Ultra Thin Optical Pointing Device and Personal Portable Device Having the Same

• US 20080218474A1
• Filed: 07/12/2006
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Crucialtec Co., Ltd
• Original Assignee: Crucialtec Co., Ltd
• Inventors: Park, Chul, Kim, Jae-Dong, Bae, Jae-Hun, Ahn, Keon-Joon
• Application Number:
  US11/994,975
• Publication Number:
  US 20080218474A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0317 in co-operation with a patterned surface, e.g. absolute position or relative movement detection for an optical mouse or pen positioned with respect to a coded surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ultra thin optical pointing device, and a personal portable device having the optical pointing device. The optical pointing device includes a PCB (508). An infrared LED (501) is provided on a side of the top surface of the PCB. A cover plate (503) detects motion of a finger, which is a subject. An illumination system (502) transmits light from the infrared LED to the cover plate. An image forming system lens (505) is placed below the cover plate to condense reflected light. An optical image sensor (507) receives a reflected image of the subject and detects motion of the subject. A body tube (509) is provided on a side portion over the PCB. The illumination system, the cover plate and the image forming system lens are made of an optical plastic material capable of passing only a wavelength band of infrared rays.

Claims

1. An optical pointing device (500), comprising:

a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) (508);

an infrared Light Emitting Diode (LED) (501) provided on a side of a top surface of the PCB (508);

a cover plate (503) for detecting motion of a finger, which is a subject;

an illumination system (502) for transmitting light from the infrared LED (501) to the cover plate (503) placed in an upper portion of the optical pointing device;

an image forming system lens (505) placed below the cover plate (503) and operated to condense light reflected from the subject;

an optical image sensor (507) for receiving a reflected image of the subject and detecting motion of the subject; and

a body tube (509) provided on a side portion over the PCB (508),

wherein the illumination system (502), the cover plate (503) and the image forming system lens (505) are made of an optical plastic material capable of passing only a wavelength band of infrared rays which cannot be perceived by a user'"'"'s eye.

2. The optical pointing device according to claim 1, wherein the illumination system (502) is made of an optical plastic material capable of passing both a wavelength band of infrared rays and a wavelength band of visible rays.

3. The optical pointing device according to claim 1, wherein the image forming system lens (505) is made of an optical plastic material capable of passing both a wavelength band of infrared rays and a wavelength of visible rays.

4. An optical pointing device (600), comprising:

a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) (616);

an infrared Light Emitting Diode (LED) (601) provided on a side of a top surface of the PCB (616);

a cover plate (603) for detecting motion of a finger, which is a subject;

an illumination system (602) for transmitting light from the infrared LED (601) to the cover plate (603) placed in an upper portion of the optical pointing device;

at least one planoconvex lens (606) for changing an optical path to a horizontal direction; and

an optical image sensor (613) for receiving a reflected image of the subject and detecting motion of the subject,

wherein the illumination system (602), the cover plate (603) and the planoconvex lens (606) are made of an optical plastic material capable of passing only a wavelength band of infrared rays which can be perceived by a user'"'"'s eye.

5. The optical pointing device according to claim 4, wherein the illumination system (602) is made of an optical plastic material capable of passing both a wavelength band of infrared rays and a wavelength band of visible rays.

6. The optical pointing device according to claim 4, wherein the planoconvex lens (606) is made of an optical plastic material capable of passing both a wavelength band of infrared rays and a wavelength band of visible rays.

7. An optical pointing device (700), comprising:

a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) (708);

a body tube (709) provided over the PCB (708);

an infrared Light Emitting Diode (LED) (701) placed in a side of an upper portion of the body tube (709) to directly radiate light to a cover plate;

a cover plate (703) for detecting motion of a finger, which is a subject;

an image forming system lens (705) placed below the cover plate (703) and operated to condense light reflected from the subject; and

an optical image sensor (707) for receiving a reflected image of the subject and detecting motion of the subject,

wherein the cover plate (703) and the image forming system lens (705) are made of an optical plastic material capable of passing only a wavelength band of infrared rays which cannot be perceived by a user'"'"'s eye.

8. The optical pointing device according to claim 7, wherein the image forming system lens (705) is made of an optical plastic material capable of passing both a wavelength band of infrared rays and a wavelength band of visible rays.

9. An optical pointing device (800), comprising:

a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) (816);

an infrared Light Emitting Diode (LED) (801) placed on a top surface of the PCB (816) to be spaced apart from the top surface of the PCB, and operated to directly radiate light to a cover plate;

a cover plate (803) for detecting motion of a finger, which is a subject;

at least one planoconvex lens (806) for changing an optical path to a horizontal direction; and

an optical image sensor (813) for receiving a reflected image of the subject and detecting motion of the subject,

wherein the cover plate (803) and the planoconvex lens (806) are made of an optical plastic material capable of passing only a wavelength band of infrared rays which cannot be perceived by a user'"'"'s eye.

10. The optical pointing device according to claim 9, wherein the planoconvex lens (806) is made of an optical plastic material capable of passing both a wavelength band of infrared rays and a wavelength band of visible rays.

11. (canceled)