Ergonomic control apparatus

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention is an ergonomic control apparatus for producing signals in response to human feedback to control many useful applications including aircraft, land vehicles, computers and video games.
The ergonomic control apparatus includes a control stick extending substantially vertical from a base.
The apparatus further includes a pivotal attachment means and a slidable attachment means for attaching the lower extremity of the control stick to the base.
In operation, the control stick is restricted to movement both forward and rearward of a neutral stick position and both forward and rearward inclination from the control stick's at rest substantially vertical position.
The terms forward and rearward are used for convenience.
It being understood by those in the art that the device can rotated for movement of the stick in the left and right directions and in left and right inclinations from the vertical axis.
The slidable attachment means further includes a first signal means and a second signal means.
The first signal means is interconnected with the control stick such that movement of the control stick forward from the neutral stick position produces a first set of control signals.
Similarly, the second signal means is interconnected with the control stick such that movement of the stick rearward from the neutral stick position produces a second set of control signals.
In like manner, the pivotal attachment means further includes a third signal means and a fourth signal means.
The third signal means is interconnected with the control stick such that forward inclination of the control stick from the substantially vertical axis produces a third set of control signals.
The fourth signal means is also interconnected to the control stick such that rearward inclination of the control stick from the substantially vertical axis produces a fourth set of control signals.
Affixed to the lower extremity of the control stick is a rotatable collar.
The rotatable collar is annularly disposed on the outer surface of the control stick such that the collar may be manually rotated about the longitudinal axis of the stick in both clockwise and counter-clockwise directions from a neutral collar position