Claims
- 1. A fiber optic control device comprising, in combination:a) a joystick having fixed thereon a pivot ball to enable the stick to have universal pivotal movement, b) a base having a socket in which said pivot ball is held captive while permitting said joystick to have said universal movement, c) a pair of swivel members, d) means pivotally mounting said swivel members on the base for movement about non-coincidental axes, e) slide driving connections between said joystick and swivel members, for causing reversible movements of the members in response to universal movements of the joystick, f) mirrors carried by said swivel members, and g) fiber optic light transmission means cooperable with said mirrors and including a source of light adapted to direct a light beam against the mirrors, thereby to provide output light signals which are a function of the virtual position of said joy stick at any time.
- 2. A fiber optic control device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the swivel members are arcuate and have axes which pass through the said pivot ball.
- 3. A fiber optic control device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the mirrors are carried by the swivel members adjacent the pivots thereof.
- 4. A fiber optic control device as set forth in claim 1, wherein:a) the swivel members have pivot pins. b) said mirrors being carried by the pivot pins.
- 5. A fiber optic control device as set forth in claim 1, wherein:a) the swivel members have arcuate slots, b) said slots being disposed in crossed relation with each other.
- 6. A fiber optic control device as set forth in claim 5, wherein the bottom of the joystick extends through the slots of the swivel members at the point where said slots cross.
- 7. A fiber optic control device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the mirrors are flat mirrors.
- 8. A fiber optic control device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the axes of the mirrors are non-coincidental.
- 9. A fiber optic control device as set forth in claim 1, wherein:a) the base is of rectangular configuration, b) said light transmission means including cables that exit at adjoining sides of the base.
- 10. A fiber optic control device as set forth in claim 1, wherein:a) the base is of rectangular configuration, b) b) said light transmission means including cables that exit at the same side of the base.
- 11. A fiber optic control device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the swivel members have pivots which are disposed in the same plane.
- 12. A fiber optic control device as set forth in claim 2 wherein the swivel members have a common center.
- 13. A fiber optic control device as set forth in claim 12, wherein the swivel members have slots which cross each other at right angles.
- 14. A fiber optic control device as set forth in claim 7, wherein:a) the swivel members have pivot pins, and b) the mirrors are disposed on the pivot pins of the swivel members.
- 15. A fiber optic control device as set forth in claim 1, whereina) the light transmission means includes fiber optic cables b) said cables comprising sets having terminals which are disposed in parallelism.
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
1. My copending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/251,780 filed Feb. 17, 1999 and entitled FIBER OPTIC CONTROL WITH JOY STICK, and having the same ownership and same inventorship as the present application.
2. My U.S. application Ser. No. 09/309,437 filed May 11, 1999, entitled FIBER OPTIC CONTROL WITH POSITIVE MECHANICAL DRIVE FROM JOY STICK, and having the same ownership and same inventorship as the present application, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,130,424.
US Referenced Citations (4)