User interface devices
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A user interface device (UID), comprising:
- a frame including a base assembly and a top assembly;
wherein the top assembly is in a fixed position relative to the base assembly;
an actuator assembly disposed between the top assembly and the base assembly, the actuator assembly including;
an outer actuator element and an inner actuator element; and
a plurality of springs mechanically coupling the one or more actuator elements to the frame, the plurality of springs comprising an outer spring array and an inner spring array; and
a damping element disposed on or within one or more springs of the plurality of springs; and
a plurality of sensors disposed within the frame between the top assembly and the base assembly for sensing positional information associated with the actuator assembly and providing one or more sensor output signals corresponding to the sensed positional information.
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Accused Products
Abstract
User interface devices (UIDs) for sensing position or motion of an actuator assembly in multiple degrees of freedom are disclosed. In one embodiment a UID includes a frame having a top and bottom assembly, an actuator assembly disposed within a volume between the top and bottom of the frame having magnets disposed therein, a sensor array for sensing magnetic fields from the magnets in multiple axes, and a processing element for receiving the sensed magnet fields and generating a UID output signal corresponding to a position, translation, rotation, deformation, or other action of the actuator assembly.
105 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A user interface device (UID), comprising:
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a frame including a base assembly and a top assembly;
wherein the top assembly is in a fixed position relative to the base assembly;an actuator assembly disposed between the top assembly and the base assembly, the actuator assembly including; an outer actuator element and an inner actuator element; and a plurality of springs mechanically coupling the one or more actuator elements to the frame, the plurality of springs comprising an outer spring array and an inner spring array; and a damping element disposed on or within one or more springs of the plurality of springs; and a plurality of sensors disposed within the frame between the top assembly and the base assembly for sensing positional information associated with the actuator assembly and providing one or more sensor output signals corresponding to the sensed positional information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 25, 26)
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7. A user interface device (UID), comprising:
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a frame including a base assembly and a top assembly;
wherein the top assembly is in a fixed position relative to the base assembly;an actuator assembly disposed between the top assembly and the base assembly, the actuator assembly including; one or more actuator elements; and a plurality of springs mechanically coupling the one or more actuator elements to the frame; and a plurality of sensors disposed within the frame between the top assembly and the base assembly for sensing positional information associated with the actuator assembly and providing one or more sensor output signals corresponding to the sensed positional information; wherein the one or more actuator elements include an outer actuator element and an inner actuator element, and the plurality of springs comprise an outer spring array coupled between the outer actuator element and the inner actuator element, and an inner spring array coupled between the inner actuator element and the frame or a core-join element fixedly coupled to the frame. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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27. A user interface device (UID), comprising:
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a frame including a base assembly and a top assembly;
wherein the top assembly is in a fixed position relative to the base assembly;an actuator assembly disposed between the top assembly and the base assembly, the actuator assembly including; an outer actuator element having a cylindrical shape; an inner actuator element; an outer spring array including a plurality of springs mechanically coupling the outer actuator element to the inner actuator element; an inner spring array including a plurality of springs mechanically coupling the inner actuator element to the frame or to an element coupled to the frame; and a plurality of magnets disposed on the outer actuator element in an equidistant circular array; and a printed circuit board having a processing element and a plurality of multi-axis magnetic sensors, the printed circuit board disposed within the frame between the top assembly and the base assembly for sensing positional information associated with ones of the plurality of magnets and providing one or more sensor output signals corresponding to the sensed positional information to the processing element;
wherein the processing element generates a UID output signal corresponding to a position, movement, displacement or deformation of the actuator assembly based at least in part on the multi-axis magnetic sensor outputs.
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28. A method of providing a user interface device (UID) output signal to an electronic computing device or system, comprising:
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sensing, at a plurality of sensors, positional information associated with corresponding sensed elements disposed on an actuator element of the UID and providing a plurality of sensor output signals to a processing element; generating, in the processing element, based at least in part on the received plurality of sensor output signals, a UID output signal corresponding to a position, translation, displacement or deformation of the actuator assembly; and providing the UID output signal to a communicatively coupled electronic computing device or system; wherein the UID comprises; a frame including a base assembly and a top assembly;
wherein the top assembly is in a fixed position relative to the base assembly;an actuator assembly disposed between the top assembly and the base assembly, the actuator assembly including; an outer actuator element and an inner actuator element; a plurality of springs mechanically coupling the actuator elements to the frame, the plurality of springs including an outer spring array coupled between the outer actuator element and the inner actuator element, and an inner spring array coupled between the inner actuator element and the frame or a core-join element fixedly coupled to the frame; and a plurality of sensors disposed within the frame between the top assembly and the base assembly for sensing positional information associated with the actuator assembly and providing one or more sensor output signals corresponding to the sensed positional information. - View Dependent Claims (29)
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Specification