The present disclosure relates to control panels and in particular, relates to an improved control panel with a sensor assembly.

BACKGROUND

Generally, environmental parameters, such as temperature inside locations, such as building and vehicles are controlled through a control panel. Such control panels usually control the temperature through an HVAC system. Specifically, to measure the temperature in the vehicles, a sensor is positioned within the control panel installed on a dashboard of the vehicle. Typically, the sensor is mounted directly on the main printed circuit board (PCB) of the control panel. Owing to such arrangement of the sensor, measurement of the temperature by the sensor is substantially inaccurate. Further, due to lack of proper thermal sealing, temperature loss/increase may occur to/from surrounding which may lead to inaccurate measurement of the temperature by the sensor. This may further lead to substantial reduction in effectiveness of the HVAC system and operation of the control panel. Further, accurate fitment of the sensor within the control panel at predetermined position on the PCB is difficult and troublesome. This might also lead to inaccurate measurement of the temperature by the sensor. Further, due to such inaccurate fitment, the sensor may be prone to damage during the operation of the control panel.

Therefore, there is a need for solution to overcome the abovementioned deficiencies.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts, in a simplified format, that are further described in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is neither intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the invention and nor is it intended for determining the scope of the invention.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, an improved control panel for a vehicle is disclosed. The improved control panel includes a housing member and a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) adapted to be disposed within the housing member. Further, the improved control panel includes a sensor assembly configured to measure temperature within a passenger cabin in the vehicle. The sensor assembly is adapted to be disposed in a cavity defined within the housing member. The sensor assembly includes at least one sensor adapted to be disposed in the cavity and at least partially projects outwardly from the cavity of the housing member. Further, the improved control panel includes a plurality of terminal pins adapted to be coupled to the at least one sensor and extends in a direction towards the PCB.

To further clarify advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which is illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a control panel with a sensor assembly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 2 illustrates a perspective view of a housing member of the control panel, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 3 illustrates a sectional view of the housing member, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 4 illustrates a sectional view of the housing member taken along X-X’ of the Figure 2, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 5 illustrates an enlarged portion of the housing member depicting arrangement of the sensor assembly in the housing member, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 6 illustrates different views of the enlarged portion of the housing member, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 7a illustrates a perspective view of the sensor assembly for the control panel, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figures 7b and 7c illustrate an exploded view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of the sensor assembly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 8a illustrates a perspective view of the sensor assembly for the control panel, according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure; and

Figures 8b and 8c illustrate an exploded view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of the sensor assembly, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Further, skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and may not have been necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the flow charts illustrate the method in terms of the most prominent steps involved to help to improve understanding of aspects of the present invention. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skilled in the art to which this invention belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are explanatory of the invention and are not intended to be restrictive thereof.

Reference throughout this specification to “an aspect”, “another aspect” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrase “in an embodiment”, “in another embodiment” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a nonexclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that comprises a list of steps does not include only those steps but may include other steps not expressly listed or inherent to such process or method. Similarly, one or more devices or subsystems or elements or structures or components proceeded by "comprises... a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other devices or other sub-systems or other elements or other structures or other components or additional devices or additional sub-systems or additional elements or additional structures or additional components.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

It should be understood at the outset that although illustrative implementations of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated below, the present invention may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or in existence. The present disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrative implementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, including the exemplary design and implementation illustrated and described herein, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.

The term “some” as used herein is defined as “none, or one, or more than one, or all.” Accordingly, the terms “none,” “one,” “more than one,” “more than one, but not all” or “all” would all fall under the definition of “some.” The term “some embodiments” may refer to no embodiments or to one embodiment or to several embodiments or to all embodiments. Accordingly, the term “some embodiments” is defined as meaning “no embodiment, or one embodiment, or more than one embodiment, or all embodiments.”

The terminology and structure employed herein is for describing, teaching and illuminating some embodiments and their specific features and elements and does not limit, restrict or reduce the spirit and scope of the claims or their equivalents.

More specifically, any terms used herein such as but not limited to “includes,” “comprises,” “has,” “consists,” and grammatical variants thereof do NOT specify an exact limitation or restriction and certainly do NOT exclude the possible addition of one or more features or elements, unless otherwise stated, and furthermore must NOT be taken to exclude the possible removal of one or more of the listed features and elements, unless otherwise stated with the limiting language “MUST comprise” or “NEEDS TO include.”

Whether or not a certain feature or element was limited to being used only once, either way it may still be referred to as “one or more features” or “one or more elements” or “at least one feature” or “at least one element.” Furthermore, the use of the terms “one or more” or “at least one” feature or element do NOT preclude there being none of that feature or element, unless otherwise specified by limiting language such as “there NEEDS to be one or more . . . ” or “one or more element is REQUIRED.”

Unless otherwise defined, all terms, and especially any technical and/or scientific terms, used herein may be taken to have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having an ordinary skill in the art.

Reference is made herein to some “embodiments.” It should be understood that an embodiment is an example of a possible implementation of any features and/or elements presented in the attached claims. Some embodiments have been described for the purpose of illuminating one or more of the potential ways in which the specific features and/or elements of the attached claims fulfil the requirements of uniqueness, utility and non-obviousness.

Use of the phrases and/or terms such as but not limited to “a first embodiment,” “a further embodiment,” “an alternate embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “multiple embodiments,” “some embodiments,” “other embodiments,” “further embodiment”, “furthermore embodiment”, “additional embodiment” or variants thereof do NOT necessarily refer to the same embodiments. Unless otherwise specified, one or more particular features and/or elements described in connection with one or more embodiments may be found in one embodiment, or may be found in more than one embodiment, or may be found in all embodiments, or may be found in no embodiments. Although one or more features and/or elements may be described herein in the context of only a single embodiment, or alternatively in the context of more than one embodiment, or further alternatively in the context of all embodiments, the features and/or elements may instead be provided separately or in any appropriate combination or not at all. Conversely, any features and/or elements described in the context of separate embodiments may alternatively be realized as existing together in the context of a single embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a control panel 100 with a sensor assembly 202, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 illustrates a perspective view of a housing member 204 of the control panel 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the control panel 100 may interchangeably be referred to as the control panel assembly 100. The control panel 100 may be employed in vehicles including, but not limited to, two-wheeler vehicles, three-wheeler vehicles, four-wheeler vehicles, commercial vehicles, and off-road vehicles to operate various systems. The systems may include, but are not limited to, Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, a navigation system, and an entertainment system. The control panel 100 may include at least one of mechanical switches and touch sensitive switches which are operable by a user for performing various operations corresponding to the systems employed in the vehicle.

In the illustrated embodiment, the control panel 100 may be embodied as a control panel employed for operating the HVAC system. Therefore, the control panel 100 may interchangeably be referred to as the HVAC control panel. The HVAC control panel 100 may be employed to perform various operations including, but not limited to, switching ON/OFF AC, selecting modes of AC, switching ON/OFF defogger, switching ON/OFF auto-climate control, and selecting air-circulation mode.

Referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2, the control panel 100 may include the sensor assembly 202 configured to measure temperature within a passenger cabin of the vehicle. In an embodiment, the sensor assembly 202 may be configured to measure temperature associated with the control panel 100. The sensor assembly 202 may include a sensor 102 (shown in Figure 1) embodied as a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature in the passenger cabin of the vehicle. The sensor 102 may be disposed in the control panel 100 at a predetermined position/location such that the sensor 102 can accurately measure the temperature in the passenger cabin of the vehicle. Constructional details of the sensor assembly 202 and the control panel 100 is explained in detail in the description of the Figures 2, Figure 3, Figure 4, Figure 5, and Figure 6 of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure is explained with respect to the sensor assembly 202 deployed in the HVAC control panel 100. However, it should be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that it should not be construed as limiting, and the sensor assembly 202 can be deployed in any other control panel used for operating other systems, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Figure 3 illustrates a sectional view of the housing member 204, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 illustrates a sectional view of the housing member 204 taken along X-X’ of the Figure 2, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figure 2, Figure 3, and Figure 4, the control panel 100 may include, but is not limited to, a top cover, a switching unit, the sensor assembly 202, the housing member 204, a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) 402, and a back cover 404. The housing member 204 may be coupled to the back cover 404 for encapsulating the switching unit, the sensor assembly 202, and the PCB 402.

In an embodiment, the switching unit may be coupled to the housing member 204, and may be in communication with the PCB 402. The switching unit may include a plurality of control elements adapted to be operated by a user. In the illustrated embodiment, the plurality of control elements may include a pair of rotatory knobs and a plurality of push knobs to control various operations, switching ON/OFF AC, selecting modes of AC, switching ON/OFF defogger, switching ON/OFF auto-climate control, and selecting air-circulation mode. In an embodiment, the PCB 402 may be coupled to the housing member 204 through fasteners including, but not limited to, mounting screws.

Figure 5 illustrates an enlarged portion of the housing member 204 depicting arrangement of the sensor assembly 202 in the housing member 204, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figure 2, Figure 3, Figure 4, and Figure 5, the sensor assembly 202 may be disposed within the housing member 204 of the control panel 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing member 204 may include a cavity 302 adapted to accommodate the sensor assembly 202. The sensor assembly 202 may include, but is not limited to the sensor 102 and a plurality of terminal pins 406 coupled to the sensor 102. The plurality of terminal pins 406 may interchangeably be referred to as the terminal pins 406, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

In an embodiment, the sensor assembly 202 may be inserted in the cavity 302 such that the terminal pins 406 coupled to the sensor 102 may extend towards the PCB 402 of the control panel 100. The terminal pins 406 may be electrically connected with the PCB 402. In an embodiment, the terminal pins 406 may be electrically connected with the PCB 402 through soldering. Further, the sensor assembly 202 may be arranged within the cavity 302 such that the sensor 102 may at least partially projected outwardly from the cavity 302 of the housing member 204.

Figure 6 illustrates different views of the enlarged portion of the housing member 204, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figure 3 and Figure 6, in the illustrated embodiment, the housing member 204 may include a guiding slot 304 provided in the cavity 302. The guiding slot 304 may be adapted to support a metal sheet 602 formed of a material including, but not limited to, copper and any other suitable thermally conductive materials, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The metal sheet 602 may be adapted to be in contact with the sensor assembly 202 disposed within the cavity 302.

Further, the metal sheet 602 may also be in contact with the housing member 204 of the control panel 100. Owing to such arrangement of the metal sheet 602 in the housing member 204, the metal sheet 602 may be adapted to conduct thermal energy from the housing member 204 of the control panel 100. The sensor assembly 202 disposed within the cavity 302 may be adapted to measure temperature associated with the control panel 100 through the metal sheet 602. In particular, owing to such an arrangement of the sensor assembly 202 and the metal sheet 602, the sensor assembly 202 may be able to measure any variation in the temperature associated with the housing member 204 in an effective and uniform manner. Further, based on the temperature of the cabin and the temperature associated with the housing member 204, the control panel 100 may be configured to operate the HVAC system of the vehicle.

Similar to the housing member 204 explained with respect to Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3, Figure 4, Figure 5, and Figure 6, the housing member 204 of another embodiment include the cavity 302 adapted to accommodate the sensor assembly 202. However, in the such an embodiment, the housing member 204 may not include the metal sheet adapted to conduct thermal energy from the housing member 204 of the control panel 100.

In the illustrated embodiment, the sensor assembly 202 may be inserted within the cavity 302 such that the sensor 102 may at least partially outwardly projected from the cavity 302 to measure the temperature of the cabin of the vehicle. Owing to such an arrangement of the sensor assembly 202, a gap may be defined between walls of the cavity 302 and the sensing assembly 202 inserted within the cavity 302. In such an embodiment, the sensor assembly 202 may be adapted to measure temperature associated with thermally conductive medium, such as air, present within the gap between the walls of the cavity 302 and the sensing assembly 202. Further, based on the temperature of the cabin and the temperature associated with the air present within the gap, the control panel 100 may be configured to operate the HVAC system of the vehicle.

Figure 7a illustrates a perspective view of the sensor assembly 202 for the control panel 100, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Figures 7b and 7c illustrate an exploded view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of the sensor assembly 202, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the illustrated embodiment, the sensor assembly 202 may include a body 702 adapted to adapted to accommodate a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) 704, the at least one sensor 102, and a plurality of terminal pins 706. The at least one sensor 102 and the plurality of terminal pins 706 may be electrically connected to the PCB 704. The at least one sensor 102 may interchangeably be referred to as the sensor 102, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Further, the plurality of terminal pins 706 may be adapted to be electrically connected to the PCB 704 of the control panel 100. The body 702 may be adapted to be disposed within the cavity 302 of the housing member 204.

Figure 8a illustrates a perspective view of the sensor assembly 202 for the control panel 100, according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure. Figures 8b and 8c illustrate an exploded view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of the sensor assembly 202, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the illustrated embodiment, the sensor assembly 202 may include a body 802 having a first end 802-1 and a second end 802-2 distal to the first end 802-1. Further, the sensor assembly 202 may include a first sensor 804 adapted to be positioned in the body. The first sensor 804 may be adapted to be inserted from the first end 802-1 of the body 802 in a manner that the first sensor 804 at least projects outwardly from the first end 802-1 of the body 802.

Further, in the illustrated embodiment, the sensor assembly 202 may include a second sensor 806 adapted to be positioned in the body 802. The second sensor 806 may be adapted to inserted from the second end 802-2 of the body 802. The sensor assembly 202 may include a holding member 808 adapted to hold the first sensor 804 and the second sensor 806 within the body 802. The holding member 808 may be adapted to inserted in the body 802 from the second end 802-2. Further, the sensor assembly 202 may include a plurality of terminals 810 electrically connected to each of the first sensor 804 and the second sensor 806. The plurality of terminals 810 of each of the first sensor 804 and the second sensor 806 may be adapted to project through the holding member 808 and electrically connected to the PCB 704 of the control panel 100.

The above-explained sensor assembly 202 and its arrangement within the control panel 100 lead to the following advantages:
Accurate temperature of the passenger cabin may be measured by the sensor 102, which further results in improved operation of the control panel 100 and effectiveness of the HVAC system.
Correct fitment of the sensor 102 within the housing member 204 of the control panel 100 at the pre-determined position. This further leads to accurate measurement of the temperature by the sensor 102 of the sensor assembly 202.
Eliminates requirement of employing additional casing to accommodate the sensor 102 in the control panel 100. As mentioned earlier, the housing member 204 of the control panel 100 is modified to provide the cavity 302 to accommodate the sensor 102. This substantially eliminates overall cost involved in manufacturing of the control panel 100.

The drawings and the forgoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, orders of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein.

Moreover, the actions of any flow diagram need not be implemented in the order shown; nor do all of the acts necessarily need to be performed. Also, those acts that are not dependent on other acts may be performed in parallel with the other acts. The scope of embodiments is by no means limited by these specific examples. Numerous variations, whether explicitly given in the specification or not, such as differences in structure, dimension, and use of material, are possible. The scope of embodiments is at least as broad as given by the following claims.

Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to specific embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any component(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature or component of any or all the claims.

While specific language has been used to describe the present subject matter, any limitations arising on account thereto, are not intended. As would be apparent to a person in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein. The drawings and the foregoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment.

WE CLAIM:
1. An improved control panel (100) for a vehicle, the improved control panel (100) comprising:
a housing member (204);
a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) (402) adapted to be disposed within the housing member (204); and
a sensor assembly (202) configured to measure temperature within a passenger cabin in the vehicle, wherein the sensor assembly (202) is adapted to be disposed in a cavity (302) defined within the housing member (204), the sensor assembly (202) comprising:
at least one sensor (102) adapted to be disposed in the cavity (302) and at least partially projects outwardly from the cavity (302) of the housing member (204); and
a plurality of terminal pins (406) adapted to be coupled to the at least one sensor (102) and extends in a direction towards the PCB (402).

2. The improved control panel (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor assembly (202) comprises:
a body (702) adapted to accommodate a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) (704), the at least one sensor (102), and plurality of terminal pins (706), wherein the at least one sensor (102) and the plurality of terminal pins (706) are electrically connected to the PCB (704),
wherein the body (702) is adapted to be disposed within the cavity (302) of the housing member (204).

3. The improved control panel (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing member (204) includes a guiding slot (304) provided in the cavity (302), the guiding slot (304) is adapted to support a metal sheet (602) formed of a thermally conductive material.

4. The improved control panel (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the metal sheet (602) is adapted to be in contact with the housing member (204) and with the sensor assembly (202) disposed within the cavity (302).

5. The improved control panel (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the metal sheet (602) is adapted to conduct thermal energy from the housing member (204) of the control panel (100).

6. The improved control panel (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the sensor assembly (202) disposed within the cavity (302) may be adapted to measure temperature associated with the control panel (100) through the metal sheet (602).

7. The improved control panel (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein based on the temperature of the cabin and the temperature associated with the housing member (204), the improved control panel (100) is configured to operate a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system of the vehicle.

8. The improved control panel (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor assembly (202) is inserted within the cavity (302) in a manner that a gap may be defined between walls of the cavity (302) and the sensing assembly (202) inserted within the cavity (304).

9. The improved control panel (100) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the sensor assembly (202) is adapted to measure temperature associated with thermally conductive medium present within the gap between the walls of the cavity (302) and the sensing assembly (202).

10. The improved control panel as claimed in claim 8, wherein based on the temperature of the cabin and the temperature associated with the air present within the gap, the improved control panel (100) is configured to operate a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system of the vehicle.

11. The improved control panel (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor assembly (202) comprises:
a body (802) having a first end (802-1) and a second end (802-2) distal to the first end (802-1);
a first sensor (804) adapted to be positioned in the body (802), wherein the first sensor (804) is adapted to be inserted from the first end (802-1) of the body (802) in a manner that the first sensor (804) at least projects outwardly from the first end (802-1) of the body (802);
a second sensor (806) adapted to be positioned in the body (802), wherein the second sensor (806) is adapted to inserted from the second end (802-2) of the body (802); and
a holding member (808) adapted to hold the first sensor (804) and the second sensor (806) within the body (802), the holding member (808) adapted to inserted in the body (802) from the second end (802-2),
wherein a plurality of terminals (810) electrically connected to each of the first sensor (804) and the second sensor (806) adapted to project through the holding member (808) and electrically connected to the PCB (402) of the control panel (100).