1. A pushbutton configuration, comprising:
at least two neighboring pushbuttons connected by at least one connecting web to form a pushbutton unit;
said connecting web having a constriction; and
each of said pushbuttons having at least two spring legs to be supported at a bearing surface.
2. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 1, wherein said spring legs on each of said pushbuttons laterally offset with respect to one another.
3. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 1, wherein:
each of said spring legs have a free end and a flat-profiled shape; and
said free end supports each of said spring legs at the bearing surface.
4. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 1, wherein each of said spring legs has:
a free end; and
a portion at said free end offset parallel to the bearing surface and to be supported at the bearing surface.
5. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 1, wherein:
each of said pushbuttons has a base; and
said spring legs are disposed on said base.
6. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 1, wherein:
said pushbutton unit has an underside;
each of said pushbuttons has a base; and
said spring legs extend from said base at said underside.
7. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 1, wherein said spring legs exert a restoring force on each of said pushbuttons when a respective pushbutton is actuated.
8. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 7, wherein:
said connecting web having a center; and
said constriction is disposed at said center.
9. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 1, wherein:
said at least one connecting web is at least one planar connecting web having:
a center; and
a thickness;
each of said pushbuttons is connected to one another by said at least one planar connecting web; and
said constriction is a constriction in said thickness at said center.
10. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 8, wherein:
said connecting web has an upper side facing said pushbuttons; and
said constriction is disposed on said upper side of said connecting web.
11. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 9, wherein:
said connecting web has an upper side facing said pushbuttons; and
said constriction is disposed on said upper side of said connecting web.
12. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 8, wherein:
said connecting web has a lower side facing away from said pushbuttons; and
said constriction is disposed on said lower side of said connecting web.
13. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 9, wherein:
said connecting web has a lower side facing away from said pushbuttons; and
said constriction is disposed on said lower side of said connecting web.
14. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 8, wherein:
said connecting web has:
an upper side facing said pushbuttons; and
a lower side facing away from said pushbuttons; and
said constriction is disposed on both of said upper and lower sides of said connecting web.
15. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 9, wherein:
said connecting web has:
an upper side facing said pushbuttons; and
a lower side facing away from said pushbuttons; and
said constriction is disposed on both of said upper and lower sides of said connecting web.
16. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 1, wherein said constriction is formed on said connecting web as a film hinge.
17. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 1, wherein said constriction is a film hinge.
18. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 1, wherein said connecting web is a constricted film hinge.
19. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 1, wherein:
said connecting web has a length, a width, an end with an end thickness, and a center with a center thickness;
said length is between 3 and 7 mm;
said width is between 0.5 and 2 mm;
said end thickness is between 0.5 and 1.5 mm; and
said center thickness is between 0.15 and 1 mm and is less than a thickness of said end thickness.
20. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 19, wherein:
said length is between 5 and 7 mm;
said width is between 0.8 and 1.2 mm;
said end thickness is between 0.75 and 0.85 mm; and
said center thickness is between 0.25 and 0.45 mm.
21. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 1, wherein:
said pushbuttons include:
one pushbutton; and
at least one pushbutton neighboring said one pushbutton; and
when said one pushbutton is pressed down by approximately 1.25 mm, said at least one neighboring pushbutton is moved with said one pushbutton by less than 0.63 mm.
22. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 1, wherein:
said pushbuttons include:
one pushbutton; and
at least one pushbutton neighboring said one pushbutton; and
when said one pushbutton is pressed down by approximately 1.25 mm, said at least one neighboring pushbutton is moved with said one pushbutton by less than 0.5 mm.
23. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 1, wherein:
said pushbuttons include:
one pushbutton; and
at least one pushbutton neighboring said one pushbutton; and
when said one pushbutton is pressed down by approximately 1.25 mm, said at least one neighboring pushbutton is moved with said one pushbutton by at most 0.35 mm.
24. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 1, wherein:
said pushbuttons each have an underside and a base at said underside; and
said spring legs respectively extend from said base.
25. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 1, wherein said pushbuttons and said connecting web are of polyacetal.
26. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 25, wherein said pushbuttons and said connecting web are of one of the group consisting of a polyoxymethylene homopolymer and copolymer with a melt flow index of at least 12.
27. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 1, wherein said pushbuttons and said connecting web are of a polyoxymethylene copolymer with a comonomer content of less than 3.4% by weight.
28. The pushbutton configuration according to claim 1, wherein said connecting web is of an elastomer preparation.
29. The pushbutton configuration according claim 1, wherein said connecting web is of a thermoplastic elastomer preparation.
30. In a household appliance, a pushbutton configuration, comprising:
at least two neighboring pushbuttons connected by at least one connecting web to form a pushbutton unit;
said connecting web having a constriction; and
each of said pushbuttons having at least two spring legs to be supported at a bearing surface.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A sensor for detecting and measuring a load pressure applied to a support device, the sensor comprising at least one capacitive cell including a flat condenser comprising at least one layer of a compressible dielectric insulating material interposed between two layers of conductive material.
2. The sensor of claim 1, wherein said capacitive cell is integrated in an oscillator capable of generating a periodic electric signal, wherein the frequency of said periodic electric signal varies as a function of said load pressure within a range of 15 to 30 kHz, with a variation of at least 45 Hzkg for a weight of 0 to 80 kg applied to the surface of said flat condenser.
3. The sensor of claim 2, wherein said oscillator is coupled to a converter for converting the frequency of the periodic electric signal output by the oscillator to a voltage signal.
4. The sensor of claim 1, wherein said layer of compressible dielectric material has a thickness of between 0.3 to 1 mm.
5. The sensor of claim 4, wherein the layer of dielectric insulating material comprises a sheet of a synthetic elastomer with a Shore hardness of 45 to 55 Sh.
6. The sensor of claim 1, wherein said conductive layers comprise sheets of fabric comprising, at least partially, metallic threads of a non-oxidizing metal.
7. The sensor of claim 6, wherein said conductive sheet comprises woven material made from threads of nickel and threads of a plastic that is at least one of polyester and polypropylene.
8. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the at least one layer of compressible dielectric insulating material and the two layers of conductive material are applied directly against each other without interposed connecting layers, wherein the at least one layer of compressible dielectric insulating material and the two layers of conductive material are solidly connected to each other by tack welds that are capable of keeping the at least one layer of compressible dielectric insulating material and the two layers of conductive material in a superimposed position relative to each other.
9. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the sensor is used to regulate the inflation air pressure inside a mattress comprising air-filled cells, wherein the at least one layer of compressible dielectric insulating material and the two layers of conductive material have the same rectangular shape of between about 600 and 900 mm long and between about 400 and 600 mm wide, and wherein the total thickness of the at least one layer of compressible dielectric insulating material and the two layers of conductive material when superimposed together is less than 10 mm.
10. A support device capable of supporting the body of a person, the support device comprising
at least one top layer having a plurality of air-filled inflatable cells communicating with inflation elements, and
a sensor for detecting and measuring a load pressure applied to at least some of the air-filled inflatable cells of the plurality of air-filled inflatable cells, the sensor comprising at least one capacitive cell including a flat condenser comprising at least one layer of a compressible dielectric insulating material interposed between two layers of conductive material, said condenser being disposed under said at least one top layer and connected to an electronic control and regulation device designed to control the inflation or deflation elements for filling or emptying, respectively, said plurality of air-filled inflatable cells of said top layer in such a way that the internal inflation pressure of the air inside the cells is equal to an ideal set point pressure predetermined relative to the load pressure of the body of a person resting on said top layer, measured by said sensor.
11. The support device of claim 10, wherein said flat condenser is situated on top of a support layer that is more rigid than said top layer, said support layer comprising a closed-cell foam layer with a density greater than 50 kgm3.
12. The support device of claim 10, wherein said top layer comprises a central zone corresponding to the sacral region of the body of a person reclining on said top layer, of which said cells are individualized and narrower than the adjacent cells of a head zone and a foot zone on either side of said central zone.
13. The support device of claim 10, wherein said top layer is supported by an air-filled bottom layer constituted from a single parallelepiped cell, wherein said flat condenser is disposed under said bottom layer.
14. The support device of claim 13, wherein the pressure of the air inside said bottom layer is adjusted by said control and regulation device to the same regulation pressure as said top layer, and said bottom layer comprises a safety valve that is automatically closed by said control and regulation device in order to keep said bottom layer sealed when a leak is detected in said top layer.
15. The support device of claim 10, wherein said flat condenser rests on a rigid support layer with a thickness less than or equal to 10 mm, and said flat condenser extends appreciably across the entire width of the support device and in relation to a central zone of the support device corresponding to the sacral region of a person reclining on said top layer, and over a length of about 400 to 600 mm in the longitudinal axis of said support device.