Touch pad arrangement

• US 8,581,858 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2008
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Bender, Klaus-Werner, Nau, Dieter
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, NICHOLAS J
• Application Number:
  US12/599,796
• Publication Number:
  US 20100300770A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,036 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface

Abstract

A touch pad arrangement having a touch pad which has a sensitive operating surface and which can be moved in a direction of movement by a guide mechanism in a guided manner without tipping between a raised resting position and a lowered position. A lever mechanism is arranged on at least two side areas of the touch pad lying opposite each other. The lever mechanism includes two levers which extend approximately toward each other along their own axes, and which are pivotably mounted in the center of their length about a fixed joint with an axis which extends transversally to the direction of movement of the touch pad. The levers can be acted upon in the direction of movement of the touch pad on the lever ends facing away from each other, by the touch pad or a touch pad support supporting the touch pad, and are connected to each other on their facing ends via a flexible connection.

Claims

1. A touch pad arrangement comprising:

a touch pad having a touch sensitive operating surface, the touch pad configured for movement without tipping in a direction of movement between a raised rest position and a lowered position;

a touch pad support configured to support the touch pad; and

a guide mechanism configured to guide the touch pad between the raised rest position and the lowered position, the guide mechanism comprising;

a lever mechanism arranged on at least two mutually opposite side areas of one of the touch pad and the touch pad support, the lever mechanism comprising;

a flexible connection; and

two levers which extend approximately longitudinally relative to one another, each of the two levers being pivotably mounted such that the two levers can pivot about respective fixed joints with pivot axes that extend transversely to the direction of movement of the touch pad, the two levers configured to be acted upon in the direction of movement of the touch pad at mutually remote lever ends by the one of the touch pad and the touch pad support, the two levers being connected to each other at their mutually adjacent ends by the flexible connection,

wherein each of the respective fixed joints comprise a pivot pin arranged at a fixed location on which the respective lever is pivotably mounted.

2. The touch pad arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein each lever has a pivot hole configured to mount the lever pivotably on its respective pivot pin.

5. The touch pad arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flexible connection at the mutually adjacent ends of the two levers is a second elastic connecting web.

6. The touch pad arrangement as claimed in claim 5, wherein the mutually adjacent ends of the two levers are arranged offset relative to one another in the direction of movement, and the second elastic connecting web is configured to extend approximately in the direction of movement.

7. The touch pad arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flexible connection between the mutually adjacent ends of the two levers is formed by respective gear segments which extend from the adjacent ends of the two levers in a plane corresponding to the direction of movement, the teeth of the respective gears configured to engage in one another.

8. The touch pad arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two levers are hinged to one of the touch pad and the touch pad support at their mutually remote ends such that the two levers can be pivoted about pivot axes extending transversely to the direction of movement of the touch pad.

9. The touch pad arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the mutually remote ends of the two levers have elongate holes which extend in a direction of longitudinal extension and into which pivot pins of one of the touch pad and the touch pad support that extend transversely to the direction of movement project.

13. The touch pad arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the touch pad and the touch pad support bear on the mutually remote ends of the two levers.

16. The touch pad arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch pad has a rectangular peripheral contour.

17. The touch pad arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two levers are hinged on a peripheral lateral edge of the touch pad support by their mutually remote ends.

18. The touch pad arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch pad is configured to allow light to shine through, the light generated by one or more light sources.

19. The touch pad arrangement as claimed in claim 18, wherein the light sources are arranged on the side of the touch pad facing away from the sensitive operating surface.

20. The touch pad arrangement as claimed in claim 19 wherein a circuit board carrying the light sources is arranged on one of a sensitive operating surface of the touch pad and the touch pad support.

3. A touch pad arrangement comprising:

a touch pad having a touch sensitive operating surface, the touch pad configured for movement without tipping in a direction of movement between a raised rest position and a lowered position;

a touch pad support configured to support the touch pad; and

a guide mechanism configured to guide the touch pad between the raised rest position and the lowered position, the guide mechanism comprising;

a lever mechanism arranged on at least two mutually opposite side areas of one of the touch pad and the touch pad support, the lever mechanism comprising;

a flexible connection; and

two levers which extend approximately longitudinally relative to one another, each of the two levers being pivotably mounted such that the two levers can pivot about respective fixed joints with pivot axes that extend transversely to the direction of movement of the touch pad, the two levers configured to be acted upon in the direction of movement of the touch pad at mutually remote lever ends by the one of the touch pad and the touch pad support, the two levers being connected to each other at their mutually adjacent ends by the flexible connection,

wherein each of the fixed joints comprises a first elastic connecting web, a first end of the first elastic connecting web is arranged at a fixed location and a second end of the first elastic connecting web opposite the first end is connected to the lever.

4. The touch pad arrangement as claimed in claim 3, wherein respective first ends of the first elastic connecting webs are connected to a common base element in a fixed manner.

10. The touch pad arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein the mutually remote ends of the two levers are connected to one of the touch pad and the touch pad support by a third elastic connecting web.

11. The touch pad arrangement as claimed in claim 10, wherein a respective end of each of the third elastic connecting webs that is remote from the two levers has a pivot hole which extends transversely to the direction of movement and into which a journal of one of the touch pad and the touch pad support extends.

12. The touch pad arrangement as claimed in claim 10, wherein the respective ends of each of the third elastic connecting webs that are remote from the two levers are connected to one another by a connecting arm arranged on one of the touch pad and the touch pad support.

14. The touch pad arrangement as claimed in claim 12, wherein at least one of the two levers, which are connected to one another at their mutually adjacent ends by a second elastic connecting web, the fixed joint designed as an elastic connecting web, the base element, the third elastic connecting webs at the mutually remote ends of the, and the connecting arm are designed as a one-piece component made from a material of spring elasticity.

15. The touch pad arrangement as claimed in claim 14, wherein the one-piece component is a stamping of a metallic material.

21. A touch pad arrangement comprising:

a touch pad having a touch sensitive operating surface, the touch pad configured for movement without tipping in a direction of movement between a raised rest position and a lowered position;

a touch pad support configured to support the touch pad; and

a guide mechanism configured to guide the touch pad between the raised rest position and the lowered position, the guide mechanism comprising;

a lever mechanism arranged on at least two mutually opposite side areas of one of the touch pad and the touch pad support, the lever mechanism comprising;

a flexible connection; and

two levers which extend approximately longitudinally relative to one another, each of the two levers being pivotably mounted such that the two levers can pivot about respective fixed joints with pivot axes that extend transversely to the direction of movement of the touch pad, the two levers configured to be acted upon in the direction of movement of the touch pad at mutually remote lever ends by the one of the touch pad and the touch pad support, the two levers being connected to each other at their mutually adjacent ends by the flexible connection,

wherein one of the touch pad and the touch pad support is driven such that it can be moved between the rest position and the lowered position by an electric-motor drive.

22. The touch pad arrangement as claimed in claim 21, wherein the drive is a spindle drive, a drive spindle is provided with a thread extending in the direction of movement and which engages in a spindle nut connected to one of the touch pad and the touch pad support.

23. The touch pad arrangement as claimed in claim 22, wherein the spindle nut is formed in a support connected to one of the touch pad or to the touch pad support.