Joystick controller

Claim 2

A joystick controller, comprising a casing; a pair of members mounted in said casing, each slidable along a linear path orthogonally with respect to the other; a handle coupled to said casing and to said members, said handle being universally pivotable about a portion of a spherical are to move said members linearly by an amount in accordance with the component of displacement of said handle along the directions of movement of said corresponding members; and a pair of transducers, each for generating a signal representative of the position of a corresponding one of said members and each including a linearly extending resistor, a discrete conductor extending parallel to said resistor and an electrical contactor carried by said corresponding one of said members for linear movement therewith in sliding simultaneous electrical contact with said resistor and discrete conductor, said resistor and discrete conductor of each said transducer being carried on a surface of a substrate in parallel side-by-side and spaced relationship on the same side of said contactor of said corresponding member and said contactor extending between and contacting both of said resistor and discrete conductor simultaneously, said corresponding member being linearly movable across said substrate surface to move said contactor slidably linearly along said resistor and discrete conductor to change the value of the signal generated by said transducer.

Claim 3

A joystick controller as in claim 1, wherein said signals generated by said transducers are discrete signals appearing on said discrete conductors.

Claim 4

A joystick controller as in claim 2, wherein said electrical contactor comprises a wiper-type brush.

Claim 5

A joystick controller, comprising a casing; first and second members mounted in said casing, each slidable along a linear path orthogonally with respect to the other; a handle coupled to said casing and to said members, said handle being universally pivotable about a portion of a spherical are to move said members linearly by an amount in accordance with the component of displacement of said handle along the directions of movement of said corresponding members; and transducer means for generating signals representative of the positions to which said members are moved by said handle, said transducer means including a circuit board having first and second linearly extending resistors on a surface thereof and first and second discrete conductors on said surface spaced from and extending parallel to said first and second transducer, respectively, and first and second wiper contacts respectively carried by said first and second members for linear movement therewith across said surface, said first wiper contact extending between and electrically contacting said first resistor and first discrete conductor and said second wiper contact extending between and electrically contacting said second resistor and second discrete conductor, said first and second members moving said first and second wiper contacts linearly along their associated first and second resistors and discrete conductors, said signals generated by said transducer means being discrete signals appearing on said first and second discrete conductors.

Claim 6

A joystick controller, comprising a casing; first and second members mounted in said casing, each slidable along a linear path orthogonally with respect to the other; a handle coupled to said casing and to said members, said handle being universally pivotable about a portion of a spherical are to move said members linearly by an amount in accordance with the component of displacement of said handle along the directions of movement of said corresponding members; and transducer means for generating signals representative of the positions to which said members are moved by said handle, said transducer means including a circuit board having first and second linearly extending resistors on a surface thereof and first and second discrete conductors on said surface spaced from and extending parallel to said first and second transducer, respectively, and first and second wiper contacts respectively carried by said first and second members for linear movement therewith across said surface, said first wiper contact extending between and electrically contacting said first resistor and first discrete conductor and said second wiper contact extending between and electrically contacting said second resistor and second discrete conductor, said first and second members moving said first and second wiper contacts linearly along their associated first and second resistors and discrete conductors, said signals generated by said transducer means being discrete signals appearing on said first and second discrete conductors.

Claim 7

A joystick as in claim 4, wherein said discrete signals appearing on said first and second discrete conductors represent x-y coordinate information and said circuit board includes third and fourth linearly extending resistors in series with said first and second resistors, respectively, and third and fourth discrete conductors extending parallel to but spaced from and connected to one end of said third and fourth resistors, respectively, and further including third and wiper contacts respectively extending between and electrically contacting said third resistor and third conductor and between and electrically contacting said fourth resistor and fourth conductor, and means coupled with said third and fourth wiper contacts for manually sliding the same linearly along their associated conductors and resistors to change the values exhibited by said third and fourth resistors and thereby the values of said signals appearing on said first and second conductors, said third and fourth resistors being adjustable, when said handle is in a reference position, to adjust said signals to values representing selected x-y coordinate information.

Claim 8

A joystick as in claim 5, said circuit board further including a fifth resistor in series with said first and third resistors and a sixth resistor in series with said second and fourth resistors.

Claim 9

A joystick as in claim 6, said circuit board further including conductor means for connecting opposite ends of said first, third and fifth series connected resistors, and of said second, fourth and sixth series connected resistors, to a common potential.

Claim 10

A joystick as in claim 6, said circuit board further including conductor means for connecting opposite ends of said first, third and fifth series connected resistors, and of said second, fourth and sixth series connected resistors, to a common potential.

Claim 11

A joystick as in claim 5, said circuit board further including a fifth resistor in series with said first and third resistors and a sixth resistor in series with said second and fourth resistors.

Claim 12

A joystick controller, comprising a casing; first and second members mounted in said casing, each slidable along a linear path orthogonally with respect to the other; a handle coupled to said casing and to said members, said handle being universally pivotable about a portion of a spherical arc to move said members linearly by an amount in accordance with the component of displacement of said handle along the directions of movement of said corresponding members; and transducer means for generating signals representative of the positions to which said members are moved by said handle, said transducer means including a circuit board having first and second linearly extending resistors on a surface thereof and first and second conductors on said surface spaced from and extending parallel to said first and second resistors, respectively, and first and second wiper contacts respectively carried by said first and second members for linear movement therewith across said surface, said first wiper contact extending between and electrically contacting said first resistor and first conductor and said second wiper contact extending between and electrically contacting said second resistor and second conductor, said first and second members moving said first and second wiper contacts linearly along their associated first and second resistors and conductors, said signals generated by said transducer means appearing on said first and second conductors and representing x-y coordinate information and said circuit board including third and fourth linearly extending resistors in series with said first and second resistors, respectively, and third and fourth conductors extending parallel to but spaced from and connected to one end of said third and fourth resistors, respectively, and further including third and fourth wiper contacts respectively extending between and electrically contacting said third resistor and third conductor and between and electrically contacting said fourth resistor and fourth conductor, and means coupled with said third and fourth wiper contacts for manually sliding the same linearly along their associated conductors and resistors to change the values exhibited by said third and fourth resistors and thereby the values of said signals appearing on said first and second conductors, said third and fourth resistors being adjustable, when said handle is in a reference position, to adjust said signals to values representing selected x-y coordinate information.

Claim 13

A joystick controller, comprising a casing; first and second members mounted in said casing, each slidable along a linear path orthogonally with respect to the other; a handle coupled to said casing and to said members, said handle being universally pivotable about a portion of a spherical arc to move said members linearly by an amount in accordance with the component of displacement of said handle along the directions of movement of said corresponding members; and transducer means for generating signals representative of the positions to which said members are moved by said handle, said transducer means including a circuit board having first and second linearly extending resistors on a surface thereof and first and second conductors on said surface spaced from and extending parallel to said first and second resistors, respectively, and first and second wiper contacts respectively carried by said first and second members for linear movement therewith across said surface, said first wiper contact extending between and electrically contacting said first resistor and first conductor and said second wiper contact extending between and electrically contacting said second resistor and second conductor, said first and second members moving said first and second wiper contacts linearly along their associated first and second resistors and conductors, said signals generated by said transducer means appearing on said first and second conductors and representing x-y coordinate information and said circuit board including third and fourth linearly extending resistors in series with said first and second resistors, respectively, and third and fourth conductors extending parallel to but spaced from and connected to one end of said third and fourth resistors, respectively, and further including third and fourth wiper contacts respectively extending between and electrically contacting said third resistor and third conductor and between and electrically contacting said fourth resistor and fourth conductor, and means coupled with said third and fourth wiper contacts for manually sliding the same linearly along their associated conductors and resistors to change the values exhibited by said third and fourth resistors and thereby the values of said signals appearing on said first and second conductors, said third and fourth resistors being adjustable, when said handle is in a reference position, to adjust said signals to values representing selected x-y coordinate information.