System for sensing the position of a joystick
First Claim
1. A joystick position sensing system, comprising:
- a housing having first and second potentiometers mounted thereon;
a pivot ball movably mounted on said housing and defining a prime axis, said pivot ball being formed with first and second grooves, said grooves defining portions of respective first and second great circles each intersecting said prime axis, the plane of said first great circle being substantially orthogonal to the plane of said second great circle;
a joystick attached to said pivot ball and extending outwardly therefrom;
a first follower arm slidably engaged with said first groove and operatively engaged with said first potentiometer for generating a first signal representative of the orientation of said first groove relative to said housing;
a second follower arm slidably engaged with said second groove and operatively engaged with said second potentiometer for generating a second signal representative of the position of said second groove relative to said housing; and
means electrically coupled to said first and second potentiometers for generating a third signal representative of the position of said joystick relative to said housing.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A joystick position sensing device has a housing and a pivot ball movably mounted on said housing. The ball defines a prime axis, and a joystick is attached to the ball coaxially with the prime axis. The ball also defines two great circles which are orthogonal to each other and which intersect the prime axis. A groove is partially inscribed on the ball over a portion of each great circle, and a respective follower arm is slidably engaged with each groove. Also, each follower arm is rotatably engaged with a respective potentiometer. Motion of the joystick causes the ball (and grooves) to move, and the follower arms can slide in their grooves, or rotate relative to their potentiometers to adjust the setting of the associated potentiometer, in response to motion of the ball. The system generates a signal representative of the position of the joystick relative to the housing based upon the output signals of the potentiometers.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A joystick position sensing system, comprising:
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a housing having first and second potentiometers mounted thereon; a pivot ball movably mounted on said housing and defining a prime axis, said pivot ball being formed with first and second grooves, said grooves defining portions of respective first and second great circles each intersecting said prime axis, the plane of said first great circle being substantially orthogonal to the plane of said second great circle; a joystick attached to said pivot ball and extending outwardly therefrom; a first follower arm slidably engaged with said first groove and operatively engaged with said first potentiometer for generating a first signal representative of the orientation of said first groove relative to said housing; a second follower arm slidably engaged with said second groove and operatively engaged with said second potentiometer for generating a second signal representative of the position of said second groove relative to said housing; and means electrically coupled to said first and second potentiometers for generating a third signal representative of the position of said joystick relative to said housing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A ball orientation sensor system, comprising:
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a housing; a pivot ball movably mounted in said housing; a first and a second sensor path formed on said ball; first signal means slidably engaged with said first sensor path and second signal means slidably engaged with said second sensor path for generating respective first and second signals representative of the positions of said first and second sensor paths relative to said housing; and position indicating means electrically connected to said first and second signal means for generating a third signal representative of the orientation of said pivot ball relative to said housing in response to said first and second signals. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A ball orientation sensor device, comprising:
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a housing; first signal means attached to said housing for generating a first electric signal, said first signal means including a first follower arm coupled to a first potentiometer for adjustably establishing said first signal; second signal means attached to said housing for generating a second electrical signal, said second signal means including a second follower arm coupled to a second potentiometer for adjustably establishing said second signal; a pivot ball movably mounted on said housing a first sensor path with said first follower arm slidably engaged in said first sensor path and a second sensor path with said second follower arm slidably engaged in said second sensor path, for generating said first and second signals as a function of the orientation of said pivot ball relative to said housing; and position indicating means electrically connected to said first and second signal means for generating a third signal representative of the orientation of said pivot ball relative to said housing in response to said first and second signals. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method for determining the orientation of a joystick relative to a joystick housing, comprising the steps of:
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fixedly attaching a pivot ball to said joystick and movably mounting said pivot ball on said housing, said pivot ball having first and second grooves formed thereon; slidably engaging a first follower arm with said first groove and a second follower arm with said second groove; operatively engaging said first and second follower arms with respective first and second electronic signal generators; generating first and second signals representative of the respective orientations of said first and second grooves relative to said housing; and electrically connecting a position indicator to said signal generators to generate a third signal representative of the orientation of said joystick relative to said housing in response to said first and second signals.
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Specification