Haptic steering wheel switch device and haptic steering wheel switch system including the same

• US 8,067,709 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2009
• Issued: 11/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LS Automotive Technologies., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Daesung Electric Company Limited (LS Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Hyun Yong, Han, Chang Kyu
• Primary Examiner(s): LEON MUNOZ, EDWIN A
• Application Number:
  US12/680,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20100200375A1
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: 200/336, 200/61.54, 200/61.55, 200/4, 200/5.R, 200/14, 200/17.R, 200/18, 200/1.B, 200/339, 200/61.56, 200/61.57, 200/553, 341/35, 345/184, 280/731
• US Class Current: 200/336
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/046 Adaptations on rotatable parts of the steering wheel for accommodation of switches
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 19/11 with indexing means
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2003/008 with a haptic or a tactile feedback controlled by electrical means, e.g. a motor or magnetofriction
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2025/043 the operating member being rotatable around wobbling axis for additional switching functions
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2215/05 electromechanical

Abstract

The present invention provides a haptic steering wheel switch device and a haptic steering wheel switch system including the same. The haptic steering wheel switch device comprises: a housing mounted in a steering wheel; a printed circuit board disposed inside of the housing; and a haptic rotary switch unit including a haptic rotary switch driver disposed in the housing and adapted to generate a rotational force in response to an electrical signal, a haptic rotary switching power transfer unit adapted to transfer the rotational force generated from the haptic rotary switch driver, and a haptic rotary switch knob exposed outside of the housing and connected to the haptic rotary switching power transfer unit to receive the rotational force from the haptic rotary switching power transfer unit.

Claims

1. A haptic steering wheel switch device comprising:

a housing mounted in a steering wheel;

a printed circuit board disposed inside of the housing; and

a haptic rotary switch unit including a haptic rotary switch driver disposed in the housing and adapted to generate a rotational force in response to an electrical signal, a haptic rotary switching power transfer unit adapted to transfer the rotational force generated from the haptic rotary switch driver, and a haptic rotary switch knob exposed outside of the housing and connected to the haptic rotary switching power transfer unit to receive the rotational force from the haptic rotary switching power transfer unit.

2. The haptic steering wheel switch device according to claim 1, wherein the haptic rotary switching power transfer unit comprises:

a haptic rotary switch driving gear connected to the haptic rotary switch driver; and

a haptic rotary switch knob gear rotatably disposed in the housing in such a fashion as to be meshed with the haptic rotary switch driving gear so as to be rotated together with the haptic rotary switch knob.

3. The haptic steering wheel switch device according to claim 2, wherein the haptic rotary switching power transfer unit further comprise a haptic rotary switch planetary gear rotatably mounted to the housing, and

wherein the outer circumference of the haptic rotary switch driving gear abuts against that of the haptic rotary switch knob gear in such a fashion that the outer circumference of the haptic rotary switch planetary gear partially abuts against the inner circumference of the haptic rotary switch knob gear.

4. The haptic steering wheel switch device according to claim 1, wherein the haptic rotary switch unit comprises a haptic enter switch unit,

wherein the haptic enter switch unit comprises:

a haptic enter switch knob movably disposed at the haptic rotary switch knob;

a haptic enter switch shaft disposed to penetrate through the haptic rotary switching power transfer unit and connected to the haptic enter switch knob; and

a haptic enter switch disposed on one surface of the printed circuit board and adapted to be movable by the haptic enter switch shaft.

5. The haptic steering wheel switch device according to claim 1, wherein the haptic rotary switching power transfer unit comprises a haptic rotary switch driving gear connected to the haptic rotary switch driver, and the haptic steering wheel switch device comprises a haptic rotary switch sensing unit, wherein the haptic rotary switch sensing unit comprises:

a rotary shaft rotatably disposed to mesh with the haptic rotary switch driving gear;

a haptic rotary switch sensor counterpart mounted on the rotary shaft of the haptic rotary switch sensing unit so as to be rotated together with the rotary shaft; and

a haptic rotary switch sensor disposed on the printed circuit board so as to be placed at a position corresponding to the haptic rotary switch sensor counterpart.

6. The haptic steering wheel switch device according to claim 1, further comprising a haptic button switch unit disposed in the housing.

7. The haptic steering wheel switch device according to claim 1, further comprising a directional switch unit, wherein the directional switch unit comprises:

a directional switch knob movably disposed at the steering wheel;

a directional switch printed circuit board disposed to correspond to the directional switch knob; and

a plurality of directional switches disposed on one surface of the directional switch printed circuit board to correspond to the directional switch knob, and adapted to be moved by means of the directional switch knob.

8. A haptic steering wheel switch system comprising:

a haptic steering wheel switch device, wherein the haptic steering wheel switch device comprises;

a housing mounted in a steering wheel;

a printed circuit board disposed inside of the housing; and

a haptic rotary switch unit including a haptic rotary switch driver disposed in the housing and adapted to generate a rotational force in response to an electrical signal, a haptic rotary switching power transfer unit adapted to transfer the rotational force generated from the haptic rotary switch driver, and a haptic rotary switch knob exposed outside of the housing and connected to the haptic rotary switching power transfer unit to receive the rotational force from the haptic rotary switching power transfer unit;

a controller connected to the haptic steering wheel switch device so as to allow electrical communication to be established between the controller and the haptic steering wheel switch device, and adapted to output a control signal to the haptic steering wheel switch device;

a storage unit connected to the controller so as to allow electrical communication to be established between the storage unit and the controller, and adapted to store a preset operating mode corresponding to an electrical signal outputted from the haptic steering wheel switch device; and

an operating unit connected to the controller so as to allow electrical communication to be established between the operating unit and the controller, and adapted to be operated to correspond to an operating mode preset in response to an electrical signal outputted from the controller.

9. The haptic steering wheel switch system according to claim 8, wherein the operating unit further comprises a display unit or an acoustic output unit connected to the controller so as to allow electrical communication to be established between the display unit or the acoustic output unit and the controller, and adapted to be operated in response to the control signal generated from the controller.

10. A haptic steering wheel switch device comprising:

a housing mounted in a steering wheel;

a printed circuit board disposed inside of the housing; and

a haptic rotary switch unit including a haptic rotary switch driver disposed in the housing and adapted to generate a rotational force in response to an electrical signal, and a haptic rotary switch knob adapted to receive the rotational force generated from the haptic rotary switch driver;

a haptic rotary transfer unit connected at one side to the haptic rotary switch knob, and connected at the other side to the haptic rotary switch driver so as to interconnect the haptic rotary switch knob and the haptic rotary switch driver; and

a haptic rotary switch sensing unit including a haptic rotary switch sensor disposed on the printed circuit board, and a haptic rotary switch sensor counterpart rotatably disposed at a position corresponding to the haptic rotary switch sensor and adapted to receive the rotational force from the haptic rotary switch driver,

whereby the haptic rotary transfer unit is connected at one side to the haptic rotary switch driver and is connected at the other side to haptic rotary switch sensor counterpart so as to transfer the rotational force from the generated from the haptic rotary switch driver to the haptic rotary switch sensor counterpart.

11. The haptic steering wheel switch device according to claim 10, wherein the haptic rotary transfer unit comprises:

a haptic rotary transfer knob adapted to be rotated together with the haptic rotary switch driver, the haptic rotary transfer knob being connected to the haptic rotary switch driver and having a transfer knob pulley;

a counterpart pulley formed at one end of the haptic rotary switch sensor counterpart; and

a transfer belt engaged at both sides with the transfer knob pulley and the counterpart pulley, respectively.

12. The haptic steering wheel switch device according to claim 10, wherein the haptic rotary switch sensor counterpart comprises a plurality of slits formed on the circumferential surface thereof, and the haptic rotary switch sensor comprises an optical sensor.

13. The haptic steering wheel switch device according to claim 10, wherein the haptic rotary switch unit comprises a haptic enter switch unit,

wherein the haptic enter switch unit comprises:

a haptic enter switch knob movably disposed at one end at the haptic rotary switch knob in such a fashion as to be exposed to the outside and movably disposed at the other end at the haptic rotary transfer knob in such a fashion as to penetrate through the haptic rotary transfer knob; and

a haptic enter switch disposed at a position corresponding to the other end of the haptic enter switch knob on the printed circuit board so as to be operated by the other end of the haptic enter switch knob.

14. The haptic steering wheel switch device according to claim 10, further comprising a haptic button switch unit disposed in the housing.

15. The haptic steering wheel switch device according to claim 10, further comprising a directional switch unit, wherein the directional switch unit comprises:

a directional switch knob movably disposed at the steering wheel;

a directional switch printed circuit board disposed to correspond to the directional switch knob; and

a plurality of directional switches disposed on one surface of the directional switch printed circuit board to correspond to the directional switch knob, and adapted to be moved by means of the directional switch knob.

16. The haptic steering wheel switch device according to claim 10, wherein the haptic rotary switch knob includes a dual injection-molded structure.

17. The haptic steering wheel switch device according to claim 10, wherein the haptic rotary transfer unit further comprises a transfer knob weight disposed under the haptic rotary switch knob.

18. The haptic steering wheel switch device according to claim 10, wherein the haptic rotary switch sensor counterpart comprises a magnet, and haptic rotary switch sensor comprises a magnetic sensor disposed on the printed circuit board in such a fashion as to be spaced apart from the haptic rotary switch sensor counterpart.

19. A haptic steering wheel switch system comprising:

a haptic steering wheel switch device, wherein the haptic steering wheel switch device comprises;

a housing mounted in a steering wheel;

a printed circuit board disposed inside of the housing; and

a haptic rotary switch unit including a haptic rotary switch driver disposed in the housing and adapted to generate a rotational force in response to an electrical signal, and a haptic rotary switch knob adapted to receive the rotational force generated from the haptic rotary switch driver;

a haptic rotary transfer unit connected at one side to the haptic rotary switch knob, and connected at the other side to the haptic rotary switch driver so as to interconnect the haptic rotary switch knob and the haptic rotary switch driver; and

a haptic rotary switch sensing unit including a haptic rotary switch sensor disposed on the printed circuit board, and a haptic rotary switch sensor counterpart rotatably disposed at a position corresponding to the haptic rotary switch sensor and adapted to receive the rotational force from the haptic rotary switch driver, whereby the haptic rotary transfer unit is connected at one side to the haptic rotary switch driver and is connected at the other side to haptic rotary switch sensor counterpart so as to transfer the rotational force from the generated from the haptic rotary switch driver to the haptic rotary switch sensor counterpart;

a controller connected to the haptic steering wheel switch device so as to allow electrical communication to be established between the controller and the haptic steering wheel switch device, and adapted to output a control signal to the haptic steering wheel switch device;

a storage unit connected to the controller so as to allow electrical communication to be established between the storage unit and the controller, and adapted to store a preset operating mode corresponding to an electrical signal outputted from the haptic steering wheel switch device; and

an operating unit connected to the controller so as to allow electrical communication to be established between the operating unit and the controller, and adapted to be operated to correspond to an operating mode preset in response to an electrical signal outputted from the controller.

20. The haptic steering wheel switch system according to claim 19, wherein the operating unit further comprises a display unit or an acoustic output unit connected to the controller so as to allow electrical communication to be established between the display unit or the acoustic output unit and the controller, and adapted to be operated in response to the control signal generated from the controller.

21. A haptic steering wheel switch device comprising:

a housing mounted in a steering wheel;

a printed circuit board disposed inside of the housing; and

a haptic rotary switch unit including a haptic rotary switch driver disposed in the housing and adapted to generate a rotational force in response to an electrical signal, and a haptic rotary switch knob exposed outside of the housing and adapted to receive the rotational force generated from the haptic rotary switch driver.