US 12,291,146 B2
Vehicle trim panel having a switching function
Rodrigo Domingo De La Torre Martín, Burgos (ES); and Demetrio Galindez Olascoaga, Bamberg (DE)
Assigned to GRUPO ANTOLÍN-INGENIERÍA, S. A., Burgos (ES)
Filed by GRUPO ANTOLÍN-INGENIERÍA, S. A., Burgos (ES)
Filed on Aug. 25, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/895,930.
Prior Publication US 2023/0145906 A1, May 11, 2023
Int. Cl. B60Q 3/82 (2017.01); B60Q 3/233 (2017.01); B60R 13/02 (2006.01)
CPC B60Q 3/82 (2017.02) [B60Q 3/233 (2017.02); B60R 13/0237 (2013.01); B60R 2013/0287 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. Vehicle trim panel (10) having a switching function comprising:
a decorative front panel (1) comprising several switching areas (1.1) comprising each of them a first light transmitting portion (1.11) defining a pictogram, the decorative front panel (1) having a front side (1.2) and a back side (1.3),
a lighting device (2) comprising:
a printed circuit board (2.1) having several LEDs (2.2),
a light guide (2.3) defining individual light guiding channels (2.31) comprising peripheral walls (2.311) extended perpendicularly to the printed circuit board (2.1), the light guide (2.3) having a front side (2.32) facing the decorative front panel (1) and a back side (2.33) facing the printed circuit board (2.1),
a switching device (3) comprising:
several capacitive sensors (3.1),
a sensor foil (3.2) comprising:
a light transmitting film (3.21) having a front side (3.212) facing the back side (1.3) of the front decorative panel (1) and a back side (3.213) facing the front side (2.32) of the light guide (2.3), and
several independent sensing areas (3.22) configured on the light transmitting film (3.21) comprising each of them:
a printed antenna (3.221) on the light transmitting film (3.21) and electrically connected to a corresponding capacitive sensor (3.1),
a second light transmitting portion (3.222) formed by a portion of said light transmitting film (3.21),
wherein each switching area (1.1) is associated to a corresponding sensing area (3.22), a corresponding light guiding channel (2.31), a corresponding LED (2.2) and a corresponding capacitive sensor (3.1),
characterized in that,
the sensor foil (3.2) further comprises an elastic rubber-like portion (3.23) configured to be compressed between the back side (1.3) of the decorative front panel (1) and the front side (2.32) of the light guide (2.3) in order to keep the sensor foil (3.2) in tight contact free of air-gaps with the back side (1.3) of the decorative front panel (1),
said elastic rubber-like portion (3.23) comprises first attaching means (3.231) configured to tightly and removably attach the sensor foil (3.2), due to an elasticity of the elastic rubber-like portion (3.23), to either the light guide (2.3) or to the decorative front panel (1).