CAPACITIVE PROXIMITY SWITCH
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A capacitive proximity switch having a display panel including a translucent region. A first circuit board is translucent to light at least in the region of the translucent region of the display panel and supports capacitance-forming sensor layers. Light wells enclose the sensor layers on the side facing away from the observer, and protrude from the first circuit board to a second circuit board parallel to the first circuit board. Light sources are disposed within the light wells A contact element leads from the first circuit board to the second circuit board. Optical fibers are applied on the first circuit board in the region of the translucent region. The first circuit board is encapsulated by an opaque plastic functional carrier. An opaque decorative layer covers the observer side of the optical fibers and the functional carrier, and includes characters and/or symbols in the region of the translucent region.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1-10. -10. (canceled)
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11. A capacitive proximity sensor comprising:
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a display field having at least one transparent region; a first printed circuit board arranged on a first side of the display field facing away from an observer, the first printed circuit board being translucent at least in a region corresponding to the at least one transparent region of the display field; a second printed circuit board arranged at a distance from the first printed circuit board and substantially parallel to the first printed circuit board; capacitance-forming sensor layers; light shafts arranged to surround the sensor layers on the side facing away from the observer and project between the first printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board; light sources arranged corresponding to the light shafts on the second printed circuit board; a contact element arranged from the first printed circuit board to the second printed circuit board; first optical waveguides applied to a side of the first printed circuit board facing the display field corresponding to the at least one transparent region of the display field; a functional opaque plastic carrier, having a same thickness as the first optical waveguides, that encapsulates the first side of the first printed circuit board, omitting regions corresponding to the first optical waveguides, and forms light shafts on a side of the carrier facing away from the observer; and an opaque decorative layer that covers the first optical waveguides and the functional carrier on the observer side defining apertures forming at least one of characters and symbols in the region corresponding to the transparent region of the display field, wherein the second printed circuit board is fastened to a side of the functional carrier that faces away from the observer. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification