International Controls and Measurements Corporation

Icm Controls Corporation

James H Ritchie

Andrew S Kadah

Weidong Pan

Eric Christopher Wood

Hollis Jordan Gmyr

Benjamin Avery Freer

Michael P Muench

Kevin Jobsky

A touch-screen control panel interface has a dielectric flat or curved front panel and a printed circuit board with a front side and a reverse side which is the component side. Alphanumeric display module(s) or an LCD display and optional protective cap mounted on the reverse side of the circuit board are visible through window cutout(s) on the board. An array of LED indicators can be mounted on the back side of the circuit board and visible through cutouts in the board. Metallized capacitive pads on or adjacent the back side of the front panel at touch locations permit selection of various modes, functions, and settings. These pads may be formed on the flat front side of the circuit board, on the back of the front plate, or on an intermediate membrane. A microprocessor is connected with the various components and with capacitive pad. Icons may be printed onto the flat panel, in registry with the metallized capacitive electrode pads. A potting dam is formed of a back plate configured to adhere to the front panel and an open frame extending rearwards. Synthetic resin potting material fills the frame and hermetically seals the circuit board. Positions of the capacitive touch pads can be illuminated when active, as a guide for the user or operator. A second circuit board may be positioned in the frame directly proximal of the first circuit board, and optionally encapsulated.

Touch-sensitive flat-panel control and interface

A user interface of a controller has multiple touch-sensitive input transducers, e.g., capacitive pads. The pads are dynamically indicated: When any given touch sensitive input device is needed for input at a given step of the programming operation, an associated light source illuminates that input device so it is visible to the user. Those touch-panel input devices not needed for that are left unilluminated, and the microprocessor ignores any input from those input devices. At each step of the operation or programming of the controller, only those input transducers for the inputs that are permitted or relevant to that state are indicated. Correspondingly, only the inputs that are generated by actuating the input transducers for the valid (i.e., permitted or relevant) inputs results in a change in the state of the program in the microprocessor.

Controller with dynamically indicated input devices

Touch panel wall thermostat

Growing community of inventors

Pennellville, NY, United States of America

James H Ritchie