CONTROL DEVICE OF AN OPERATING ELEMENT IN A MOTOR VEHICLE

• US 20130241691A1
• Filed: 03/06/2013
• Published: 09/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Paragon AG
• Original Assignee: Paragon AG
• Inventors: MOENKEMUELLER, Ralf
• Granted Patent: US 9,000,888 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/70 specially adapted for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/73 for taking measurements, e.g. using sensing coils

Abstract

A receiver belongs to a control device of an operating element in a motor vehicle, which receiver is a component part of the operating element and into which signals are able to be inputted by a person. In order to be able to establish with great reliability a threshold for the decision ‘signal valid/signal invalid”, it is proposed defined in the invention that the receiver of the operating element has a first coupling-in element and a second coupling-in element, which are arranged at a defined distance from one another on an evaluation axis.

Claims

1. A control device of an operating element in a motor vehicle, with a receiver that belongs to the operating element and into which signals are able to be inputted by a person, wherein the receiver of the operating element has a first coupling-in element and a second coupling-in element that are arranged at a defined distance from one another on an evaluation axis.

2. The control device defined in claim 1, wherein the quotient of the signal strength detected at the first coupling-in element of the receiver and the signal strength detected at the second coupling-in element of the receiver is the basis for the measuring or respectively determining of the distance between the signal source and the operating element.

3. The control device defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a transmitter able to be carried by the person and by means of which signal which is specific for the person is able to be transmitted.

4. The control device defined in claim 1, wherein an electrical field, functioning as a signal, is able to be coupled into the person.

5. The control device defined in claim 1, wherein the first coupling-in element and the second coupling-in element of the receiver are constructed as field sensors.

6. The control device defined in claim 5, wherein the field sensors on the receiver side are constructed as magnetic field sensors, by means of which a magnetic field corresponding to the specific signal transmitted by the transmitter or respectively to the electrical field coupled into the person is able to be evaluated.

7. The control device defined in claim 5, wherein the field sensors on the receiver side are constructed as field plates.

8. The control device defined in claim 5, wherein the field sensors on the receiver side are constructed as field coils.

9. The control device defined in claim 8, wherein a capacitor is associated with each field coil, which capacitor forms with it a resonant circuit that is coordinated with the frequency of the electrical field functioning as a signal.

10. The control device defined in claim 4, further comprising:

a coupling member that can couple the signal into the body of the person.

11. The control device defined in claim 10, wherein the coupling member is arranged on a vehicle seat.

12. The control device defined in claim 10, wherein the coupling member is arranged on a steering wheel.

13. The control device defined in claim 1, wherein the specification of the signals associated with different persons situated in the motor vehicle or respectively with different vehicle seats is realized by means of a presettable chronological sequence of the respective signals.

14. The control device defined in claim 1, wherein the first coupling-in element and the second coupling-in element are configured so that the signal strengths which are detected by them, with a presettable distance, e.g. with an operating distance, between them and signal source, are of equal extent.

15. The control device defined in claim 14, wherein the field plate or respectively the field coil of the coupling-in element which is further remote form the signal source is constructed correspondingly greater with regard to area or respectively with more bindings than the field plate or respectively field coil of the coupling-in element nearer to the signal source.

16. The control device defined in claim 14, wherein the coupling-in element nearer to the signal source has a correspondingly configured signal attenuator.