Switch device

• US 8,446,069 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2008
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Monig, Stefan, Brauner, Christof, Thronberens, Stefan, Falkenberg, Andreas, Polan, Ingo, Dyckers, Harald
• Primary Examiner(s): Budd, Mark
• Application Number:
  US12/666,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20100181172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,799 Days
• Field of Search: 310/328, 310/339
• US Class Current: 310/328
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/964 Piezoelectric touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/965 Switches controlled by moving an element forming part of the switch

Abstract

The invention relates to a switch device (10), for switching a user on and off, in particular, a motor or similar in a vehicle, comprising a housing (20), an operating element (30), a switch element (40) and a display (50), wherein the display (50) is arranged on the operating element (30), the switch element (40) may be activated by the operating element (30) and at least one switch signal (117) for a control unit (15,15′) may be generated by means of the switch element (40). According to the invention, the switch element (40) is a piezo switch and the piezo switch is arranged such as to generate the switch signal (17) on pushing (31) the operating element (30) into the housing (20).

Claims

1. A switching device for switching a motor in a vehicle, on and off, the device comprising:

a housing;

an operating element;

a switch element; and

a display;

wherein the display is arranged on the operating element,

wherein the switch element is shaped like a film and is disposed in a motor vehicle, the switch element being interposed between the housing and the display, and is activatable by the operating element,

wherein at least one switch signal can be generated for a control unit by means of the switch element; and

wherein the switch element is a piezoelectric switch, the piezoelectric switch being arranged in such a way that it generates the switch signal on insertion of the operating element into the housing,

the display is connected by a bus system to at least one information source wherein the bus system provides unidirectional and/or bidirectional exchange of at least one type of information between the display and the information source, the information being displayable on the display.

2. The switching device according to claim 1, wherein the operating element and the display are designed in one piece.

3. The switching device according to claim 1, wherein the switching device has an insertion position and a zero position, the insertion position being achievable by insertion of the operating element into the housing, and the switch element being unactivated in the zero position.

4. The switching device according to claim 3, wherein the housing has a force storing mechanism such that the force storing mechanism reversibly converts the operating element from the insertion position into the zero position.

5. The switching device according to claim 1, wherein a mechanical deformation of a piezoelectric element of the piezoelectric switch generates the switch signal.

6. The switching device according to claim 1, further comprising the display of at least one of the following:

a light-emitting diode (LED), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma screen, a cathode ray tube, a surface conduction electron emitter display (SED) or a field emission display screen (FED).

7. The switching device according to claim 1, wherein the switch element is shaped like a film.

8. The switching device according to claim 7, wherein the switch element is arranged between the housing and the display.

9. The switching device according to claim 1, wherein the housing has a bearing such that the display is arranged in the bearing.

10. The switching device according to claim 1, wherein a status of the vehicle is displayable on the display, wherein said status comprises a start and/or stop readiness of the motor.

11. The switching device according to claim 1, wherein the information can be transmitted by means of the bus system over a serial or parallel architecture.

12. The switching device according to claim 1, wherein the information source is at least one of the following:

a GPS system, a radio, a cell phone, a heater, an engine-independent vehicle heater, a parking system, a vehicle or motor management system.

13. The switching device according to claim 1, wherein the switching device has an interface, the interface in particular having one of the following technologies:

wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11), FireWire (IEEE

     1394), USB (Universal Serial Bus), HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface), IrDA (Infrared Data Association), Bluetooth, Unilink, ATA/ATAPI (Advanced Technology Attachment with Packet Interface), IEEE 488 or IEEE 1284.

14. The switching device according to claim 1, wherein the switching device can be arranged on at least one of the following locations in the vehicle:

on the steering wheel, in the area of an emblem or impact or grip surfaces of a steering wheel, on a switch lever, on a center console, on a multifunction operating element on a dashboard, on an internal panel of a door, on a headliner, on an interior rear view mirror or to a right or left of the steering wheel.

15. A security system for activation and/or deactivation of a system or a device, comprising a switching device according to claim 1 and a mobile ID generator, data transmission being possible between the switching device and the ID generator, and a control unit which controls data transmission between the switching device and the mobile ID generator.