Electric control device

• US 8,106,325 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2008
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DAV Société par actions simplifiée
• Original Assignee: DAV Société par actions simplifiée
• Inventors: Laurent, Patrice, Drouin, Xavier
• Primary Examiner(s): FRIEDHOFER, MICHAEL A
• Application Number:
  US12/522,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20100038223A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,476 Days
• Field of Search: 200/5.R, 200/5.A, 200/600, 200/511, 200/512, 200/293, 200/295, 200/296, 200/310, 200/313, 200/314, 200/341, 341/34, 345/174
• US Class Current: 200/600
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/70 having a plurality of operating members associated with different sets of contacts, e.g. keyboard mounting together a plurality of independent switches H02B
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/705 characterised by construction, mounting or arrangement of operating parts, e.g. push-buttons or keys
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/81 characterised by electrical connections to external devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2207/004 Printed circuit tail
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2239/006 Containing a capacitive switch or usable as such
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2239/014 on both sides
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2239/076 Key stroke generating power

Abstract

The invention relates to an touch-surface electric control device (1) comprising a touch-surface sensor (29), a printed circuit board (33), connection means (42) for the electric connection between the touch-surface sensor (29) and the printed circuit board (33), the connections means (42) and the touch-surface (29) being flexible and including a connection tab (67), the touch-surface sensor (29) and the printed circuit board (33) being provided on the opposite faces of a common substrate (31) provided between said sensor (29) and said board (33), characterized in that a side face of the common substrate (31) includes a guiding protrusion (44) for the connection tab (67).

Claims

1. A touch-surface electric control device comprising:

a touch-surface sensor,

a printed circuit board,

connection means providing the electrical link between the touch-surface sensor and the printed circuit board,

wherein the connection means and the touch surface of the sensor are flexible and include a connection tab,

wherein the touch-surface sensor and the printed circuit board are supported on opposite faces of a common substrate inserted between said sensor and said board,

wherein a side face of the common substrate comprises a guiding protrusion for the connection tab.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connection tab is formed by an extension of the touch surface of the sensor.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guiding protrusion is formed by at least two parallel external fins, the rims of which support the connection tab.

4. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the rim of each fin comprises a first rounded portion, a second straight portion and a third rounded portion.

5. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein each external fin comprises an external side wall for centering the connection tab.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connection means are connected to the printed circuit board by force-fit connectors.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connection means are connected to the face of the printed circuit board opposite to the face facing the face of the common substrate.

8. The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising removable fixing means for fixing the printed circuit board to one of the faces of the common substrate.

9. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the removable fixing means comprise means for snap-fitting the printed circuit board to the common substrate.

10. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the snap-fitting means comprise an oblong hole provided in the printed circuit board and an associated rivet-shaped pin comprising at least one pair of retractable elastic arms, supported by the common substrate.

11. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the snap-fitting means comprise two side notches provided in the printed circuit board and two associated elastic snap-fitting arms, supported by the common substrate.

12. The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein a length of the side notches is greater than a width of the elastic snap-fitting arms of the common substrate so as to allow a sliding motion between the printed circuit board and the common substrate.

13. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch surface of the sensor and the face of the common substrate supporting the touch-surface sensor is transparent or translucent, and wherein the face of the printed circuit board facing the face of the common substrate comprises at least one light source comprising a light-emitting diode.

14. The device as claimed in claim 13, wherein a height of the common substrate is such that light emitted by each light source of the printed circuit board forms a light spot of a size greater than or equivalent to a size of an associated pictogram to be illuminated on the touch surface of the sensor, so that the lighting of the pictograms is uniform.

15. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch-surface sensor is an FSR sensor.