Input device, particularly computer mouse

• US 10,048,759 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2008
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microchip Technology Germany GmbH (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Microchip Technology Germany GmbH (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Richter, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Okebato, Sahlu
• Application Number:
  US12/517,279
• Publication Number:
  US 20100001955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,646 Days
• Field of Search: 345163, 345157-158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means

Abstract

The invention refers to an input device for computer system. The invention is based on the task of creating solutions to make it possible to considerably simplify mouse-based input operations in the use of computers. This task is solved in accordance with the invention by a computer mouse with a housing and a movement detector to generate control data which as such correlate with the movement of the housing along the X or Y axis, and a hand detector to generate control data which as such correlate with the position and/or the finger gestures of a hand in relation to the housing before the computer mouse is touched. This makes it advantageously possible to carry out input operations to an even better degree with a computer mouse, in particular cursor controls, in a way that can be intuitively and easily mastered.

Claims

1. A computer mouse comprising:

a housing,

a first input device generating first control data configured to control at least a cursor on a display of a computer system and comprising a movement detector to generate the first control data which as such correlate with the movement of the housing along an X1 and a Y1 axis, and

a second input device generating second control data configured to control the computer system and comprising a hand detector to generate the second control data which as such correlate with the position and movement of a hand of a user in relation to the housing before the computer mouse is touched, wherein the hand detector comprises a single feed electrode having a circular shape and at least three associated detection electrodes each having a sectional ring shape, wherein the sectional ring shaped detection electrodes are arranged to form a broken ring around said circular shaped single feed electrode and coupled with an evaluation circuit, wherein the feed electrode is configured to generate a modulated electric field which extends into an area above said housing and wherein the evaluation circuit receives separate signals from the at least three sectional ring shaped detection electrodes each signal representing a strength of the modulated electric field at the respective detection electrode, and wherein the evaluation circuit is configured to determine a three-dimensional position including X, Y, and Z data from said separate signals received by the detection electrodes and to generate said second control data, wherein said second control data is used to control at least a movement of said cursor.

2. The computer system comprising a computer mouse in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a computer with said display coupled with said computer mouse, wherein control movements executed by the user in relation to the computer mouse generating said second control data are reflected in a user interface represented by the display.

3. The computer system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the user interface is designed in such a way that a cross-movement of the hand in relation to the computer mouse triggers a cursor movement along an X axis or allows the selection of various buttons.

4. The computer system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the user interface is designed in such a way that a longitudinal movement of the hand in relation to the computer mouse triggers a cursor movement along a Y axis or allows the selection of various buttons.

5. The computer system in accordance with claim 2, wherein a depth movement allows a selection of various menu windows from the user interface.

6. The computer system in accordance with claim 2, wherein a depth movement allows the selection of various menu windows or frames.

7. The computer system in accordance with claim 2, wherein a zoom function of the display is coordinated via a Z information provided by the computer mouse.

8. The computer system in accordance with claim 2, wherein a navigation is controlled by longitudinal or cross movements within a window or frame by the hand of the user.

9. The computer mouse in accordance with claim 1 wherein the evaluation circuit is configured in such a way that a selection command is derived from a certain detection event.

10. The computer mouse in accordance with claim 9 wherein the selection command is generated by a finger movement, in particular the lowering of one or more fingers of the operation hand in the direction of the computer mouse.

11. The computer mouse in accordance with claim 9, wherein the computer mouse comprises an input structure to realize manual selection by the corresponding activation of the input structure.

12. The computer mouse in accordance with claim 11, wherein the input structure is executed as a key structure which can be activated by the corresponding tipping of the mouse by a finger of the gripping hand, in particular the index finger.

13. The computer mouse in accordance with claim 1, wherein the hand detector includes a first, second and third electrode and wherein the position of the hand and/or the cross, longitudinal and/or depth movement of the hand in relation to the computer mouse is detected on the basis of differences in the field electric events at these electrodes.

14. The computer mouse in accordance with claim 1, wherein the computer mouse is configured in such a way that the length and the width of a hand movement detection area provided by said electric field and provided to determine a hand movement above said housing allow a movement of the cursor over the whole extent of the screen.

15. The computer mouse in accordance with claim 1, wherein the hand detector comprises a circuit board structure supporting said feed and detection electrodes and further comprising an ASIC arranged on the circuit board structure for the generation of the control signals on the basis of proximity effects detected by the detection electrodes.

16. The computer mouse according to claim 1, wherein hand movements within a vertical distance of approximately 11 cm can be detected by the means of the modulated electric field.

17. The computer mouse in accordance with claim 1 wherein, when the mouse is released, the mouse electronics revert to the power-saving mode immediately or with a slight delay.

20. The computer system according to claim 2, wherein the system is operable upon an approach by the hand below a programmable threshold height to freeze an interface status determined by a previous movement of the hand and only by detection of a physical movement of the mouse the system generates further control data with respect to said interface status.

23. The computer mouse according to claim 1, wherein subsequent three-dimensional position data are used to determine a gesture from a plurality of gestures performed by the hand of the user without touching the computer mouse.

18. A computer mouse comprising:

a housing,

a first input device generating first control data configured to control a computer system and comprising a movement detector to generate the first control data which as such correlate with the movement of the housing along an X1 and a Y1 axis, and

a second input device generating second control data configured to control the computer system and comprising a hand detector to generate the second control data and a signal which indicates whether the hand of a user is approaching the mouse whereby in accordance with this signal the mouse electronics switch from a power-saving mode to an operation mode, wherein the hand detector comprises a single feed electrode having a circular shape and at least three associated sectional ring shaped detection electrodes arranged to form a sectional ring around said circular shaped single feed electrode and coupled with an evaluation circuit, wherein the feed electrode is operable to generate a modulated electric field which extends at least 11 cm vertically measured from a surface on which the computer mouse is placed and wherein the evaluation circuit receives separate signals from the at least three sectional ring shaped detection electrodes to generate said second control data, wherein said second control data comprises a relative position information of the hand of the user with respect to the computer mouse including X, Y, and Z information, wherein the computer mouse is configured to output said second control data to the computer system via a computer interface.

19. The computer mouse in accordance with claim 18 wherein, when the mouse is released, the mouse electronics revert to the power-saving mode immediately or with a slight delay.

24. The computer mouse according to claim 18, wherein the computer interface is a wireless computer interface.

21. A computer mouse comprising:

a housing,

a first input device generating first control data configured to control a computer system and comprising a movement detector to generate the first control data which as such correlate with the movement of the housing along an X1 and a Y1 axis, and

a second input device generating second control data configured to control the computer system and comprising a hand detector to generate the second control data which as such correlate with the position and/or movement of a hand of a user in relation to the housing before the computer mouse is touched, wherein the hand detector comprises a single feed electrode having a circular shape and at least three sectional ring shaped associated detection electrodes arranged to form a ring around said circular shaped single feed electrode and coupled with an evaluation circuit, wherein the feed electrode is operable to generate a modulated electric field which extends into an area above said housing and wherein the evaluation circuit receives separate signals from the at least three sectional ring shaped detection electrodes to generate said control data, wherein said second control data comprises a relative position information of the hand of the user with respect to the computer mouse including X, Y, and Z information and wherein the movement detector only generates the control data if the movement of the hand is above a predetermined distance from said housing, wherein the computer mouse is configured to output said second control data to the computer system via a computer interface.

22. The computer mouse according to claim 21, wherein the predetermined distance is a vertical distance of approximately 11 cm measured from a bottom surface of the housing.

25. The computer mouse according to claim 21, wherein the computer interface is a wireless computer interface.