CONTROL

• US 20160170436A1
• Filed: 07/18/2014
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AMS Neve Ltd. (Navitas Pty Ltd. (Western Australia))
• Original Assignee: AMS Neve Ltd. (Navitas Pty Ltd. (Western Australia))
• Inventors: Farrar, Wayne, Wyatt, Stephen Martin, Porter, Robin Andrew, Bloor, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 10,114,402 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/30 the beams of light being detected by photocells
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 1/015 Arrangements for indicating the position of a controlling member means for continuously detecting pedal position G05G1/38; means for detecting position through tactile feedback G05G5/03
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 1/08 Controlling members for hand actuation by rotary movement, e.g. hand wheels
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 1/105 comprising arrangements for illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2019/143 having at least two concentric turn knobs
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/0621 Optical fiber light conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/04 Studio equipment; Interconnection of studios

Abstract

The invention provides a rotary or touch-sensitive control comprising a first rotatable and/or touch-sensitive body comprising means for displaying information relating to a parameter controlled by the first body, and a second rotatable and/or touch-sensitive body formed around the first rotatable body comprising means for displaying information relating to a parameter controlled by the second rotatable body.

Claims

1. A rotary control comprising a first rotatable body comprising means for displaying information relating to a parameter controlled by the first rotatable body, and a second rotatable body formed around the first rotatable body comprising means for displaying information relating to a parameter controlled by the second rotatable body.

2. The rotatory control as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first rotatable body comprises a substantially cylindrical body and the second rotatable body comprises a substantially annular body formed around the circumference of the cylindrical first rotatable body.

3. The rotatory control as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for displaying information relating to a parameter control by the first and/or second rotatable bodies comprises one or more visual display elements.

4. The rotatory control as claimed in claim 3 wherein the or each visual display element is connected to circuitry or other electrical means to enable selected elements to be activated to represent conditions associated with a parameter controlled by the first and/or second rotatable body.

5. The rotatory control as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for displaying information relating to parameter controlled by the first and/or second body comprises a plurality of channels for the transmission of light signals.

6. The rotatory control as claimed in claim 3 wherein the visual display elements are connected to an information encoder and corresponding information reader which together process information corresponding to the rotational position of the first and/or second rotatable bodies and relays said information to circuitry or other electronics to activate change in the parameter controlled by the first and/or second rotatable body and display the change via the visual display elements.

7. The rotatory control as claimed in claim 6 wherein the or each encoder and reader is located on the outside of the first and/or second rotatable body or are located within the first and/or second body so that they are not visible during normal use of the rotary control.

8. The rotatory control as claimed in claim 7 wherein the encoder and reader for the first rotatable body are located within the first rotatable body so that they are not visible during normal use of the rotary control;

the encoder corresponding to the second rotatable body is located on an outside surface of the second body; and

the reader corresponding to the second rotatable body is located adjacent to the surface of the second body comprising the encoder.

9. The rotatory control as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first and/or second rotatable bodies comprises means formed within the body for displaying information relating to different parameters.

10. The rotatory control as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first and second rotatable bodies comprise means formed within the body for displaying information relating to the same parameter controlled by the first and second body.

11. The rotatory control as claimed in claim 1 wherein a region of at least one of the rotatable bodies is touch sensitive.

12. The rotatory control as claimed in claim 11 wherein the parameter or parameters corresponding to the rotatable bodies may be controlled by the operation of the sensitive region.

13. An apparatus comprising a rotary control of claim 1.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 comprising an audio apparatus or an audio visual apparatus.

15. A method of displaying information relating to one or more parameters, the method comprising:

a) providing a rotary control of claim 1;

b) rotating the first rotatable body to display information on a first parameter;

c) rotating the second rotatable body to display information on a second parameter.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15 wherein the first and second parameters are different parameters, or are the same parameter on different scales.

17. A control comprising a first touch-sensitive body comprising means for displaying information relating to a parameter controlled by the first touch-sensitive body, and a second touch-sensitive body formed around the first touch-sensitive body comprising means for displaying information relating to a parameter controlled by the second touch-sensitive body.

18. The control as claimed in claim 17 wherein the first touch-sensitive body comprises a substantially cylindrical body and the second touch-sensitive body comprises a substantially annular body formed around the circumference of the cylindrical first touch-sensitive body.

19. The control as claimed in claim 17 wherein the means for displaying information relating to a parameter controlled by the first and/or second touch-sensitive bodies comprises one or more visual display elements.

20. The control as claimed in claim 19 wherein the or each visual display element is connected to circuitry or other electrical means to enable selected elements to be activated to represent conditions associated with a parameter controlled by the first and/or second touch-sensitive body.

21. The control as claimed in claim 17 wherein the means for displaying information relating to parameter controlled by the first and/or second body comprises a plurality of channels for the transmission of light signals.

22. The control as claimed in claim 17 in which at least one of the first and second bodies in non-rotatable.

23. (canceled)