Capacitive proximity switch

• US 8,890,839 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2011
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Santarossa, Bruno
• Primary Examiner(s): HALEY, JOSEPH R
• Application Number:
  US13/640,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20130027349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/955 using a capacitive detector
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960755 Constructional details of capacitive touch and proximity switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960785 with illumination
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96079 using a single or more light guides

Abstract

A capacitive proximity switch having a display panel including a translucent region. A first circuit board is translucent to light at least in the region of the translucent region of the display panel and supports capacitance-forming sensor layers. Light wells enclose the sensor layers on the side facing away from the observer, and protrude from the first circuit board to a second circuit board parallel to the first circuit board. Light sources are disposed within the light wells. A contact element leads from the first circuit board to the second circuit board. Optical fibers are applied on the first circuit board in the region of the translucent region. The first circuit board is encapsulated by an opaque plastic functional carrier. An opaque decorative layer covers the observer side of the optical fibers and the functional carrier, and includes characters and/or symbols in the region of the translucent region.

Claims

1. A capacitive proximity sensor comprising:

a display field having at least one transparent region;

a first printed circuit board arranged on a first side of the display field facing away from an observer, the first printed circuit board being translucent at least in a region corresponding to the at least one transparent region of the display field;

a second printed circuit board arranged at a distance from the first printed circuit board and substantially parallel to the first printed circuit board;

capacitance-forming sensor layers;

light shafts arranged to surround the sensor layers on the side facing away from the observer and project between the first printed circuit board and the second printed circuit board;

light sources arranged corresponding to the light shafts on the second printed circuit board;

a contact element arranged from the first printed circuit board to the second printed circuit board;

first optical waveguides applied to a side of the first printed circuit board facing the display field corresponding to the at least one transparent region of the display field;

a functional opaque plastic carrier, having a same thickness as the first optical waveguides, that encapsulates the first side of the first printed circuit board, omitting regions corresponding to the first optical waveguides, and forms light shafts on a side of the carrier facing away from the observer; and

an opaque decorative layer that covers the first optical waveguides and the functional carrier on the observer side defining apertures forming at least one of characters and symbols in the region corresponding to the transparent region of the display field,

wherein the second printed circuit board is fastened to a side of the functional carrier that faces away from the observer.

2. The proximity sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first optical waveguides and the functional carrier are spray-coated on the observer with a transparent plastic layer to which the opaque decorative layer is applied.

3. The proximity sensor as claimed in claim 2, wherein the opaque decorative layer is a varnish layer.

4. The proximity sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first printed circuit board is a flexible printed circuit board.

5. The proximity sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first optical waveguides are transparent in at least one color.

6. The proximity sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first printed circuit board has continuous recesses corresponding to the transparent regions covered by the first optical waveguides.

7. The proximity sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein second optical waveguides are applied to that side of the first printed circuit board, which faces away from the observer in a region corresponding to the transparent regions.

8. The proximity sensor as claimed in claim 7, wherein the second optical waveguides project through the light shafts largely up to the second printed circuit board.

9. The proximity sensor as claimed in claim 8, wherein at least one of the first optical waveguides and the second optical waveguides are applied to the first printed circuit board by one of adhesive bonding and spraying-on.

10. The proximity sensor as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first optical waveguides and the second optical waveguides are formed in one part.