Flexible switching devices

• US 20060255903A1
• Filed: 07/20/2006
• Published: 11/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Romney Consultants Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Canesis Network Limited (Agresearch Limited), Peratech Limited, Wool Research Organisation of New Zealand Inc.
• Inventors: Lussey, David, Jones, Dianne, Leftly, Steven
• Granted Patent: US 7,301,435 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 338/47
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 1/021 Composite material
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2201/036 Variable resistance
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 3/141 Cushion or mat switches
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/254 Polymeric or resinous material

Abstract

An electronic resistor user interface comprises flexible conductive materials and a flexible variably resistive element capable of exhibiting a change in electrical resistance on mechanical deformation and is characterised by textile-form electrodes (10,12), a textile form variably resistive element (14) and textile-form members (16) connective to external circuitry.

Claims

1-14. -14. (canceled)

15. A variable resistance user interface comprising:

a textile-form variably resistive element capable of exhibiting a change in electrical resistance on mechanical deformation formed as a coating applied to a first textile-form flexible conductive electrode connective to associated circuitry; and

one or more second textile-form flexible conductive electrodes positioned adjacent the textile-form variably resistive element and connective to associated circuitry.

16. A user-interface according to claim 15 in which at least one electrode is supported on non-conducting textile as conductive yam woven, knitted or embroidered into the non-conducting textile.

17. A user-interface according to claim 15 in which at least one electrode is formed by applying a conductive printing ink to the support textile.

18. A user-interface according to claim 15 in which the variably resistive element consists of particulate variably resistive material and an elastomer binder.

19. A user-interface according to claim 18 in which the variably resistive material is a polymer composition in which a filler selected from powder-form metallic elements or alloys, electrically conductive oxides of said elements and alloys, and mixtures thereof, are in admixture with a non-conductive elastomer, having been mixed in a controlled manner whereby the filler is dispersed within the elastomer and remains structurally intact and the voids present in the starting filler powder become infilled with elastomer during curing of the elastomer.

20. A user-interface according to claim 15 including at least one support textile formed with a sub-area extending outside the area of the electrode, in which the electrodes are connected to conductive textile-form members, the conductive textile-form members being connective to associated circuitry and in which the sub-area extending outside the area of the electrode supports at least one of the conductive textile-form members.

21. A user-interface according to claim 15 in which the electrodes are connected to textile-form members, the textile-form members being connective to associated circuitry and the textile-form members are constituted by conductive material present as conductive tracks in or on at least one of a textile support, a ribbon and a tape.

22. A user-interface as claimed in claim 21 in which the conductive tracks are at least one of woven, knitted, sewn and embroidered and printed.

23. A user-interface according to claim 15 in which at least one of the electrodes comprises variably resistive material pre-stressed to conductance.

24. A user-interface according to claim 20 in which the sub-area extending outside the area of the electrode carries a terminal at which a conductive textile form member passes electric current to other conductors.

25. A user-interface according to claim 15 in which at least one electrode is supported on non-conducting textile as conductive fabric sewn or bonded onto the non-conducting textile.

26. A user-interface according to claim 15 in which at least one electrode is supported on non-conducting textile as conductive coating applied to the non-conducting textile.

27. A user-interface according to claim 15 in which the textile form variably resistive element is fixed in intimate contact with each of the textile form electrodes.

28. A user-interface according to claim 15 in which the variably resistive element consists of particulate conducting polymer material and an elastomer binder.

29. A user-interface according to claim 28 in which the conducting polymer is one of the group consisting of polyaniline, polypyrrole and polythiophene.

30. A user-interface according to claim 15 in which the variably resistive element consists of particulate carbon material and an elastomer binder.

31. A user interface according to claim 15 in which the electrodes are connected to textile-form members, the textile-form members being connective to associated circuitry and at least one of the textile-form members comprises variably resistive material pre-stressed to conductance.