Controller and electronic device using the same

• US 8,120,514 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2008
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yuan, Hai-Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson, Stephen W
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROOKS, ANGELA D
• Application Number:
  US12/262,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20090303086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: 200/182, 200/220, 341/20, 250/231, 250/229, 273/148
• US Class Current: 341/20
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 2009/066 optical
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 9/06 Electric or photoelectric indication or reading means
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 9/26 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/04759 Light-sensitive detector, e.g. photoelectric
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 9/04 in which movement in two or more ways can occur simultaneously

Abstract

An exemplary controller includes a transparent chamber, an opaque liquid, and four photoelectric sensors. The transparent chamber includes four pipe-shaped arms. The four pipe-shaped arms are in a common plane parallel to the vertical direction and extend away from a common end towards vertical up, horizontal left, vertical down, and horizontal right directions to form four closed distal ends when the controller is in a normal orientation. The opaque liquid is sealed within the transparent chamber so that an air bubble is formed within the transparent chamber. The four photoelectric sensors are U-shaped and cap the four closed distal ends respectively and are configured for detecting which closed distal end the air bubble is located, thereby outputting electrical signals to be coded as control signals.

Claims

1. A controller comprising:

a transparent chamber comprising a plurality of pipe-shaped arms branching off in different directions to form a plurality of closed distal ends respectively;

a non-transparent liquid sealed in the transparent chamber so that an air bubble is formed within the transparent chamber and the air bubble is naturally located at a closed distal end that is located at the highest orientation due to the gravitational effect on the non-transparent liquid; and

a plurality of photoelectric sensors capped onto the closed distal ends respectively, each of the plurality of photoelectric sensors being configured for detecting which closed distal end the air bubble is located, thereby outputting a plurality of electrical signals.

2. The controller as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of the pipe-shaped arms is four, the pipe-shaped arms being in a common plane parallel to the vertical direction and each arm respectively branching upward, downward, left, and right directions when the controller is in a normal orientation.

3. The controller as claimed in claim 1, wherein the photoelectric sensors are trough shape type photoelectric sensor.

4. The controller as claimed in claim 1, wherein the photoelectric sensors comprise a light emitter and a light receiver, the light emitter and the light receiver being fixed in an opposite fashion.

5. The controller as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrical signals are pulses.

6. The controller as claimed in claim 1, wherein the non-transparent liquid comprises mercury.

7. An electronic device comprising:

a controller comprising;

a transparent chamber comprising a plurality of pipe-shaped arms branching off in different directions to form a plurality of closed distal ends respectively;

a non-transparent liquid sealed in the transparent chamber so that an air bubble is formed within the transparent chamber and the air bubble is naturally located at a closed distal end that is located at the highest orientation due to the gravitational effect on the non-transparent liquid; and

a plurality of photoelectric sensors capped onto the closed distal ends respectively, each of the plurality of photoelectric sensors being configured for detecting which closed distal end the air bubble is located, thereby outputting a plurality of electrical signals; and

a processor configured for coding the output electrical signal as a control signal.

8. The electronic device as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a circuit board, the processor being electrically coupled to the controller via the circuit board.

9. The electronic device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the number of the pipe-shaped arms is four, the pipe-shaped arms being in a common plane parallel to the vertical direction and each arm respectively branching upward, downward, left, and right directions when the controller is in a normal orientation.

10. The electronic device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the processor codes electrical signals output in a predetermined interval as a control signal.