Tactile designation device with high-resolution transparent capacitive surface

• US 5,801,682 A
• Filed: 03/15/1996
• Issued: 09/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sextant Avionique
• Original Assignee: Sextant Avionique
• Inventors: Coni, Philippe, Fagard, Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Saras, Steven J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Application Number:
  US08/616,251
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 178/18, 178/19, 178/20, 345/173, 345/174
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0444 using a single conductive element covering the whole sensing surface, e.g. by sensing the electrical current flowing at the corners

Abstract

A tactile designation device comprises a continuous transparent capacitive surface supported at its corners by flexible strips to which there are attached strain gauges, a HF supply source, a series capacitor, a multiplexer, a detection circuit and a computer. The corners of the capacitive surface are connected alternately to the HF voltage, and the voltages measured are compared with a table of values to determine the touch point.

Claims

1. A tactile designation device with a transparent capacitive surface whose precision is independent of how contact is made with said surface and whose precision does not depend on a drift or on characteristics of components comprising;

a substantially rectangular glass plate having a continuous transparent metal deposit, said plate being supported at corners thereof by flexible strips configured to be fixed to strain gauges, said strips being configured to connect the metal deposit of the glass plate to an electronic circuit comprising high-frequency supply circuits and a computer, via a series capacitor; and

a detection circuit having a pair of poles one of which is connected to a first corner of the metal deposit and the other pole being connected to an opposite corner of the detection circuit, and third and fourth corners being unconnected.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the high-frequency supply circuits have a frequency ranging between 500 kHz and 50 MHz approximately.

3. A device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the series capacitor has a value ranging between 100 pF and 700 pF approximately.

4. A device according to claim 1, wherein said opposite corner is connected to the other pole of the circuit through a resistor.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic circuits comprise a variable gain amplifier.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein the computer has at least one conversion table in which there are memorized voltage values measured for different touch points of the capacitive surface.

7. A device according to claim 6, wherein the touch points correspond to the centers of keys of a Cartesian network of virtual keys of a capacitive surface.

8. A device according to claim 2, wherein said opposite corner is connected to the other pole of a circuit through a resistor.

9. A device according to claim 3, wherein said opposite comer is connected to the other pole of the circuit through a resistor.

10. A device according to claim 2, wherein the electronic circuits comprise a variable gain amplifier.

11. A device according to claim 3, wherein the electronic circuits comprise a variable gain amplifier.

12. A device according to claim 4, wherein the electronic circuits comprise a variable gain amplifier.

13. A device according to claim 8, wherein the electronic circuits comprise a variable gain amplifier.

14. A device according to claim 9, wherein the electronic circuits comprise a variable gain amplifier.

15. A device according to claim 2, wherein the computer has at least one conversion table in which there are memorized voltage values measured for different touch points of the capacitive surface.

16. A device according to claim 4, wherein the computer has at least one conversion table in which there are memorized voltage values measured for different touch points of the capacitive surface.