Interactive Multi-Sensory Reading System Electronic Teaching/Learning Device

Abstract

An electronic learning/teaching device operates with and without a printed sheet element having an arrangement of selectable content by means of a user responsive sensor array beneath a surface configured to receive the element. The sensor array is formed by cross-points of two sets of crossing conductive lines, one set being driven sequentially with a radio frequency square wave and the other set being sampled sequentially though a high impedance amplifier connection with an asynchronous detection circuit. Where more than one cross-point location is user activated, algorithms are used to identify one cross-point sensor location as the user activated selection.

1 . An interactive, electronic teaching/learning device having a platform with a first, generally planar, user contact surface overlying a first, generally planar sensor, the first sensor including a plurality of at least touch-responsive, mutually adjoining sensors organized in a two-dimensional array, the array being formed by separate and separated first and second sets of generally parallel, individual conductive lines transversely crossing over each other beneath an upper surface of the platform, characterized by: 
 a radio frequency oscillating signal generator cyclically coupled to individual conductive lines the first set; and    a synchronous detection circuit operatively coupled with the generator and with individual conductive lines of the second set to identify user selected individual cross-points of the first and second sets of lines of the array.    
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1  further comprising a transistor coupling between each conductive line of the second set and the synchronous detection circuit, each individual conductive line of the second set being coupled with a base of the transistor coupled with the synchronous detection circuit.  
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1  further including an electrically conductive plane connected to system ground and spaced away from the two sets of conductive lines on a side of the array opposite the platform and at a distance effective to reduce an active user activation area around each cross-point of the array within which user selection is sensed by the synchronous detection circuit sufficiently to prevent overlap of adjoining user activation areas of adjoining cross-points.  
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1  further comprising a grounded conductive line between each adjoining pair of conductive lines of the first set so as to reduce cross coupling between the adjoining pair of conductive lines of the first set.  
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the generator is a square wave generator.  
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1  further comprising a control circuit operatively coupled with the synchronous detection circuit and configured to identify cross-points of the array being potentially selected by the user and identifying one of the potentially selected cross-points as the selection for response of the device to user selection.  
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1  further comprising indicia permanently and visibly incorporated into an upper surface of the platform over the array in alignment over particular cross-points of the array for user identification of selected indicia through the array.  
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 1  in combination with a printed sheet product configured for a predetermined orientation on the platform, the printed sheet product including printed indicia located in the predetermined orientation in alignment over particular cross-points of the array for user identification of selected indicia through the array.  
     
     
         9 . In an interactive electronic teaching/learning device configured to receive a printed sheet product having a predetermined orientation on the device and a selectable content, the device comprising a housing including a platform configured to receive the printed sheet product when the printed sheet product in the predetermined orientation; an electronic user interface in the housing including a user-responsive position sensor having an active range above the platform and including a plurality of individual sensors arranged in an array in the platform; and control electronics in the housing including a memory having therein instructions associated with the selectable content of the printed sheet product and a controller in electrical communication with the electronic user interface, the controller being configured to perform at least the steps of operating in accordance with the instructions in the memory, determining a selected position within the active range of the position sensor, recognizing a selection of the selectable content by the selector, and sending to the electronic user interface a signal associated with the selection; a method of operating the device wherein the determining step comprises the steps of: identifying a plurality of possible user-selected sensor positions; and selecting only one of the plurality of possible user-selected sensor positions as the selection.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the device includes a cross-point sensor array formed by first and second sets of generally parallel, electrically conductive lines transversely crossing over each other beneath an upper surface of the platform, and wherein the step of identifying a plurality of possibly selected positions comprises the steps of applying a square wave radio frequency oscillating signal to the first set of the conductive lines and to a synchronous detection circuit operably coupled with the second set of conductive lines.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the coupling step further comprising the step of coupling each of the conductive lines of the second set to the synchronous detector via a relatively high impedance amplifier.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the predetermined orientation includes upper, lower, left and right sides and wherein the determining step comprises the step of selecting an uppermost cross-point sensor of the array that has been user activated as a candidate user-selected position.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the selecting step further includes the step of identifying a rightmost cross-point sensor of the cross-point array where equally uppermost sensors of the array have been user activated.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the selecting step further comprises the step of identifying any other cross-point sensors of the array that immediately adjoin the upper and right most identified cross-point sensor candidate selected position and that have been activated by user selection and identifying one of the upper and right most and the immediately adjoining cross-point sensors having the greatest output change as the selection.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising after the step of identifying the selection, ignoring all other cross-point sensors of the array below the cross-point sensor of the selection for at least a predetermined period of time.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising after the step of identifying the selection, ignoring all other cross-point sensors of the array below the selected cross-point sensor at least until the cross-point sensor of the selection is released by the user.