Patent attributes
A solid-state switch for an external system includes a cover member, a first solid-state transducer, a microcontroller, a user feedback device, and a switching circuit. The first transducer is mechanically coupled to the cover member and configured to generate first signals in response to a perturbation at the cover member. The microcontroller is configured to obtain first data from the first signals and determine user inputs in accordance with at least the first data and an operational state of the solid-state switch. The user feedback device is configured to provide feedback to a user of the solid-state switch in accordance with a switching behavior of the switching circuit. The microcontroller is couplable to a master controller of the external system. The switching behavior of the switching circuit is determined in accordance with: (a) the commands from the master controller to the microcontroller, and/or (b) user inputs as determined by the microcontroller.