Motor vehicle operating device with controller to provide bounce suppression for actuating element

A motor vehicle, comprising:

• a chassis;
• at least one vehicle system;
• and
• an operating device coupled to the at least one vehicle system, configured to transmit a control signal to the at least one vehicle system based on a user actuation on the operating device, the operating device including:
• a housing,
• an actuating element movably mounted with respect to the housing,
• an actuator device including an electromagnet as a first magnet element and a permanent magnet as a second magnet element, one of the first and second magnet elements being fixedly mounted with respect to the actuating element and the other of the first and second magnet elements being fixedly mounted with respect to a bottom portion of the housing,
• at least one mechanical stop element disposed below an upper surface of the actuating element,
• an elastically deformable restoring device configured to press the actuating element to a rest position with a restoring force such that the actuating element is pressed against a lower surface of the at least one mechanical stop element, the lower surface of the at least one mechanical stop element facing toward the bottom portion of the housing, and
• a controller configured to:
• in dependence on a predetermined actuating signal, apply a first electrical current to the electromagnet, by which the electromagnet applies a first magnetic force to the permanent magnet, to deflect the actuating element out of the rest position,
• after the first electrical current is applied, apply a second electrical current to the electromagnet, by which the electromagnet applies a second magnetic force opposite to the first magnetic force to the permanent magnet, to thereby move the deflected actuating element back into the rest position against the lower surface of the at least one mechanical stop element while the elastically deformable restoring device presses the actuating element to the rest position with the restoring force, and
• to maintain the actuating element in the rest position for a predetermined time period via application of the second magnetic force to thereby provide for bounce suppression to prevent the actuating element from bouncing off the at least one mechanical stop element and again performing a bouncing movement that can be felt by a user.

A method for operating an operating device which includes an actuating element movably mounted with respect to a housing of the operating device, an actuator device having a permanent magnet and an electromagnet, an elastically deformable restoring device, and a controller, the method comprising:

• detecting user actuation of the actuating element;
• in dependence on a predetermined actuating signal, applying, by the controller, a first magnetic force to the permanent magnet by the electromagnet, thereby deflecting the actuating element out of a rest position that is fixed by a lower surface of at least one mechanical stop element disposed below an upper surface of the actuating element, the lower surface of the at least one mechanical stop element facing toward a bottom portion of the housing to which one of the permanent magnet and the electromagnet are fixedly mounted with respect to;
• subsequent to application of the first magnetic force, applying a second magnetic force opposite to the first magnetic force to the permanent magnet by the electromagnet, thereby moving the actuating element deflected out of the rest position back into the rest position against the lower surface of the at least one mechanical stop element while the elastically deformable restoring device presses the actuating element to the rest position with a restoring force;
• and
• maintaining the actuating element in the rest position for a predetermined time period via application of the second magnetic force to thereby provide bounce suppression which prevents the actuating element from bouncing off the at least one mechanical stop element and again performing a bouncing movement that can be felt by the user.