The embodiments of the present invention refer to a control panel of a motor vehicle and more particularly to a control panel comprising a touch control module with haptic feedback.
Touch control modules are more and more used in the motor vehicle industry in order to replace the mechanical switches. These touch control modules are made of sensors using resistive or capacitive elements which are covered by a protective layer. These sensors are sensitive to the presence of a finger on the protective layer. However, unlike mechanical switches, these sensors do not provide any touch sensitive feedback to inform the user of the switching to a different state. In order to overcome this drawback, haptic feedback elements based for example on piezoelectric, electromagnetic or eccentric rotating mass actuators have been developed. These haptic feedback elements produce a vibration of the protective layer which is transmitted to the finger in contact with the protective layer producing therefore a mechanical feedback to the user when the state of a command is modified.
An issue to overcome with these touch control modules with haptic feedback is the achievement of the alignment of the module outer surface which is the protective layer with the outer surface of the control panel on which the module is mounted whatever the thickness of the control panel. Furthermore, mechanical damping is required between the touch control module and the control panel to avoid the transmission of the vibrations produced by the haptic feedback elements to this control panel. Indeed, it is necessary to align the different elements of the control panel to provide a smooth design for visual and touch effect while it is important to isolate the structure of the control panel from the vibrations to prevent the creation of noise or vibrations that could be annoying for the user.