Cts Corporation

Mark N Grube

David Larry Poole

Lewis L Seffernick

Robert M Vandenboom

Ronald J Dedert

Ronald L Stuckey

Stephen W Burry

Eric B Taylor

Nelson T Clark

Dennis Raesner

Timothy L Hartigan

A pointing stick for controlling the positioning, movement and operation of a cursor on the display screen. Specifically, there is a pointing stick that both directs a cursor and acts as the activation button for selecting items on the display screen by tapping on the pointing stick instead of clicking on a mouse button. Uniquely, the device is made of a shaft (,) having a longitudinal length oriented along a first axis (,) and having a top surface that is perpendicular to the first axis, there is a vertical force sensor (,or,), mounted on the top surface of the shaft, for sensing a vertical oriented force applied to the shaft along the first axis. Cap (,), has a cavity (,) with a top surface (,) therein, where the top surface of the shaft is positioned within the cavity and spaced from and juxtaposed to the top surface of the cavity. In one embodiment the vertical sensor includes first and second electrically conductive pads that are electrically isolated from each other. The vertical sensor also has a flexible conductive layer positioned next to the top surface of the cavity of the cap. Additionally, the vertical sensor has an electrically insulative spacer (,) shaped to position the first and second pads away from the flexible conductive layer. In a second embodiment, the vertical sensor comprises a pressure sensitive layer (,) located on the top surface of the shaft. Additionally, the alternative vertical sensor has a strain concentrator, shaped and positioned to concentrate a z-axis oriented force applied to the cap to effect the electrical conductivity of the pressure sensitive layer.

Pointing stick with top mounted z-axis sensor

A pointing stick for controlling the positioning, movement and operation of a cursor on the display screen. Strain gages 30 are mounted on the sides of the stick 12 and are made of pressure sensitive strips 32, for electrically changing the resistance of the material in response to the amount of strain applied thereto. A conductive contact bridge 34 for electrically connecting the two strips 32, and conductive contact pads 36 for making electrical contact to electronic circuitry (not shown) are also mounted on the sides of the stick 12. The stick 12 extends through a hole 38 in the base 4 in a Z-axis oriented direction 39, and is held in place by an adhesive bond epoxy 40. Cable 18 is positioned within cavity 16 and adhesively bonded to the cavity wall via adhesive 42. Cable 18 has electrical traces 44 and input/output (I/O) pads 46 mounted thereon. Contact pads 36 are bonded to I/O pads 46 by any suitable bond material 50.

Z-axis sensing pointing stick with base as strain concentrator

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Rockford, OH, United States of America

Mark N Grube