Controller with convexed surface analog pressure sensor

Abstract

A game controller of the type held in two hands simultaneously for controlling electronic games, including a housing, a plurality of depressible surfaces at least in-part exposed on the housing with the depressible surfaces in operational association with electricity manipulating devices contained within the housing and controlled by depression of the depressible surfaces for manipulating electrical outputs at least useful for controlling electronic games. At least one of the electricity manipulating devices is a pressure-sensitive variable-conductance sensor for creating an analog electrical output proportional to varying physical pressure applied to at least one depressible surface. Disclosed are controllers and methods of manufacture of controllers having at least one pressure-sensitive analog sensor of deformable material with an apex surface which variably flattens-out under variable pressure against at least one conductive trace surface to increase surface contact and vary conductivity.

I claim:  
     
         1 . An improved controller linked to an image generation machine linked to a display, said controller of the type used by two hands simultaneously for controlling electronic imagery shown by the display, said controller including a housing, a plurality of depressible surfaces at least in-part exposed on said housing with the depressible surfaces acting on electricity manipulating devices contained within said housing and controlled by depression of said depressible surfaces for manipulating electrical outputs at least useful for controlling electronic imagery shown by the display; wherein the improvements comprise; 
 at least one of said electricity manipulating devices is a pressure--sensitive variable-conductance sensor having means for providing an analog electrical output proportional to varying physical pressure applied to at least one depressible surface of the plurality of depressible surfaces;    said pressure-sensitive variable-conductance sensor comprising 
 a resilient dome shaped member over  
 an electrically conductive pill of deformable material having a convexed surface adjacent  
 at least one electrically conductive trace, the depressible surface of the pressure-sensitive variable-conductance sensor is positioned relative to the deformable material so that when the associated depressible surface is depressed with increasing input pressure, the convexed surface of the deformable material is pressed against said at least one electrically conductive trace with increasing pressure, the convexed surface of the deformable material deforming to contact additional surface of said at least one electrically conductive trace.  
   
     
     
         2 . An improved controller in accordance with    claim 1    wherein the electrically conductive pill of deformable material is pressure-sensitive variable-conductance material.  
     
     
         3 . An improved controller in accordance with    claim 2    wherein the controller has only a single said housing, 
 said housing having a left-hand area and right-hand area; the hand areas positioned oppositely disposed from one another; and  
 said display is a television.  
 
     
     
         4 . An improved controller in accordance with    claim 3    wherein said pressure-sensitive variable-conductance sensor is positioned in said right-hand area of said housing, said sensor for being activated by at least one of a human user's right hand digits.  
     
     
         5 . An improved controller in accordance with    claim 2    further including a four-way rocker having four depressible surfaces of the plurality of depressible surfaces for control functions which are at least partly spatial in nature, such as aiming functions associated with steering a simulated car, airplane and controlling directional movement of a character.  
     
     
         6 . An image generation machine linked to a display and a controller linked to said image generation machine, said controller structured to be used by a human to manipulate imagery on said display, said controller comprising: 
 housing means for supporting    a plurality of depressible buttons exposed on said housing means and depressible by digits of a human user's hands to operate    electricity manipulating devices contained within said housing means and operated for manipulating electrical outputs of said electricity manipulating devices by depression of said depressible buttons;    at least one of said electricity manipulating devices including 
 means for creating an analog electrical output proportional to varying physical pressure applied to at least one depressible button of the plurality of depressible buttons, said means for creating an analog electrical output including 
 an electrically conductive pill of deformable material having a surface apex positioned to contact  
 
 at least one electrical conductor trace, wherein when the button associated with the deformable material is depressed with increasing pressure, the surface apex of the deformable material is increasingly pressed against said at least one electrical conductor trace and the deformable material increasingly deforms to contact additional surface area said at least one electrical conductor trace.  
   
     
     
         7 . A combination in accordance with    claim 6    wherein said housing means is structured as a single housing.  
     
     
         8 . A combination in accordance with    claim 7    wherein said deformable material comprises a rubbery binder and active material defining a pressure-sensitive variable-conductance material.  
     
     
         9 . A combination in accordance with    claim 8    wherein said active material includes carbon.  
     
     
         10 . A controller comprising a housing to be grasped and held simultaneously by two hands of a human user with thumbs of the grasping hands remaining free of grasping responsibilities; said housing including a right-hand area and a left-hand area, said right-hand area being an area for grasping by the user's right hand, said left-hand area being an area for grasping by the user's left hand; 
 a plurality of depressible individual buttons each at least in-part exposed on said housing in at least said right-hand area, said plurality of depressible individual buttons positioned on said housing to be within reach of the user's right-hand thumb with the user's hand grasping said housing in said at least said right-hand area;    a plurality of electricity manipulating devices each operatively associated with a depressible individual button of said plurality of depressible individual buttons; each of said electricity manipulating devices contained at least in-part within said housing and capable of electrical output manipulation upon physically applied depressive pressure of its associated depressible individual button of said plurality of depressible individual buttons;    at least one of said electricity manipulating devices including means for creating an analog electrical output proportional to varying applied physical pressure, said means for creating an analog electrical output including an electrically conductive pill; said electrically conductive pill comprising deformable material and having a shape providing an apex positioned to contact a surface of at least one conductive trace, said electrically conductive pill sufficiently deformable to at least somewhat flatten-out under physical pressure and contact additional surface of said at least one conductive trace,    means for outputting to an image generation machine a signal at least representational of said analog electrical output.    
     
     
         11 . A controller in accordance with    claim 10    wherein said deformable material is a pressure-sensitive variable-conductance material comprising an elastic binder and active material.  
     
     
         12 . A controller in accordance with    claim 10    wherein said left-hand area includes a four-way rocker.  
     
     
         13 . An improved method of manufacturing a hand held type controller manufactured by way of assembling into a housing circuitry formed to be at least in-part a component of electricity manipulating devices and installing single digit depressible buttons in-part exposed on said housing and positioned to be depressed onto said electricity manipulating devices, wherein the improvement comprises; 
 installing into said controller at least one pressure-sensitive variable-conductance sensor having an electrically conductive deformable member with an apex adjacent at least one conductive trace for creating an analog electrical output in proportion to pressure applied to at least one of said depressible buttons;    installing into said controller means for outputting to an image generation machine a signal at least representational of said analog electrical output.    
     
     
         14 . An improved method of manufacturing a hand held type controller in accordance with    claim 13    further including installing into said controller said at least one pressure-sensitive variable-conductance sensor of a type including carbon.  
     
     
         15 . An improved method of manufacturing a pressure-sensitive variable electrical conductivity sensor useful in a hand operated controller, wherein the improvement includes: 
 providing an electrically conductive deformable member having an apex,    positioning said apex adjacent at least one conductive element surface,    providing a depressible surface depressible with increasing pressure by a digit of a human hand, the depressible surface provided in a position to depress said deformable member to depress said apex into increasing surface contact with said at least one conductive element surface with increasing pressure by a human digit, wherein increasing electrical conductivity is achieved with said increasing surface contact.    
     
     
         16 . An improved method of manufacturing a pressure-sensitive variable electrical conductivity sensor according to    claim 15    further including 
 providing said electrically conductive deformable member comprising pressure-sensitive variable-conductance material, whereby the electrical conductivity of said deformable member varies under pressure.