Operator/circuit interface with integrated display screen

Operator and electrical circuit interfacing apparatus having at least one circuit component for enabling operator interaction with the electrical circuit, said apparatus further having an electrically controlled display screen and control means for generating any of a plurality of different images at an images display area of said screen, at least a portion of said circuit component being situated at said screen within said image display area thereof, and wherein said control means generates an image on said screen that conveys information pertaining to said circuit component, said screen having at least one opening that extends through said screen at said image display area thereof and wherein at least a portion of said circuit component extends within said display screen at said opening, wherein said opening extends through said screen and said electrical circuit component extends through said opening and protrudes therefrom and has a control member which is movable between a plurality of positions to selectively alter an electrical characteristic of said component, wherein said screen further includes spaced apart first and second pluralities of spaced apart coplanar conductors which extend along said screen and which create electrical fields therein to generate said images, the conductors of said first and second pluralities thereof being in orthogonal relationship, each of said conductors having linear opposite end segments that are aligned with each other and wherein at least a portion of said conductors have end segments directed towards said opening, further including means for interconnecting said end segments of said portion of said conductors through conductive paths which bypass said opening.

Operator and electrical circuit interfacing apparatus having at least one circuit component for enabling operator interaction with the electrical circuit, said circuit component having an actuator that is manipulated by the operator and having means for producing control signals which means responds to manipulation of said actuator, said apparatus further having an electrically controlled display screen with a front face that is viewed by said operator and control means for generating any of a plurality of different images at an image display area of said screen, wherein the improvement comprises:

• said actuator being situated at least in part at said front face of said screen within said image display area thereof and at least a portion of said control signal producing means being behind said screen and wherein said control signal producing means interacts with said actuator through said image display area of said screen, and
• wherein said control means generates an image on said screen that conveys information pertaining to said circuit component, wherein said display screen includes spaced apart front and back light transparent panels and a volume of image producing material therebetween and has edge walls which extend between said panels at right angles thereto, said screen further having a first plurality of spaced apart bus conductors which extend across said front panel at one side of said image producing material and a second plurality of spaced apart bus conductors which extend across said back panel at the other side of said image producing material, bus conductors of said second plurality thereof being in orthogonal relationship with the bus conductors of said first plurality thereof, bus conductors of said first plurality thereof having ends which are angled and which extend towards said back panel along a first edge wall of said screen and said bus conductors of said second plurality thereof having ends which are angled and which extend towards said front panel along a second edge wall of said screen, said apparatus further having connector means for connecting each of said bus conductors with said control means which connector means includes a plurality of connector conductors which extend to said first and second edge walls of said screen and each of which connects with an individual one of said bus conductors at at an edge wall of said screen.

Operator and electrical circuit interfacing apparatus having at least one circuit component for enabling operator interaction with the electrical circuit, said circuit component having an actuator that is manipulated by the operator and having means for producing control signals which means responds to manipulation of said actuator, said apparatus further having an electrically controlled display screen with a front face that is viewed by said operator and control means for generating any of a plurality of different images to an image display area of said screen, wherein the improvement to comprises:

• said actuator being situated at least in part at said front face of said screen within said image display area thereof and at least a portion of said control signal producing means being behind said screen and wherein said control signal producing means interacts with said actuator through said image display area of said screen, and
• wherein said control means generates an image on said screen that conveys information pertaining to said circuit component, wherein said actuator of said circuit component for enabling operator interaction with said electrical circuit includes a knob which is selectively slidable along a path of travel at said image display area of said screen and said means for producing control signals in response to manipulation of said actuator includes a circuit control device situated at the opposite side of said screen which device has a movable input member and wherein said screen has a pair of spaced apart openings which are situated at opposite ends of the path of travel of said knob and which extend through said screen, further including a belt extending from said knob through each of said openings and being coupled to said input member of said circuit control device to operate said input member in response to movement of said knob.