Patent ID: 9283849
Filing Date: 2016-03-15
CPC Classification: B60K

Claim Text:
1. Operation equipment for a vehicle comprising a control element, an actuator device, and an electronic control unit, the operation equipment further comprising a distinction sensor to distinguish an origin of a control action applied to the control element, wherein the control element is operated in a contactless manner via a sensor device configured to receive the control action, the distinction sensor is configured to send an electromagnetic signal through a human body from a first part of the distinction sensor to a second part of the distinction sensor, the first part of the distinction sensor is mounted to the vehicle remote from the control element and positioned to facilitate transmission of the electromagnetic signal to the human body, the second part of the distinction sensor is located at the control element and configured to receive the electromagnetic signal from the human body, the second part comprises the sensor device of the control element, the sensor device is located on a back side of a display device relative to a front screen side of the display device, and the sensor device is configured to receive the electromagnetic signal without contacting the human body; wherein the first part of the distinction sensor comprises a first transmitter corresponding to a first seat within the vehicle and a second transmitter corresponding to a second seat within the vehicle, the first transmitter is configured to transmit the electromagnetic signal at a first frequency, the second transmitter is configured to transmit the electromagnetic signal at a second frequency, and the distinction sensor is configured to distinguish the origin of the control action based on whether the first frequency or the second frequency is received at the sensor device.