Vehicle Operating Unit Parallel Guide for Off-Center Pressing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle operating units with large touch displays face challenges in providing reliable parallel guidance with minimal tolerance requirements, especially when operated eccentrically, leading to tilting instead of translational movement.
Innovation Solution
A control unit with a parallel guide device featuring a lever arrangement and support elements that allow for parallel guidance of the control element, utilizing joint recesses for sliding movements and articulated connections to maintain structural simplicity and reduce material distortion, while incorporating a mechanical switch for haptic feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a large-area operating element is manually actuated off-center, then the operating element tilts instead of performing translational pressing motion, but providing complex kinematics to prevent tilting increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The operating element is divided into multiple segments: a first operating element portion, a second operating element portion, and a support element. These segments are connected through pivotable joints that allow independent movement, enabling the larger surface to maintain parallel motion during actuation while reducing the complexity of any single kinematic connection.
2Reliability
If multiple mechanical switches or kinematics are used to ensure parallel stroke movement, then parallel guidance is improved, but device complexity and structural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functional elements are merged into integrated components. The support element serves both as a structural support and as part of the kinematic chain with pivotable connections. The first and second operating element portions are connected to each other and to the support element, creating a unified structure that provides parallel guidance without requiring separate, additional mechanical switches or kinematic devices.
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 enables efficient parallel guidance of the control element with reduced tolerance requirements, ensuring stable operation and effective haptic feedback, even when pressed eccentrically, by using a lever arrangement with joint recesses and a mechanical switch for tactile feedback.
Implementation Method 1
a lever arrangement with at least one first lever and at least one second lever, a bearing arrangement with at least one first bearing block, on which the first lever is pivotably mounted about a pivot axis running transversely to the actuating direction, and with at least one second bearing block, on which the second lever is pivotably mounted about a pivot axis running transversely to the actuating direction
Implementation Method 2
the joint recesses of both support elements each have a geometry which, when the at least one first lever and the at least one second lever are pivoted within the joint recess by moving the actuating element, allows a sliding movement of the respective first lever arm in the direction of the recess opening and opposite thereto and prevents a movement of the respective first lever arm within the joint recess in the actuating direction
Data Source
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AI summary
The operating unit (10) for a vehicle comprises an operating element (20) having an operating surface (18), which operating element can be moved in an actuation direction (56) from an idle position into a function-triggering position by means of depressing and can be transferred from the function-triggering position back into the idle position. By means of a parallel guiding device (68), it is ensured that the operating surface (18) moves in parallel. The parallel guiding device (68) is provided with at least one pair of first and second levers (64, 66), which engage with each other and are jointedly mounted, with play, on support elements (44), which in turn are connected to the operating element (20). The support elements (44) are axially guided on a carrier element (52). The levers (64, 66) are pivotably mounted, essentially without play, on bearing blocks (72, 74), so that the operating element (20) acts essentially without play in directions transverse to the depression movement. The parallel guiding device (68) is designed so as to adhere to tolerances which are relatively easy to achieve in terms of manufacture.