Rotary Actuator with Programmable Haptics via Electromagnet Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing control elements with programmable haptics for motor vehicles are often complex, costly, and difficult to integrate, lacking a simple and cost-effective solution for providing customizable tactile feedback.
Innovation Solution
A rotatable control knob connected to a toothed ring with a movable locking element, where an electromagnet and a fine detent spring work together to create programmable haptic feedback, allowing for adjustable force resistance and customizable detent positions through the arrangement of recesses and elevations on the toothed ring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional operating elements with discrete locking positions are used, then the structure is simple, but the haptic feedback is not programmable and lacks flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the haptic feedback dynamic and programmable by replacing fixed mechanical detents with an electromagnet-actuated locking element that can be controlled via control unit. The locking element can be positioned at different angular positions around the toothed ring, allowing the detent positions to be changed dynamically based on operational requirements rather than being fixed during manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical detent springs with an electromagnet-actuated locking mechanism. Instead of relying on purely mechanical elements, the system uses electromagnetic force to actuate the locking element, which then engages with the toothed ring to provide haptic feedback. This substitution enables programmable control of haptic characteristics.
2Adaptability or versatility
If existing programmable haptic solutions are implemented, then customizable tactile feedback is achieved, but the cost and integration difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit serves multiple functions: it controls the electromagnet actuation, manages the haptic feedback timing, and coordinates with the vehicle's existing control systems. The locking element design is universal, working with any toothed ring configuration, allowing the same basic mechanism to provide customizable haptics across different control knob applications without requiring application-specific hardware redesign.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking element acts as an intermediary between the electromagnet and the toothed ring. Instead of directly actuating the control knob or requiring complex mechanical linkages, the locking element engages with the toothed ring's teeth to translate electromagnetic force into rotational resistance and detent effects. This intermediary approach simplifies the overall system architecture.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple detent positions are provided for different variables, then the control flexibility increases, but the device complexity and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically configures detent positions by controlling which teeth of the toothed ring engage with the locking element at different rotational positions. Instead of having physically separate detent mechanisms for each variable, the same locking element engages with different teeth of the toothed ring based on the selected variable, providing multiple detent positions within a compact form factor.
Solution Approach 2:
The toothed ring provides a circular array of detent positions around the control knob's rotation axis. Instead of stacking detent mechanisms radially or axially (which would increase size), the solution distributes detent positions angularly around the ring, utilizing the rotational dimension to provide multiple discrete positions without increasing the radial or axial footprint of the control element.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a structurally simple, inexpensive, and easily integratable control element with programmable haptics, enabling customizable tactile feedback that can enhance user experience by adjusting the force required to overcome detents, thereby improving the usability of motor vehicle controls.
Implementation Method 1
at least one by means of an electromagnet on the toothed ring to and / or away from the toothed ring movable locking element. If an electric current is applied to the electromagnet, this current generates a magnetic force that causes the locking element to move.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2~4
Figure 3a~3c
AI summary
The invention relates to a control element having programmable haptics, in particular a programmable central catch, for a motor vehicle, having a control knob which can be accommodated such that it can rotate, the control knob being connected in a force-fitting or interlocking manner to a toothed ring (2, 13, 14) or having an integral design, and it being possible for the toothed ring (2, 13, 14) to be rotated by means of the control knob, and at least one latching element (1, 7, 15) which can move towards the toothed ring (2, 13, 14) and/or away from the toothed ring (2, 13, 14) by means of an electromagnet (3, 9, 17).