INPUT DEVICE AND DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM

• US 20100156788A1
• Filed: 12/15/2009
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: NAKAOKA, Yasushi
• Granted Patent: US 8,614,670 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device

Abstract

An input device includes a main body, a motion sensor unit and a coordinate conversion processing unit. The coordinate conversion processing unit configured to perform coordinate conversion processing based on a Y-axis acceleration and a Z-axis acceleration detected by the motion sensor unit with a first two-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system being defined by a mutually orthogonal Y-axis and Z-axis in a first plane perpendicular to an X-axis coinciding with a pointing direction of the main body. The coordinate conversion processing unit is configured to convert the Y-axis angular velocity and the Z-axis angular velocity detected by the motion sensor unit to a U-axis angular velocity and a V-axis angular velocity, respectively, in a second two-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system defined by a U-axis corresponding to a horizontal axis in the first plane and a V-axis perpendicular to the U-axis in the first plane.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

a main body;

a motion sensor unit configured and arranged to generate a physical quantity signal corresponding to movement of the main body in a first two-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system defined by a mutually orthogonal Y-axis and Z-axis in a first plane perpendicular to an X-axis that coincides with a pointing direction of the main body,

the motion sensor unit including

a Y-axis angular velocity sensor configured and arranged to detect an angular velocity of the main body about the Y-axis,

a Z-axis angular velocity sensor configured and arranged to detect an angular velocity of the main body about the Z-axis,

a Y-axis acceleration sensor configured and arranged to detect an acceleration of the main body in a Y-axis direction, and

a Z-axis acceleration sensor configured and arranged to detect an acceleration of the main body in a Z-axis direction; and

a coordinate conversion processing unit configured to perform coordinate conversion processing based on the Y-axis acceleration detected by the Y-axis acceleration sensor and the Z-axis acceleration detected by the Z-axis acceleration sensor, the coordinate conversion processing unit being configured to convert the Y-axis angular velocity detected by the Y-axis angular velocity sensor and the Z-axis angular velocity detected by the Z-axis angular velocity sensor to a U-axis angular velocity and a V-axis angular velocity, respectively, in a second two-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system defined by a U-axis corresponding to a horizontal axis in the first plane and a V-axis perpendicular to the U-axis in the first plane.

2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein

the coordinate conversion processing unit is configured to convert the Y-axis angular velocity and the Z-axis angular velocity to the U-axis angular velocity and the V-axis angular velocity, respectively, according to Equations (1) and (2) below,

$\begin{array}{c}{\omega }_{}\end{array}$

u = ω

y 

γ

z - ω

z 

γ

y γ

y 2 + γ

z 2 ( 1 ) ω

v = ω

y 

γ

y + ω

z 

γ

z γ

y 2 + γ

z 2 ( 2 )

wherein ω

_u represents the U-axis angular velocity, ω

_v represents the V-axis angular velocity, ω

_y represents the Y-axis angular velocity, ω

_z represents the Z-axis angular velocity, γ

_y represents the Y-axis acceleration, and γ

_z represents the Z-axis acceleration.

3. The input device according to claim 1, further comprising

a physical quantity/displacement amount conversion unit configured to convert an angular velocity signal outputted from the coordinate conversion processing unit to a displacement amount signal for specifying an amount of displacement of a control object so that the input device is used for inputting information for determining a displacement direction and a displacement amount of a control object to a data processing device.

4. The input device according to claim 1, further comprising

a conversion processing unit configured to disable signal output from the input device when the pointing direction of the main body is substantially straight upward or substantially straight downward.

5. The input device according to claim 1, wherein

the coordinate conversion unit is configured to halt the coordinate conversion processing and to output a Y-axis angular velocity signal and a Z-axis angular velocity signal obtained at a timing prior to the coordinate conversion processing when the pointing direction of the main body is substantially straight upward or substantially straight downward.

6. The input device according to claim 1, further comprising

an operating unit configured and arranged to switch between enabling and disabling signal output from the input device.

7. The input device according to claim 1, further comprising

a communication unit configured and arranged to communicate with an external device.

8. A data processing system comprising:

the input device according to claim 7; and

a data processing device configured and arranged to receive a transmission signal from the input device and to execute prescribed data processing based on the received signal.