Apparatus having a main body and an operating element

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus (1) having a main body (2) and an operating element (3), wherein the operating element (3) has an operating element basic body (4) and an actuation surface (5), and the operating element (3) is mounted in or on the main body (2), wherein the operating element (3) can be moved relative to the main body (2) by pressing with at least one finger onto the actuation surface (5), wherein the operating element (3) has at least one actuator (6) for generating a mechanical impulse which acts on the actuation surface (5).

Description

[0001]

[0002] Apparatus with a base body and an operating element

[0003] The present invention relates to an apparatus having a base body and an operating element, wherein the operating element has an operating element base body and an actuating surface and the operating element is mounted in or on the base body, wherein the operating element is movable relative to the base body by pressing with at least one finger on the actuating surface.

[0004] Such devices with corresponding operating elements are known in the prior art in a wide variety of designs. For example, there are devices in the form of game controllers, in which corresponding operating elements, such as operating levers or operating buttons, are mounted on or in the base body of the device and can be moved relative to this by pressing on an actuating surface. Other examples of such devices are, for example, hand-held work machines such as drills, cordless screwdrivers, staplers and the like, in which a corresponding operating element must also be pressed with the finger in order to activate the device. Such a device can also be an input device in a motor vehicle. A wide variety of operating elements in the form of switches, buttons, pivoting levers and the like are also known in a motor vehicle. These can be moved with the finger relative to the base body of the device, such as, for example, a steering wheel.B . a vehicle console or a vehicle dashboard. These control elements are generally used in the aforementioned devices to enter control commands into the device using the user's finger.

[0005] The object of the invention is to further develop apparatus of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that the apparatus can also provide feedback to the user.

[0006] For this purpose, the invention proposes an apparatus according to claim 1.

[0007] It is therefore provided according to the invention that the operating element has at least one actuator for generating a mechanical impulse acting on the actuating surface.

[0008] The operating surface which the user presses with their finger when activating the operating element can therefore be subjected to a mechanical impulse. This gives the user of the device tactile feedback which can be felt with the finger which is currently activating the operating element. Using this tactile sensation, the user can be given a wide variety of information, e.g. about the operating status or operating state of the device. The transmission of other information about the current state of the device is also possible. In particular, if the device is a games controller or similar, the user or their finger can be given certain tactile sensations in this way which are suitable for the game situation in question. E.g.Acceleration situations of a vehicle, the firing of a weapon, particularly a machine gun, or the like can be simulated in the form of tactile signals, thus providing immediate tactile feedback to the user or their fingers. The applications of the invention are numerous and can be adapted to the respective type of device.

[0009] The apparatus according to the invention could also be referred to as an inventive device or an inventive device. In particular, the apparatus according to the invention can be a game controller, e.g. with a joystick, or an input device, e.g. a rocker switch, a button or the like, of a motor vehicle or a hand-held work machine, in particular one formed on a vehicle console or a dashboard of a vehicle. This is, of course, only an incomplete list of examples, since the possible applications for the invention are extremely numerous.

[0010] In keeping with the wide range of possible designs for apparatuses according to the invention, their base bodies can also be designed in very different ways. The base body can, for example, be a housing or another supporting structure of the apparatus. The operating element can be movably mounted in or on the base body of the apparatus. The base body can therefore have a receiving cavity in which the operating element can be moved or into which the operating element can be moved and out of which it can be moved. However, other forms of mounting the operating element on the base body of the apparatus are also conceivable.

[0011] Fundamentally, the idea is that the user can feel the mechanical impulse generated by the actuator with their finger resting on the actuating surface, i.e., perceive it as a tactile signal. For this to happen, the actuating surface does not necessarily have to be visibly deflected. It could also be a purely mechanical vibration excitation of the actuating surface. In preferred embodiments of the invention, however, it is provided that the mechanical impulse generates a movement of the actuating surface away from the control element base body.

[0012] In principle, a wide variety of actuator shapes can be used to generate a mechanical pulse acting on the actuating surface in devices according to the invention. The actuator could also be referred to as a pulse generator. For example, pneumatic or hydraulic actuator designs are conceivable for this purpose. Particularly preferred variants, however, provide for the actuator to be driven electrically or electromagnetically. These can, for example, be electrically driven eccentrics, magnetic or magnetizable counterparts or plungers moved by means of electromagnetic coils, or the like. Some possible examples are explained below in the description of the figures, without this limiting the variety of actuators possible according to the invention.The actuator or parts thereof can be arranged either on the control element base body or directly in the actuating surface or in an actuating body having the actuating surface, which will be explained in more detail later.

[0013] Preferred embodiments of such actuators provide that at least the part of the actuator to be supplied with energy, in particular with electrical current, is arranged in the control element base body. This simplifies the energy supply of the actuator. The actuator can be designed as a linearly or translationally movable

[0014] Actuator, e.g. with a plunger arranged in an electromagnetic coil, in particular permanent magnets, or also as a rotating actuator, e.g. as an eccentric cam rotatable by means of an electric motor or a correspondingly rotatable eccentric disc or a crank drive.

[0015] Particularly preferred variants of the invention provide that the operating element has a support element for supporting the actuator when the actuating surface is subjected to the mechanical impulse. The operating element can have the support element in addition to the actuator. However, the support element can also be integrated into the actuator. The support element preferably acts elastically. For this purpose, the support element can be designed as a mechanical spring. For this purpose, the support element can also be designed, for example, as a permanent magnet.

[0016] Particularly preferably, the support element acts on a plunger of the actuator to apply the mechanical impulse to the actuating surface.

[0017] Depending on the actuator's design, the actuating surface can also be reset after the mechanical impulse has been delivered by the actuator itself. Examples of this are shown in the following figure description.

[0018] Particularly preferred embodiments of the invention, however, provide that the operating element has at least one elastic actuating surface reset element for resetting the actuating surface toward the operating element base body. Such elastic actuating surface reset elements can ensure the reset of the actuating surface alone after a mechanical impulse has been transmitted to it. However, such elastic actuating surface reset elements can also perform the corresponding reset of the actuating surface together with the actuator, thus assisting the actuator in the reset process.

[0019] The mechanical impulse with which the actuating surface is subjected by the actuator can be a single mechanical impulse or a pulse sequence of successive single mechanical impulses. If, for the sake of simplicity, reference is usually made to a mechanical impulse, this means, where appropriate in the respective case, both single impulses and corresponding pulse sequences. Irrespective of whether it is a single mechanical impulse or a pulse sequence of single mechanical impulses, preferred variants of the invention provide that the respective single mechanical impulse has a pulse duration of a maximum of 0.2 seconds, preferably a maximum of 0.1 seconds. Pulse durations of a maximum of 0.01 seconds are particularly preferred.

[0020] With regard to the strength of the impulse delivered to the actuating surface by means of the actuator, preferred variants provide that the single mechanical impulse applies a force greater than 0 Newton and up to 1 Newton to the actuating surface.

[0021] To ensure the best possible tactile perceptibility of the individual pulses during pulse sequences, it is preferably provided that the pulse sequence has a maximum of 300 consecutively generated mechanical individual pulses per second. By varying the duration and strength of each individual mechanical pulse, but also by varying the time intervals between the consecutive individual mechanical pulses in a pulse sequence, a wide variety of tactile signals can be transmitted via the actuating surface to the finger of the person operating the device. By means of appropriate control and regulation, a wide variety of forms of tactilely perceptible mechanical impulses can be transmitted to the actuating surface.

[0022] If there is a risk of the actuator causing excessive heating of the operating element, in particular of the operating element base body, appropriate cooling measures can be taken to avoid this in devices according to the invention. These can be known measures such as cooling fins, heat pipes or forced ventilation, e.g. by means of flutter valves, or the like. Overheating of the actuator or the operating element can also be counteracted by an appropriate choice of material, e.g. by forming the base body of the device or at least the area thereof close to the operating element from materials with good heat conduction. Examples here include metals with good heat conduction such as aluminum or copper or the like, but also plastics with good heat conduction properties, e.g. by means of appropriate fillers such as in particular e.g. hexagonal boron nitride. In order to avoid unnecessary heating of the operating element orTo avoid friction between the control element base body and the device's base body during relative movement, appropriate measures can be taken to reduce mechanical friction. These can include, for example, appropriately good fits, the correct choice of materials, the use of sliding materials and / or surfaces with good sliding properties, as well as lubrication or air cushioning.

[0023] Undesirable acoustic side effects, in other words noise development, can also be reduced by appropriate design of guides and padding.

[0024] The actuating surface can be formed directly on the actuator. However, an alternative, preferred variant provides for the actuating surface to be formed on an actuating body of the operating element, wherein the actuating body is mounted on the operating element base body so that it can move relative to the operating element base body.

[0025] The actuating surface as well as the actuating body can be moved translationally and / or rotationally relative to the operating element base body. A pivotable mounting of the actuating body on the operating element base body is particularly preferred. Preferred variants provide for the actuating body to be attached to the operating element base body in an articulated manner or to be formed thereon. Suitable joints can be, for example, film hinges or axle joints or ball joints. When designed as a film hinge, its elastic properties can then also form the elastic actuating surface return element mentioned above. Of course, separate actuating surface return elements such as return springs or the like are also conceivable in order to ensure appropriate return of the actuating body and / or the actuating surface relative to the operating element base body.There are also a wide variety of options for the relative movement of the operating element relative to the base body of the device. For example, it can be provided that the operating element can be moved and / or pivoted relative to the base body by pressing on the actuating surface with at least one finger. It is preferably provided that the operating element is mounted in or on the base body so that it can be moved back and forth between an initial position and a maximum deflected end position. In the maximum deflected end position, the operating element can strike an end stop on the base body of the device. It is also advantageous if an operating element reset element is provided for resetting the operating element relative to the base body. It is therefore preferably provided that the device has a preferably elastic operating element reset element for resetting the operating element to the initial position.

[0026] In order to be able to determine the current actual position of the operating element relative to the base body of the device, preferred variants of the invention provide that the device has a position sensor for determining a current actual position of the operating element. The current actual position of the operating element determined by means of the position sensor can be used in a variety of ways. For example, it is possible to vary the type of mechanical impulse depending on the measured actual position of the operating element. The current actual position of the operating element measured by means of the position sensor can also be used to influence the mobility of the operating element during its movement relative to the base body.

[0027] The device can have a braking device for braking and / or holding the operating element during its movement and / or in its current position relative to the base body. This braking device can be integrated into the base body or also into the operating element. The braking device can have an adjustable braking force. The actual position of the operating element can be used, for example, as a measurement variable for this adjustable braking force. Of course, other state parameters of the device can also be used to regulate the braking force. The braking device can, for example, be known disc or drum brakes. The braking device is also advantageously actuated electrically and / or electromagnetically. A particularly preferred variant provides for the braking device to be a magnetorheological braking device, as is known per se.Magnetorheological braking devices have the advantage that their braking force can be adjusted very quickly by applying and varying the magnetic field accordingly, and that a wide variety of braking profiles can be implemented. The type and strength of braking can be virtually freely specified with such magnetorheological braking devices.

[0028] Particularly preferably, the actuator applies a mechanical impulse to the actuating surface when the operating element or the operating element base body either rests against an end stop of the base body or is momentarily braked or held by a corresponding braking device. In principle, however, it is also possible to generate the tactile signal independently of the current position of the operating element.

[0029] In preferred embodiments, the apparatus has an internal and / or external control or regulation with which the actuator and optionally also the braking device can be controlled, in particular also as a function of the measured actual position.

[0030] For the sake of completeness, it should be noted that in the course of describing this invention, the numerals used, such as one, two, three, and the like, generally only describe the minimum number of a feature present. Individual features or components of the apparatus may, of course, also be present in larger numbers.

[0031] Further features and details of preferred embodiments of the invention are explained below by way of example in the description of the figures. They show:

[0032] Fig. 1 to 3 show representations of an embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention in the form of a game controller;

[0033] Fig. 4 and 5 are schematic representations of a fundamentally possible structure of an embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention;

[0034] Fig. 6 to 8 representations of design variants of a corresponding control element;

[0035] Fig. 9 and 10 are schematic diagrams, each in a longitudinal section, showing possible designs of braking devices;

[0036] Fig. 11 to 16 show representations of other variants of operating elements which can be used in apparatus according to the invention;

[0037] Fig. 17 is a further schematic diagram of a possible embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention and

[0038] 18 and 19 show variants of the exemplary embodiment from FIGS. 6 and 7, in each of which a support element is provided. FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example of an apparatus 1 according to the invention in the form of a game controller 14. This initially has numerous features known per se. For example, it comprises a base body 2 in the form of a housing, on the surface of which various control buttons 20 and also two joysticks 19 are provided. In addition to these features known per se, the game controller 14, i.e. the apparatus 1 according to the invention in this exemplary embodiment, also has an operating element 3 designed according to the invention, which in this first exemplary embodiment is designed as a pivotably mounted operating lever.This operating element 3 has an actuating surface 5 onto which a user presses with his finger when he wants to move the operating element 3 relative to the base body 2, in this embodiment pivot it.

[0039] As will be seen further below, the actuating surface 5 in this exemplary embodiment is a surface of an actuating body 8, which is mounted on the actuating element base body 4 so as to be movable, here pivotable, relative to an operating element base body 4 (not yet visible in Figs. 1 and 2) arranged inside the base body 2. The operating element base body 4 of this exemplary embodiment is in turn pivotably mounted on the base body 2.

[0040] Fig. 3 now shows a section through this apparatus 1 according to the invention or rather the game controller 14 from Figs. 1 and 2. The operating element 3 or its operating element base body 4 can be seen inside the base body 2. The entire operating element 3 is thus movable, in this exemplary embodiment pivotable about the pivot axis 41, and is mounted in or on the base body 2 of the apparatus 1. The pivoting takes place when the user presses with his finger on the actuating surface 5 which, in this exemplary embodiment, is arranged on the actuating body 8 of the operating element 3, whereby the entire operating element 3 is pivoted about the pivot axis 41 relative to the base body 2. The actuating body 8 is formed on the operating element base body 4 in this exemplary embodiment by means of a film hinge 9.The film hinge 9 can also simultaneously form an elastic actuating surface return element 7, which elastically prestresses or pivots the actuating body 8 towards the operating element base body 4 as soon as the actuator 6 is no longer active.

[0041] While in this exemplary embodiment the film hinge 9 ensures a corresponding return of the actuating body 8 relative to the operating element base body 4, the operating element return element 10 is provided for pivoting the entire operating element 3, i.e. the operating element base body 4 together with the actuating body 8 and the actuating surface 5 back into the starting position when pressure is no longer applied to the actuating surface 5. The operating element return element 10, designed here as a spring, is supported on the one hand on a contact shoulder 22 of the operating element base body 4 and on the other hand on a support shoulder 21 of the base body 2, as can be seen in Fig. 3.

[0042] In addition, in this embodiment according to Figs. 1 to 3, a position sensor 11 is also provided, with which the current position of the operating element 3 or the operating element base body 4 relative to the base body 2 can be measured or determined.

[0043] 4 and 5 show a somewhat reduced representation of this structure, which was already explained in the introduction with reference to Fig. 3, and thus a simplified schematic diagram. Fig. 4 shows the operating element 3 in its starting position relative to the base body 2, whilst Fig. 5 shows the maximum deflected end position of the operating element 3. Starting from the starting position according to Fig. 4, this is achieved when the user presses sufficiently hard against the actuating surface 5 with his finger, so that the operating element 3 is pivoted about the pivot axis 41 relative to the base body 2 against the pretension of the operating element return element 10 until it strikes the end stop 23 of the base body 2 in the maximum deflected end position shown in Fig. 5.

[0044] During this relative movement between the operating element 3 and the base body 2, which in this exemplary embodiment is implemented as a pivoting movement, the current relative position between the operating element 3 and the base body 2 or between the operating element base body 4 and the base body 2 can be determined using the position sensor 11, which in this exemplary embodiment is fixed to the base body 2, and the sensor counterpart 24, which in this example is designed as a permanent magnet and is fixed to the operating element base body 4. Position sensors 11 suitable for this purpose are known in the prior art, for example in the form of Hall sensors or the like, and need not be described further.

[0045] 4 and 5, the operating element 3 has an actuator 6 for generating a mechanical impulse which acts on the actuating surface 5 and can therefore be felt with a finger on this actuating surface. This actuator 6 is only shown schematically in FIGS. 4 and 5 and can be designed very differently, as will be described below with reference to various exemplary embodiments. In any case, it is preferably provided in this and other exemplary embodiments that the mechanical impulse generated by the actuator 6 generates a movement of the actuating surface 5 in the direction away from the operating element base body. In this exemplary embodiment according to FIG.4 and 5, the actuating surface 5 is, as already mentioned, formed on the actuating body 8, which is mounted on the operating element base body 4 by means of the film hinge 9 and pivotably relative to the operating element base body 4. In this exemplary embodiment, a one-piece connection between the actuating body 8 and the operating element base body 4 is created via the film hinge 9. In this embodiment, the film hinge 9 also serves simultaneously as an actuating surface reset element 7, which resets the actuating body 8 together with the actuating surface 5 in the direction towards the operating element base body 4 when the actuator 6 is not active and is not emitting a mechanical impulse to the actuating body 8 and thus to the actuating surface 5.

[0046] The actuator 6 is advantageously driven electrically or electromagnetically. Parts of the actuator 6 can be formed on the control element base body 4, but also on the actuating body 8 or on the actuating surface 5. Depending on the design of the respective actuator 6, it is advantageously provided that the components of the actuator 6 that are to be supplied with electrical current are arranged on the control element base body 4, since this facilitates the power supply to the actuator 6.

[0047] For the sake of completeness, as already explained at the beginning, it is also stated here again that instead of electrically or electromagnetically driven actuators 6, other actuators 6 can also be used in devices 1 according to the invention. For example, hydraulic or pneumatic actuators 6 could also be used at an appropriate point in order to subject the actuating surface 5 to a mechanical impulse. The mechanical impulse can, as also already explained, be a single mechanical impulse or a pulse sequence of successive single mechanical impulses. With regard to the preferred pulse durations and forces with which the actuating surface 5 is subjected by the mechanical impulse, reference is made to what was said at the beginning. The same applies in the case of pulse sequences for the preferred maximum number of single pulses per second.

[0048] Even if this is not mandatory, it is nevertheless advantageous if the operating element base body 4 is held in its position relative to the base body 2 when a mechanical impulse is generated with the actuator 6 and the actuating surface 5 is thus acted upon. This can be achieved on the one hand by the operating element 3 or the operating element base body 4 resting against an end stop 23 of the base body 2 in its maximum deflected end position, as is shown in the position according to Fig. 5. In order to be able to hold the operating element base body 4 in intermediate positions between the starting position and the maximum deflected end position, preferred variants of devices 1 or operating elements 3 according to the invention provide that the device 1, preferably the operating element 3, has a braking device 12 or13 for braking and / or holding the operating element 3 during its movement and / or in its current position relative to the base body 2. Examples of such braking devices 12 and 13 are now explained below with reference to Figs. 6 to 10. Figs. 6 to 8 first show how a corresponding braking device 12 or 13 can be arranged in a corresponding receptacle in the operating element base body 4 in order to hold the operating element base body 4 in the desired positions during its pivoting movement relative to the base body 2 or to only brake it. These can be very different types of braking devices 12 or 13 known per se. A suitable magnetorheological braking device 12 is explained below by way of example with reference to Fig. 9 and a possible embodiment of the braking device 13 in the form of a disc brake is explained with reference to Fig. 10.Of course, other known braking devices such as drum brakes and the like can also be used in the apparatus 1 according to the invention.

[0049] Before we go into this, however, the design of the actuator 6 shown in Figs. 6 to 8 will now be explained. This is an electromagnetic actuator 6 which has a coil 34 fixed in the control element base body 4 for generating a magnetic field. A sliding bushing 35 is located in this coil 34. A plunger 36, which can be moved back and forth by means of the coil 34, is mounted in the sliding bushing 35. This plunger 36 can be a permanent magnet, for example. By appropriately energizing the coil 34, a magnetic field is generated which, depending on the polarity of the magnetic field, either accelerates the plunger 36 in the direction of the actuating body 8 and thus towards the actuating surface 5 or moves it back in the opposite direction. By the plunger 36 striking the actuating body 8, the actuating surface 5 is subjected to a corresponding mechanical impulse.This mechanical impulse can be perceived as a tactile signal by the finger when the finger rests on the actuating surface 5. In Figs. 6 and 7, the actuating surface 5 is formed on the actuating body 8. The plunger 36 strikes the actuating body 8 from behind, so that the latter, together with the actuating surface 5, moves away from the operating element base body 4, as shown in Fig. 7. The return, when the plunger 36 is correspondingly retracted, to the position according to Fig. 6 is then effected by means of the actuating surface return element 7, which is designed here as a film hinge 9.

[0050] While in the variants shown in Figs. 4 to 7, the actuating surface 5 is arranged on an actuating body 8 of the operating element 3, Fig. 8 is a variant in which the actuating surface 5 is arranged directly on the actuator 6, in the illustrated embodiment directly on its plunger 36. The actuating body 8 can then be omitted accordingly in such variants, as is also shown in Fig. 8.

[0051] 18 and 19 show further variants of the embodiment from Figs. 6 and 7. In Figs. 18 and 19, the actuator 6 is supported by a support element 42 when the actuating surface 5 is subjected to the mechanical impulse. In both variants shown here, the support element 42 acts elastically on the plunger 36. In addition to its acceleration by means of the coil 34 and thus by means of the actuator 6, the plunger 36 is accelerated elastically in the direction of the actuating surface 5 by the support element 42. In Fig. 18, the support element 42 is a mechanical spring, here for example in the form of a spiral spring. In Fig.19, the support element 42 is a permanent magnet which is poled such that the plunger 36, during its movement toward the support element 42, is initially elastically decelerated by the latter and then accelerated again toward the actuating surface 5. Analogously, the support element 42 can of course also be used in the variant in Fig. 8 and, in a possibly adapted form, also in the other embodiments of the operating element 3.

[0052] The braking devices 12 and 13 already mentioned and now explained below by way of example with reference to Figs. 9 and 10 are advantageously those which have an adjustable braking force. This means that the operating element 3 can be braked with varying degrees of force and at different positions during its movement relative to the base body 2 by means of the braking devices 12 and 13, respectively.

[0053] A particularly preferred embodiment provides for a magnetorheological braking device 12, as shown schematically in Fig. 9 as an example. Such magnetorheological braking devices 12 are known per se in the prior art and are therefore only shown schematically here. They have two advantages. One is that they enable a practically freely programmable or freely predeterminable braking force distribution. Secondly, such a braking device 12 reacts very quickly to the corresponding control signals.

[0054] Fig. 9 shows a schematic longitudinal section through such a magnetorheological braking device 12. It has a stator 25 and a rotor 26 which is rotatably mounted relative to the stator and on the stator by means of the bearing 30. Between the stator 25 and the rotor 26 there is a free space 28 in which a magnetorheological fluid is located. The magnetorheological fluid can be a magnetorheological liquid but also a mixture of gas and the corresponding particles necessary for the magnetorheological effect. By means of the coil 27, a magnetic field can be applied in the free space 28 which acts on the magnetorheological fluid and changes its viscosity. As a result, braking forces of varying strengths can be exerted on the rotor 26. If the strength is sufficient, these can lead to the rotor 26 being completely held stationary relative to the stator 25.The windings of coil 27 are advantageously located on stator 25, as this simplifies the power supply 29. This type of magnetorheological braking device 12, as shown in Fig. 9, is, as stated, only an example. Magnetorheological braking devices 12 are known in the prior art in a wide variety of configurations and can be used, where appropriate, in the context of the invention.

[0055] Fig. 10 shows an example of a mechanical braking device 13 in the form of a disk brake, which can also be used in apparatus 1 according to the invention. This mechanical braking device 13 also has a stator 25 and a rotor 26 rotatably mounted thereon. As in the exemplary embodiment according to Fig. 9, bearings 30 are advantageously arranged between the stator 25 and the rotor 26 in order to keep the friction when the rotor 26 rotates around the stator 25 as low as possible. In this exemplary embodiment, a braking drive 33 is located on the stator 25, for example in the form of an electromagnet or its coil and a brake pad 32. The brake disk 31 rotates with the rotor 26 and is lifted off the brake pad 32 by the spring element 18 when the braking drive 33 is not energized, see Fig. 10 above. If, however, the brake disc 31 is pressed against the brake pad 32 by appropriate current supply to the brake drive 33, see Fig.10 below, this results in a corresponding braking effect. The strength of the braking effect can be adjusted through the interaction of the brake drive 33 and the spring element 18. Of course, this exemplary embodiment can also be implemented the other way around, by a corresponding spring 18 pre-tensioning the brake disc 31 in the direction of the brake pad 32 and the brake drive 33 ensuring that the brake disc 31 is pressed away from the brake pad 32 against the pre-tension of the spring element 18. Here, too, the strength of the braking force can be regulated by appropriately supplying current to the brake drive 33, i.e. in this case the corresponding electromagnet.

[0056] Fig. 11 now shows a schematic view of an alternative design of an operating element 3 which, as shown schematically in Figs. 4 and 5, can also be mounted on the base body 2 so as to be pivotable or movable in some other way. The essential difference to the variants described above lies only in the design of the actuator 6. In Fig. 11, the actuator 6 is an eccentric cam 38 which can be rotated by the electric motor 39. Whenever the eccentric cam 38 strikes the actuating body 8, the actuating surface 5, which in this example is located on the actuating body 8, is subjected to a corresponding mechanical pulse. With appropriate control of the electric motor 39, the actuating surface 5 can here, as in the variants shown above, be subjected to both individual mechanical pulses and pulse sequences. Also in this embodiment according to Fig .11, corresponding braking devices 12 or 13 can be implemented at the corresponding point, although these are no longer shown separately in Fig. 11. Another possible design for the actuator 6 is shown in Fig. 12. This is also an electromagnetic actuator 6. It is a coil 34 with a ferromagnetic core 40, which are arranged together on the control element base body 4. This simplifies the power supply to the coil 34. The magnetic field generated by the coil 34 and the ferromagnetic core 40 acts on the counterpart 37, which can be designed as a permanent magnet or from magnetizable material. The counterpart 37 is located on the actuating body 8 in this example. This is therefore an example of how parts of the actuator 6 can be designed or arranged both on the control element base body 4 and on the actuating body 8.By appropriately energizing the coil 34, the actuating surface 5 can also be subjected to appropriate mechanical pulses. These mechanical pulses can also be individual mechanical pulses or pulse sequences of successive individual mechanical pulses. As in the exemplary embodiment according to Fig. 11, the resetting can also be effected via the film hinge 9 and a corresponding elastic loading of the actuating body 8 in the direction towards the control element base body 4. In the variant according to Fig. 12, it would even be possible to generate the resetting via an appropriate energization of the coil 34, i.e. via the actuator 6.

[0057] Fig. 13 shows a variant in which the actuating body 8, which has the actuating surface 5, is not designed as a pivotable lever 8 but as a body movably mounted on both sides of the operating element base body 4 by means of membrane-like film hinges 9. The actuator 6 is not shown in more detail here, but can be implemented, for example, as shown in the other exemplary embodiments. Here too, the actuating body 8 with the actuating surface 5 can be moved away from the operating element base body 4 when it is subjected to a corresponding mechanical impulse by means of the actuator 6. The two membrane-like film hinges 9 once again serve as actuating surface return elements 7.

[0058] Fig. 14 schematically illustrates that an actuating body 8 pivotably mounted on the operating element base body 4 can also be mounted on the operating element base body 4 by means of an axle joint 15. In this case, an actuating surface reset element 7 designed as a tension spring ensures the reset. The actuator 6 for applying the corresponding mechanical impulse to the actuating surface 5 can also be designed differently here, e.g., just as specifically shown in the other exemplary embodiments.

[0059] The embodiment of the operating element 3 shown in Fig. 15 and 16 differs from the variant shown in Fig. 11 essentially in the type of actuator 6. This is designed as a crank drive and has a transmission lever 17 which is articulated on one side to the actuating body 8 and on the other side eccentrically to the eccentric disc 16. By rotating the eccentric disc 16 by means of a suitable electric motor, corresponding mechanical impulses for acting on the actuating surface 5 can be generated. This type of actuator 6 can also simultaneously form the actuating surface return element 7 in that it can move the actuating body 8 not only in the direction away from the operating element base body 4 but also in the direction towards the operating element base body 4. In this case, therefore, an elastic return via the film hinge 9 does not necessarily have to be provided.Nevertheless, the film hinge 9 can of course also serve as an actuating surface return element 7.

[0060] Fig. 17 shows, by way of example, a variant of an apparatus 1 according to the invention, in which the operating element 3 is not pivoted relative to the base body 2, but is displaced when the actuating surface 5 is pressed accordingly with a finger. By appropriate pressure on this actuating surface 5, the operating element 3 can be pushed into the base body 2 against the pretension of the operating element return element 10, which is designed here as a spring, until the operating element 3 strikes the end stop 23. If the actuating surface 5 is released, the operating element return element 10 ensures a corresponding return to the initial position of the operating element 3 shown in Fig. 17. Here, too, an actuator 6 is provided in order to apply a mechanical impulse to the actuating surface 5. The actuator 6 can be designed for this purpose in a wide variety of designs, as already mentioned, but also in other embodiments.In the variant shown in Fig. 17, the actuating surface 5 is formed on an actuating body 8 which, analogously to the variant according to Fig. 13, is held on the operating element base body 4 by means of two elastic film hinges 9, which simultaneously form the actuating surface return element 7.

[0061] Of course, even in variants where the

[0062] When the operating element 3 is displaced relative to the base body 2, the actuating surface 5 and the actuating body 8, as well as the actuator 6, can be realized in a wide variety of embodiments, e.g., in those already shown and explained. In particular, even with such variants, it is possible to form the actuating surface 5 directly on the actuator 6 and to dispense with a separate actuating body 8, as shown, for example, in Fig. 8.

[0063] The various embodiments shown here illustrate that the invention can be implemented in a wide variety of forms. In particular, the individual features shown here in various embodiments can, of course, also be combined with one another in other ways.

[0064] L egend to the reference numbers:

[0065] Apparatus 26 Rotor

[0066] Base body 27 coil

[0067] Control element 28 free space

[0068] Control element- 29 Power supply base body 30 Bearing

[0069] Actuating surface 31 brake disc

[0070] Actuator 32 brake pad

[0071] Actuating surfaces33 Brake drive reset element 34 Coil

[0072] Actuator body 35 sliding bushing

[0073] Film hinge 36 plunger

[0074] Learn to operate t reset el l- 37 Counterpart element 38 Eccentric cam

[0075] Position sensor 39 Electric motor magneto rheological 40 Ferromagnetic core

[0076] Braking device 41 Swivel axis mechanical 42 Support element

[0077] braking device

[0078] Game controller

[0079] axle joint

[0080] Eccentric disc

[0081] transmission lever

[0082] spring element

[0083] joystick

[0084] Switch button

[0085] Support shoulder

[0086] Plant shoulder

[0087] End stop

[0088] Sens or counterpart

[0089] stator

Claims

Patent claims 1. Apparatus (1) with a base body (2) and an operating element (3), wherein the operating element (3) has an operating element base body (4) and an actuating surface (5) and the operating element (3) is mounted in or on the base body (2), wherein the operating element (3) is movable relative to the base body (2) by pressing with at least one finger on the actuating surface (5), characterized in that the operating element (3) has at least one actuator (6) for generating a mechanical impulse acting on the actuating surface (5).

2. Apparatus (1) according to claim 1, wherein the mechanical impulse generates a movement of the actuating surface (5) in the direction away from the operating element base body (4), and / or wherein the actuator (6) is electrically or electromagnetically driven.

3. Apparatus (1) according to claim 2, wherein the operating element (3) has at least one elastic actuating surface return element (7) for returning the actuating surface (5) in the direction towards the operating element base body (4).

4. Apparatus (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the mechanical pulse is a single mechanical pulse or a pulse sequence of consecutive mechanical single pulses.

5. Apparatus (1) according to claim 4, wherein the mechanical single pulse has a pulse duration of a maximum of 0.2 seconds, preferably a maximum of 0.1 seconds, and / or the actuating surface (5) is subjected to a force greater than 0 Newton and up to 1 Newton.

6. Apparatus (1) according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the pulse sequence comprises at most 300 consecutively generated individual mechanical pulses per second.

7. Apparatus (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the actuating surface (5) is formed directly on the actuator (6).

8. Apparatus (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the actuating surface (5) is formed on an actuating body (8) of the operating element (3), wherein the actuating body (8) is mounted on the operating element base body (4) so ​​as to be movable relative to the operating element base body (4).

9. Apparatus (1) according to claim 8, wherein the actuating body (8) , preferably by means of a film hinge (9) or an axle joint (15), is attached or formed in an articulated manner to the control element base body (4). 10 Apparatus (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the operating element (3) is actuated by pressing on the actuating surface (5) with at least one finger is displaceable and / or pivotable relative to the base body (2).

11. Apparatus (1) according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the operating element (3) is mounted in or on the base body (2) so as to be movable back and forth between an initial position and a maximally deflected end position.

12. Apparatus (1) according to claim 11, wherein the apparatus (1) has a preferably elastic operating element return element (10) for returning the operating element (3) to the starting position.

13. Apparatus (1) according to one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the apparatus (1) comprises a position sensor (11) for Determination of a current actual position of the control element (3).

14. Apparatus (1) according to one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the apparatus (1), preferably the operating element (3), has a preferably magnetorheological braking device (12, 13), preferably with adjustable braking force, for braking and / or holding the operating element (3) during its movement and / or in its current position relative to the base body (2).

15. Apparatus (1) according to one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the apparatus (1) is a game controller (14) or an input device of a motor vehicle or a hand-held work machine.