Switch device and use of the switch device

• US 9,859,886 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2016
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Original Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Inventors: Emmerich, Jan Soeren, Hompel, Michael Ten
• Primary Examiner(s): Zweizig, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US15/249,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20170063375A1
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 25/041 having a generally flat operating member depressible at different locations to operate different controls
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/968 using opto-electronic devices

Abstract

A switch device (1) and its operation from an actuation side (51) are disclosed, the switch device having a plate-shaped main body (10), a plate-shaped actuation part (20), a connection device (30) located between the main body (10) and the actuation part (20) made from an elastic material, and at least one sensor (41, 42, 43, 44), which are located between the main body (10) and the actuation part (20) and viewed in the thickness direction (Z) are located at the side of the connection device (30), so that each sensor (41, 42, 43, 44) can be used to detect a position of one region, arranged on said sensor, of the second surface in the thickness direction (Z).

Claims

1. A switch device (1), comprising:

a housing device (H) with a main body (10) with a connection surface (10a), which is facing an actuation side (S1) of the switch device (1), and with a housing part (H1),

a plate-shaped actuation part (20) arranged thereon, viewed in the thickness direction (Z), with an actuation surface (20a) facing the actuation side (S1) and a connection surface (20b) located opposite to this,

a display (80) integrated in the actuation part (20) for displaying images on the actuation side (S1), wherein the housing part (H1) comprises;

a side wall (H4), which surrounds a connection device (30) and the actuation part (20) viewed in the thickness direction (Z) at least in some sections, and an edge section (H5) which adjoins to the side wall (H4) towards the actuation side (S1) and forms a central opening (H7), in which the display (80) extends, at least in some sections,

the connection device (30, 300, 400) having at least one connection layer (31, 310, 410) made from an elastic material, which is attached to an inner area (20c) of the connection surface (20b) of the actuation part (20) and is fixed to a second surface (30b) on an inner area (11) of the connection surface (10a) of the main body (10),

at least two sensors (41, 42, 43, 44), which are located between the main body (10) and the actuation part (20) and viewed in the thickness direction (Z), at the side of the connection device (30), so that each sensor (41, 42, 43, 44) can be used to detect a position of one actuation area, arranged on said sensor, of the second surface (20b) of the actuation part (20) in the thickness direction (Z),

wherein the connection device (30, 300) has actuation switches located between the main body (10) and the actuation part (20) and seen from the area centroid (FS) are arranged at a point which is located between two adjacent sensors of the same actuation areas.

2. The switch device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the connection layer (310) viewed in the thickness direction (Z) comprises a central area (315), in which the area centroid FS of the actuation part (20) or the opening (H7) is located, and at least two side-arm sections (311, 312, 313, 314), which each extend from the central area (315) in the direction of an edge region of the actuation part (20) or the opening (H7), which region is located in each case between two actuation areas.

3. The switch device (1) according to claim 2, wherein the connection layer (310) comprises four side-arm sections (311, 312, 313, 314), each of which extends from the central area (315) in a cross shape in the direction of an edge region of the actuation part (20) or opening (H7), which region is located in each case between two actuation areas.

4. The switch device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the connection layer (410) viewed in the thickness direction (Z) comprises side edge sections (415, 416, 417, 418), which viewed from the area centroid (FS) of the actuation part (20) are concave and which each connect two of a total of four corners or corner sections (411, 412, 413, 414), wherein a corner or a corner section is located in each case between two corresponding sensors, adjacent to each other as seen from the area centroid (FS), for one actuation area each.

5. The switch device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the connection device (30, 300, 400) comprises switch parts that are inelastic and are each located between the main body (10) and the actuation part (20) and, viewed in the Z direction of the area centroid (FS) of the actuation part (20), at a point between two adjacent sensors, in each case for detecting a deflection of the actuation part (20) of a respective actuation area.

6. The switch device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the connection layer (31, 310, 410) has a main area with a first elasticity and second elasticity regions with a second elasticity that is lower compared to the first elasticity, wherein the second elasticity regions are located at a position in the connection layer which, seen from the area centroid (FS) of the actuation part (20), is in each case located between two adjacent sensors or actuation areas.

7. The switch device (1) according to claim 1,

wherein the actuation part (20) comprises the display (80), which is located in an inner area (20e) of the actuation surface (20a) of the actuation part (20), viewed in the thickness direction (Z),

wherein an internal display area (20e) is designed as a recess formed on the actuation surface (20a) and the display (80), viewed in the thickness direction (Z), is located at least partially in the recess.

8. The switch device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the actuation part (20) is optically transparent, at least in portions of its area, and wherein the main body (10) has an internal display area (10e) viewed in the thickness direction (Z), in which the display (80) is arranged, the position of the internal display area (10e) being defined according to one of the following alternatives:

the display area (20e) viewed in the thickness direction (Z) is situated within an area defined by the sensors (41, 42, 43, 44) or between sensors (41, 42, 43, 44) and outside of the at least one connection layer (31) viewed in the thickness direction (Z),

the display area (20e) viewed in the thickness direction (Z) is situated within an area defined by the sensors (41, 42, 43, 44) or between sensors (41, 42, 43, 44) and viewed in the thickness direction (Z), at least partially inside at least one of the at least one connection layers (31), wherein the at least one connection layer, which is located within the display area (20e), is optically transparent.

9. The switch device (1) according to claim 8, wherein the internal display area (10e) is designed as a recess formed on the actuation surface (10a) and the display (80), viewed in the thickness direction (Z), is located at least partially in the recess.

10. The switch device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the plate-shaped actuation part (20) is designed as a rigid part.

11. The switch device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the plate-shaped actuation part (20) is designed as a flexible elastic part.

12. A method for controlling vehicles in a storage area, to deposit storage units in the storage area or to change their storage locations or remove them from the storage area comprising using the device according to claim 1.

13. A method for inputting logistical data or for outputting logistical data, in a warehouse area comprising using the device according to claim 1.