Radiant energy – Photocells; circuits and apparatus – Optical or pre-photocell system
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-28
2001-05-22
Le, Que T. (Department: 2878)
Radiant energy
Photocells; circuits and apparatus
Optical or pre-photocell system
C338S068000, C338S054000, C200S00600C
Reexamination Certificate
active
06236034
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to pointing devices and, more particularly to a pointing device having a segment resistor substrate.
Pointing devices including joysticks are known in the art. Traditional joysticks have been used primarily as a gaming controller, although they have also been employed as general mouse replacement devices. In a typical application, the joystick pointing device is connected via cables to a microcontroller of a computer with a display and a keyboard. The traditional joystick has many moving parts, and the size of the mechanism therein prohibits its use in many applications, including remote controls, keyboards, and notebooks. On the other hand, joysticks have the advantages of reliability and performance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a pointing device having a segment resistor substrate surface with at least four segments of thick film on a printed circuit board, glass, paper, ceramic, or plastics, The board has a hole that can be plated on its inner surface and separated with laser, drilling, or routing. A spring fits through the hole at an approximately 90° angle. Normally, the spring does not make electrical contact with the board without application of external forces. The spring or a sheath formed around the spring is electrically conductive and the spring or sheath is biased with a voltage. When the spring is deflected by a user, it bends and either the spring or the sheath makes electrical contact with the conductor within the hole. The board has electrical contacts (digital) that are closed when an external force is applied. Signals so developed are supplied to a microcontroller either or both to wake up the microcontroller and inform the microcontroller regarding the direction and speed of the movement caused by the external force. Because a digital contact is used, there is no long analog-to-digital conversion time. The equation is (1.1)×(resistance maximum)×(Capacitance)=maximum conversion time, which is needed by analog only joysticks or other pointing devices. The use of only digital input leads eliminates the conversion delay time and facilitates rapid movement, causing the joystick to have very quick response to the user's initial movements of the joystick. The speed is determined, and only limited, by the speed of the microcontroller wakeup routine and the time to send the message to the receiver.
Under prolonged deflection of the spring/sheath, a force disc coupled to the spring/sheath makes or increases an electrical contact that produces data received by an is analog/digital signal speed/direction interpreter. The microcontroller converts this data with an earlier contact data, and determines the speeds and directions resulting in possible multiple speeds and multiple directions. The possible directions include at least two to an infinite number of directions, while the possible speeds also include at least two to an infinite number of speeds. The larger the displacement of the force disc as a result of the deflection of the spring/sheath, the further distance from the hole the force disc makes contact with the analog/digital circuitry. The further contact causes a variable signal that is a result of angular displacement of the spring induced by the joystick. The hole in the substrate serves as a pivoting area for pivoting the force disc through the spring.
Upon releasing the spring and joystick of all external forces by the user, the spring moves back to its normally biased position that does not make contact with the initial digital contacts. Likewise, the force disc coupled to the spring also moves back to its initial unloaded, neutral state. In this initial state, the force disc may or may not make contact with the digital/analog output section. If the force disc makes such a contact in the neutral state, the microcontroller ignores this information by zeroing out this condition. The force disc may be electrically active and conductive, or may be a pressure transfer point for causing a variable closure on a membrane switch. In that case, the corresponding increase in force on the force disc either increases the surface area of contact for a change in resistance, or changes the absolute point of contact on the analog/digital contact, thereby changing the point of the voltage potential. This changes the analog voltage. The software in the microcontroller interprets the data relating to this change and directs an output to a relevant receiver that can be connected by a wire or similar structural members.
One aspect of the present invention is a pointing device which comprises a substrate formed with a hole defined by a fixed pivoting area and a surface being coated 360 degrees radiating from around a center with electrically resistive and conductive material. The surface comprises at least four resistive angularly radiating tracts that provide a patterned geometry covering the entire active surface with a resulting linear resistance. An electrically conductive force disc makes electrical contact on the surface of the substrate at various positions. A pivoting mechanism has a flexible pivoting portion extending through the hole of the substrate wherein the force disc is attached to the pivoting mechanism above the pivoting area. The pivoting mechanism has an undeflected position and is movable to a deflected position by flexibly pivoting about the pivoting area wherein the pivoting mechanism causes the force disc to change electrical contact position with the electrically conductive/resistive material on the surface of the substrate to cause a corresponding change in signal output when the electrically conductive disc changes electrical contact position. Because the amount of resistive material deposited provides a linear correlation between the resistance and the distance extending radially from the center, the present invention allows for linear reading of position an speed as a function of distance from the center.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4352084 (1982-09-01), Graves et al.
patent: 4511769 (1985-04-01), Sahakian et al.
patent: 4864272 (1989-09-01), Cecchi et al.
patent: 5675309 (1997-10-01), DeVolpi
patent: 5912612 (1999-06-01), DeVolpi
patent: 5949325 (1999-09-01), DeVolpi
U.S. application No. 08/939,377, Allan E. Schrun, et al., filed Sep. 29, 1997.
Le Que T.
Luu Thanh X.
Townsend and Townsend / and Crew LLP
Varatouch Technology Incorporated
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