US 12,136,916 B2
Operator control unit for a measuring instrument for process or automation engineering, and measuring instrument having an operator control unit of this kind
Christian Kreisel, Neukirch (DE); Patrick Werner, Stetten (DE); Walter Reichart, Fronreute (DE); and Tobias May, Meckenbeuren (DE)
Assigned to IFM Electronic GmbH, Essen (DE)
Appl. No. 17/615,828
Filed by IFM Electronic gmbH, Essen (DE)
PCT Filed May 27, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/064623
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 1, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/244976, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 10, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 102019114757.3 (DE), filed on Jun. 3, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0329243 A1, Oct. 13, 2022
Int. Cl. H03K 17/975 (2006.01)
CPC H03K 17/975 (2013.01) [H03K 2217/9651 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An operator control unit for a measuring instrument, comprising at least two operating panels (10a) arranged next to each other,
wherein the operating panels (10a) are operated by respectively pressing on one of a shape-changing or elastic housing region (2a), each region comprising a capacitive sensor element (11) disposed underneath,
wherein the sensor elements (11) each comprise a first electrode (11a) as a lower capacitor plate and a counter electrode (11b) arranged in parallel thereabove as an upper capacitor plate and wherein by pressing one of the housing regions (2a) an approach of the respective upper capacitor plate (11b) to the respective lower capacitor plate (11a) and thus a change in capacitance occurs,
wherein the first electrode (11a) is applied onto a first carrier material (12) and the counter electrode (11b) is applied onto a second carrier material (13),
wherein
the housing regions (2a) are arranged next to one another without interruption, and wherein the sensor elements (11) are parts of a multilayer circuit board composite (100) which abuts inner sides of adjacent housing regions (2a),
wherein the circuit board composite (100) comprises at least the first carrier material (12), which comprises several segments of rigid circuit boards with flexible intermediate pieces respectively arranged therebetween, and the second carrier material (13) in the form of a conductive layer, both of which are separated from one another by an intermediate plastic layer (15) while forming a measuring chamber (17),
and wherein the plastic layer (15) comprises a plurality of interruptions for forming the sensor elements (11) and a decoupling area (16) between the control panels (10a).