Capacitive mouse

• US 20030156098A1
• Filed: 03/05/2003
• Published: 08/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Gillespie, David W., Day, Shawn P., Errington, Andrew M., Shaw, Scott J., Trent, Raymond A. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,212,189 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0312 for tracking the rotation of a spherical or circular member, e.g. optical rotary encoders used in mice or trackballs using a tracking ball or in mouse scroll wheels tracking relative movement in co-operation with a regularly or irregularly patterned surface, e.g. as in optical mice G06F3/0317; constructional details of scroll or thumb-wheels G06F3/0362; optical rotary encoders G01D5/3473
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts

Abstract

A pointing device some or all of whose elements are made from capacitive sensors. Such elements may include a rotary motion detector which includes a rotating member and a plurality of fixed capacitive detecting members; a rolling ball with patterned conductive surface and a plurality of fixed capacitive detecting members; capacitive touch sensors or capacitive switches to serve as mouse buttons; and a scrolling wheel, knob, or touch surface built from capacitive sensors. The pointing device further includes a capacitance measuring circuit and processor to measure variations of capacitance on the various capacitive elements and to determine the movement of and other activations of the mouse.

Claims

1. A computer mouse comprising:

a touch sensor embedded within a surface material of the mouse, said touch sensor configured to measure motion of a finger along an axis, said touch sensor configured to operate by capacitive means.

2. A pointing device comprising:

a computer mouse configured to generate cursor commands;

a touch sensor coupled to said computer mouse, said touch sensor configured for measuring motion of a finger along an axis, said touch sensor configured for operating by capacitive means; and

a processor in operative communication with said touch sensor, said processor configured to generate a scrolling command in response to said motion of said finger along said axis, said processor configured to continue generating said scrolling command responsive to said finger lifting from said touch sensor.

3. The pointing device of claim 2 wherein said processor is configured to cease said scrolling command responsive to said finger being substantially stationary prior to lifting from said touch sensor.

4. The pointing device of claim 3 further comprising:

a friction simulation means configured to slowly decay scrolling action of said scrolling command in response to cessation of said scrolling command after said finger lifts from said touch sensor.

5. A touch input system comprising:

a capacitive touch sensor configured for measuring motion of a finger along an axis; and

a processor in operative communication with said capacitive touch sensor, said processor configured to generate quadrature signals compatible with those from an optical rotary motion encoder in response to said motion of said finger along said axis.

6. A one-axis touch sensor configured for sensing an object along a single axis, said one-axis touch sensor configured to generate a scrolling signal responsive to sensing motion of said object touching said one-axis touch sensor.

7. The one-axis touch sensor of claim 6 wherein said one-axis touch sensor is configured to generate a subsequent scrolling signal responsive to lifting of said object from said one-axis touch sensor.

8. The one-axis touch sensor of claim 6 wherein said scrolling signal is compatible with that from a standard commercial scroll wheel mouse.

9. The one-axis touch sensor of claim 6 wherein said one-axis touch sensor is configured to measure the amount of motion of said object as the object lifts off from said one-axis touch sensor, said one-axis touch sensor configured to continue to generate said scrolling signal responsive to a determined amount of motion of said object.

10. The one-axis touch sensor of claim 9 wherein said determined amount of motion of said object is non-zero.

11. A one-axis touch sensor comprising:

a sensor configured to sense along a single axis, said sensor configured to generate a quadrature signal responsive to an object touching said sensor, said quadrature signal including characteristics of signals being of the type produced by a rotary encoder.

12. The one-axis touch sensor of claim 11 wherein said sensor is configured to generate a subsequent quadrature signal responsive to said object lifting from said one-axis touch sensor.

13. A one-axis touch sensor comprising:

a sensor configured to sense a finger along a single axis of the one-axis touch sensor; and

a processor in operative communication with said sensor, wherein said sensor is configured to transmit to said processor one of a touch signal responsive to motion of said finger touching said sensor, and a lift signal responsive to lift off of said finger from said sensor, and wherein said processor is configured to generate a scrolling signal responsive to said touch signal and said lift signal.

14. The one-axis touch sensor of claim 13 wherein said touch signal includes an indication of a presence of said finger touching said sensor and a motion of the finger along said axis.

15. The one-axis touch sensor of claim 13 wherein said processor is configured to generate a coasting signal responsive to receiving said touch signal and said lift signal.

16. The one-axis touch sensor of claim 15 wherein both said lift signal and said touch signal are responsive to a continuous action comprising a contact of said finger on said sensor, said motion of said finger along said axis and said lift off of said finger.

17. The one-axis touch sensor of claim 16 wherein said coasting signal indicates said motion of said finger along said axis being a non-zero velocity during said lift off.

18. The one-axis touch sensor of claim 14 wherein said scrolling signal is an indication of said non-zero velocity.

19. The one-axis touch sensor of claim 13 wherein said scrolling signal is in quadrature form, said quadrature form including characteristics of being the type of signals produced by a rotary encoder.