IP Library Granted Patent US 11,888,372
Granted Patent B2
US 11,888,372 · App. 17/435,871 · Granted Jan 30, 2024

Operating unit for a vehicle

Inventors: Stefan Kirsch (Lippstadt, DE); Pasi Kemppinen (Lippstadt, DE)
Assignee: BEHR-HELLA THERMOCONTROL GMBH
H02K35/00G06F3/0393G06F3/0414
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,888,372
App. No.
17/435,871
Granted
Jan 30, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

The operating unit for a vehicle is provided with a housing and an operating element elastically mounted in and/or on the housing, wherein the elastically mounted operating element forms a spring-mass system having a construction-related resonance frequency. The operating unit is further provided with an actuator for pulse-shaped mechanical excitation of the operating element, and a control unit for controlling the actuator when manually actuating the operating element. The resonance frequency is, due to construction, above the highest cut-off frequency that can typically still be detected by receptors for haptic feedback and/or for tactile sensation of a person. The frequency spectrum of the mechanical pulse at the resonance frequency and/or at one of the harmonics of the resonance frequency has no frequency components in that the power density spectrum above the cut-off frequency is energy-free or substantially energy-free.

Claims (24)

1. An operating unit for a vehicle, comprising:

a housing,

an operating element elastically mounted in or on the housing,

wherein the elastically mounted operating element forms a spring-mass system having a construction-related resonance frequency,

an actuator for pulse-shaped mechanical excitation of the operating element, the actuator operable to be controlled

when manually actuating the operating element,

wherein the resonance frequency is, due to construction, above the highest cut-off frequency that can typically still be detected by receptors for haptic feedback and/or for tactile sensation of a person, and

wherein the frequency spectrum of the mechanical pulse at the resonance frequency excited by the actuator has no frequency components in that the power density spectrum of the mechanical pulse above the cut-off frequency is energy-free or substantially energy-free.

2. The operating unit according to claim 1 , wherein the cut-off frequency is 300 Hz or 250 Hz or 200 Hz.

3. The operating unit according to claim 1 , wherein the mass and/or the spring constant of the spring-mass system is/are selected for definition of its resonance frequency according to the following formula:

f

=

1

2

π

k

m

,

wherein m describes the mass of the spring-mass system, k describes the spring constant of the spring-mass system and f describes the resonance frequencies.

4. The operating unit according to claim 1 , wherein the operating unit has a touchpad or a touchscreen with a touch-sensitive surface.

5. The operating unit according to claim 1 , wherein the operating unit is configured to detect a valid actuation as a function of the actuation pressure or actuation force or the course of the actuation pressure or actuation force.

6. The operating unit according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator is designed as a tension rod magnet, as a plunger coil drive or as a piezo drive.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF ASSIGNEE ADDRESS Recorded Nov 22, 2021
From: BEHR-HELLA THERMOCONTROL GMBH
To: BEHR-HELLA THERMOCONTROL GMBH
Reel/Frame 058753/0299 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 2, 2021
From: KIRSCH, STEFAN; KEMPPINEN, PASI
To: BEHR-HELLA THERMOCONTROL GMBH
Reel/Frame 057374/0265 →
Priority Claims (2)
DE 10 2019 106 441.4 · Mar 13, 2019 · national
DE 10 2019 109 785.1 · Apr 12, 2019 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220149712A1 · May 12, 2022