Control device for a motor vehicle and steering wheel for a motor vehicle

Abstract

Operating device for a motor vehicle with two first rocker switches (20, 30), each having a recess (190, 200) in an edge region (170, 180), which are arranged with their recesses (190, 200) relative to one another on a common first tilting axis (70), and with a second rocker switch (40), which is arranged on a second tilting axis (220) aligned perpendicular to the first tilting axis in a recess (210) formed together by the recesses (190, 200) of the first rocker switches (20, 30), wherein functional pressure points (230, 240) of the second rocker switch (40) lie on the first tilting axis (70).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an operating device for a motor vehicle, in particular for integration into a steering wheel, with which electrical systems in the motor vehicle can be controlled, and to a steering wheel for a motor vehicle.

[0002] Electrical systems that the driver can operate are increasingly being integrated into motor vehicles. These systems include, for example, driver assistance systems (such as ACC: Adaptive Cruise Control) and infotainment systems (such as navigation systems, telephones, radio). Controls integrated into the steering wheel of the motor vehicle have proven to be effective for safe operation by the driver, as the driver can keep their hands on the steering wheel while operating the system. EP 1 762 421 B1 discloses a control device integrated into a steering wheel in which four function pressure points can be activated via a rocker switch and a further function pressure point via a switch integrated into the rocker switch. With the further increase in electrical systems in motor vehicles, it is becoming more difficult to operate the systems comfortably due to the limited space for control devices integrated into steering wheels.

[0003] US 2004 / 0154904 A1 discloses a window switch for a motor vehicle with buttons and a rotary rocker switch. EP 1 129 885 A2 discloses a multifunction control element for a cruise control system. JP 2005 353 456 A discloses a switch device with a locking button and a push button.

[0004] From the subsequently published DE 10 2011 011 299 A1 an electrical switch is known which has two rocker switches.

[0005] DE 10 2005 012 715 A1 discloses a control device comprising a first operating unit with multiple actuating elements. A first technical device controllable by means of various control commands is assigned to the first operating unit. The actuating elements can be manually actuated to issue control commands, and at least one combined actuating element in the form of a scroll wheel is provided for incrementally changing and decrementally changing a variable to be set. Furthermore, a first additional actuating element is arranged directly adjacent to the scroll wheel, essentially in the extension of the rotational axis of the scroll wheel.

[0006] The invention is based on the object of creating an operating device with which a large number of electrical systems can be conveniently operated in a limited space, in particular in a steering wheel.

[0007] The object is achieved by an operating device with two first rocker switches, each having a recess in the edge region, which are arranged with their recesses relative to one another on a common first tilting axis, and with a second rocker switch, which is arranged on a second tilting axis oriented perpendicular to the first tilting axis in a recess formed jointly by the recesses of the first rocker switches, wherein the functional pressure points (also called preferred force application points) of the second rocker switch lie on the first tilting axis. Furthermore, the object is achieved by a steering wheel with an operating device according to the invention. Advantageous developments of the invention arise from the dependent claims.

[0008] The special position of the functional pressure points of the second rocker switch on the first tilting axis allows the second rocker switch to be safely actuated, even with small dimensions, without accidentally actuating one of the first rocker switches, because the pressure on the second rocker switch is applied to the first tilting axis. The invention ensures that two additional functional pressure points can be safely actuated by one rocker switch, even with the dimensions of a conventional control device. The invention is particularly suitable for use as a steering wheel control device in a motor vehicle.

[0009] A centrally located push button, such as a so-called OK button, is advantageous. This can be integrated into the operating device according to the invention by providing the second rocker switch with a recess in the interior, into which the push button is located. For reliable actuation of the push button, it is expedient for the push button's functional pressure point to be located at the intersection of the first and second tilt axes.

[0010] If multiple electrical systems are to be operated, it is advantageous to provide an additional rocker switch. The additional rocker switch should be conveniently positioned adjacent to the first push buttons so that it can be operated by hand (e.g., the thumb) without changing the hand position on the steering wheel rim.

[0011] In an advantageous embodiment, the second toggle switch has a funnel-shaped contour so that the position and functional pressure points can be sensed haptically. The push button, if provided, is expediently located at the funnel base of the second rocker switch.

[0012] An embodiment of the invention is explained with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0013] They show: Fig. 1 a schematic diagram of an operating device according to the invention in plan view, Fig. 2 an excerpt from the principle diagram of the Fig. 1, Fig. 3 another section of the principle diagram of the Fig. 1 and Fig. 4 an embodiment of the operating device from Fig. 1 in top view.

[0014] Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an operating device 10 according to the invention. The operating device 10 comprises two first rocker switches 20 and 30, a second rocker switch 40, a push button 50 and a third rocker switch 60.

[0015] The two first rocker switches 20 and 30 are mounted so they can be tilted about a common tilt axis 70. The first rocker switches 20 and 30 each have a neutral center position in which they rest without external influence (for example, due to pressure from a finger). Furthermore, the first rocker switches 20 and 30 each have two push-button function positions into which they can be brought by external influences. The two push-button function positions of one of the first rocker switches 20 or 30 are achieved by tilting the first rocker switch 20 or 30 in opposite directions of rotation about the first tilt axis 70. The operating device 10 is designed such that an electrical signal is generated in each function push-button position and transmitted to a responsible electrical system via a vehicle bus (for example, a CAN bus). A suitable function is then triggered in this electrical system.For this purpose, the operating device 10 is electrically connected to the vehicle bus via an interface.

[0016] The process of moving the first two rocker switches 20 and 30 into the push-button function positions will now be explained in more detail. The first two rocker switches 20 and 30 each have two pressure ranges: 80 and 90, and 100 and 110, respectively.

[0017] If the user presses the pressure area 80 with their finger (preferably with their thumb), the rocker switch 20 is tilted counterclockwise from its neutral center position into a first push-button function position (viewed in the direction of an arrow 120), in which an electrical function is triggered. If the user presses the pressure area 90 with their finger, the rocker switch 20 is tilted clockwise from its neutral center position into a second push-button function position (viewed in the direction of an arrow 80), in which another electrical function is triggered. The pressure areas 80 and 90 have preferred force application points, so-called functional pressure points 130 and 140, respectively. The functional pressure points 130 and 140 are the points at which the force of the finger is preferentially applied due to the arrangement or design of the first rocker switch 20.

[0018] If the user presses the pressure area 100 with their finger, the rocker switch 30 is tilted counterclockwise from its neutral center position into a first push-button function position, in which an electrical function is triggered. If the user presses the pressure area 100 with their finger, the rocker switch 30 is tilted clockwise from its neutral center position into a second push-button function position, in which another electrical function is triggered. The pressure areas 100 and 110 have function pressure points 150 and 160, respectively.

[0019] In Fig. 2 is an extract from the principle diagram of the Fig. 1. Shown are the first rocker switches 20 and 30 with their pressure areas 80 and 90, or 100 and 110, as well as the first tilt axis 70. The first pressure switches 20 and 30 have recesses 190 and 200 in their edge areas 170 and 180, respectively. It can be seen that the recesses 190 and 200 interact in such a way that, in their specific arrangement relative to one another, they create a jointly formed recess 210.

[0020] In Fig. 1 it can be seen that the second rocker switch 40 is in the recess 210 ( Fig. 2). The second rocker switch 40 has a second tilting axis 220, around which the second rocker switch 40 can be moved from a neutral center position into two opposite push-button function positions in order to trigger electrical functions. The second tilting axis 220 is arranged essentially perpendicular to the first tilting axis 70 in a plan view. Like the first push-button switches 20 and 30, the second push-button switch 40 also has two function pressure points 230 and 240. The function pressure points 230 and 240 are located on the first tilting axis 70 in a plan view. This special arrangement of the function pressure points 230 and 240 prevents a push-button function position of one of the first rocker switches 20 and 30 from being accidentally reached when the second rocker switch 40 is actuated. The functional pressure points 230 and 240 are located in such a way that when pressure is applied to them, no torque can be transmitted to the first pressure switches 20 and 30.In addition, the functional pressure points 230 and 240 are located far enough away from the functional pressure points 130 and 140 or 150 and 160 of the first rocker switches 20 and 30 to also take into account the extension of the finger, which leads to a surface-wide and not just point-like force introduction into the first rocker switches 20 and 30 and the second rocker switch 40.

[0021] In Fig. 3 is another section of the principle diagram of the Fig. 1. Shown is the second rocker switch 40, which has a recess 250 in its interior.

[0022] In Fig. 1 shows that the push button 50 is arranged in the recess 250 of the second rocker switch 40. The push button 50 can be pressed in a direction perpendicular to both the first tilting axis 70 and the second tilting axis 220 to trigger an electrical function (i.e., the movement extends into the plane of the paper). A spring force returns the push button 50 to its rest position once the finger has been removed from the push button 50. The push button 50 has a function pressure point 260. In a plan view, the function pressure point 260 lies on both the first tilting axis 70 and the second tilting axis 220. Since the function pressure point 260 lies on the second tilting axis 220, the second rocker switch 40 is prevented from being accidentally tilted when the push button 50 is actuated.

[0023] In Fig. 1 shows that the third rocker switch 60 is spaced apart from the first two rocker switches 20 and 30 by a gap 270. The third rocker switch 60 is configured, similar to the first rocker switches 20 and 30 and the second rocker switch 60, with two momentary-action positions and a neutral center position. It has a third rocker axis 280 and two function pressure points 290 and 300 located on either side of the third rocker axis 280 in a plan view. Additional electrical functions can be triggered with the third rocker switch 60.

[0024] In Fig.Figure 4 shows a specific embodiment of the operating device 10 according to the invention. A section of a multifunction steering wheel 310 of a motor vehicle can be seen. The multifunction steering wheel 310 comprises a steering wheel rim 320, a steering wheel hub 330, and a steering wheel spoke 340. The operating device 10 is integrated into the steering wheel spoke and coupled to the vehicle bus via an electrical interface. The various electrical signals are transmitted to the received electrical systems via the vehicle bus (if necessary, by interposing one or more intermediate receivers, which transmit(s) the signals further). It can be seen that the second rocker switch 40 has a funnel-shaped contour that extends into the steering wheel spoke 340. The push button 50 is arranged at the bottom of the funnel-shaped contour.

[0025] The following is an example of electrical functions that are triggered by the operating device 10. An electrical signal can trigger different functions, depending on which electrical system or systems are currently being controlled with the operating element 10. Furthermore, the function of a specific electrical system can also depend on which (sub)menu is currently called up. The motor vehicle is equipped with electrical systems (also called contexts or function groups) such as a telephone, a CD player and a radio. Each electrical system has various functions that may be organized into submenus. For example, the CD player (equipped with a CD changer) includes submenus for each music album that is inserted in the CD changer and functions (e.g. play, pause, forward, back) for controlling the CD player.

[0026] Assume that the control device 10 is currently connected to the CD player. Then, the third rocker switch 60 can be used to switch between the various music albums arranged in a list. By pressing the function pressure points 300 and 290, the user can scroll forward or backward within the list. With the first rocker switch 20, the function pressure points 130 and 140 can be used to scroll forward or backward between the songs of a specific music album arranged in a list. By pressing the function pressure points 230 and 240 of the second rocker switch 40, the user can scroll forward or backward between the electrical systems arranged in a list.

[0027] The first rocker switch 30 is assigned fixed functions that are independent of the current electrical system. By pressing the function pressure point 150, you can directly switch to the telephone context or directly accept an incoming call. By pressing the function pressure point 160, you can directly trigger a function preset by the user or call up a preset context. The first rocker switch 30 is thus designed as a so-called direct jump switch.

[0028] The push button 50 is used to actively trigger certain functions (the so-called OK button). For example, pressing the push button tunes to a specific radio station, which the user has previously navigated to in a station list using the first rocker switch 20.

[0029] The functionality of the multifunction steering wheel 310 can be controlled by a further operating device according to the invention in a further steering wheel spoke. List of reference symbols 10 Control device 20 First rocker switch 30 First rocker switch 40 Second rocker switch 50 push buttons 60 Third rocker switch 70 First tilting axis 80 print range 90 print area 100 print range 110 print range 120 arrow 130 functional pressure point 140 functional pressure point 150 functional pressure point 160 functional pressure point 170 peripheral area 180 edge area 190 recesses 200 recesses 210 recess 220 Second tilting axis 230 functional pressure points 240 functional pressure points 250 recesses 260 functional pressure point 270 gap 280 Third tilting axis 290 functional pressure points 300 functional pressure points 310 steering wheel 320 steering wheel rim 330 steering wheel hub 340 steering wheel spoke

Claims

[1] Operating device for a motor vehicle with two first rocker switches (20, 30), each having a recess (190, 200) in an edge region (170, 180), which are arranged with their recesses (190, 200) relative to one another on a common first tilting axis (70), and with a second rocker switch (40), which is arranged on a second tilting axis (220) aligned perpendicular to the first tilting axis in a recess (210) formed together by the recesses (190, 200) of the first rocker switches (20, 30), wherein functional pressure points (230, 240) of the second rocker switch (40) lie on the first tilting axis (70). [2] Operating device according to claim 1, characterized by a push button (50) arranged in a recess (250) in the interior of the second rocker switch (40). [3] Operating device according to claim 2, characterized bythat the functional pressure point (260) of the push button (50) lies on the intersection point of the first tilting axis (70) and second tilting axis (220). [4] Operating device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by another rocker switch (60). [5] Operating device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the second rocker switch (40) has a funnel-shaped contour. [6] Operating device according to claim 5, characterized by that the push button (50) is arranged on the funnel bottom of the second rocker switch (40). [7] Steering wheel for a motor vehicle with an operating device according to one of the preceding claims.

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