USER INTERFACE DEVICES, APPARATUS, AND METHODS
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A user interface device, comprising:
- a spring mechanism;
an actuator element coupled to the spring mechanism;
a base element coupled to the spring mechanism;
a processing element; and
a motion sensing apparatus comprising one or more magnets and one or more multi-axis magnetic sensor elements, wherein the motion sensing apparatus is coupled between the actuator element and the base element to magnetically sense a motion of the actuator element and provide, to the processing element, one or more motion signals corresponding to the sensed motion.
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Abstract
User interface devices using magnetic sensing to provide output signals associated with motion and/or deformation of an actuator element of the interface devices are described. The output signals may be provided to an electronic computing system to provide commands, controls, and/or other data or information. In one embodiment, a user interface device may include a plurality of permanent magnets and a plurality of multi-axis magnetic sensors to generate motion and/or deformation signals to be provided to a processing element to generate the output signals.
38 Citations
50 Claims
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1. A user interface device, comprising:
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a spring mechanism; an actuator element coupled to the spring mechanism; a base element coupled to the spring mechanism; a processing element; and a motion sensing apparatus comprising one or more magnets and one or more multi-axis magnetic sensor elements, wherein the motion sensing apparatus is coupled between the actuator element and the base element to magnetically sense a motion of the actuator element and provide, to the processing element, one or more motion signals corresponding to the sensed motion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, 34)
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31. The device of claim 31, wherein the processing element is further configured to generate, responsive to the push input and one or more motion signals, a pushbutton control signal to be provided to the electronic computing system.
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35. A user interface device, comprising:
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means for generating a varying magnetic field responsive to motion of an actuator element; means for generating a motion signal in multiple axes based on the varying magnetic field; and means for receiving the motion signal and generating, based at least in part on the motion signal, an output signal usable by an electronic computing system.
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36. A method for providing an output signal from a user interface device, comprising:
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generating, at a motion sensing apparatus including one or more magnetic multi-axis sensor elements, one or more motion signals corresponding to movement of an actuator element relative to a base element; receiving, at a processing element, the one or more motion signals; and generating, at the processing element, based at least in part on the one or more motion signals, an output signal usable by an electronic computing system. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39)
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40. A computer-readable medium including instructions for causing a computer to:
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receive, from a motion sensing apparatus including one or more magnetic multi-axis sensor elements, one or more motion signals corresponding to movement of an actuator element relative to a base element; and generate, based at least in part on the one or more motion signals, an output signal usable by an electronic computing system. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43)
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44. A system, comprising:
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an electronic computing system; and a user interface device coupled to the electronic computing system, the user interface device comprising; a spring mechanism; an actuator element coupled to the spring mechanism; a base element coupled to the spring mechanism; a processing element; and a motion sensing apparatus comprising one or more magnets and one or more multi-axis magnetic sensor elements, wherein the motion sensing apparatus is coupled between the actuator element and the base element to magnetically sense a motion of the actuator element and provide, to the processing element, one or more motion signals corresponding to the sensed motion.
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45. A user interface device, comprising:
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a base element; and an actuator assembly coupled to the base element, the actuator assembly including; a movable element; a motion sensing apparatus configured to magnetically sense a motion of the movable element and provide, responsive to the sensed motion, a motion signal; a deformable element; a deformation sensor apparatus configured to magnetically sense a deformation of the deformable element and provide, responsive to the deformation, a deformation signal; a fixed element coupled to the base element; and a processing element coupled to the motion sensor apparatus and the deformation sensor apparatus, the processing element configured to receive one or both of the motion and deformation signals and provide, based on one or both of the motion and deformation signals, an output signal. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47)
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48. A method for providing an output signal from a user interface device, comprising:
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generating, at a motion sensing apparatus including one or more magnetic multi-axis sensor elements, one or more motion signals corresponding to movement of a movable actuator element; generating, at a deformation sensing apparatus including one or more magnetic multi-axis sensor elements, one or more deformation signals corresponding to a deformation of a deformable actuator element; receiving, at a processing element, the one or more motion signals and the one or more deformation signals; and generating, at the processing element, based at least in part on one or more of the one or more motion signals and the one or more deformation signals, an output signal usable by an electronic computing system.
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49. A computer-readable medium including instructions for causing a computer to:
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receive, from a motion sensing apparatus including one or more magnetic multi-axis sensor elements, one or more motion signals corresponding to movement of a movable actuator element; receive, from a deformation sensing apparatus including one or more magnetic multi-axis sensor elements, one or more deformation signals corresponding to deformation of a deformable actuator element; and generate, based at least in part on one or more of the more or more motion signals and the one or more deformation signals, an output signal usable by an electronic computing system.
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50. A system, comprising:
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an electronic computing system; and a user interface device coupled to the electronic computing system, the user interface device comprising; a base element; and an actuator assembly coupled to the base element, the actuator assembly including; a movable element; a motion sensor apparatus configured to sense a motion of the movable element and provide, responsive to the sensed motion, a motion signal; a deformable element; a deformation sensor apparatus configured to sense a deformation of the deformable element and provide, responsive to the deformation, a deformation signal; a fixed element coupled to the base element; and a processing element coupled to the motion sensor apparatus and the deformation sensor apparatus, the processing element configured to receive one or both of the motion and deformation signal and provide, based on one or both of the motion and deformation signal, an output signal to the electronic computing system.
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Specification