Substantially rigid capacitive joystick designs
First Claim
1. A substantially rigid, force-sensing joystick, comprising:
- a user-manipulable handle coupled to an electrically conductive drive plate;
an electrically conductive surface spaced apart from the drive plate, wherein one or both of the drive plate and the conductive surface are segmented to produce multiple capacitive sensing elements, such that a force applied to the handle causes a slight deflection of the drive plate, enabling the force to be computed in at least two dimensions through changes detectable in the capacitive sensing elements; and
one or more electrical controls on the handle.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An economical, force-sensing “stiff” capacitive joystick includes a user-manipulable handle coupled to an electrically conductive drive plate, and an electrically conductive surface spaced apart from the drive plate. In the preferred embodiment, one or both of the drive plate and the conductive surface are segmented to produce multiple capacitive sensing elements, such that a force applied to the handle causes a slight deflection of the drive plate, enabling the force to be computed in at least two dimensions through changes detectable in the capacitive sensing elements. One or more electrical controls may be provided on the handle to accommodate different functions. For convenient construction, the electrically conductive drive plate is non-segmented, and the electrically conductive surface forms part of a printed-circuit board having a segmented pattern.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. A substantially rigid, force-sensing joystick, comprising:
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a user-manipulable handle coupled to an electrically conductive drive plate;
an electrically conductive surface spaced apart from the drive plate, wherein one or both of the drive plate and the conductive surface are segmented to produce multiple capacitive sensing elements, such that a force applied to the handle causes a slight deflection of the drive plate, enabling the force to be computed in at least two dimensions through changes detectable in the capacitive sensing elements; and
one or more electrical controls on the handle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A substantially rigid, force-sensing joystick, consisting essentially of:
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a user-manipulable handle coupled to an electrically conductive drive plate; and
an electrically conductive surface spaced apart from the drive plate, wherein one or both of the drive plate and the conductive surface are segmented to produce multiple capacitive sensing elements, such that a force applied to the handle causes a slight deflection of the drive plate, enabling the force to be computed in at least two dimensions through changes detectable in the capacitive sensing elements. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
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9. A substantially rigid, force-sensing joystick, comprising:
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a user-manipulable handle coupled to a base plate through a substantially rigid force-sensing element that allows only a slight deflection of the handle in response to an applied force;
an electrically conductive drive plate physically coupled to the handle; and
an electrically conductive surface physically coupled to the base plate and spaced apart from the drive plate, wherein one or both of the drive plate and the conductive surface are segmented to produce multiple capacitive sensing elements without the need for any additional electrodes, such that a force applied to the handle causes a slight deflection of the drive plate, enabling the force to be computed in at least two dimensions through changes detectable in the capacitive sensing elements. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification