Directional proximity switch assembly

• US 10,038,443 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2014
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Salter, Stuart C., Buttolo, Pietro, Dassanayake, Mahendra Somasara
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thienvu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sun, Pinping
• Application Number:
  US14/518,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20160112044A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/955 using a capacitive detector
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960705 Safety of capacitive touch and proximity switches, e.g. increasing reliability, fail-safe
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960775 Emitter-receiver or "fringe" type detection, i.e. one or more field emitting electrodes and corresponding one or more receiving electrodes

Abstract

A proximity switch assembly is provided and includes a proximity sensor comprising a first electrode comprising first fingers and a second electrode comprising second fingers, wherein the first and second fingers are interdigitated with a varying density and a variable spacing therebetween along a first direction. The proximity switch assembly also includes control circuitry processing a signal in response to a user activation of the proximity sensor and determining sliding activation of the sensor in the first direction. The switch assembly may determine a tap, stable press and sliding activations.

Claims

1. A proximity switch assembly comprising:

a proximity sensor comprising a first electrode comprising first fingers extending outward at differing acute angles relative to each other and a second electrode comprising second fingers interdigitated with the first fingers with variable spacing therebetween along a first direction; and

control circuitry processing a signal in response to a user activation of the proximity sensor and determining sliding activation of the sensor in the first direction and a second direction.

2. The proximity switch assembly of claim 1, wherein the first and second plurality of fingers are interdigitated with variable density along the first direction.

3. The proximity switch assembly of claim 1, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

4. The proximity switch assembly of claim 3 further comprising a third electrode comprising a third plurality of fingers interdigitated with some of the first plurality of fingers of the first electrode, wherein the second electrode and third electrode are processed to determine sliding in the second direction.

5. The proximity switch assembly of claim 4, wherein the control circuitry further determines sliding activation along a third direction between the first and second directions.

6. The proximity switch assembly of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry further determines a tap activation based on the processed signal.

7. The proximity switch assembly of claim 1 further comprising control circuitry monitoring an activation field associated with the proximity sensor and determining an activation of the proximity switch based on rise and fall of the signal relative to a peak value.

8. The proximity switch assembly of claim 1, wherein the proximity switch assembly comprises a capacitive switch comprising one or more capacitive sensors.

9. The proximity switch assembly of claim 1, wherein the assembly is installed on a vehicle.

10. A proximity switch assembly comprising:

a proximity sensor comprising a first electrode comprising first fingers extending outward at differing acute angles relative to each other and a second electrode comprising second fingers interdigitated with the first fingers with variable density along a first direction; and

control circuitry processing a signal in response to a user activation of the proximity sensor and determining sliding activation of the sensor in the first direction and a second direction.

11. The proximity switch assembly of claim 10, wherein the first and second fingers are interdigitated with variable spacing therebetween along a first direction.

12. The proximity switch assembly of claim 10, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

13. The proximity switch assembly of claim 12 further comprising a third electrode comprising a third plurality of fingers interdigitated with some of the first plurality of fingers of the first electrode, wherein the second electrode and third electrode are processed to determine sliding in the second direction.

14. The proximity switch assembly of claim 13, wherein the control circuitry further determines sliding activation along a third direction between the first and second directions.

15. The proximity switch assembly of claim 10 further comprising control circuitry monitoring an activation field associated with the proximity sensor and determining an activation of the proximity switch based on rise and fall of the signal relative to a peak value.

16. A method of activating a proximity switch assembly comprising:

providing a proximity sensor comprising a first electrode comprising first fingers extending outward at differing acute angles relative to each other and a second electrode comprising second fingers such that the first and second fingers are interdigitated with a varying density along a first direction;

processing a signal in response to a user activation of the proximity sensor; and

determining sliding activation of the proximity sensor in the first direction and a second direction based on the processed signal.