CONTROL DEVICE INTENDED TO CONTROL A FUNCTION OF A MOTOR VEHICLE

Abstract

A control device to control a motor vehicle function, includes a touch screen element having an external surface equipped with one or more control zones assigned to a specific function of the vehicle, the touch screen element supporting one or more elementary sensors positioned in line with one of the control zones. The elementary sensor(s) being capable of generating at least one signal in response to an action performed by the user on at least one of the control zones, - at least one actuator configured to provide a user with haptic feedback through a translational movement of the touch screen element, and in just-one direction of travel, - a control unit configured to receive the signal generated by the elementary sensor(s) and to control the actuator in response to the signal, wherein the control device has components to keep the touch screen element aligned in the vibration plane.

Description

Claims

1. A control device intended to control a function of a motor vehicle, the control device comprising: a touch screen comprising an outer surface provided with one or more control zones, each of the one or more control zones being assigned to a specific function of the motor vehicle, the touch screen supporting one or more elementary sensors each of the one or more elementary sensors being positioned directly below one of said control zones, said elementary sensor(s) being capable of generating at least one signal in response to an action exerted by a user on at least one of said control zones,at least one actuator configured to provide the user with a haptic feedback by translational displacement of the touch screen in a plane, called a vibration plane, and in a single displacement direction,a control unit configured to receive said at least one signal generated by said elementary sensor(s) and to control said at least one actuator in response to said signal, the control device includes support and guide means intended to keep the touch screen aligned in the vibration plane and in that each of the elementary sensors comprises at least one insulating substrate on which are deposited conductive tracks forming at least one capacitive sensor and an assembly of conductive or semi-conductive nanoparticles in colloidal suspension in an electrically insulating ligand, said assembly forming at least one force sensor.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the control zones forms a portion of the outer surface of the touch screen on which a user finger can press down, said at least one control zone being arranged contiguous to one of the elementary sensors such that pressing on said at least one control zone generates a deformation of said elementary sensor which is configured to be detected by the force sensor of said elementary sensor.

3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein said at least one actuator comprises a fixed part connected to a frame of the device and a movable part in an air gap of the fixed part, the movable part being connected to the touch screen.

4. The control device according to claim 3, wherein the movable part of said at least one actuator comprises a magnet or an array of magnets and the fixed part of said at least one actuator comprises a coil or an array of coils.

5. The control device according to claim 3, that wherein said at least one actuator comprises a rotary motor provided with a rotary shaft, the rotary shaft constituting the movable part of said at least one actuator.

6. The control device according to claim 3, that wherein said at least one actuator comprises an inertial actuator by translation.

7. The control device according to claims 1, wherein the support and guide means comprise several fixing clips, each of the fixing clips being secured to a frame of the device, and several fixing lugs, each of the fixing lugs being secured to the touch screen, the fixing lugs being configured to cooperate with the fixing clips to allow clipping of the touch screen on the frame and to prevent the displacement of the touch screen relative to the frame in a direction perpendicular to the vibration plane while ensuring guidance of said touch screen during displacement in translation vis-à-vis the frame in the displacement direction.

8. The control device according to claim 7, wherein the fixing lug has a protrusion at its free end and in that each fixing clip is provided with two tabs elastically deformable in the vibration plane and in a direction perpendicular to the displacement direction, said tabs being configured to form a passage opening through which is configured to be inserted the fixing lug, said passage opening not allowing, in an undeformed state of the fixing clip, the passage of the protrusion of the fixing lug.

9. The control device according to claim 1, that wherein the control unit is configured to vary the haptic feedback generated by said at least one actuator as a function of the intensity of a pressure exerted by the user on at least one of said control zones.

10. A motor vehicle comprising a control device according to claim 1.