the control device shown in Figure 1;
• Figures 3 and 4 are sectional views of the control device shown in Figures 1 and 2 respectively showing a pivoted position and a depressed position of the key;
• Figure 5 is a detailed view of the articulation of the button on the housing of the control device.

In Figure 1, reference 2 designates a housing comprising a facade 4 and two wings 5. The facade 4 comes substantially flush with the surface of the dashboard 6 of the vehicle, shown in phantom, and the wings 5 extend forward of the vehicle perpendicular to the facade. A touch, designated as a whole by the reference 8, is pivotally mounted on the housing 2 of a manner which will be described later. Advantageously, the button 8 is lit by a light source such as diode (not shown), arranged inside the housing, in order to make it more visible in the dark.

As can be seen in Figure 2, key 8 has two arms 10 and 12 separated from each other, having a elongated shape and oriented substantially perpendicularly on the front 4. A printed circuit board 14 is arranged perpendicular to the facade 4 between the arms 10 and 12. The card 14 is fixedly mounted in the housing 2. On one of its faces, facing down, the printed circuit board 14 carries a contactor 16 disposed opposite the end of the arm 10. On its other face, the card 14 carries a contactor 18 arranged opposite the end of the arm 12. In the example described, the switches 16 and 18 are push buttons. Their axes are perpendicular to the plane of the map 14.

In Figure 1, the button 8 is shown in its position rest, position it occupies when no action outside is exerted on it. On the contrary, when the vehicle driver or passenger presses part offset of the key, located above the map plane 14 and preferably identified by a pictogram 20 such as a arrow pointing up, the button rotates by an angle of 5 ° to 10 ° around its axis which is horizontal in the example shown. As a result of this movement of pivoting, the end of the arm 12 pushes the contact of the push button 18.

It is thus observed that the arm 12 is parallel to the plane of the card 14 and that it actuates the push button 16 according to a direction perpendicular to its longitudinal direction. This action is direct, i.e. it is done without the presence of an intermediate spacer.

In an alternative embodiment (not shown), we could have the card 14 parallel to the front 4 and mount push buttons 16 and 18 in such a way that their axes are parallel to the plane of map 14. In this variant also, arms 10 and 12 would act directly on the pushbuttons in one direction perpendicular to their longitudinal direction.

One could also imagine that arms 10 and 12 do not are not, as in the example shown, substantially perpendicular to the facade, i.e. parallel to the action exerted on the key, but form an angle that can go up to 90 ° with this direction. In this case, the orientation of the map map 14 should naturally be modified as appropriate.

The example described applies particularly to the command from a drop-down menu. The action exerted on the key has the effect of scrolling through the values of a menu scrolling displayed for example on a screen (not shown) of the dashboard. Each press on key 8 increments the values in the drop-down menu by one, or continued pressing of this key cycles through these values continuously. When the desired value is reached, the driver or passenger releases the pressure on the key which then returns to its initial position under the effect of the return spring provided in contactor 18. The value desired menu item is then selected. If the operator has exceeded the desired value, or if he wishes to return to back in the drop-down menu, it rotates the button 8 in the opposite direction by pressing on an eccentric zone 22 of the key opposite zone 20 (below the map of the map) 14) and also identified by a pictogram such as an arrow directed down.

This push has the effect of actuating the contactor 16 placed opposite arm 10 and decrement the drop-down menu values. When the operator has reached the desired value, it releases the pressure on zone 22 and the key 8 returns to its initial position shown on the figure 1. The validation of the selected value can be performed using a special key. But she can also, as in the example of embodiment shown, be performed by means of the button 8 itself. To this end, the printed circuit board 14 supports a validation contactor 24. This contactor is also a pushbutton. Note that, unlike push buttons 16 and 18, it is arranged so that its axis is parallel to the plane of map 14. Key 8 comprises a pin 26 capable of actuating the contactor 24 with which it is aligned. By a thrust exerted in the center of the key 8, the selected value is validated during the previous step by means of the selection switches 16 and 18. This depressed position is shown in the figure 4.

As we can see, the 8 key must be able to move relative to the housing 2 sometimes in rotation, sometimes in translation. For this (see Figure 5), key 8 has two pins 28 mutually aligned along its axis of rotation on both sides of the arms 10 and 12 and of the pin 26, and stretched out in its direction of translation. Each of the pins 28 is engaged in a circular opening 30 provided in a tab 31 formed inside the housing 2. In variant, the pins could be formed on the housing, and the openings 30 in a wall of the key 8. A notch 32 is formed in the outline of each opening circular 30. The width of this notch is slightly greater than that of the elongated lug 28. In the position of rest of the key, the pins 28 occupy the position shown in solid lines in FIG. 5. The pins 28 are held against the circular part of the opening by the return spring of the validation contactor 24. When a eccentric pressure is exerted on key 8, by example on zone 20 (see figure 3) the elongated lug 28 pivots and deviates angularly from the notch 32, so that the pins 28 can no longer enter this notch. The key 8 is thus movable in rotation only. On the contrary, if the operator pushes on the part central button 8 to confirm a selected value of the drop-down menu, as previously explained, each of the two pins 28 begins to penetrate the notch 32 opposite which is one of its ends in button rest position. The key is then blocked in rotation. It can no longer pivot and only the contactor validation 24 is activated. Rotational movements and of translation are thus clearly separated.

Thus, the control device of the invention comprises a reduced number of easy-to-assemble parts and its cost manufacturing is therefore low.

The device more particularly described and represented has the advantage, as explained above, of allowing a single key to perform two functions, namely a selection function by tilting movement and validation function by a translational movement. Of more, these two movements cannot be simultaneous so that validation can only be done for the value previously selected by the user.

Claims (9)

Control device comprising a key (8) pivotally mounted on a support (2) and able to actuate at least one contactor (16, 18) in response to an eccentric thrust exerted on it in a given direction, characterized in that the key (8) comprises an arm (10, 12) having a longitudinal direction, arm through which it actuates the contactor (16, 18) in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the arm (10, 12). Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the longitudinal direction of the arm (10, 12) is substantially parallel to the direction of the thrust exerted on the key (8). Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the contactor (16, 18) is mounted on a printed circuit board (14) and in that this card is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the arm (10, 12) . Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises a housing (2) forming a facade (4) and in that the button (8) is mounted directly on the housing (2). Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the contactor on which the arm acts is a selection switch (16, 18) which makes it possible to select different values by successive operations. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that it further comprises a validation contactor (24) which makes it possible to validate the last value selected by means of the selection contactor (16, 18). Device according to claim 6, characterized in that the button (8) is further mounted movable in translation relative to the validation switch (24), a push centered on the button (8) making it possible to actuate the validation switch ( 24). Device according to one of claims 6 and 7, characterized in that the key (8) is mounted on the support (2) by means of guide in rotation comprising two elongated pins (28) which can rotate in Respective circular openings (30), each opening comprising a notch (32) in which the lug (28) can engage during the translational movement of the key (8). Device according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it comprises two parallel arms (10, 12) acting in opposite directions on respective contactors (16, 18).

Images