Pen type optical mouse device and method of controlling the same

• US 20030112220A1
• Filed: 04/11/2002
• Published: 06/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Finger System, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Finger System, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Seung-Gol, Yang, Hong-Young
• Granted Patent: US 7,098,894 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen

Abstract

The present invention relates to a pen-type optical mouse device and a method of controlling the same wherein indicating the position of the cursor or writing input can be performed by using reflected light.

The object of the present invention is to provide a pen-type optical mouse device and a method of controlling the same wherein a user can conveniently grasp the mouse device with his/her hand, the writing input can be made through a natural writing action, and coordinate values of the mouse device can be corrected in accordance with the user'"'"'s writing habit.

According to the present invention, the pen-type optical mouse device can be slimmed down such that the user can easily hold it by installing an image sensor on a side of the interior of a main body of the mouse device. In addition, a writing command can be automatically recognized by means of a contact sensing means, and a long depth of focus can be ensured by means of a lens with a long focal length or a telecentric system. Thus, the mouse function and the writing function can be performed with a smooth and natural writing action. Furthermore, the accurate cursor movement and writing input can be achieved even if the user grasps the pen-type optical mouse device in any posture.

Claims

1. A pen-type optical mouse device for enabling the position of the cursor to be displayed on a monitor of a computer by detecting its own movement using reflected light, comprising:

a pen-type mouse main body;

an illumination unit for emitting light;

an imaging system for imaging light that is emitted from the illumination unit and then irradiated onto and reflected by a work surface, and for changing a path of the reflected light so as to be received by an image sensor;

the image sensor disposed on a side of the interior of the mouse main body for sensing the light from the imaging system incident thereon and converting the light into electrical signals to be transmitted to a control means;

the control means for causing the illumination unit to emit the light and calculating coordinate values of the cursor displayed on the monitor based on the converted electrical signals from the image sensor; and

a transmitting means for transmitting the coordinate values calculated from the control means to the computer.

2. The pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a contact sensing means at a leading end or inside of the mouse main body.

3. The pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the illumination unit includes a plurality of light emitting means installed at a predetermined interval on a circular or elliptical printed circuit board (PCB) with a hole formed at the center thereof.

4. The pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a light guide for guiding the light emitted from the illumination unit to be irradiated onto the work surface at a predetermined angle therewith, wherein the light guide includes a convex lens for collimating the light emitted from the illumination unit to be in the form of parallel rays, and a light waveguide which has a reflecting surface for causing the light focused by the convex lens to be irradiated onto the work surface at a small angle therewith so that the light waveguide allows the light to proceed.

5. The pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the reflecting surface of the light waveguide causes the light focused by the convex lens to be irradiated onto the work surface at an angle of 10 to 25 degrees therewith.

6. The pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the light guide further comprises a concave lens for causing the light proceeding through the light waveguide to be diffused and then irradiated onto the work surface.

7. The pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the illumination unit is formed integrally with the light guide.

8. The pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the imaging system includes an imaging lens for causing the light irradiated onto and reflected by the work surface to be imaged, and an optical path converter for changing the path of the light to be imaged so that the light is received by the image sensor.

9. The pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the imaging system is comprised of a telecentric system including a lens and diaphragm for causing the light irradiated onto and reflected by the work surface to be imaged and an optical path converter for changing a path of the light to be imaged for the purpose of ensuring a long depth of focus.

10. The pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical axis of the imaging system is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a central axis of the pen-type optical mouse device.

11. The pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the imaging lens is an aspheric lens in which trapezoidal distortion is corrected.

12. The pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the imaging lens is a zoom lens or further includes a means capable of adjusting the distance between the work surface and the imaging lens or the distance between the imaging lens and the image sensor.

13. The pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein trapezoidal distortion is corrected by adjusting at least one of arrangement angles of the optical path converter and the image sensor in response to an inclination of the mouse main body with respect to the work surface.

14. The pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein the optical path converter is any one of a simple reflector, a right prism, and a pentaprism.

15. The pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an inclination sensor for detecting the inclination of the central axis of the pen-type optical mouse device with respect to the direction normal to the work surface.

16. The pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a rotation angle sensor for detecting a rotation angle of the pen-type optical mouse device with respect to a reference angle thereof.

17. The pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a memory for storing traces of the movement of the pen-type optical mouse device.

18. The pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mouse main body is formed with a plurality of grip portions by which a user can hold it between his/her fingers.

19. The pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in claim 1, wherein writing input is performed when the contact sensing means detects a pressure higher than a predetermined reference pressure.

20. The pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mouse main body is provided with a writing means which has a pressure sensing means installed at a rear end thereof.

21. The pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in claim 20, wherein writing input is performed when the pressure sensing means detects a pressure higher than a predetermined reference pressure.

22. The pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in claim 20 or 21, further comprising a selection key for selectively allowing the writing means to go in and out the interior of the mouse main body.

23. A method of controlling a pen-type optical mouse device including a mouse main body, an illumination unit, a light guide, an imaging system, an image sensor, a control means, a transmitting means, a set button, and a contact sensing means, comprising the steps of:

causing the illumination unit to be on standby so that the illumination unit emits minimal luminosity if there is no input from the exterior for a predetermined period of time (step S10);

activating the illumination unit to be in a normal operating state if the contact sensing means detects contact pressure, the image sensor detects variations in an image formed thereon, or the set button is selected (steps S20 and S30);

checking whether a predetermined standby period of time has passed (step S40);

if the contact sensing means detects the contact pressure, confirming as to whether the detected contact pressure is higher than a predetermined reference pressure (step S50); and

if the detected contact pressure is higher than the predetermined reference pressure, transmitting a writing command to the control means, calculating coordinate values in accordance with movement of the mouse device, processing information on the written letter or drawn figure, and outputting the information to the transmitting means (steps S60 to S80).

24. The method of controlling the pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in claim 23, further comprising the step of, if the detected contact pressure is smaller than the predetermined reference pressure, transmitting a cursor moving command to the control means, calculating the coordinate values in accordance with the movement of the mouse device, and outputting the movement of the cursor to the transmitting means (step S90 to S10).

25. The method of controlling the pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in claim 23, wherein the information on the letter or figure is changed depending on the magnitude of the contact pressure detected by the contact sensing means.

26. A method of controlling a pen-type optical mouse device including a mouse main body, an illumination unit, a light guide, an imaging system, an image sensor, a control means, a transmitting means, a set button, and a contact sensing means, comprising the steps of:

checking whether a user inputs his/her own writing habit through a computer program (step S210);

if the user'"'"'s writing habit has been inputted, calculating a correction factor according to the writing habit inputted by the user (step S220);

checking whether the image sensor detects variations in an image formed thereon (step S230);

if the image sensor has detected the variations in the image formed thereon, calculating coordinate values in accordance with movement of the mouse device by using electrical signals obtained from the image sensor (step S240);

correcting the anisotropy of magnification in the coordinate values of the mouse device on the basis of the calculated correction factor (step S250); and

outputting the corrected coordinate values of the mouse device to the transmitting means (step S260).

27. The method of controlling the pen-type optical mouse device as claimed in claim 26, wherein if the user has not inputted his/her own writing habit through the computer program, the anisotropy of magnification in the calculated coordinate values of the mouse device is corrected on the basis of inclination values of a central axis of the mouse device predetermined in accordance with a general user'"'"'s writing habit.

28. A method of controlling a pen-type optical mouse device including a mouse main body, an illumination unit, a light guide, an imaging system, an image sensor, a control means, a transmitting means, a set button, and an inclination sensor, comprising the steps of:

detecting, by the inclination sensor, an inclination of a central axis of the mouse device with respect to the direction normal to a work surface (step S310);

checking whether the image sensor detects variations in an image formed thereon (step S320);

if the image sensor has detected the variations in the image formed thereon, calculating coordinate values in accordance with movement of the mouse device by using electrical signals generated obtained from the image sensor (step S330);

correcting the anisotropy of magnification in the calculated coordinate values of the mouse device on the basis of the inclination of the central axis of the mouse device detected by the inclination sensor (step S340); and

outputting the corrected coordinate values of the mouse device to the transmitting means (step S350).

29. A method of controlling a pen-type optical mouse device including a mouse main body, an illumination unit, a light guide, an imaging system, an image sensor, a control means, a transmitting means, a set button, and a contact sensing means, comprising the steps of:

checking whether a user inputs his/her own writing habit through a computer program (step S410);

if the user'"'"'s writing habit has been inputted, calculating a rotation angle of the mouse device with respect to a reference angle thereof according to the writing habit inputted by the user (step S420);

checking whether the image sensor detects variations in an image formed thereon (step S430);

if the image sensor has detected the variations in the image formed thereon, calculating coordinate values in accordance with movement of the mouse device by using electrical signals obtained from the image sensor (step S440);

correcting the coordinate values of the mouse device on the basis of the rotation angle of the mouse device with respect to the reference angle thereof (step S450); and

outputting the corrected coordinate values of the mouse device to the transmitting means (step S460).

30. A method of controlling a pen-type optical mouse device including a mouse main body, an illumination unit, a light guide, an imaging system, an image sensor, a control means, a transmitting means, a set button, and a rotation angle sensor, comprising the steps of:

detecting, by the rotation angle sensor, a rotation angle of the mouse device with respect to a reference angle thereof (step S510);

checking whether the image sensor detects variations in an image formed thereon (step S520);

if the image sensor has detected the variations in the image formed thereon, calculating coordinate values in accordance with movement of the mouse device by using electrical signals obtained form the image sensor (step S530);

correcting the calculated coordinate values of the mouse device on the basis of the rotation angle of the mouse device with respect to the reference angle thereof detected by the rotation angle sensor (step S540); and

outputting the corrected coordinate values of the mouse device to the transmitting means (step S550).