TITLE:
A Nonlinear Electrical Resonator as a Simple Touch-Sensitive Switch with Memory
AUTHORS:
Lars Q. English, Mauro David Lifschitz, Sunil Acharya
KEYWORDS:
Nonlinear Switch; Electrical Resonator; Bistability; Touch Sensitivity
JOURNAL NAME:
Circuits and Systems,
Vol.4 No.1,
January
28,
2013
ABSTRACT: We introduce a novel switching mechanism that relies on the bistability of a simple nonlinear electrical resonator which incorporates a varactor diode as its capacitive element. The switching action can be made fast and is self-contained in that no further circuitry is necessary. Unlike a flip-flop, whose state is flipped by applying a TTL pulse, this nonlinear switch can be engaged external to the circuit via magnetic, inductive or capacitive coupling; in this way, the switch becomes intrinsically touch-sensitive. Alternatively, the switching action can also be accomplished using frequency-shift-keying (FSK) modulation, which holds the promise of fast manipulation of the memory state. We demonstrate the potential application of these ideas by constructing a touch-sensitive LED lattice.