Switches and joysticks using a non-electrical deformable pressure sensor
AssigneeCanpolar East Inc.
InventorsErnest M. Reimer, Robert Inkster
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Switches and joysticks comprise user-moveable two position and multi position switches, including simple on/off and variable switches such as dimmers. The switches operate on the principle of detecting the position of a user-grippable switch arm, a portion of which bears on a pressure-sensitive pad. The pad is a deformable material which detects and localizes pressure against the pad, by transmitting into the pad matrix a wave energy such as light, and detecting the intensity of same. As the pad is locally compressed, intensity of the wave energy increases in the region around the compression. The position of a switch arm may thus be detected, and the information transmitted to a central processing unit, for further processing.
Claims25
A control device for human control of electrical equipment:
- comprising:
- a user interface for manipulation by a user, comprising a rigid member having a first contact region for actuation by a user, and a second contact region spaced from said first contact region;
- a support for supporting said user interface, said interface being mounted to said support for relative movement between said interface and support;
- a first volume of compressible and resilient material supported by said support in contact with said second contact region of said user interface, sad material being light translucent and having light scattering centers generally evenly disbursed throughout said volume to fully scatter a beam of light within said compressible material;
- a light source in operative communication with said material for transmitting a beam of light into said material and forming within said material an integrated cavity comprising a region of fully scattered light wherein compression of said integrated cavity results in an increase in light intensity within said cavity;
- at least one light detector means in operative communication with said compressible material for detecting the intensity of fully scattered light within said cavity and changes in intensity of said light in response to compression of said material by said user interface;
- signal processor means in communication with said light source means and said detector means, for receiving information indicative of the light level detected by said detector means, and converting said information into information indicative of the position of said interface relative to said support, for control of said electrical equipment;
- and
- said user interface, support and compressible and resilient material being arranged and adapted for compression of a region of said material by said user interface, wherein manipulation and displacement of said interface by a user, relative to said support, changes the location of said compressed region relative to said support for communicating to said electrical equipment the position of said interface relative to said support.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.