My interior light switch is a pain to find. The little pushbutton for the spotlight evades detection by seemingly moving about the headliner.

But I don't want it to be continuously lit up with a backlight.

One solution is to briefly switch the backlighting on when a person's hand is near it (so called proximity detection). This might be useful for other switches as well.
-- Ling, May 18 2005

US patent 6,107,930 http://patft.uspto....07930&RS=PN/6107930
Security system keypad illuminated by proximate motion [xaviergisz, May 18 2005]

It would be really interesting to compare the cost of (a) proximity detector vis-a-vis (b) continuously lit backlight.

As a wild guess the cost ratio (a)/(b) would be ~ 500.
-- vedarshi, May 18 2005


Perhaps it could respond with the door unlock button or proximity device on the keyfob. Then again, your lights could probably just come on automagically.
-- RayfordSteele, May 18 2005


Some of those switches are hooked into the vehicle diagnostic systems by way of the body controller. Mess with them and your mechanic will have you by the short hairs.
-- reensure, May 18 2005


I was one of those voting +. Just wanted to let you know.
-- zeno, May 18 2005


+
-- -----, May 21 2005



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