Apparatus and method for motion detection in three dimensions

• US 20060017690A1
• Filed: 07/22/2004
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kuiken, David, Smith, Rick
• Application Number:
  US10/897,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20060017690A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence

Abstract

Apparatus and method are disclosed for sensing a desired cursor position by detecting disturbance due to acceleration in each of three piezoelectric crystals located in a user movable housing. Crystals corresponding to X, Y, and Z dimensions are connected to means for converting disturbance due to acceleration into a voltage which is thereafter converted to appropriate signal format for implementation by a computer. The apparatus may be wired or wireless and in the form of a conventional mouse or a user wearable device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for sensing motion of a computer pointing device, comprising:

a housing manipulatable by a user;

piezoelectric crystals, in said housing, oriented in orthogonal directions relative to each other;

means connected to each crystal for detecting crystal deformation resulting from experienced acceleration; and

means connected to said means for detecting for converting crystal deformation to control signals adapted to locate an object in a desired position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said housing is a mouse.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said housing is adapted for attachment to said user.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said housing additionally includes:

means for applying acceleration forces uniformly across faces of said crystals.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said means for detecting comprises:

an excitation means; and

means connected between said crystal and said excitation means for sensing a voltage change arising from crystal disturbance due to experienced acceleration.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said means for converting comprises:

means for digitizing said voltage change; and

means, connected to said means for digitizing, for integrating said digitized voltage change to find a distance to said desired position.

7. A method for positioning an object in at least two dimensions, comprising the steps of:

providing a user movable housing adapted to contain piezoelectric crystals oriented to correspond to the each of said dimensions;

accelerating said housing;

detecting crystal deformation resulting from experienced acceleration; and

thereafter converting detected deformation to control signals adapted to locate said object in a desired position.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said detecting step comprises:

electrically exciting each crystal; and

sensing a voltage change arising from crystal disturbance due to experienced acceleration.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said accelerating step comprises:

applying a force of acceleration evenly across crystal faces, said faces being oriented orthogonally to acceleration direction.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said converting step comprises:

digitizing said sensed voltage change; and

integrating output from said digitizing step over time to compute distance.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein:

said object is a cursor; and

said desired position is located within a navigable display.

12. A method of determining a desired position in a multi-dimensional configuration comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of piezoelectric crystals oriented orthagonally to each other;

accelerating said crystals;

detecting a disturbance in each crystal; and

converting each said disturbance into a signal adaptable to be passed to a receiving device.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said plurality of piezoelectric crystals comprises crystals oriented for sensing acceleration in the x, y and z dimensions.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the accelerating step is carried out through user manipulation.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said user manipulation comprises:

moving a housing containing said piezoelectric crystals;

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said moving step comprises:

applying acceleration forces uniformly across faces of said crystals oriented orthogonally to acceleration forces.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said housing is attachable to a body part of said user.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein said detecting step comprises:

sensing a change in voltage output from each of said accelerated crystals; and

amplifying said voltage change for each crystal.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said converting step comprises:

digitizing said voltage change for each crystal; and

integrating said digitized voltage for computing a signal representing distance to a user-desired position in three-dimensional space.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said converting step additionally includes:

passing said integrated signal to a receiving device comprising a navigable display.