Operator control unit for a measuring instrument for process or automation engineering, and measuring instrument having an operator control unit of this kind

Abstract

The invention relates to an operator control unit for a measuring instrument for process or automation engineering, the operator control unit consisting of at least two adjacently arranged control panels (), the control panels () being operated by pressing on a respective shape-variable or elastic housing region () having a respective capacitive sensor element () disposed thereunder. The sensor elements () each have a first electrode () as a lower plate capacitor and a counter-electrode () arranged in parallel thereabove as an upper plate capacitor, and pressing on one of the housing regions () causes the respective upper plate capacitor () to approach the respective lower plate capacitor (), thus changing the capacitance. The first electrode () is attached to a first carrier material () and the counter-electrode () is attached to a second carrier material (). According to the invention, the housing regions () are arranged adjacently to one another in an uninterrupted manner, and the sensor elements () are parts of a multi-layered composite printed circuit board (), which bears against the inner sides of the housing regions (), wherein the composite printed circuit board () comprises at least the first carrier material (), which consists of a plurality of segments of rigid circuit boards each with flexible intermediate pieces arranged therebetween, and the second carrier material () in the form of a conductive layer, which two carrier materials are spaced apart from one another via an interposed plastic layer (), forming a measuring chamber (), and wherein the plastic layer () has a plurality of interruptions for forming the sensor elements () and a decoupling region () between the control panels ().