Group of momentary-contact switches as control panel which can be illuminated in motor vehicles

Abstract

A pushbutton switch array is proposed which provides an illuminatable operating surface and manages with only few light sources without requiring any separate optical waveguide structures. The pushbutton switch array has a frame which is covered by a transparent film and includes recesses which have actuating elements accommodated therein for displacement. The actuating elements are configured to have light-guiding and light-coupling structures. A shared light source is, or only few shared light sources are, optically coupled to the light-coupling structures of the actuating elements which, for their part, are optically coupled to each other by adjoining light-coupling structures. The light-guiding structures guide the light coupled into the actuating elements to the actuating surface adjacent to the film. The actuating elements may be provided with symbols on their actuating surface adjoining the film, the symbols being visible through the film. Preferably, however, it is the film itself which is provided with symbols and/or legends which are assigned to the actuating elements arranged therebehind. These symbols are then illuminated by the actuating elements.