Identification device of a manual action on a surface, in particular for a timeplace

• US 6,184,871 B1
• Filed: 10/17/1997
• Issued: 02/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Asulab SA (The Swatch Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Asulab SA (The Swatch Group AG)
• Inventors: Vuilléme, Hugues, Terés, Yvan, Grupp, Joachim
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANG, KENT WU
• Application Number:
  US08/953,295
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174, 178/18.01, 178/18.05, 178/18.06, 178/18.07, 178/18.1
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/08 Touch switches specially adapted for time-pieces

Abstract

Device arranged to identify a manual action on a surface performed by a finger (32), comprising a set of sensors (41) each actuable by the finger so as to create a variation of an electrical quantity, these sensors being respectively arranged within a corresponding set of determined zones of the surface. The device further comprises first detection means (42) for detecting, amongst a subset of said sensors (41) which are activated simultaneously, that actuated sensor representing the greatest variation of the electrical quantity.

Claims

1. A device for identifying a manual action on a surface performed by a finger, comprising:

a set of sensors each being actuable by said finger so as to create a variation of an electric quantity, said electrical quantity varying as a function of degree of coverage of the sensor by said finger, these sensors being independent and distinct from each other and respectively arranged within a corresponding set of determined zones of said surface;

wherein said device further comprises;

first detection means for detecting, amongst a subset of said sensors which are activated simultaneously, the actuated sensor which has the largest variation of said electrical quantity.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said first detection means comprise:

means for converting said electrical quantity of each of said set of sensors into an output signal having a frequency which is proportional to said electrical quantity, and

second detection means for detecting the output signal which has the largest frequency variation.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein said second detection means comprise

a frequency detector for creating a numerical value corresponding to the frequency of the output signal corresponding to each activated sensor,

a memory for memorising said numerical values, and

a comparator for comparing said numerical values and for identifying that one which corresponds to the sensor having the largest variation of said electrical quantity.

4. A device according to claims 1, 2, or 3, wherein said device further comprises :

an activation detector for detecting if the variation of said electrical quantity of at least one of said set of sensors reaches a predetermined threshold.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein said sensors are capacitive sensors comprising first and second electrodes and said electrical quantity is a capacity of said capacitive sensors, the first electrode of each sensor being formed on a face of said surface opposite to a face in contact with said finger and the second electrode of each sensor being formed by said finger.