Control circuit for sensor array and related methods

• US 20070235231A1
• Filed: 03/29/2006
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tekscan, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tekscan, Inc.
• Inventors: Dubinsky, Boris, Lefko, Janet, Loomis, Gary
• Application Number:
  US11/392,207
• Publication Number:
  US 20070235231A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 178/18.60
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/205 using distributed sensing elements

Abstract

A control circuit for scanning a pressure or force responsive sensor array is disclosed. Pressure or force sensors formed of an array of pressure or force responsive sensor elements can be used to acquire pressure or force measurements in response to an applied load. The control circuit can sample signals from the sensor elements to detect the pressure or force at one or more sensor elements of the sensor array. The circuit herein may provide for relatively faster scan rates. A user may define a subset or subsets of sensor elements of the sensor array to be scanned. Various methods and related circuitry for adjusting for sensor characteristics are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A circuit for scanning an array of pressure or force responsive sensor elements, the circuit comprising:

a control circuit for controlling the scanning of the pressure or force responsive sensor elements,

wherein the control circuit comprises a plurality of modules configured to operate in parallel for faster processing of signals obtained from the scanning of the pressure or force responsive sensor elements.

2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the control circuit comprises a field programmable gate array.

3. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the plurality of modules configured to operate in parallel comprises a scanning control module for controlling the scanning of the pressure or force responsive sensor elements.

4. The circuit of claim 3, wherein the plurality of modules configured to operate in parallel further comprises an analog to digital interface module for receiving an output signal from an analog to digital converter that outputs a signal indicative of a pressure or force applied to the pressure or force responsive sensor elements.

5. The circuit of claim 3, wherein the scanning control module controls the scanning of the pressure or force responsive sensor elements so as to scan a subset or subsets of sensor elements of the array of pressure or force responsive sensor elements.

6. The circuit of claim 3, wherein each of the sensor elements are intersected by one of one or more first electrodes and one of one or more second electrodes, there being at least one pressure or force sensitive material between the electrodes intersecting at each of the sensor elements.

7. The circuit of claim 6, wherein the at least one pressure or force sensitive material comprises at least one pressure or force sensitive variable resistance material.

8. The circuit of claim 6, wherein the scanning control module controls the setting of a first multiplexer that selects one of the one or more first electrodes and the setting of a second multiplexer that selects one of the one or more second electrodes.

9. A circuit for scanning an array of pressure or force responsive sensor elements, the circuit comprising:

a control circuit for controlling the scanning of the pressure or force responsive sensor elements,

wherein the control circuit is configured to scan a user definable subset or subsets of the array of pressure or force responsive sensor elements.

10. The circuit of claim 9, wherein the control circuit scans the user definable subset or subsets of the array of pressure or force responsive sensor elements based on a scan table that indicates the user definable subset or subsets of the array of pressure or force responsive sensor elements.

11. The circuit of claim 10, wherein the control circuit stores the scan table that indicates the user definable subset or subsets of the array of pressure or force responsive sensor elements.

12. The circuit of claim 11, wherein the control circuit is configured to be coupled to a computing device that is configured to enable a definition of the user definable subset or subsets of the array of pressure or force responsive sensor elements.

13. The circuit of claim 9, wherein the user definable subset or subsets of the array of pressure or force responsive sensor elements is defined by a user specifying one or more boundaries surrounding the subset or subsets of the array of pressure or force response sensor elements.

14. The circuit of claim 9, wherein each of the sensor elements are intersected by one of one or more first electrodes and one of one or more second electrodes, there being at least one pressure or force sensitive material between the electrodes intersecting at each of the sensor elements.

15. The circuit of claim 14, wherein the at least one pressure or force sensitive material comprises at least one pressure or force sensitive variable resistance material.

16. A method of scanning an array of pressure or force responsive sensor elements, the method comprising:

(A) selecting one or more pressure or force responsive elements based on a user definable subset or subsets of the array of pressure or force responsive sensor elements; and

(B) obtaining signals indicative of the pressure or force applied to the one or more pressure or force responsive elements selected based on the user definable subset or subsets of the array of pressure or force responsive sensor elements.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the user definable subset or subsets of the array of pressure or force responsive sensor elements is provided by a scan table that indicates the user definable subset or subsets of the array of pressure or force responsive sensor elements.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

displaying an interface configured so that the subset or subsets of the array of pressure or force responsive sensor elements is definable.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

obtaining a definition of one or more boundaries surrounding the subset or subsets of the array of pressure or force response sensor elements.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

obtaining a definition of one or more areas corresponding to the subset or subsets of the array of pressure or force response sensor elements.