Operating device having an actuator with at least two adjustment degrees of freedom

• US 6,545,662 B1
• Filed: 09/23/1999
• Issued: 04/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mannesmann VDO AG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Mannesmann VDO AG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Noll, Heinrich, Breinich, Herbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Nitin
• Application Number:
  US09/405,273
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/158, 345/161, 345/164, 345/166, 345/165, 345/175, 345/184, 345/157, 210/54, 273/48, 744/71
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/04759 Light-sensitive detector, e.g. photoelectric
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 9/047 the controlling member being movable by hand about orthogonal axes, e.g. joysticks for switches H01H25/04

Abstract

In an operating device having an actuator (1) with at least two adjustment degrees of freedom, provision is made for said device to have a device (3, 5, 6) for evaluating the position of the actuator (1) optically.

Claims

1. An operating device comprising:

an actuator (1) movable around a pivot point with at least two adjustment degrees of freedom, an evaluation device (3, 5, 6, 9, 11) for evaluating a position of the actuator (1) optically, an apparatus for changing a light beam optically, and an optical sensor;

wherein the evaluation device comprises the apparatus for changing the light beam, and the evaluation device evaluates a multiplicity of positions;

wherein the actuator (1) operates the apparatus (3, 11) for changing the light beam (LS, LSP) optically, the optical change in the light beam (LR, LRP) is detected by the optical sensor (6, 9); and

the apparatus (3, 11) for changing the light beam optically is constructed as a variously colored single disk (11) or a variously colored section of a single sphere (3), said colored disk and said colored spherical section each having the multiplicity of positions which are variously colored.

2. The operating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus (3, 11) for changing a light beam optically changes the intensity and/or spectral components of the light beam (LS, LSP, LR, LRP).

3. The operating device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the apparatus (3, 11) for changing the light beam (LS, LSP) optically reflects components of the light beam.

4. The operating device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a light transmitter which transmits pulsed light beams (LSP) to the variously colored disk (11) or the variously colored section of a sphere (3), and the reflected light beams (LSP) are received in the sensor.

5. The operating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein one or more light conductors (16) are arranged between the light transmitter (5) and the section of the sphere (3) or the disk (11) and/or between the disk (11) or the section of the sphere (3) and the sensor (6).

6. The operating device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the actuator (1) is arranged in a rotary switch or a rotary positioner handle (17).

7. The operating device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the rotary switch or rotary positioner handle (17) is rotable about a rigid axle (14) and a light conductor (16) is arranged in the rigid axle (14).

8. The operating device as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a printed circuit board, and wherein the sensor (6) is positioned on the printed circuit board (9).