# US 2020/0404801 A1 · Industrial control projective capacitive touch interface > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2020/0404801 A1 - Document ID: US20200404801A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/909,296 - Filed: 2020-06-23 - Published: 2020-12-24 - Earliest claimed: 2019-06-23 - Assignees: Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company - Applicants: Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company - Inventors: Mark HOVEN; Andrew BORKOWSKI; Bret WADEWITZ; Robert PAPE; Jeremy QUANDT; Theodore VON ARX; Austin JOHANNES; Stephen WHITE - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200404801A1 ## CPC - H03K 17/962: {Capacitive touch switches} - H05K 7/1427: {Housings} - G06F 3/0416: {Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers} - G06F 3/044: by capacitive means - H01R 13/514: composed as a modular blocks or assembly, i.e. composed of co-operating parts provided with contact members or holding contact members between them - H03K 2217/96066: Thumbwheel, potentiometer, scrollbar or slider simulation by touch switch - H03K 2217/960755: Constructional details of capacitive touch and proximity switches - H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M) - H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H01R: ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS ## Abstract An industrial control device includes a display, a body, and a controller. The body includes a capacitive slider sensor, a graphic, and a window. The graphic overlaps the capacitive slider sensor. The window is transparent and aligned with the display to permit the display to be viewed through the window. The controller is coupled to an output of the capacitive slider sensor to receive signals from the capacitive slider sensor. The controller is coupled to the display and configured to control the display. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An industrial control device comprising: a display; a body including a capacitive slider sensor, a first input graphic, and a window, the first input graphic overlapping the capacitive slider sensor, the window being transparent and aligned with the display to permit the display to be viewed through the window; and a controller coupled to an output of the capacitive slider sensor to receive signals from the capacitive slider sensor, the controller being coupled to the display and configured to control the display. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The industrial control device according to claim 1, wherein the body is a molded body, the capacitive slider sensor is an in-molded capacitive slider sensor, and the first input graphic is an in-molded graphic. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The industrial control device according to claim 2, wherein the molded body is a transparent polymer that is injection molded around an applique. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The industrial control device according to claim 2, wherein the output of the capacitive slider sensor includes a plurality of in-molded electrical traces and the industrial control device further includes a plurality of connector pins directly connected to the plurality of in-molded electrical traces, the connector pins coupling the in-molded electrical traces to the controller for electrical communication therebetween. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The industrial control device according to claim 2 further comprising a carrier including a carrier plate and a plurality of board supports extending from a back side of the carrier plate, wherein the display is coupled to a front side of the carrier plate, wherein the controller includes a first circuit board and a plurality of second circuit boards, the first circuit board is coupled to the back side of the carrier plate and each second circuit board is received in a slot defined by a corresponding pair of board supports of the plurality of board supports. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The industrial control device according to claim 5, wherein one of the body and the carrier plate includes a plurality of locating ridges and the other of the body and the carrier plate defines a plurality of alignment grooves, each locating ridge being received in a corresponding alignment groove. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The industrial control device according to claim 1, wherein the capacitive slider sensor is a projective capacitive slider sensor. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The industrial control device according to claim 7, wherein the body further includes a plurality of second input graphics and a plurality of capacitive input sensors, each of the second input graphics overlapping a corresponding one of the capacitive input sensors. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The industrial device according to claim 8, wherein a front surface of the body is a rigid material, the capacitive slider sensor being configured to be activated by contact with the front surface at an area overlapping the first input graphic and each second capacitive input sensor being configured to be activated by contact with the front surface at an area overlapping the corresponding second input graphic. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The industrial control device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to adjust a set point value based on input from the capacitive slider sensor. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The industrial control device according to claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to change the set point value an amount proportional to a speed of a user activating the capacitive slider sensor. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The industrial control device according to claim 1 further comprising a housing coupled to the body, wherein the controller is disposed within the housing. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The industrial control device according to claim 12, wherein the housing includes a plurality of retaining clips and the body defines a plurality of retention apertures, each retaining clip resiliently snapping into a corresponding one of the retention apertures to couple the housing to the body. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The industrial control device according to claim 13, wherein the housing defines a plurality of ventilation apertures. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The industrial control device according to claim 1, wherein the body includes an inner shroud and an outer shroud, the inner shroud being disposed about the display and the outer shroud being disposed about the inner shroud and spaced apart therefrom to define a cavity, wherein the industrial control device further comprises a seal member disposed in the cavity and configured to form a seal with a facia plate disposed about the inner shroud. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The industrial control device according to claim 15 further comprising the facia plate, wherein the facia plate defines an aperture through which the inner shroud extends, the outer shroud being disposed about the aperture. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The industrial control device according to claim 15 further comprising a housing, a front collar, a rear collar, a pair of screws, and a pair of retaining clips, wherein the housing is coupled to the body and the controller is disposed within the housing, wherein the inner shroud defines a pair of retention apertures, the front collar being disposed about the inner shroud between the inner apertures and the facia plate and defining a pair of abutment surfaces, the rear collar being disposed about the housing, each retaining clip extending from the rear collar in a direction toward the front collar and being received in a corresponding one of the retention apertures, and each screw being threadably engaged to the rear collar and abutting a corresponding one of the abutment surfaces. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The industrial control device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the display to visually output a numeric value of a current process, the controller being configured to adjust a font size of the numeric value based on an amount of digits of the numeric value. ### Claim 19 An industrial control device comprising: a display; a body including a molded transparent rigid material, a projective capacitive slider sensor, a plurality of electrically conductive traces, a first input graphic, and a background graphic, wherein the projective capacitive slider sensor, the plurality of electrically conductive traces, the first input graphic, and the background graphic are in-molded in the transparent rigid material, the background graphic defining a window, the first input graphic overlapping the projective capacitive slider sensor, the window being transparent and aligned with the display to permit the display to be viewed through the window, wherein the plurality of electrically conductive traces are coupled to the projective capacitive slider sensor for electrical communication therewith; a housing coupled to the body; and a controller disposed within the housing and coupled to the plurality of electrically conductive traces to receive signals from the projective capacitive slider sensor, the controller being coupled to the display and configured to control the display. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The industrial control device according to claim 19, wherein the body includes an inner shroud and an outer shroud, the inner shroud being disposed about the display and the outer shroud being disposed about the inner shroud and spaced apart therefrom to define a cavity, wherein the industrial control device further comprises a seal member disposed in the cavity and configured to form a seal with a facia plate disposed about the inner shroud. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The industrial control device according to claim 20, further comprising a front collar, a rear collar, a pair of screws, and a pair of retaining clips, wherein the inner shroud defines a pair of retention apertures, the front collar being disposed about the inner shroud between the inner apertures and the facia plate and defining a pair of abutment surfaces, the rear collar being disposed about the housing, each retaining clip extending from the rear collar in a direction toward the front collar and being received in a corresponding one of the retention apertures, and each screw being threadably engaged to the rear collar and abutting a corresponding one of the abutment surfaces.