MULTI-TOUCH PAD CONTROLLER
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A pressure-sensitive switch, comprising:
- a first conductive trace and a second conductive trace, the first conductive trace being configured for connection to a first voltage reference, the second conductive trace being configured for connection to a second voltage reference, one of the conductive traces being configured for connection to the corresponding voltage reference via a resistance, the switch also comprising a piezoresistive material configured to make contact with the first and second conductive traces, wherein the piezoresistive material forms a voltage divider with the conductive traces and the resistance, the voltage divider being configured to generate a signal responsive to a touch event on a surface associated with the switch; and
sensor circuitry configured to receive the signal, and to generate control information from the signal, the control information representing a force of the touch event on the surface of the switch, wherein the sensor circuitry is configured to map the control information to a first function responsive to activation of the switch by the touch event, and a second function responsive to changes in the force of the touch event.
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Abstract
A highly configurable controller is described that includes a number of different types of control mechanisms that emulate a wide variety of conventional control mechanisms using pressure and location sensitive sensors that generate high-density control information which may be mapped to the controls of a wide variety of devices and software.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A pressure-sensitive switch, comprising:
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a first conductive trace and a second conductive trace, the first conductive trace being configured for connection to a first voltage reference, the second conductive trace being configured for connection to a second voltage reference, one of the conductive traces being configured for connection to the corresponding voltage reference via a resistance, the switch also comprising a piezoresistive material configured to make contact with the first and second conductive traces, wherein the piezoresistive material forms a voltage divider with the conductive traces and the resistance, the voltage divider being configured to generate a signal responsive to a touch event on a surface associated with the switch; and sensor circuitry configured to receive the signal, and to generate control information from the signal, the control information representing a force of the touch event on the surface of the switch, wherein the sensor circuitry is configured to map the control information to a first function responsive to activation of the switch by the touch event, and a second function responsive to changes in the force of the touch event. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for generating control information representing a touch event on a surface associated with a switch, the switch including a first conductive trace and a second conductive trace, the method comprising:
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receiving a signal representing interaction of a piezoresistive material and the conductive traces resulting from the touch event; digitizing the sensor signal; and generating the control information from the digitized sensor signals, the control information representing a force of the touch event on the surface of the switch; and mapping the control information to a first function responsive to activation of the switch by the touch event, and a second function responsive to changes in the force of the touch event. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification