Abstract: A miniaturized manportable tactical workstation that has a single power supply that provides power for all of the electronic components thereof. The portable workstation includes a housing having a rotatable top cover that houses a display panel. The top cover is opened to expose a screen of the display panel. The housing encloses a hard drive receiver into which a removable hard drive is inserted. A two-slot VME processor box is disposed in the housing and receives a VME processor card that is slid into the VME processor box from one side of the workstation. An air filter and a fan are disposed in the housing and draw air through the housing to cool the electronic components of the workstation. A keyboard is provided that is exposed to a user when the top cover is opened to expose the display screen. The single power supply provides supply voltages and timing signals to the display panel, the keyboard, the VME processor card, the hard drive, and the fan.

Abstract: A tactile feedback switch actuator for an associated force-actuated switch has a key cap linked to a collapsible dome by an optical fiber, all of which are light-transmittable. The actuator is operated by manually applying an actuating force to the key cap which exceeds the modulus of collapse of the dome. In response, the dome reversibly collapses in a tactile snapping action against the underlying light-transmittable switch panel having pressure-sensitive contacts embedded therein to change the operative state of the switch. When the actuating force is withdrawn, the collapsible dome elastically returns to its uncollapsed condition, while the switch remains in its newly-actuated operative state. The actuator and associated switch are structurally integrated and aligned so that light-emitting pixels in an underlying electroluminescent panel provide visual feedback of the operative state of the switch.

Abstract: A touch control panel for a cathode ray tube display system that provides for a command entry device. The control panel comprise a touch sensitive panel adapted to produce different output signals depending upon where it is contacted. A processor is coupled to the panel for processing the output signals to select and then display a particular pop-up menu from a plurality of stored menus. An activation switch is provided to select the currently highlighted menu as selected via the touch sensitive panel.