Touch activated controller for generating X-Y output information

• US 4,455,452 A
• Filed: 09/13/1982
• Issued: 06/19/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Touch Activated Switch Arrays Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Touch Activated Switch Arrays Incorporated
• Inventors: Schuyler, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHREYER, STAFFORD
• Application Number:
  US06/417,540
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 178/18, 178/19, 178/20, 340/706
• US Class Current: 178/18.06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/047 using sets of wires, e.g. crossed wires

Abstract

A touch activated control unit and system provides control information representative of, and in response to, movement of a person'"'"'s finger along each of two axes defined on the unit. The control system includes a touch pad as part of the control unit. Elements of the touch pad define a plurality of axes and are responsive to the proximate presence of a person'"'"'s finger to provide an input in response to touching and representative of the location of the finger on each of the two axes. In this manner a touch activated controller for generating X-Y output information includes touchable traces carried on a common side of a PC board and extending in mutually normal directions. A speed scaling circuit provides improved resolution.

Claims

1. In a touch activated controller for generating signals representative of displacement of a person'"'"'s finger movement thereon along each of two axes and adapted to control apparatus responsive to said generated signals, said controller comprising a supporting layer of insulating material, a first series of elongate conductive sense elements distributed in closely spaced relation across said layer, means forming leads coupled to said elements for carrying signals thereon representative of movement of a person'"'"'s finger across said elements, a second series of elongate conductive sense elements distributed across said layer and disposed between adjacent pairs of said first series, the elements of said second series being divided into a series of increments distributed lengthwise thereof, and means forming conductors coupled to adjacent increments from pairs of said second series of elements for carrying signals thereon representative of movement of a person'"'"'s finger along said elements of said second series.

2. In the method of generating X-Y output information from a touch activated controller having a sensor board assembly across which a person can move an activator to be sensed along each of two axes to supply input information, the method serving to modify the resolution of the output information with respect to the movement of the activator, the method including the steps of determining the speed of movement of an activator along a given axis of said sensor board, establishing a series of various speed ranges, associating different factors with respect to each speed range, comparing the first named speed with said ranges, and multiplying said first named speed by the factor associated with that one of said ranges which includes said speed.

3. In the method according to claim 2 in which the activator is a person'"'"'s finger.

4. In a touch activated controller for generating signals representative of displacement of a person'"'"'s finger movement thereon along each of two axes and adapted to control apparatus responsive thereto, said controller comprising a supporting substrate of insulating material, a first series of elongate conductive elements distributed in closely spaced relation across one face of said substrate, means forming first conductors coupled to said elements for carrying signals thereon responsive to movement of a person'"'"'s finger thereacross, a second series of elongate conductive elements distributed across said substrate and disposed to include portions lying between adjacent pairs of said first series and on the same face thereof, and means forming conductors coupled to adjacent portions taken from pairs of said second series of elements for carrying signals thereon responsive to movement of a person'"'"'s finger along said elements of said second series.

5. In a touch activated controller according to claim 4 comprising means forming a guard plane disposed in parallel spaced relation beneath the reverse face of said substrate, means for biasing said guard plane, the last named conductors being carried between said guard plane and said substrate, means for alternately sampling the capacitive coupling for all of said first series of conductors and all of said second series of conductors, and means for reducing the bias applied to said guard plane for sampling said second series of conductive elements to provide a balanced capacitive coupling as between said first and second series.

6. A touch activated controller according to claim 4 in which each of said elements and their associated first conductors of said first series have substantially the same capacitance with respect to said guard plane and each of said elements and their associated second conductors of said second series have substantially the same capacitance with respect to said guard plane to provide substantially uniform capacitive coupling between the elements and associated conductors along each of two axes.