OPTICAL MOVEMENT DETECTION DEVICE

• US 20090294636A1
• Filed: 05/13/2009
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: EM Microelectronic - Marin SA (The Swatch Group AG)
• Original Assignee: EM Microelectronic - Marin SA (The Swatch Group AG)
• Inventors: DEGRAUWE, Marc
• Application Number:
  US12/465,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20090294636A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/221
• 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 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

The invention relates to an optical movement detection device including a light source (10) for irradiating a surface (12), a power supply (14) and an optical sensor (16) for sensing light reflected from the surface (12). In order to avoid unused optical energy, it is proposed that the optical movement detection device further comprises at least one solar-cell photodiode (30a-30d), wherein the solar-cell photodiode (30a-30d) is arranged so as to recycle optical energy generated by the light source (10).

Claims

1. An optical movement detection device including a light source for irradiating a surface, a power supply and an optical sensor for sensing light reflected from the surface, wherein it further comprises at least one solar-cell photodiode, wherein the solar-cell photodiode is arranged so as to recycle optical energy generated by the light source.

2. The optical movement detection device according to claim 1, wherein the solar-cell photodiode is arranged in the vicinity of the optical sensor.

3. The optical movement detection device according to claim 2, wherein the solar-cell photodiode is arranged in a surrounding region of a pixel array of the optical sensor.

4. The optical movement detection device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the light sensitive sides of the solar-cell photodiode and of the optical sensor are oriented in the same direction respectively.

5. The optical movement detection device according to claim 1, wherein the solar-cell photodiode and the optical sensor are integrated in a single semiconductor chip.

6. The optical movement detection device according to claim 5, wherein the semiconductor chip is a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor chip.

7. The optical movement detection device according to claim 1, wherein the optical sensor is formed as an Active Pixel Sensor including at least one signal processing circuit.

8. The optical movement detection device according to claim 1, characterized by further including a pump circuitry for pumping the current generated by the solar-cell photodiode into the power supply.

9. The optical movement detection device according to claim 1, wherein the power supply includes at least one battery cell.

10. The optical movement detection device according to claim 1, further comprising means for wireless communication with an associated computer system.

11. The optical movement detection device according to claim 1, wherein the solar-cell photodiode is made of the same semiconductor material as transistors constituting a pixel array of the optical sensor.

12. The optical movement detection device according to claim 5, wherein the solar-cell photodiode is made of the same semiconductor material as transistors constituting a pixel array of the optical sensor.

13. The optical movement detection device according to claim 1, wherein oversaturated pixels of a pixel array of the optical sensor at least partly constitute the solar-cell photodiode.

14. The optical movement detection device according to claim 5, wherein oversaturated pixels of a pixel array of the optical sensor at least partly constitute the solar-cell photodiode.

15. The optical movement detection device according to claim 11, wherein oversaturated pixels of a pixel array of the optical sensor at least partly constitute the solar-cell photodiode.

16. A semiconductor chip comprising an optical sensor and at least one solar-cell photodiode for use in an optical movement detection device according to one of the preceding claims.