Dual input zone force feedback with spring-mounted sliding guide element electrically controlling a micropositioning apparatus

• US 10,086,376 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2013
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eppendorf Se
• Original Assignee: Eppendorf AG
• Inventors: Knofe, Dieter, Flucke, Christian, Maass, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Vanni, G Steven
• Application Number:
  US13/938,146
• Publication Number:
  US 20140024110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,911 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/02 Hand grip control means handles or pedals for crane control B66C13/56; for measuring the force applied to control members G01L5/22; hand-held casings for switching devices, e.g. joy-sticks H01H9/0214
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 9/047 the controlling member being movable by hand about orthogonal axes, e.g. joysticks for switches H01H25/04
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device

Abstract

The invention relates to operating apparatus for the control of a movement apparatus, in particular the movement apparatus of a micromanipulator for the manipulation of biological cells, and a method for the control of the movement apparatus. The operating apparatus comprises an electrical control device and an input device with different input zones, by means of which the movement apparatus can be controlled according to different control rules.

Claims

1. An operating apparatus for the control of a movement apparatus of a micropositioning apparatus, which movement apparatus drives a moved element, the operating apparatus comprising:

an electrical control device and

an input device comprising an input region;

the operating apparatus being configured to detect a position value that can be changed by a user through the input device, said value representing a position and/or movement of a movable element that can be located within the input region;

the input device being configured to generate an electrical signal which depends on the position value and which electrical signal is configured to serve as an input signal for the electrical control device, and the electrical control device being configured to generate an output signal which depends on the input signal and with which the movement of the moved element of the movement apparatus is controlled;

the input region comprising at least a first input zone and a second input zone, and the electrical control device being configured to;

generate the output signal according to a first control rule depending on the input signal, when the movable element is located in the first input zone;

generate the output signal according to a second control rule depending on the input signal when the movable element is located in the second input zone;

the operating apparatus comprising an apparatus for force feedback, which is configured to oppose the user with a changeable opposing force depending on the position value when the user changes the position of the movable element; and

the apparatus for force feedback comprising a sliding guide element spring-mounted about a zero position by a spring device, said sliding guide element comprising a cutout that serves as a sliding guide, the inner face of which serves as a slide track for the movable element, wherein a contour of the cutout of the sliding guide element has the same shape and size as the zone boundary that forms the transition from the first input zone into the second input zone.

2. The operating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first control rule is configured to generate a proportional control of the movement of the moved element of the movement apparatus, depending on the position value.

3. The operating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second input zone comprises at least a first zone segment (W1) and a second zone segment (W2), the first zone segment (W1) being arranged between the first input zone and the second zone segment (W2), wherein the position value representing the position of the movable element is referred to as P_rel and the change f of a velocity v(P_rel) of the moved element with respect to the position value P_rel is the derivative of v(P_rel) with respect to P_rel, i.e. f=(d/dP_rel) v(P_rel), the values of the change f being lower within W1 than within W2.

4. The operating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, in the second input zone, a dynamic control of the motion of the moved element of the movement apparatus is configured to be dependent on the position value P_rel and is configured such that f is greater than zero and is proportional to P_rel.

5. The operating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second control rule is configured to generate a dynamic control of the movement of the moved element of the movement apparatus, depending on the position value.

6. The operating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input region comprises a dead zone as a third input zone and wherein the third input zone is located between the first and the second input zones.

7. The operating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein first and second input zone are separated by at least one zone boundary and the operating apparatus comprises a signal device that is configured to indicate to the user a change between the first and second input zones when the movable element changes its position in such a way that it passes over said zone boundary.

8. The operating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the signal device is configured to provide the user with a user signal when this change occurs.

9. The operating apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the user signal comprises a tactile signal, an acoustic signal, or an optical signal.

10. The operating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the signal device is configured to provide the user with a user signal when the change between the dead zone and the second input zone occurs.

11. The operating apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the apparatus for force feedback serves as this signal device.

12. The operating apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the user signal comprises a tactile signal, an acoustic signal, or an optical signal.

13. The operating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus for force feedback serves as a reset device in order to return the movable element to an initial position by means of the opposing force.

14. The operating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movable element is a joystick lever.

15. An operating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, 10, 11, 13, and 14 comprising the movement apparatus that drives the moved element, wherein the movement apparatus comprises at least one drive and the moved element is configured to be moved by the at least one drive.

16. A method for generating the output signal for the control of the movement apparatus of the micropositioning apparatus driving the moved element of claim 1, the method comprising:

generating the electrical signal with the input device of the operating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input device comprises the input region, said electrical signal serving as the input signal for the electrical control device of the operating apparatus and

generating the output signal with the electrical control device, wherein the output signal depends on the input signal, and wherein the output signal is used to control the position and/or movement of the movement apparatus;

wherein the input region comprises the first input zone where the output signal is generated by the control device according to the first control rule, which depends on the input signal, when the movable element of the input device is located in the first input zone and

wherein the input region comprises the second input zone where the output signal is generated by the control device according to the second control rule, which depends on the input signal, when the movable element of the input device is located in the second input zone.

17. A method for manipulating one or more biological cells, the method comprising:

contacting the one or more biological cells with the micropositioning apparatus comprising the operating apparatus according to any one of claim 10, 11, 13, or 14 and manipulating the one or more biological cells.