Closed-loop sensor on a solid-state object position detector

• US 20040252109A1
• Filed: 01/07/2003
• Published: 12/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wacom Co Limited (Wacom)
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Gillespie, David W., Shaw, Scott J., Trent, Raymond A. Jr., Huie, Mark A., Heiny, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 7,466,307 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0448 Details of the electrode shape, e.g. for enhancing the detection of touches, for generating specific electric field shapes, for enhancing display quality

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses an object position detector. The object position detector comprises a touch sensor formed as a closed loop and having a physical constraint formed on an upper surface of the touch sensor and coextensive with the closed loop. The touch sensor is configured to sense motion of an object proximate to the closed loop. The object position detector also comprises a processor coupled to the touch sensor and is programmed to generate an action in response to the motion on the touch sensor.

Claims

1. An object position detector, comprising:

a touch sensor formed as a substantially closed loop and having a physical constraint formed on an upper surface of said touch sensor and coextensive with said closed loop, said touch sensor configured to sense motion of an object proximate to said closed loop; and

a processor coupled to said touch sensor, said processor programmed to generate an action in response to said motion on said touch sensor.

2. The object position detector of claim 1, wherein said touch sensor is a capacitive touch sensor.

3. The object position detector of claim 1, wherein said touch sensor is a resistive touch sensor.

4. The object position detector of claim 1, wherein said touch sensor is an inductive sensor.

5. The object position detector of claim 1, wherein said action is selected from the group consisting of controlling a cursor, scrolling through data, navigating a menu, adjusting a value setting control, selecting data, interfacing with a computer program, interfacing with a drawing program and interfacing with a game program.

6. The object position detector of claim 1, wherein said physical constraint is defined by at least one of the group consisting of a groove, a bezel, a ridge, a depressed area, and a raised area.

7. The object position detector of claim 1, further comprising at least one activation zone disposed proximate to said touch sensor and coupled to said processor.

8. The object position detector of claim 7, wherein said at least one activation zone is demarked by said physical constraint.

9. The object position detector of claim 8, wherein said physical constraint is defined by at least one of the group consisting of a groove, a bezel, a ridge, a depressed area, and a raised area.

10. The object position detector of claim 1, further comprising a pointing input device disposed proximate to said touch sensor and coupled to said processor.

11. The object position detector of claim 10, wherein said pointing input device is selected from the group consisting of a mouse, a touch pad, a pointing stick a slider, a joystick, a touch screen, a trackball, and another solid-state object position detector.

12. The object position detector of claim 1, further comprising an activation key disposed proximate to said touch sensor.

13. The object position detector of claim 12, wherein said activation key causes another action in response to said motion of said object.

14. The object position detector of claim 12, wherein said activation key is disposed on a standard keyboard.

15. The object position detector of claim 1, wherein said closed loop is configured substantially into a shape selected from the group consisting of a circle, an oval, a triangle, a rectangle, a square, a figure-eight, a polygon, a convex polygon, a concave polygon, an ellipse, and a path that crosses itself.

16. The object position detector of claim 1, wherein said object moving in a clockwise direction generates a signal in said object position detector to cause a first movement.

17. The object position detector of claim 16, wherein said object moving in a counter-clockwise direction generates a signal in said object position detector to cause a second movement.

18. The object position detector of claim 1, further comprising a starting position along said closed loop.

19. The object position detector of claim 1, wherein the object position detector is disposed on a device selected from the group consisting of a notebook style computer, a handheld computer, a cell phone, a detachable user interface, a pointing device, a knob, a stand-alone device, and a keyboard.

20. The object position detector of claim 1, further comprising a switching method coupled to said object position detector that can be activated to select at least one mode.

21. The object position detector of claim 20, wherein said switching method is selected from the group consisting of activating an input device, tapping an activation zone, positioning said object in said activation zone, positioning said object in a navigation zone, activating a key on a keyboard and moving at least two of said objects on said closed loop.

22. The object position detector of claim 20, wherein said mode is selected from the group consisting of controlling a cursor, scrolling through data, navigating a menu, adjusting a value setting control, selecting data, interfacing with a computer program, interfacing with a drawing program, changing a direction of motion, changing an axis of motion, changing a direction of value adjustment, and interfacing with a game program.

23. The object position detector of claim 1, further comprising at least one other said touch sensor having a closed loop.

24. The object position detector of claim 1, wherein said object is selected from the group consisting of an input object, a finger, a hand, an implement, a stylus, a pen, and a pointer.

25. The object position detector of claim 1, wherein an arrangement of electrodes of said touch sensor is selected from the group consisting of an interleaving shape, a self-interpolating shape, a lighting-bolt shape, a wedge shape, a triangle shape, a flower petal shape, and an outward spiral shape.

26. The object position detector of claim 1, further comprising an electrode design that inherently outputs information only on one variable from said touch sensor.

27. The object position detector of claim 1, further comprising an algorithm to calculate position on said touch sensor, said algorithm selected from the group consisting of a quadratic fitting algorithm, a centroid interpolation algorithm, a trigonometric weighting algorithm, and a quasi-trigonometric weighting algorithm.

28. The object position detector of claim 1, further comprising at least two electrodes of said touch sensor electrically coupled to a single sensor input.

29. The object position detector of claim 1, wherein said touch sensor is one-dimensional.