Electrical transmission or interconnection systems – Switching systems – Condition responsive
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-06
2001-10-23
Fleming, Fritz (Department: 2836)
Electrical transmission or interconnection systems
Switching systems
Condition responsive
C307S121000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06307282
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
Fast acting switches, which are light in weight and responsive to a light touch or pressure, such as a popple switch, are widely used in applications where those features are considered an advantage. One such application is in portable devices such as wireless communication devices. These popple and other similar switches may be used to perform an on/off function, one example being to turn on the microphone in a transmitter or to turn on the transmitter. In the operation of a switch, a hundred milliseconds or more may elapse between the time the switch begins to move to its “on” state and the time the function is activated by the switch. This elapsed time goes unused and other functions cannot be started until the switch is connected in its “on” state and the device is made to proceed through its preprocessing functions preliminary to the start of the main function.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the inventive principles as disclosed in connection with the preferred embodiment, a smart switch is made to sense applied pressure or force which progressively increases as the switch is moved from its “off” state to its connected or “on” state. For example, in the case of a popple switch, where the force applied to the switch moves one contact surface mounted on a resilient means such as a spring means, against another forming an electrical connection, a force sensing device is used to sense the increasing force applied to the switch and the deflection or displacement of the switch as its contact surfaces move toward each other to the final connection state.
In the case of a switch, such as a popple switch, for example, where a resilient means is employed that produces an increasing counter force responsive to movement of the switch between states, several milliseconds may elapse between the time a force is first applied to the switch and the moment when the “on” state is reached when full contact is made. This elapsed time may be used to start components which must be active in their functioning state before the device can perform its main function or to perform functions in a device which are required before the device is in its full “on” state or to turn a device fully on so it is ready when the switch is in its “on” in the event the operator desires to immediately use the device, such as a transmitter for example.
For example in a radio, it may be necessary to turn on several components before the transmitter can be used to transmit a message. Because it is in the nature of switches to require a time period to elapse starting with the time force is applied to the switch to place it in its “on” state, this time may be used by sensing the changing state of the switch to initiate functions or start components needed to “warm up” the unit before it can fully function. The term “warm up” is used in a descriptive sense to indicate the element of elapsed time require to fully start a device by first starting components in the device or completing a start procedure, such as for example “booting” as that term is known and understood in connection with computers.
According to the inventive principles as disclosed in connection with the preferred embodiment, a strain gauge is used within a switch to sense the force applied to the switch. In the case of a disclosed embodiment, as increasing force is applied, the popple switch deflects causing the popple switch contacts to move toward each other, producing a counter force. As the popple switch deflects under the applied force, a strain gauge attached to the popple switch deflects responsively providing a continuous indication of the switch position and an indication that the switch is moving between or from its “off” state to its “on” state. This continuous indication may be in the form of an analog signal produced responsive to the deflection of the strain gauge and the increasing force applied to the resilient popple switch. By reading or sensing the analog signal, an indication of the instant position of the switch may be obtained as it is being moved between states, such as between its off and on states. This indication may be translated into a start signal to initiate pre-start functions or procedures, which are required for full operation, and which are pre-started during the elapsed period of time when the switch is being moved between states.
According to the inventive principles as disclosed in connection with the preferred embodiment, the smart switch may be ergonomically customized to the individual user by using a receptor which senses the analog output of the switch and provides a signal responsive to the position or deflection of the switch as it is undergoing a change in state. In this way the smart switch could be made more responsive to a light force or light touch to produce a signal at the start of its change of state when the force applied may be the lightest and the deflection the smallest and where a maximum amount of time is required to pre-start the components to warm up the device so all needed components are fully functioning when the full operation of the device is demanded.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5184120 (1993-02-01), Schultz
patent: 5500635 (1996-03-01), Mott
patent: 5691580 (1997-11-01), Shelby
patent: 5969440 (1999-10-01), Young et al.
patent: 6208271 (2001-03-01), Armstrong
Load Cell Instruction, & Selection Manual, Entran International, Entran Devices, Inc., Feb. 1985, 10 Washington Avenue, Fairfield N.J. 07006.
Macaluso Michael J.
Swope Charles B.
Yu David
Fleming Fritz
Motorola Inc.
Scutch, III Frank M.
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