Vehicle accessory touch switch

• US 8,090,497 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2007
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kojima Press Industry Company Limited (Kojima Industries Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kojima Press Industry Company Limited (Kojima Industries Corporation)
• Inventors: Ando, Yasuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATTON, SPENCER D
• Application Number:
  US11/839,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20080140282A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,602 Days
• Field of Search: 701/34, 701/36, 701/49, 200/600, 307/9.1, 307/10.1, 324/658, 324/661, 324/662, 324/663, 324/671, 324/672, 324/678, 324/679, 324/684, 324/686, 315/77
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/217 Doors, e.g. door sills; Steps
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/225 Small compartments, e.g. glove compartments
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/82 Switches specially adapted for vehicle interior lighting, e.g. switching by tilting the lens
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9622 using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96058 Fail-safe touch switches, where switching takes place only after repeated touch

Abstract

A touch switch for controlling accessory equipment of a vehicle avoids a malfunction which is caused due to an environmental change such as a change in a state of air, arrival of unnecessary electromagnetic waves, or the like. Conductor plates 20-1 to 20-3 are disposed in an arrangement isolated from one another on a surface opposite to a sensor surface 16T of a touch plate 16 which is touched by a person'"'"'s hand. The conductor plates 20-1 to 20-3 are each connected to a capacity measurement/control unit 34. The capacity measurement/control unit 34 determines as a judgment value D the absolute value of a value obtained by subtracting a minimum absolute value among changes ΔC1 to ΔC3 in electrostatic capacity from a maximum absolute value among the changes ΔC1 to ΔC3 in electrostatic capacity. The capacity measurement/control unit 34 controls a switch 28 according to the judgment value D.

Claims

1. A vehicle accessory touch switch, comprising:

a touch section having conductor plates and the touch section being touchable by a person;

a capacity measurement section which measures changes in electrostatic capacity between the individual conductor plates and a ground conductor;

a control section which controls accessory equipment mounted on a vehicle according to the measured results of the capacity measurement section;

wherein the touch switch controls the accessory equipment according to a person'"'"'s touch on the touch section;

wherein the touch section is provided with the plural conductor plates in an arrangement isolated from one another;

wherein the control section controls the accessory equipment according to a difference among the individual changes in electrostatic capacity measured by the capacity measurement section; and

wherein each of the conductor plates are configured to cover an area larger than the effective touch area of a person'"'"'s hand touching the touch section.

2. The vehicle accessory touch switch according to claim 1, wherein the touch section is a touch plate formed of a dielectric body having the conductor plates disposed on one surface of the touch plate.

3. The vehicle accessory touch switch according to claim 2, wherein the conductor plates are disposed on a surface of the touch plate that a person can touch.

4. The vehicle accessory touch switch according to claim 2, wherein the conductor plates are disposed on a surface opposite to the surface of the touch plate that a person can touch.

5. The vehicle accessory touch switch according to claim 1, wherein the touch section is provided with dielectric bodies for supporting the edges of the conductor plates.

6. The vehicle accessory touch switch according to claim 1, wherein the control section controls the accessory equipment when the absolute value of a difference between the maximum value among the individual changes in electrostatic capacity measured by the capacity measurement section and the minimum value among the individual changes in electrostatic capacity measured by the capacity measurement section exceeds a prescribed threshold value.

7. The vehicle accessory touch switch according to claim 1, wherein the control section controls the accessory equipment according to variations in the electrostatic capacities measured on the plural conductor plates by the capacity measurement section.

8. The vehicle accessory touch switch according to claim 1, wherein the touch switch is applied to a door pocket of the vehicle and performs controls to turn a lamp disposed within the door pocket on or off.

9. A vehicle accessory touch switch, comprising:

a touch section having three or more conductor plates and the touch section being touchable by a person;

a capacity measurement section which measures changes in electrostatic capacity between the individual conductor plates and a ground conductor;

a control section which controls accessory equipment mounted on a vehicle according to the measured results of the capacity measurement section;

wherein the touch switch controls the accessory equipment according to a person'"'"'s touch on the touch section;

wherein the touch section is provided with the plural conductor plates in an arrangement isolated from one another;

wherein the control section controls the accessory equipment according to a difference among the individual changes in electrostatic capacity measured by the capacity measurement section; and

wherein the control section controls the accessory equipment when the absolute value of a difference between the maximum value among the individual changes in electrostatic capacity measured by the capacity measurement section and the minimum value among the individual changes in electrostatic capacity measured by the capacity measurement section exceeds a prescribed threshold value.