Touch-sensitive potentiometer for operator control panel

摘要

A touch-sensitive potentiometer for an operator control panel. A linear strip having a polymeric resistor film is provided as an operator actuatable control. The stray capacitance of an operator's body, when the operator touches the strip along its length, unbalances a transformer bridge and provides a voltage proportional to the position of the operator's finger along the length of the polymeric resistor. The potentiometer is suitable for use in any operator control environment where it is desired to (1) rapidly and quickly approach a control range without multiple turns required by optical position encoder-type control devices, or (2) rapidly and quickly be reset to a null or zero state upon the completion of a control in preparation for a subsequent control.