INTERIOR COMPONENT FOR MOTOR VEHICLE AND CORRESPONDING MOTOR VEHICLE ARMREST

Abstract

This interior component for a motor vehicle comprises a substrate (2) including a first face (5) and a second face opposite the first face, at least one touch button (4) including a housing (7) located in the substrate and a transparent body (8) located in the housing and including a first end (9) and a second end (11), the body being movably mounted in the housing between a first rest position in which the first end is flush with the first face of the substrate and a second active position for actuation of the touch button, and a coating (3) covering the substrate and including a backlit contact area (12) aligned with the transparent body. It includes force-sensing means (17, 18) configured to detect the actuation force of the touch button. Figure for the abstract: Fig 4

Description

Title of the invention: INTERIOR ELEMENT FOR MOTOR VEHICLE AND CORRESPONDING MOTOR VEHICLE ARMREST technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to interior elements for motor vehicles which are intended to be installed inside the passenger compartment of a vehicle and which are intended to be handled by a user.

[0002] The invention relates more particularly to an interior element for a motor vehicle integrating a touch button. Previous techniques

[0003] The passenger compartment of a motor vehicle is equipped with trim pieces which serve to cover the various interior elements of the passenger compartment.

[0004] Some trim panels incorporate instrumentation, for example actuators or control buttons which are used to control the operation of various vehicle equipment.

[0005] This is particularly the case for armrests in which control buttons are mounted that can be operated by the driver or by the passengers and which are, for example, attached to the trim.

[0006] In order to improve attractiveness, it has been proposed to integrate touch buttons into the trim by providing backlit support areas in the trim coating layer at the location of the touch button.

[0007] In this regard, reference may be made to document WO 200261380, document KR 100792417, or document US 10583777, which describe tactile buttons comprising a movable body in a housing placed in a substrate, this body comprising openings or perforations and an internal light-emitting diode. Description of the invention

[0008] The object of the invention is to propose an interior element for motor vehicles which features improved integration simplification, reduced manufacturing cost and increased attractiveness for the user.

[0009] The invention therefore relates to an interior component for a motor vehicle, comprising:

[0010] - a substrate comprising a first face and a second face opposite the first side;

[0011] - at least one touch button comprising a housing placed in the substrate and a body transparent case placed inside the housing and comprising a first end and a second at the end, the body being movably mounted in the housing between a first rest position in which the first end is flush with the first face of the substrate and a second active position for actuation of the touch button; and

[0012] - a coating covering the substrate and comprising a backlit support area aligned with the transparent body.

[0013] It includes force detection means configured to detect the actuation force of the touch button.

[0014] Such an element is advantageous insofar as it respects the surface continuity between the touch button and the substrate and has a reduced manufacturing cost due to the limited number of components of the internal element.

[0015] In a first embodiment, the force detection means comprise capacitive detection means capable of detecting the displacement of the moving body.

[0016] The inner element advantageously comprises at least one electrically conductive deformable element on which the transparent body exerts a force in the active actuation position.

[0017] It also preferably includes at least one elastically deformable pad configured to stress the body in a resting position.

[0018] It further comprises, preferably, for each touch button, a printed circuit board on which is mounted a light-emitting diode facing the area of ​​contact.

[0019] In one embodiment, the element includes a central opening made in the second face of the housing, the card being fixed under the housing so as to position the light-emitting diode in the central opening.

[0020] In another embodiment, the force detection means comprise a force sensor.

[0021] The force sensor can be a force sensor film configured to detect the actuation force of the touch button.

[0022] In an advantageous application, said element is a motor vehicle door armrest. Brief description of the drawings

[0023] Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, given solely by way of non-limiting example, and made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0024] - Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an armrest made in accordance with the invention;

[0025] - Figure [Fig. 2] shows the armrest of Figure [Fig. 1] before it is covered by the covering clothing;

[0026] - Figure [Fig. 3] is a cross-sectional view of an armrest conforming to the invention; and

[0027] - Fig. 4 is a detail view of the armrest of Fig. 3. Detailed description

[0028] Reference is made first to figures 1 and 2 which illustrate an interior element for a motor vehicle according to the invention, designated by the general numerical reference 1.

[0029] In the embodiment shown, this element constitutes a door armrest for a motor vehicle, here for the front left door of a motor vehicle, which comprises a rigid substrate 2 covered with a flexible covering 3 forming a trim panel for the armrest. Of course, this does not depart from the scope of the invention when the interior element according to the invention constitutes another part of the vehicle's passenger compartment.

[0030] As represented, the armrest incorporates a number of touch buttons, such as 4, fully integrated into the substrate under the coating 3 so as to obtain perfect surface continuity for the coating 3.

[0031] With reference to figures 3 and 4, which illustrate a cross-sectional view of a portion of the armrest, the substrate 2 has a first face 5, which is intended to be covered by the coating 3 and a second face 6 opposite to the first face.

[0032] The first face 5 constitutes the external face of the substrate, while the opposite face 6 constitutes the internal face of the substrate.

[0033] The coating 3 is fixed to the first face 5 of the substrate by any suitable means, in particular by means of staples, fixing clips, ...

[0034] With reference to [Fig.4], each touch button comprises a rigid housing 7, for example made of plastic, fixed internally to the first face 5 of the substrate and a movable transparent body 8, also made of rigid plastic, placed in the housing 7.

[0035] The body 8 has a first end 9 forming a protruding head 10 and a second end 11 opposite the first end 9 which extends into the housing 7.

[0036] The body 8 is mounted in an axially movable manner in the housing 7 between a rest position, visible on the [Fig.4], in which the upper face of the head 10 is flush with the first face 51 of the substrate, in contact with the coating 3, and a pressed active position which corresponds to an activation position of the push button.

[0037] Opposite the head 10, the coating 3 has a backlit support area 12, visible from the outside. This is achieved, for example, by providing a translucent area or by making micro-perforations in the lining, in line with the transparent body.

[0038] The bottom of the case has, for its part, a central opening 13 and a printed circuit board 14 or PCB fixed to the bottom of the case 7 and carrying a light-emitting diode 15 placed in the opening 13 with the direction facing the support area 12. The diode is thus mounted under the case, which facilitates maintenance operations.

[0039] Furthermore, the armrest includes, for each touch button, force detection means configured to detect the actuation force of the touch button and in particular of the head 10 of the transparent body.

[0040] In one embodiment, illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, these force detection means are capacitive detection means capable of detecting the displacement of the moving body by detecting the variation in capacitance between the transparent moving body and the housing.

[0041] These capacitive sensing means comprise an electrode 17 located in the bottom of the housing 7 and at least one electrically conductive deformable element made in the form of a conductive tube 18 between the second end 11 of the body 8 and the electrode 17 and one or more elastically deformable pads 19 interposed between the body 8 and the bottom of the housing 7 so as to stress the body in the rest position.

[0042] For example, the conductive tube is made of flexible material and has a thickness at rest of, for example, between 0.5 and 3 mm, preferably between 1.0 and 2 mm for the intended application. The pad 19 is, for example, made of foam and has a rectangular shape.

[0043] In this embodiment, when a user presses on the backlit support area so as to move the transparent body from the rest position to the active position, against the restoring force exerted by the elastically deformable pad 19, the displacement value modifies the capacitive characteristics of the conductive tube 18, which allows detection of the user action and the actuation force.

[0044] In the embodiment illustrated in figures 3 and 4, the detection means are capacitive detection means.

[0045] It is also possible, as an alternative, to replace the capacitive sensing means with a force sensor, for example made in the form of a film which can be interposed between the coating and the bottom of the housing, for example between the body 8 and the deformable pad 19.

[0046] The invention just described, in which the internal element comprises a substrate, a touch button comprising a housing and a movable body, and a coating having a backlit contact area, comprises a number of elements reduced and allows low-cost integration of a touch button into a trim panel, with an attractive finish for the user.

Claims

Demands

1. Interior element for motor vehicle, comprising: - a substrate (2) comprising a first face (5) and a second face (6) opposite the first face; - at least one touch button (4) comprising a housing (7) placed in the substrate and a transparent body (8) placed in the housing (7) and comprising a first end (9) and a second end (11), the body (8) being movably mounted in the housing (7) between a first rest position in which the first end is flush with the first face of the substrate and a second active position for actuation of the touch button; and - a coating (3) covering the substrate (2) and comprising a backlit support area (12) aligned with the transparent body (8); characterized in that it comprises force-sensing means (17, 18) configured to detect the actuation force of the touch button (4).

2. An internal element according to claim 1, wherein the force-sensing means comprise capacitive sensing means capable of detecting the displacement of the body (8).

3. Inner element according to claim 2, comprising at least one electrically conductive deformable element (18) on which the body (8) exerts a force in active actuation position.

4. Inner element according to any one of claims 2 and 3, further comprising at least one elastically deformable pad (19) configured to stress the body (8) in the rest position.

5. An inner element according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising, for each touch button (4), a printed circuit board (14) on which is mounted a light-emitting diode (15) facing the contact area.

6. Inner element according to claim 5, wherein the housing includes a central opening (13) made in the bottom of the housing, the card being fixed under the housing so as to position the light-emitting diode (15) in the central opening.

7. An internal element according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the force-sensing means comprise a force sensor.

8. Inner element according to claim 7, wherein the force sensor is a force sensor film configured to detect the actuation force of the touch button.

9. Interior element according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein said element is a motor vehicle door armrest.

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