Slim profile magnetic user interface devices

• US 9,134,817 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2011
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seescan, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Seescan, Inc.
• Inventors: Olsson, Mark S.
• Primary Examiner(s): POLO, GUSTAVO D
• Application Number:
  US13/292,038
• Publication Number:
  US 20120287032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-161, 32420711-20721
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/14 influencing the magnitude of a current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/04755 Magnetic sensor, e.g. hall generator, pick-up coil
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 9/047 the controlling member being movable by hand about orthogonal axes, e.g. joysticks for switches H01H25/04
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors

Abstract

Slim profile magnetic user interface devices (slim UIDs) are disclosed. A slim UID may include a slim profile housing, a movable actuator assembly having user contact surfaces on opposite sides, along with a magnet, magnetic sensor, restoration element, and processing element. User mechanical interaction with the actuator element may be sensed by the magnetic sensor and processed to generate output signals usable by a coupled electronic computing system.

Claims

1. A slim profile magnetically sensed user interface device, comprising:

a slim profile housing assembly having a front face and a back face;

a movable actuator assembly disposed in the housing assembly, the movable actuator assembly including;

a front contact element having a front contact surface disposed on the front face;

a back contact element having a back contact surface disposed on the back face;

an actuator support assembly; and

a magnet;

a spring assembly restoration element coupled between the actuator assembly and the housing assembly; and

a multi-axis magnetic sensor positioned to sense a position or motion of the movable actuator assembly and generate a magnetic sensor signal associated with the position or motion of the magnet; and

a processing element coupled to the multi-axis magnetic sensor, wherein the processing element is configured to receive the magnetic sensor signal and generate, based at least in part on the magnetic sensor signal, an output signal usable by an electronic computing system.

2. The user interface device of claim 1, wherein one or both of the front contact element and the back contact element comprise actuator caps.

3. The user interface device of claim 1, wherein one or both of the front contact element and the back contact element comprise elastomeric materials.

4. The user interface device of claim 1, wherein the magnet is a permanent magnet.

6. The user interface device of claim 1, wherein the multi-axis magnetic sensor is a three-axis magnetic sensor.

7. The user interface device of claim 1, wherein the magnetic sensor and the processing element are disposed on a housing printed circuit board (PCB).

8. The user interface device of claim 7, wherein the actuator assembly includes an actuator PCB and the magnet is disposed on the actuator PCB.

10. The user interface device of claim 1, wherein the actuator assembly includes the magnetic sensor and the magnet is fixed relative to the slim profile housing assembly.

11. The user interface device of claim 1, wherein the actuator assembly further includes a switching element.

12. The user interface device of claim 11, wherein the switching element is coupled to one or both of the front contact element and the back contact element with a punch element.

13. The user interface device of claim 11, wherein the switching element is a dome switch.

15. The user interface device of claim 1, wherein the actuator assembly further includes a force-sensing mechanism coupled to the front contact element.

16. The user interface device of claim 15, wherein the force-sensing mechanism comprises a force-sensing resistor.

19. The user interface device of claim 1, wherein the actuator assembly includes the magnetic sensor and the magnet is fixed relative to the slim profile housing assembly.

20. The user interface device of claim 1, further including a vibrational element disposed in the movable actuator assembly, the vibrational element configured to provide a vibrational output.

21. The user interface device of claim 1, further including a pressure sensing element disposed on the movable actuator assembly, the pressure sensing element configured to sense a pressure applied by the user to the movable actuator assembly and provide a pressure signal to the processing element.

22. The user interface device of claim 1, further including an accelerometer disposed in the slim profile housing, the accelerometer configured to sense a motion or position of the slim profile housing.

23. The user interface device of claim 1, wherein the multi-axis magnetic sensor is a three-axis magnetic sensor for sensing magnetic fields in three-axes substantially at a single point in space.

5. A slim profile magnetically sensed user interface device, comprising:

a slim profile housing assembly having a front face and a back face;

a movable actuator assembly disposed in the housing assembly, the movable actuator assembly including;

a front contact element having a front contact surface disposed on the front face;

a back contact element having a back contact surface disposed on the back face;

an actuator support assembly; and

an electromagnet;

a multi-axis magnetic sensor positioned to sense a position or motion of the movable actuator assembly and generate a magnetic sensor signal associated with the position or motion of the magnet;

a processing element coupled to the multi-axis magnetic sensor, wherein the processing element is configured to receive the magnetic sensor signal and generate, based at least in part on the magnetic sensor signal, an output signal usable by an electronic computing system; and

an electromagnet control element.

9. A slim profile magnetically sensed user interface device, comprising:

a slim profile housing assembly having a front face and a back face;

a movable actuator assembly disposed in the housing assembly, the movable actuator assembly including;

a front contact element having a front contact surface disposed on the front face;

a back contact element having a back contact surface disposed on the back face;

an actuator support assembly;

an actuator printed circuit board (PCB); and

a magnet disposed on the actuator PCB;

a spring assembly restoration element coupled between the actuator assembly and the housing assembly;

a multi-axis magnetic sensor positioned to sense a position or motion of the movable actuator assembly and generate a magnetic sensor signal associated with the position or motion of the magnet; and

a processing element coupled to the multi-axis magnetic sensor, wherein the processing element is configured to receive the magnetic sensor signal and generate, based at least in part on the magnetic sensor signal, an output signal usable by an electronic computing system;

wherein the magnetic sensor and processing element are disposed on a housing printed circuit board, and wherein the actuator PCB includes a plurality of sensor holes.

14. A slim profile magnetically sensed user interface device, comprising:

a slim profile housing assembly having a front face and a back face;

a movable actuator assembly disposed in the housing assembly, the movable actuator assembly including;

a front contact element having a front contact surface disposed on the front face;

a back contact element having a back contact surface disposed on the back face;

an actuator support assembly;

a switching element; and

a magnet;

a spring assembly restoration element coupled between the actuator assembly and the housing assembly;

a multi-axis magnetic sensor positioned to sense a position or motion of the movable actuator assembly and generate a magnetic sensor signal associated with the position or motion of the magnet; and

a processing element coupled to the multi-axis magnetic sensor, wherein the processing element is configured to receive the magnetic sensor signal and generate, based at least in part on the magnetic sensor signal, an output signal usable by an electronic computing system;

wherein the switching element includes a plurality of dome switches.

17. A slim profile magnetically sensed user interface device, comprising:

a slim profile housing assembly having a front face and a back face;

a movable actuator assembly disposed in the housing assembly, the movable actuator assembly including;

a front contact element having a front contact surface disposed on the front face;

a back contact element having a back contact surface disposed on the back face;

an actuator support assembly; and

a magnet;

a restoration element coupled between the actuator assembly and the housing assembly comprising a spring assembly, wherein the spring assembly includes a plurality of conical springs;

a multi-axis magnetic sensor positioned to sense a position or motion of the movable actuator assembly and generate a magnetic sensor signal associated with the position or motion of the magnet; and

a processing element coupled to the multi-axis magnetic sensor, wherein the processing element is configured to receive the magnetic sensor signal and generate, based at least in part on the magnetic sensor signal, an output signal usable by an electronic computing system.

18. The user interface device of claim 17, wherein the conical springs comprise electrical conductors for coupling an electrical signal from the actuator assembly to a housing printed circuit board (PCB).