Three-dimensional analog input control device

• US 20050190152A1
• Filed: 12/28/2004
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vladimir Vaganov
• Original Assignee: Vladimir Vaganov
• Inventors: Vaganov, Vladimir
• Granted Patent: US 7,554,167 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks

Abstract

A method and device for 3-dimensional input finger control of different functions in electronic consumer devices is provided. Certain versions of the Present Invention provide a 3-dimensional input finger interface control device for cell phones, portable gamers, digital cameras, and other consumer devices. Certain alternate versions of the Present Invention exhibit one or more of the qualities of smallness, low-cost, high reliability, and/or high stability. Certain still alternate versions of the Present Invention provide a 3-dimensional input finger force control device that (1.) accommodates a required ratio between X, Y and Z sensitivities, (2.) has low cross-axis sensitivity, (3.) allows process integration with other sensors and CMOS, (4.) is scalable, (5.) allows convenient solutions for applying an external force, and/or (6.) allows economic manufacturability for high volume consumer markets.

Claims

1. A method of 3-dimensional input finger control of different functions in device interfaces by decoupling the components of finger force vector with respect to axes of an orthogonal coordinate system, said method comprises the steps of:

providing a semiconductor substrate sensor chip, said semiconductor sensor chip comprising a frame element, a rigid island element and an elastic element mechanically coupling said frame and said rigid island elements;

providing a set of three or more stress-sensitive IC components integrated into the elastic element and adjacent to the frame element for electrical connectivity to contact pad without connectivity via conductor traversal of elastic element surface;

coupling at least one force-transferring element from a tactile contact button element to a rigid island element of a sensor die;

transferring the applied external vector force from the button element through at least one force-transferring element to the rigid island element of the sensor die, and

thereby generating electrical outputs from application the external force vector via stress-sensitive IC components positioned in the elastic element each carrying the unique orthogonal system component of signal from the force vector, where the IC component outputs are functions of input component stresses developed from the orthogonal system force components.

2. The method of 3-dimensional input finger control in claim 1 further comprising the step of providing at least one spring element coupling the sensor die with a button through which an external vector force can be applied.

3. The method of 3-dimensional input finger control in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

providing an electronic circuit logic for processing signals from sensors;

processing the electrical output in circuit logic to provide digital signals which are representative matrix of the orthogonal component values from an applied external force on to the button, and

determining the force vector components of the applied three dimensional external force using the component signal values and the electronic circuit logic in solving at least three equations with at least three unknown vector components.

4. A three-dimensional analog input control device for inputting analog mechanical signals into a digital processing system comprising:

a sensor die formed within semiconductor substrate;

an elastic element within said semiconductor substrate;

a frame formed around said elastic element and coupled with at least part of the periphery of said elastic element all within the substrate;

at least three mechanical stress sensitive IC components located in the elastic element for providing electrical output signals proportional to the mechanical stress in the location of the IC components;

at least one rigid island element formed in the substrate and coupled with the elastic element;

at least one rigid force-transferring element coupled to the rigid island of a sensor die which transfers an external vector force to the elastic element and through the IC components which provide electrical output signal;

at least one spring element coupling the force-transferring element with an external, and

at least one electronic circuit for processing output signals from the mechanical stress sensitive IC components using the component signal and the electronic circuit logic in solving at least three equations with at least three unknown vector components.

5. A device of claim 4, where the semiconductor substrate is made from material chosen from the group consisting essentially of:

elements from the IV group of the Periodic Table, silicon, germanium, silicon carbide, diamond like carbon, elements from III and V groups of the Periodic Table, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, indium phosphide.

6. A device of claim 4, where the elastic element in the semiconductor substrate is having thickness and in the shape of ring or n-sided faceted geometry.

7. A device of claim 4, wherein the elastic element has uniform thickness of less than the substrate and the rigid island element center as the axis of symmetry.

8. A device of claim 4, wherein the elastic element has non-uniform thickness of less than the substrate.

9. A device of claim 4, further comprising a elastic element with at least one through opening in it'"'"'s thickness dimension.

10. A device of claim 4, further comprising at least one stress concentrating element located on the elastic element and having the shape from a group of shapes consisting essentially of:

V-groove, trapezoidal groove, and a groove with the sidewalls forming an angle in the range of 90°

±

5°

with the surface of the diaphragm.

11. A device of claim 4 further comprising electronic circuits from a group of electronic circuits consisting essentially of amplifiers, multiplexers, analog-to-digital converters, digital-to-analog converters, microprocessor, flash memory, EEPROM, and I/O interface circuits.

12. A device of claim 4, further comprising rigid island element of shape from a group of shapes consisting of:

cone, cylinder, semi-sphere, sphere, faceted cone, faceted cylinder, faceted semi-sphere, faceted sphere and combinations of these.

13. A device of claim 4, further comprising a rigid island element with at least one non-uniformity from a group of non-uniformities consisting of:

cavity, hole, mesa, bridge, cantilever, and combinations of these.

14. A device of claim 4, further comprising a rigid force-transferring element shape from a group of shapes consisting essentially of:

ring, plate, disk, beam, inverted mushroom, or cone, and force-transferring element surface, coupling the force-transferring element and a spring element through constructs from a group of constructs consisting essentially of a negative slope, cavity, hole, mesa, bridge, and cantilever.

15. A device of claim 17, further comprising an intermediate adhesive layer coupling the rigid force-transferring element and rigid island element, adhesive is chosen from a group of adhesive consisting essentially of:

a polymer, a solder, a frit-glass, a negative photoresist, and a polyimide based compound.

16. A device of claim 4, further comprising a rigid force-transferring element of the material chosen from the group of materials consisting essentially of:

silicon, semiconductor material, metal, alloy, plastic, glass, and ceramic.

17. A device of claim 4, further comprising a spring element chosen from the group of spring elements consisting essentially of:

spring, thin beam, wire, elastic plastic button, elastic plastic stick, elastic plastic rocking button, spine-like structure, elastic dome with mechanical feedback, plastic shell filled in with liquid, plastic shell filled in with gel, and elastomeric button.

18. A device of claim 4, further comprising a least one stress sensitive IC component chosen from the group of stress sensitive IC components consisting essentially of:

a piezoresistor, a pn-junction, a tunnel diode, a Schottky diode, a shear stress component, a piezoresistive Wheatstone bridge, a MOS transistor, a complementary pair of CMOS transistors, a bipolar transistor, a pair of p-n-p and n-p-n bipolar transistors, a bipolar transistor and at least one piezoresistor connected to transistor, a MOS transistor and at least one piezoresistor connected to transistor, a bipolar transistor circuit, and a CMOS transistor circuit.

19. A device of claim 4, further comprising an electronic circuit which provides functions from a group of functions consisting essentially of:

analog amplifying, analog multiplexing, analog-to-digital conversion, signal processing, memory for compensation coefficients, digital interface, power management, transmitting and receiving radio-signals, and management of charging from piezoelectric elements.

20. A device as in claim 4 further comprising a wireless communication means and a power supply.

21. A device as in claim 4, further comprising:

integrated wireless communication means;

at least one piezoelectric element for generating electrical power from mechanical force applied to the button, and

at least one capacitor for storing piezoelectric generated power