Method and apparatus for creating a selectable electrical characteristic
AssigneeThomas Michael Masano
InventorsThomas Michael Masano, Roger Jackson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device having a variable output electrical characteristic includes first and second output terminals and a number of switching circuits, each switching circuit having two states. One of the states produces a first electrical effect (such as an increased resistance) between the first and second output terminals, and the other state produces a second electrical effect (such as no change in resistance) between the first and second output terminals. A processor generates control signals that are applied to the switching circuits to place the switching circuits into a desired state such that the variable output characteristic between the first and second terminals is set to a desired value, which may be input from a user.
Claims55
A portable device having a variable output electrical characteristic, the device comprising:
- an integrated input device configured to accept an input from a user corresponding to a desired value of the output electrical characteristic;
- first and second output terminals;
- a plurality of switching circuits, each switching circuit having two states, wherein one of said states produces a first electrical effect between said first and second output terminals, and wherein the other of said states produces a second electrical effect between said first and second output terminals;
- and
- a processor configured to generate a plurality of control signals in response to said input from said integrated input device, wherein each of said plurality of control signals is applied to a different one of said plurality of switching circuits to individually place said one of said plurality of switching circuits into one of said two states to set said variable output characteristic between said first and second terminals at the desired value.
A method of creating an electrical characteristic between two terminals in a portable device, the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving a desired value for said electrical characteristic at an integrated input device from a user;
- providing said desired value to a processor;
- generating a plurality of control signals at said processor based upon said desired value for said electrical characteristic;
- selectively activating at least one of a plurality of switching circuits in response to said plurality of control signals, each of said plurality of switching circuits having an associated electrical property to produce the desired value for said electrical characteristic between said first and second terminals.
A circuit having two output terminals, the circuit comprising:
- an integrated input device configured to receive a first input from a user, wherein said first input corresponds to a desired value for an electrical characteristic between said two output terminals;
- a first plurality of relay circuits, each relay circuit having two states wherein one of said states produces a first electrical effect upon a first output signal between said output terminals, and wherein the other of said states produces a second electrical effect upon said first output signal;
- a processor configured to generate a first plurality of control signals in response to said first input, each of the first plurality of control signals being provided to a different one of said first plurality of relay circuits to individually switch said relay circuits into a circuit coupling the two output terminals to thereby produce said desired value between said two output terminals.
An integrated portable device producing a desired electrical output between two output terminals in response to a corresponding user input from a user, the device comprising:
- an integrated input device configured to receive the user input;
- a processor configured to receive the user input from the integrated input device and to generate a plurality of control signals in response thereto;
- and
- a plurality of switching elements electrically coupled to the processor, wherein each of the switching elements is configured to receive one of the control signals from the processor and to selectively activate each of a plurality of components in response to the control signals to thereby produce an electrical characteristic between the output terminals, and wherein the electrical characteristics produced by the plurality of components are cumulative to produce the desired electrical output between the output terminals.
A user-configurable variable resistance device comprising:
- an integrated input device configured to receive a desired output from a user;
- a processor coupled to the integrated input device and configured to provide a plurality of control signals as a function of the desired output;
- a switching network, the switching network comprising a plurality of switching elements, wherein each switching element is coupled to the processor and is operable to selectively activate and deactivate one of a plurality of resistors in response to one of the control signals;
- two output terminals in an electrical circuit with the switching network, and wherein a cumulative resistance produced by the active resistors produces the desired output between the output terminals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.