FR2548980A1 - Dashboard switching control for vehicle heating - Google Patents

Abstract

The switches and controls for the air conditioning system in a vehicle are installed in the dashboard or instrument panel. The switches may incorporate pushbuttons and tumbler switches. There are also temp. sensors and display elements on the dashboard. The pushbuttons may be covered with a polycarbonate plastics film with alphanumeric symbols printed using a silk screen process for identifying the buttons. There may be a lighting system for illuminating the buttons. The pushbuttons are connected to a central processing computer, which also receives an input from the temp. sensors in the vehicle interior. These are several controls to direct air through several nozzles to heat different parts of the vehicle interior.

Description

CONTROL STATION FOR ADJUSTMENT AND CONTROL
AIR CONDITIONING INSIDE A MOTOR VEHICLE
The present invention relates to a control station for adjustment and con
air conditioning, arranged to be applied to an instrument support panel or a dashboard of a motor vehicle.

As is known, at present motor vehicles are provided with a more or less complex air conditioning system depending on the type of vehicle.

This air conditioning installation essentially has the function of keeping the passenger compartment of the vehicle at a comfortable temperature for passengers, changing the air so as to keep it always cool, and keeping the windows in perfect visibility conditions.

Naturally, these functions are slaved to specific circuits by means of pushers, switches and the like arranged in a different manner on the dashboard.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a control station for grouping in a compact structure all the intervention devices on these circuits.

A particular object of the present invention is to provide a control station for controlling and adjusting the air conditioning in motor vehicles, bringing together all the instruments capable of providing the user with complete signaling of the operating state of the vehicle. 'installation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a control station which is able to operate autonomously, to maintain inside the passenger compartment a given temperature, preselected by the user.

The purposes mentioned above, as well as other advantages which will emerge later, are obtained by a control station for the adjustment and control of the air conditioning of the type mentioned in the preamble, characterized in that it includes pushers of the conventional type and pushers of the tilting type, acting on points of discontinuity of particular tracks defined on a printed circuit so as to send pulses to a central control or processing unit, arranged to adjust by means of a probe the temperature, the value of which can be predetermined and observed on a display device inside the passenger compartment, by acting on air flows near the outlet of conventional ventilation ducts and controlling the flow , which is displayed by means of an appropriate barographic device, and comprising other pushers for controlling the routing of air, even with differentiated flows, to one or more of said c wavy, said pushers being provided in particular with appropriately illuminated ideograms, fitted with indicator lights to signal the activation of the specific service ordered by the pushers.

Other characteristics and advantages of the control station according to the present invention will emerge more clearly from the description below of a preferred embodiment of said station, illustrated in a nonlimiting manner by the appended drawing, in which
FIG. 1 is a front view of the control station according to the present invention,
Figure 2 is a partial horizontal sectional view> along two parallel lines offset from the lower part of the station of FIG. 1, and
Figure 3 is a horizontal section view> taken along two consecutive intermediate lines, duduposte control of fig. 1.

With reference to fig. 1 to 3, the air conditioning control station inside a motor vehicle according to the present invention comprises a central processing unit (not shown), capable of selecting, coordinating and processing information sent by a rigid printed circuit 1, the conductive tracks of which can be interconnected in different ways by means of a plurality of pushers and by a temperature detection probe 2.

More specifically, the station is mounted in an enclosure 3, on the front part of which we can observe three parallel horizontal bands, indicated respectively by 4, 4 'and 4 ".

In the intermediate strip 4 ′, a first rocking pusher 5, a first conventional pusher 6 and a second rocking pusher 7 are provided.

In this case, the first tilting push-button 5 makes it possible, by acting on an electric fan at several speeds, to modify the total quantity of air supplied to the open ventilation ducts, this quantity of air being indicated to the user. by means of a barographic device 8.

The second tilting push-button 7 makes it possible to adjust, by increasing or decreasing, the temperature which it is desired to maintain in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, the value of which is displayed by a digital display member 9, and can be expressed either in degrees centigrade, or degrees Fahrenheit, by acting on a switch 10.

For its part, the push-button 6 makes it possible to introduce into the memory the temperature indicated on the display member 9, to allow automatic adjustment of the real temperature as a function of the possible deviations detected by the probe 2.

In the lower strip 4 "of said front part, a series of pushers 11 of conventional type has been placed, one of which controls the operation of said fan, while the others are arranged to control the routing of the air flow to one or more ventilation ducts arranged inside the vehicle, if necessary with a differentiation of the quantity of air sent to each of the ducts.

The actuation keys of these pushers are made of a transparent material, preferably of methacrylate, so that they can be suitably illuminated from below by means of lamps 12 whose light flux is easily transmitted from one key to another .

In addition, the keys are mounted on bases 13 also made of methacrylate, provided with centering pins 14 arranged to engage in the printed circuit 1 to connect the bases to the latter.

Said keys are elastically urged by elastomeric elements 15, like small suction cups coaxially carrying cylindrical projecting portions 16 of conductive material.

 These cylindrical projecting portions 16 are arranged to connect points of discontinuity of the tracks formed on the printed circuit r and materialized, preferably, by spiral portions extending coaxially and separated at their ends.

In addition, on the visible surface of the keys, a polycarbonate film 17 has been applied, on which are screen-printed appropriate ideograms, defining the specific functions of these keys.

Light diodes 18 are slaved to the pushers 11 arranged on the lower strip of the front element, to indicate that the function corresponding to the pushbutton is engaged.

The foregoing description and the figures in the appended drawing highlight the functional advantages and the great ease of use which characterize the control station according to the present invention.

Claims (10)

Claims  1. Control station for adjustment and control of air conditioning, arranged  to be applied to an instrument support panel or dashboard  on board a motor vehicle, characterized in that it comprises pushers of the conventional type (6, II) and pushers of the tilting type (5, 7), acting on points of discontinuity of particular tracks defined on a printed circuit (1) so as to send pulses to a central control or processing unit, arranged to regulate by means of a probe (2) the temperature, the value of which can be predetermined and observed on a display device (9 ) inside the passenger compartment, by acting on air flows near the outlet of conventional ventilation ducts and controlling the flow rate, which is displayed by means of an appropriate barographic device, and comprising d '' other pushers for controlling the routing of air, even with differentiated flows, to one or more of said ducts, said pushers being provided in particular with appropriately illuminated ideograms, fitted with indicator lights to signal the activation of the sp service specific controlled by pushers. 2. Station according to claim I, characterized in that said central processing unit is arranged to select, coordinate and develop information sent to said printed circuit (1), which is produced on a rigid support element and whose conductive tracks are interconnected in different ways by means of said pushers and by said probe (2) for detecting the temperature inside the passenger compartment. 3. Station according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that it is mounted inside an enclosure (3), the front part of which comprises three parallel horizontal bands with, on the intermediate band, a first rocking pusher (5), a first conventional pusher (6) and a second rocking pusher (7), said first rocking pusher being arranged, by acting on a fan at several speeds, to modify the total quantity of air routed to open air ducts. 4. Station according to claim 3, characterized in that said second tilting pusher (7) allows to adjust, in increase or decrease, the temperature which it is desired to maintain in the motor vehicle, which can be observed on said device display (9) and be expressed either in degrees centigra, or in degrees Fahrenheit by acting on a switch (10), while said conventional push-button (6) is arranged to enter into the memory the predetermined temperature on said device display, so as to make the adjustment of this temperature automatic, as a function of the deviations detected by said probe (2). 5. Station according to any one of claims 3 or 4, characterized in that the lower strip of said front element (3) comprises a plurality of pushers (11) of conventional type, one of which controls the operation of the fan, while that the other pushers are arranged to control the routing of the air flow to one or more ventilation ducts arranged inside the vehicle. 6. Station according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said pushers include actuation keys made of a transparent material, so as to receive lighting from below from at least one lamp (12) whose luminous flux is transmitted from one key to another. 7. Station according to claim 6, characterized in that said keys are mounted on bases (13) in methacrylate provided with centering pins (10), which engage in said printed circuit (1) to connect the bases to this last, said keys being elastically stressed by elastomeric elements in the form of small suction cups, coaxially supporting cylindrical projecting portions (16) of conductive material. 8. Station according to claim 7, characterized in that said cylindrical projecting portions (16) are arranged to electrically connect discontinuity points of the tracks formed on said printed circuit and materialized by spiral portions extending coaxially and separated from their extremities.  9. Station according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the apparent surface of said keys comprises a polycarbonate film (17) carrying ideograms corresponding to the specific functions of said keys. 10. Station according to any one of claims 5 to 9, characterized in that it comprises light diodes (18) corresponding to said pushers (11) available on the lower strip of the front part (3) to indicate the activation of the function corresponding to each button.