System for producing electric field with predetermined characteristics and edge terminations for resistance planes therefor
First Claim
1. In combination with means having a resistive surface, a system of producing an electric field having predetermined electrical energy distribution characteristics along a first direction and predetermined electrical energy distribution characteristics along a second direction, said second direction being transversely oriented with respect to said first direction comprising,said resistive surface being provided with a first pair of opposed lateral edges and a second pair of opposed lateral edges, each of said laterally opposed edges having resistive electrode means therealong for distributively passing an electrical current into said resistive surface at incremental points of said opposed edges, respectively, and including resistance means for adjusting the distribution of current into said incremental points of said opposed edges of said resistive surface to thereby control the current supplied to said incremental points of said surface at the lateral edges thereof so as to establish a current flow between opposed lateral edges, and each said resistive electrode having a substantially uniform resistance per unit length, and said resistive surface including resistive edge extensions at a plurality of sequential points therealong, respectively, for limiting the current removed from said electrode at sequential points therealong, respectively,each said resistive electrode including a plurality of distributed conductor members along said laterally opposed edges, said distributed conductor members being carried by and in conductive contact with the surface of said resistive surface along the length of each distributed conductor member.
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Abstract
A system is described for coupling two voltage sources to a resistive plane, surface or layer so as to produce a uniform electric field in said plane with orthogonal components along the two axes of the plane generated by the two voltage sources so that coordinates of position of a digit or finger in the field may be determined. Techniques are described for fabricating both the plane and the coupling elements from the same resistive material. It is also shown how nonlinear electric fields can be created while preserving orthogonality. Three-dimensional fields of predetermined characteristics can be created by extending the techniques to curved surfaces and by using multiple surfaces.
173 Citations
26 Claims
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1. In combination with means having a resistive surface, a system of producing an electric field having predetermined electrical energy distribution characteristics along a first direction and predetermined electrical energy distribution characteristics along a second direction, said second direction being transversely oriented with respect to said first direction comprising,
said resistive surface being provided with a first pair of opposed lateral edges and a second pair of opposed lateral edges, each of said laterally opposed edges having resistive electrode means therealong for distributively passing an electrical current into said resistive surface at incremental points of said opposed edges, respectively, and including resistance means for adjusting the distribution of current into said incremental points of said opposed edges of said resistive surface to thereby control the current supplied to said incremental points of said surface at the lateral edges thereof so as to establish a current flow between opposed lateral edges, and each said resistive electrode having a substantially uniform resistance per unit length, and said resistive surface including resistive edge extensions at a plurality of sequential points therealong, respectively, for limiting the current removed from said electrode at sequential points therealong, respectively, each said resistive electrode including a plurality of distributed conductor members along said laterally opposed edges, said distributed conductor members being carried by and in conductive contact with the surface of said resistive surface along the length of each distributed conductor member.
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2. A current distributor for supplying electrical current to the edges of a rectangular resistive plane whereby a sequential series of points beginning at one edge of said rectangular resistive plane have currents therealong, comprising a resistive electrode member,
and a plurality of resistive members sequentially connected between said electrode and said edge of said resistive plane, said resistance members having electrical resistance values which vary in a predetermined manner as a function of the distance from a first selected point at the edge of the plane to a second selected point thereof.
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4. A method of exciting a rectangular resistive plane having opposed resistive electrodes coextensive with the sides thereof comprising limiting current from said coextensive opposed resistive electrodes to each side of said rectangular resistive plane to equal values such that the field above said plane is linear.
- 5. An apparatus for producing a two-dimensional electric field comprising a rectangular resistive surface, and means for simultaneously coupling orthogonally related currents to all four edges of said resistive surface such that the field component parallel to a first side is everywhere proportional to a first excitation signal and at the same time the field component orthogonal to said first side is everywhere proportional to a second excitation signal.
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18. Apparatus for creating an electric field above a surface, said electric field having a predetermined linearity characteristic, comprising a plane resistive surface having a predetermined number of sides, and resistive electrode means at two laterally opposed sides of said predetermined number of sides for distributively supplying a current to said sides including a supply connected to one end of each of said resistive electrodes, and an impedance connecting the opposite ends of said two resistive electrodes, each said resistive electrode including a plurality of distributed conductor members along said laterally opposed sides, said distributed conductor members being carried by and in conductive contact with the surface of said resistive surface along the length of each distributed conductor member.
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19. A human-machine interface apparatus comprising,
a first transducer comprising a resistive surface and means for supporting said resistive surface such that pressure exerted by a human finger thereon transmits a force in a direction normal to said surface, means for coupling orthogonally related currents to the edges of said resistive surface such that a field component parallel to a first side is everywhere proportioned to a first excitation signal as a function of distance from a selected point on said surface and the field component orthogonal to said first side is everywhere proportioned to a second excitation signal as a function of distance from said selected point, and a second data transducer comprising means mechanically coupled to said resilient surface for translating said force in a direction normal to said surface to a first electrical signal, means for detecting the position of said human finger in said orthogonal fields and producing second electrical signals, respectively, and a utilization device coupled to receive said first and said second electrical signals.
- 20. In a resistive surface, improvements in electrical edge termination to said resistive surface comprising a plurality of rows of conductive segments overlying the edge of said resistive surface, the conductive segments in each row of conductive segments having a length in the direction of said edge which is longer than the length of segments in the row preceding it.
- 23. Improvements in electrical edge termination of a resistive surface comprising a plurality of rows of conductive segments overlying an edge of said resistive surface, the conductive segments in each row of conductive segments having lengths in the direction of said edge that are longer than the lengths of segments in the next row more proximate to the center of said surface.
Specification