HAND OPERATED TRANSDUCER FOR PRECISE ELECTRONIC CONTROL

摘要

A control device for a computer comprises a puck 10 which slides on the surface of a platter 12, the position of the puck 10 being detected capacitatively. A pillar 14 extends through an aperture 13 in the platter and carries a capacitative plate 17 which moves relative to a plurality of capacitative plates 18 on a fixed facing part of the platter. The puck may incorporate one or more push buttons, depression of which may also be detected capacitatively. The puck may input rotary information in additional to translational information (Figs. 9-11). The puck may be arranged on a surface with separate switches so that the puck can be actuated by the user's index finger while the switches are actuated by the thumb and other fingers (Fig. 20). The puck may be built into a keyboard (Fig. 21). It is stated that the position of a joystick, trackerball or mouse may be detected capacitatively. The surface on which the puck slides may become increasingly sloped towards its boundary and the response may be non-linear as the puck approaches the boundary.