Optical wireless mouse power saving feature

• US 20060114231A1
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Creative Technology Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Creative Technology Ltd.
• Inventors: Koh, Fook On
• Application Number:
  US10/987,046
• Publication Number:
  US 20060114231A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/166
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3259 Power saving in cursor control device, e.g. mouse, joystick, trackball
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A wireless pointing device includes a push button switch, an optical sensor circuit, and a processor. The processor is configured to transmit to the optical sensor circuit a logic high signal in response to depression of the push button switch for a period greater than or equal to the predetermined first period of time and to transmit a logic low signal in response to depression of the push button switch for a period less than the predetermined first period. The optical sensor circuit responds to the logic high signal by entering a power saving mode wherein an optical sensor in the optical sensor circuit is decoupled from a power source.

Claims

1. A wireless pointing device, the device comprising:

a push button;

an optical sensor circuit; and

a controller configured to transmit to the optical sensor circuit a logic high signal in response to depression of the push button switch for a period greater than or equal to the predetermined first period of time and to transmit a logic low signal in response to depression of the push button switch for a period less than the predetermined first period.

2. The device as recited in claim 1 wherein the optical sensor circuit is further configured to respond to the logic high signal by entering a power saving mode wherein an optical sensor in the optical sensor circuit is decoupled from a power source.

3. The device as recited in claim 2 wherein the optical sensor circuit is further configured to respond to the logic low signal by entering an operating mode from the power saving mode by coupling an optical sensor in the optical sensor circuit to the power source.

4. The device as recited in claim 3 wherein the power consumption by the optical sensor circuit in the power saving mode is about 1% or less of the power consumption during the operating mode.

5. The device as recited in claim 1 wherein the controller is programmable such that the predetermined first period falls within the range from 0.5 to 5 seconds.

6. The device as recited in claim 1 wherein the controller is programmable to alter the generation of logic signals sent to an input terminal of the optical sensor circuit.

7. The device as recited in claim 1 wherein the push button switch is one of a membrane switch, a tactile membrane switch, or a touch sensitive switch.

8. The device as recited in claim 1 wherein the controller comprises a non-volatile memory section for storing code to control the response of the controller to a signal received from the push button switch.

9. An optical mouse pointing device, the device comprising:

a contact or contact less detection device;

an optical sensor circuit; and

a controller configured to transmit to the optical sensor circuit an active logic signal in response to depression of the detection device for a period greater than or equal to the predetermined first period of time and to transmit a logic signal of an opposite type in response to depression of the detection device for a period less than the predetermined first period.

10. The device as recited in claim 9 wherein the active logic signal is a high signal.

11. The device as recited in claim 9 wherein the active logic signal is a low signal.