Pointing apparatus and method

• US 20050052414A1
• Filed: 09/08/2004
• Published: 03/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Tae-suh, Kim, Sung-cheol, Lee, Sang-Goog
• Granted Patent: US 7,427,979 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0331 Finger worn pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors

Abstract

Provided are a pointing apparatus and method. The apparatus, which inputs a pointing signal to a portable computer, includes an accelerometer outputting an acceleration signal in response to motion of the finger; and a signal processing unit sensing micro-collisions generated when the finger comes into contact with a predetermined contact surface and a rising signal generated when the finger is detached from the contact surface using the acceleration signal, sensing pointing motion of the finger lasting between the generation of the micro-collisions and the generation of the rising signal, and outputting the pointing signal.

Claims

1. A pointing apparatus, which inputs a movement signal to a portable computer, the apparatus comprising:

an accelerometer disposed on a finger and outputting an acceleration signal in response to a motion of the finger; and

a signal processing unit sensing micro-collisions generated when the finger comes into contact with a contact surface and a rising signal generated when the finger is detached from the contact surface, using the acceleration signal, sensing the motion of the finger between a generation of the micro-collisions and a generation of the rising signal, and outputting the movement signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the accelerometer is a 2-axis accelerometer that measures an x-axis acceleration signal and a y-axis acceleration signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the signal processing unit comprises:

a first differential signal processor differentiating a previously input y-axis acceleration signal from a presently input y-axis acceleration signal to generate a differential y-axis acceleration signal;

a vertical motion detector detecting a vertical motion from the differential y-axis acceleration signal and sensing whether or not the micro-collisions occur; and

a movement signal detector sensing the motion of the finger from the x-axis and the y-axis acceleration signals and outputting the movement signal.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the movement signal detector comprises:

two low pass filters smoothing the x-axis and the y-axis acceleration signals, respectively;

a second differential signal processor and a third differential signal processor, each of the second and the third differential signal processors differentiating a signal previously output from a corresponding one of the two low pass filters from a signal presently output therefrom, to generate respective differential signals;

two motion direction measurers measuring directions in which the finger moves using the respective differential signals; and

two distance calculators calculating distances in which the finger moves from the respective differential signals based on the directions in which the finger moves.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the distance calculator accumulates absolute displacement values relative to a time axis of each differential signal.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a first RF module converting the movement signal into a first RF signal and outputting the first RF signal to the portable computer.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a sensor, wherein when a second RF module is installed on a portion of the portable computer and outputs a second RF signal, the sensor senses the second RF signal, and wherein only when the sensor senses the second RF signal, the first RF module is activated.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a sensor, wherein when second RF modules are installed on various portions of the portable computer and output second RF signals, the sensor senses the second RF signals, and wherein if the sensor does not sense the second RF signals, the first RF module is deactivated.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a sensor, wherein when an infrared generating module is installed on a portion of the portable computer and outputs an infrared signal, the sensor senses the infrared signal, and wherein only when the sensor senses the infrared signal, the first RF module is activated.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a sensor, wherein when infrared generating modules are installed on various portions of the portable computer and output infrared signals, the sensor senses the infrared signals, and wherein if the sensor does not sense the infrared signals, the first RF module is deactivated.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a sensor, wherein when an RF module is installed on a portion of the portable computer and outputs an RF signal, the sensor senses the RF signal, and wherein only when the sensor senses the RF signal, the signal processing unit is activated.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a sensor, wherein when RF modules are installed on various portions of the portable computer and output RF signals, the sensor senses the RF signals, and wherein if the sensor does not sense the RF signals, the signal processing unit is deactivated.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a sensor, wherein when an infrared module is installed on a portion of the portable computer and outputs an infrared signal, the sensor senses the infrared signal, and wherein only when the sensor senses the infrared signal, the signal processing unit is activated.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a sensor, wherein when infrared modules are installed on various portions of the portable computer and output infrared signals, the sensor senses the infrared signals, and wherein if the sensor does not sense the infrared signals, the signal processing unit is deactivated.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a switch connected to the accelerometer and the signal processing unit and activating and deactivating the accelerometer and the signal processing unit in response to an external switching operation.

16. A method of inputting a movement signal to a portable computer using an apparatus mounted on a finger, the method comprising:

receiving an acceleration signal in response to a motion of the finger;

sensing micro-collisions generated when the finger comes into contact with a predetermined contact surface, using the acceleration signal;

sensing a rising signal generated when the finger is detached from the contact surface, using the acceleration signal; and

calculating a direction and a distance in which the finger moves from a moment the micro-collisions occur until the rising signal is sensed.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the sensing the micro-collisions comprises differentiating a previously input acceleration signal from a presently input acceleration signal.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein if the rising signal is not sensed for a predetermined amount of time, the direction and the distance in which the finger moves for the predetermined amount of time are calculated.