COMPUTER INPUT DEVICE WITH VARIABLE SCROLL SPEED CONTROL

• US 20110187645A1
• Filed: 07/12/2010
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sunrex Technology Company Limited (Best Elite Holdings Limited), Gimbal Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Sunrex Technology Company Limited (Best Elite Holdings Limited), Gimbal Technology Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lin, Shun-Pin
• Application Number:
  US12/834,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20110187645A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T

Abstract

A computer input device is adapted for use with a computer, and includes a scroll wheel unit and a processing unit. The scroll wheel unit includes a scroll wheel, and a detecting module for detecting rotation of the scroll wheel. The detecting module generates an output corresponding to speed and direction of rotation of the scroll wheel. The processing unit is coupled electrically to the scroll wheel unit, determines a time difference between two consecutive outputs received from the scroll wheel unit, and determines a value of a scroll speed parameter based on the time difference. The processing unit then generates a scroll control signal corresponding to the value of the scroll speed parameter determined thereby, and provides the scroll control signal to the computer for controlling the computer to scroll screen content on a display according to the scroll control signal.

Claims

1. A computer input device adapted for use with a computer to control scrolling of screen content on a display, said computer input device comprising:

a scroll wheel unit including a scroll wheel, and a detecting module for detecting rotation of said scroll wheel and for generating an output corresponding to speed and direction of rotation of said scroll wheel; and

a processing unit coupled electrically to said scroll wheel unit, said processing unit determining a time difference between two consecutive outputs received from said scroll wheel unit, determining a value of a scroll speed parameter based on the time difference, generating a scroll control signal corresponding to the value of the scroll speed parameter determined thereby, and providing the scroll control signal to the computer for controlling the computer to scroll the screen content on the display according to the scroll control signal.

2. The computer input device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the value of the scroll speed parameter determined by said processing unit is associated with an acceleration in scrolling speed when the time difference is smaller than a preset threshold, and is associated with a deceleration in the scrolling speed when the time difference is larger than the preset threshold.

3. The computer input device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said processing unit determines the value of the scroll speed parameter to correspond to zero acceleration when said processing unit determines from the two consecutive outputs received from said scroll wheel unit that the direction of rotation of said scroll wheel has changed.

4. The computer input device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the value of the scroll speed parameter determined by said processing unit is associated with a deceleration in scrolling speed when a predetermined time period has elapsed since receipt of a most recent output from said scroll wheel unit.

5. The computer input device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a storage medium coupled electrically to said processing unit and storing a look-up table that defines a relationship between different values of the scroll speed parameter and corresponding values of an index,

said processing unit determining the value of the scroll speed parameter by adjusting a current value of the index according to the time difference, and searching the look-up table for the value of the scroll speed parameter using the adjusted value of the index.

6. The computer input device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said processing unit includes:

a calculating module for determining the time difference between two consecutive outputs received by said processing unit from said scroll wheel unit;

a parameter determining module for determining the value of the scroll speed parameter based on the time difference determined by said calculating module; and

an output module for generating a scroll control signal corresponding to the value of the scroll speed parameter determined by said parameter determining module, and for providing the scroll control signal to the computer so as to control the computer to scroll the screen content on the display according to the scroll control signal;

wherein the value of the scroll speed parameter determined by said parameter determining module is associated with an acceleration in scrolling speed when the time difference is smaller than a preset threshold.

7. The computer input device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said parameter determining module determines the value of the scroll speed parameter to correspond to zero acceleration when said calculating module determines from the two consecutive outputs received by said processing unit from said scroll wheel unit that the direction of rotation of said scroll wheel has changed.

8. The computer input device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the value of the scroll speed parameter determined by said parameter determining module is associated with a deceleration in the scrolling speed when the time difference is larger than the preset threshold or when a predetermined time period has elapsed since receipt by said processing unit of a most recent output from said scroll wheel unit.

9. The computer input device as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a storage medium coupled electrically to said processing unit and storing a look-up table that defines a relationship between different values of the scroll speed parameter and corresponding values of an index,

said parameter determining module determining the value of the scroll speed parameter by adjusting a current value of the index according to the time difference, and searching the look-up table for the value of the scroll speed parameter using the adjusted value of the index.