Device for detecting the position of a control member on a touch-sensitive pad

• US 5,016,008 A
• Filed: 05/23/1988
• Issued: 05/14/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sextant Avionique
• Original Assignee: Sextant Avionique
• Inventors: Gruaz, Daniel, Marchal, Claude
• Primary Examiner(s): Oberley, Alvin
• Application Number:
  US07/197,431
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• Field of Search: 341/33, 341/26, 341/22, 340/709, 340/706, 340/712, 200/DIG. 1
• US Class Current: 341/33
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/004 for measuring coordinates of points
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means

Abstract

The device in accordance with the invention includes a series of detection areas (2) on the touch-sensitive pad, an analog circuit for applying a detection coefficient to each detection area (2), which coefficient corresponds to the degree the detection area is overlapped by the control member, and determines a median point of the detection areas as weighted by their respective detection coefficients.

Claims

1. A device for detecting the position of a control member on a touch-sensitive pad comprising a series of detection areas, an analog circuit for attributing a detection coefficient to each area, which coefficient is a function of the amplitude of a signal emitted by said analog circuit, said amplitude being itself a function of the degree to which the detection area is overlapped by the control member, means for selecting detection areas having a high degree of overlap amongst all of the detection areas, means for attributing an origin to one of the areas having a high degree of overlap and means for determining a median point of said detection areas having a high degree of overlap as weighted by their detection coefficient.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the detection coefficient applied to a detection area is inversely proportional to the degree to which said area is overlapped.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein each capacitive circuit includes a measurement plate disposed at the surface of the pad and connected to an intermediate point between two series-connected diodes, with one of the diodes being connected to pad ground and with the other diode being connected to an output terminal, said two didoes being disposed to conduct from ground towards the output terminal, with the intermediate point being additionally connected to a drive terminal via a capacitor.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein the analog device is connected to a computer via an analog-to-digital converter.