Ultrasonic virtual mouse

• US 20070085828A1
• Filed: 10/13/2005
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies ECBU IP Singapore Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies ECBU IP Singapore Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schroeder, Dale, Nishimura, Ken, Wenstrand, John
• Application Number:
  US11/250,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20070085828A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves

Abstract

An ultrasonic device determines a position of a user-controlled object within a virtual mouse region. The ultrasonic device includes an ultrasonic transmitter, spatially separated ultrasonic receivers and a processor. The ultrasonic transmitter produces an ultrasonic pulse and radiates the ultrasonic pulse into the virtual mouse region. The ultrasonic receivers receive a reflected ultrasonic pulse reflected from the user-controlled object within the virtual mouse region and produce respective reflected ultrasonic signals in response thereto. The processor determines the position of the user-controlled object within the virtual mouse region based on the reflected ultrasonic signals, and generates a position signal indicative of the position.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic device for determining a position of a user-controlled object within a virtual mouse region, said ultrasonic device comprising:

an ultrasonic transmitter for producing an ultrasonic pulse and radiating said ultrasonic pulse into said virtual mouse region;

spatially separated ultrasonic receivers for receiving a reflected ultrasonic pulse reflected from said user-controlled object within said virtual mouse region and producing respective reflected ultrasonic signals; and

a processor operable to determine said position of said user-controlled object within said virtual mouse region based on said reflected ultrasonic signals and to generate a position signal indicative of said position.

2. The ultrasonic device of claim 1, wherein said processor is operable to determine said position based on a difference between times at which said respective reflected ultrasonic pulse is received by said spatially separated ultrasonic receivers.

3. The ultrasonic device of claim 1, wherein said processor is operable to compare said position to a previous position to determine a relative change in position of said user-controlled object, and wherein said processor is further operable to generate said position signal in response to said relative change in position.

4. The ultrasonic device of claim 3, wherein said position signal is used to produce incremental movement of a cursor on a display from an original position on said display to a new position on said display.

5. The ultrasonic device of claim 1, wherein said position signal is used to map said position to a position of a cursor on a display.

6. The ultrasonic device of claim 1, wherein said ultrasonic transmitter and one of said ultrasonic receivers form an ultrasonic transceiver.

7. The ultrasonic device of claim 1, additionally comprising:

an additional ultrasonic transmitter for producing and radiating an additional ultrasonic pulse into said virtual mouse region.

8. The ultrasonic device of claim 7, wherein each of said ultrasonic transmitters produce and radiate said respective ultrasonic pulses sequentially.

9. The ultrasonic device of claim 1, wherein said ultrasonic device is mounted on a keyboard.

10. The ultrasonic device of claim 1, wherein said ultrasonic device is included within a keyboard.

11. The ultrasonic device of claim 1, wherein said two receivers are arrayed in two dimensions.

12. The ultrasonic device of claim 1, wherein said processor is further operable to detect a click event based on said reflected ultrasonic pulse.

13. The ultrasonic device of claim 12, wherein said processor is operable to detect said click event when a difference between a time at which said reflected ultrasonic pulse is first received and a time at which said reflected ultrasonic pulse is no longer received is less than a predetermined time interval.

14. The ultrasonic device of claim 1, wherein said processor is further operable to configure said virtual mouse region.

15. The ultrasonic device of claim 1, wherein said ultrasonic pulse is at a frequency between 22 kHz and 100 kHz.

16. The ultrasonic device of claim 1, wherein said user-controlled object is a finger or stylus.

17. A method for determining a position of a user-controlled object within a virtual mouse region, comprising:

radiating an ultrasonic pulse into said virtual mouse region;

at diverse locations, receiving a reflected ultrasonic pulse reflected from said user-controlled object within said virtual mouse region; and

determining said position of said user-controlled object within said virtual mouse region based on said receipt of said reflected ultrasonic pulse at said diverse locations.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said determining further includes:

determining said position based on a difference between times at which said reflected ultrasonic pulse is received at said diverse locations.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said determining said position further comprises:

comparing said position to a previous position to determine a relative change in position of said user-controlled object.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

providing said position to produce incremental movement of a cursor on a display from an original position on said display to a new position on said display.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

providing said position to map said position to a position of a cursor on a display.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein said transmitting further includes:

sequentially radiating an additional ultrasonic pulse into said virtual mouse region.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

detecting a click event based on said reflected ultrasonic pulse.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said detecting further includes:

detecting said click event when a difference between a time at which said reflected ultrasonic pulse is first received and a time at which said reflected ultrasonic pulse is no longer received is less than a predetermined time interval.

25. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

configuring said virtual mouse region.