Preh Gmbh

Tobias Bodenstein

Andreas Kramlich

Thilo Schultheis

Jochen Schlereth

Dennis Loeppen

Alain Dani

Peter Lochner

Markus Frey

Frederik Püschel

Michael Miller

Karl Göb

Michael Schwab

Jochen Schuhmann

Florian Wilm

Xiaoxi Li

Frank Dangel

Stefan Purle

The present disclosure relates to an operating member including a support; an actuating part, which has an actuating surface facing towards an operator, and the actuating part has an edge region, which is provided outside the actuating surface and via which the actuating part is supported on the support; wherein the actuating part has a layer structure, defining the actuating surface, and the layer structure has at least two layers that differ in the modulus of elasticity; wherein, in a transitional region between the edge region and the actuating surface, a layer with the smallest modulus of elasticity is a highly elastic layer, and has the greatest layer thickness compared to other layers of the layer structure, in order to provide an elastic compliance of the actuating part; a force sensor disposed between the support and the actuating part detects a displacement of the actuating part.

Operating element comprising an actuation part having a layer structure

The present disclosure relates to an operating member including a carrier; an actuation part; and an actuation portion surrounded by a flexible insulation portion, wherein the actuation portion can vibrate relative to the carrier; detection means detecting a touch on the actuation surface and/or an actuation of the actuation part; an actuator fixed on the actuation portion of the actuation part, wherein an electrical excitation signal is applied by the detection means during a positive detection of an actuation or touch; wherein a dynamic rigidity of the actuation part determined along a measurement section with a maximum length of 1 cm, located on the visible surface, varies such that a first transfer function determined at a beginning of the measurement section, for a continuous frequency range between 30 and 1,000 Hz, differs from a second transfer function determined at an end of the measurement section for the same frequency range.

Operating member with a haptic feedback that is limited in an improved manner to the actuation surface

The present disclosure relates to an input device including an operating part with an input surface; a carrier; a mount that is adapted to mount the operating part on the carrier in a restoring manner, which are configured to mount the operating part to deflect from a rest position in a deflection direction substantially parallel to the input surface and to elastically restore to the rest position; and an actuator for an excitation of movement of the operating part in the deflection direction to generate a haptic feedback for an operator; wherein the mount comprises two spring members, which extend substantially parallel to one another and substantially parallel to the input surface, and which respectively have one leaf spring strip having a spring steel and three fastening members in which the leaf spring strip is positively accommodated, wherein the fastening members are arranged in a uniformly spaced-apart manner.

Input device with improved spring members for movably mounting the operating part, associated spring member and assembly method

The invention relates to an input assembly, comprising a carrier, an input part, which is mounted on the carrier in a manner capable of vibrating along at least one direction of movement) by means of mounting means, with an input surface intended to be touched by an operator and with a touch-detection device for detecting a touch upon the input surface by the operator, an electromagnetic actuator for exciting a movement of the input part along the direction of movement by means of an electric control signal in order to generate a haptic feedback for the operator in the case of a touch by the operator, wherein the actuator has a resiliently mounted additional mass and the actuator is attached to the input part via a vibration isolator.

Input assembly with active haptic feedback and suppression of interfering vibrations

The present disclosure relates to a touch-sensitive input device, including: a support; a touch-sensitive input component mounted on the support by a first spring means to elastically return along a deflection direction and is oscillation-capable; an absorber body mounted on the support by a second spring means to be movable along the deflection direction in an elastically returning and oscillation-capable manner; an actuating mechanism acting on the absorber body and the input component, with at least one direction of action having a component of the direction of action parallel to the deflection direction to cause a movement of the input component for generating haptic feedback along the deflection direction and cause movement of the absorber body in the direction opposite the movement of the input component; a mechanical trimming device for changing an effective spring length of a spring of the first spring means or the second spring means.

Touch-sensitive input device with improved generation of haptics

An input device for generating improved haptic feedback. The input device includes a housing and an input component that defines a control surface and is movably supported on the housing with at least two degrees of freedom and associated mechanical natural frequencies. The input device is designed to assign a switching or controlling function to an operator touching or pressing the control surface, where the input device further has mechanical restoring means for restoring the input component into a rest position and an electromechanical actuator, where the actuator is designed to drive the input component along the at least two degrees of freedom and optionally decelerate the input component, counteracting the restoring force caused by the mechanical restoring means, in order to generate haptic feedback characterized in that the mechanical natural frequencies of the at least two degrees of freedom have a maximum deviation of less than 100 Hz.

Input device with an input component moved by an actuator, with mechanical tuning for generating an improved haptic feedback

A touch-sensitive input device includes a support, an input part with a touch-sensitive input surface, an elastic device which bears the input part at the support, an electromagnetic actuator which acts between the input part and the support to produce a deflection of the input part out of a resting position, and control electronics. The electromagnetic actuator comprises a coil with a cavity, a core arranged at least in part in the cavity, and an armature arranged outside the cavity. The core generates a magnetic field defining a pole direction. The armature interacts with the magnetic field. The control electronics generate an electrical control signal for the coil to produce the deflection of the input part out of the resting position and to provide a maximum deflection of the input part. A duration of the electrical control signal is limited so as to provide, after the deflection, a haptic feedback.

Touch-sensitive input device with electromagnetic actuator operated at maximum magnetization

An assembly consisting of a control member which comprises a carrier, an operating part movably supported on the carrier, an electromagnetic actuator comprising an armature and a coil for driving the operating part movingly relative to the carrier is provided. The assembly further comprises an electronic control system connected in an electrically conductive manner with the electromagnetic actuator for applying a control voltage to the electromagnetic actuator for a predetermined control period in a control step in order to generate a haptic feedback; a measuring circuit connected in an electrically conductive manner to the electromagnetic actuator for measuring a current present at the electromagnetic actor and for generating a measuring signal proportional thereto; and an evaluation unit connected in an electrically conductive manner at least to the measuring circuit and designed, in a measuring step offset in time relative to the control step, to apply a measuring voltage to the electromagnetic actuator by the electronic control system for a predetermined test period shorter than the control period, in order to measure by the measuring circuit the current which arises at the electromagnetic actuator as the test period elapses due to the application of the measuring voltage and to generate a measuring signal proportional thereto, and in order to obtain a characteristic value of the actuator based on the measuring signal.

Control member with electronic evaluation of the haptic feedback

A control element comprising a support; a control part which defines at least one operating surface, which is movable or elastically yielding if an operating force F acts upon the operating surface; a layer structure that is disposed between the control part and the support and that is elastically deformed if an operating force F acts on the operating surface. The layer structure has at least one first electrode associated with the support and a second electrode, which is associated with the control part and disposed underneath the operating surface, for the definition of a measuring capacity varying in accordance with the operating force. The layer structure further has an intermediate layer having a recess which is disposed between the first and second electrodes for defining a hollow chamber; and means for venting the hollow chamber. The means for venting is integrated at least partially into the intermediate layer.

Growing community of inventors

Salz, Germany

Tobias Bodenstein