Haptic control device including a seal

• US 9,229,531 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2011
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aptiv Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Cordier, Emmanuel, Molard, Yannick
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US13/992,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20130257603A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,497 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/156, 345/178, 340/407.1, 340/407.2, 340/4.12, 341/21, 341/27, 463/30
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1438 Touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1601 Constructional details related to the housing of computer displays, e.g. of CRT monitors, of flat displays constructional details related to flat displays integrated in a portable computer, e.g. laptop, handheld computer G06F1/1637; constructional details related to television receivers H04N5/64
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user

Abstract

Haptic control device that includes a tactile panel mounted movably relative to a support including a peripheral wall, characterized by the fact that a seal is arranged on the periphery of the tactile panel in an annular space situated between the tactile panel and the peripheral wall of the support, the seal including: an inner portion in tight contact with the tactile panel, an outer portion in tight contact with the peripheral wall of the support, and a connecting portion that extends between the inner portion and the outer portion and is elastically deformable so as to absorb the relative displacements of the tactile panel relative to the peripheral wall of the support without removing the haptic effect produced by the movements of the tactile panel.

Claims

1. A haptic control device comprising:

a tactile transversal panel mounted movably relative to a fixed support, wherein the support includes a peripheral wall that surrounds the tactile panel and extends generally towards a front of the tactile panel in an axial direction at right-angles to a plane of the tactile panel, wherein the tactile panel defines a tactile zone at the front and includes a drive system configured to provide a switching signal triggered when the tactile zone is brushed so that the tactile panel is driven by the drive system in the plane of the tactile panel for performing movements relative to the support;

a seal arranged on a periphery of the tactile panel in an annular space situated between the tactile panel and a peripheral wall of the support, wherein the seal includes

an inner portion in tight contact with the tactile panel;

an outer portion in tight contact with the peripheral wall of the support; and

a connecting portion that extends between the inner portion and the outer portion, wherein the connecting portion is elastically deformable so as to absorb the relative displacements of the tactile panel relative to the peripheral wall of the support without removing the haptic effect produced by the movements of the tactile panel.

2. The device as described in claim 1, wherein the inner portion of the seal includes an axial skirt that extends substantially in parallel with an adjacent wall of the tactile panel and is flattened against the adjacent wall of the tactile panel.

3. The device as described in claim 2, wherein the tactile panel includes a touchscreen mounted on a peripheral framework in the form of a frame, the framework including an outer axial wall, wherein the axial skirt is flattened against the outer axial wall.

4. The device as described in claim 1, wherein the outer portion of the seal is formed by an axial partition which extends generally in the extension of the peripheral wall of the support towards the front.

5. The device as described in claim 4, wherein the outer face of the peripheral wall of the support includes a shoulder surface orientated towards the front, wherein a rear end section of the outer portion of the seal is mounted bearing against the shoulder surface.

6. The device as described in claim 4, wherein the outer portion of the seal is mounted clamped on the peripheral wall of the support.

7. The device as described in claim 1, wherein the connecting portion has the form of a transversal partition.

8. The device as described in claim 1, wherein the connecting portion includes a profile elastically deformable in a transversal drive direction of the tactile panel relative to the support.

9. The device as described in claim 8, wherein the elastically deformable profile has an undulated form of sinusoidal type in an axial plane parallel with the transversal drive direction.

10. The device as described in claim 8, wherein the elastically deformable profile extends along the longitudinal segments of the connecting portion on either side of the tactile panel and in parallel with the transversal drive direction and the elastically deformable profile extends in the width of the lateral segments on either side of the tactile panel.

11. The device as described in claim 1, wherein the device further comprises a cover in the form of a frame mounted on the peripheral wall of the support so as to internally define an accessible zone of the tactile panel, wherein the cover is mounted bearing axially against the top of the seal.

12. The device as described in claim 11, wherein the cover includes a groove in a rear transversal face configured to receive an axial extension of the outer portion of the seal.

13. The device as described in claim 11 in combination with claim 3, wherein the inner portion of the seal includes an inner transversal extension interposed between the framework and the cover.

14. The device as described in claim 1, wherein the device further comprises a display screen arranged between the tactile panel and a back wall of the support.