THREE-DIMENSIONAL ILLUMINATED AREA FOR OPTICAL NAVIGATION

• US 20110205179A1
• Filed: 07/06/2010
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Braun, Petra
• Application Number:
  US12/831,036
• Publication Number:
  US 20110205179A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• 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 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0444 using a single conductive element covering the whole sensing surface, e.g. by sensing the electrical current flowing at the corners

Abstract

A navigation module for a handheld communication device having a navigation pad, a chrome-like area proximate the navigation pad, and a three-dimensional illumination area proximate the navigation pad. The three-dimensional illumination area can be interposed between the chrome-like area and the navigation pad. The chrome-like area can be interposed between the three-dimensional illumination area and the navigation pad.

Claims

1. A navigation module for a handheld communication device, the navigation module comprising:

a navigation pad having a top surface and a bottom surface;

a chrome-like area proximate the navigation pad;

a three-dimensional illumination area proximate the navigation pad; and

an optical sensor positioned below the bottom surface of the navigation pad and configured to detect movement of an object in at least one of X axis and Y axis in the event the object is in contact with the top surface of the navigation pad.

2. The navigation module of claim 1 wherein the three-dimensional illumination area is an electroluminescent foil.

3. The navigation module of claim 1 further comprising a capacitive sensor positioned below the bottom surface of the navigation pad and configured to detect movement of the object above the top surface of the navigation pad in the Z axis in the event the object is within a range of the top surface of the navigation pad.

4. The navigation module of claim 1 wherein the three-dimensional illumination area and chrome-like area are positioned with one of the three-dimensional illumination area being interposed between the chrome-like area and the navigation pad and the chrome-like area being interposed between the three-dimensional illumination area and the navigation pad.

5. The navigation module of claim 1 further comprising a lens between the bottom surface of the navigation pad and the optical sensor.

6. The navigation module of claim 3 further comprising a printed circuit board communicatively coupled to the optical sensor and the capacitive sensor.

7. The navigation module of claim 6 wherein the printed circuit board is communicatively coupled to a microprocessor with the microprocessor communicatively coupled with the optical sensor, the capacitive sensor, and the three-dimensional illumination area.

8. The navigation module of claim 7 wherein the microprocessor is configured to cause the three-dimensional illumination area to illuminate.

9. The navigation module of claim 7 further comprising a clear protective surface comprising a portion of layers that also form the three-dimensional illumination area.

10. A handheld device comprising:

a navigation pad having a top surface and a bottom surface;

a chrome-like area proximate the navigation pad;

a three-dimensional illumination area proximate the navigation pad; and

an optical sensor positioned below the bottom surface of the navigation pad and configured to detect movement of an object in at least one of X axis and Y axis in the event the object is in contact with the top surface of the navigation pad; and

a microprocessor communicatively coupled to the optical sensor.

11. The handheld communication device of claim 11 further comprising a clear protective surface comprising a portion of layers that also form the three-dimensional illumination area.

12. The handheld communication device of claim 11 wherein the chrome-like area is formed using non-conductive vacuum metallization (NCVM).

13. The handheld communication device of claim 11 wherein the three-dimensional illumination area and chrome-like area are positioned with one of the three-dimensional illumination area being interposed between the chrome-like area and the navigation pad, and the chrome-like area being interposed between three-dimensional illumination area and the navigation pad.

14. The handheld communication device of claim 11 further comprising a lens between the bottom surface of the navigation pad and the optical sensor.

15. The handheld communication device of claim 11 further comprising a printed circuit board communicatively coupled to the optical sensor.

16. The handheld communication device of claim 11 wherein the microprocessor is configured to cause the three-dimensional illumination area to illuminate.

17. The handheld communication device of claim 11 wherein the chrome-like area is configured to allow light to pass through for detection at the optical sensor.

18. An optical navigation module for a handheld communication device, the optical navigation module comprising:

a navigation pad having a top surface and a bottom surface;

a chrome-like area proximate the navigation pad and adapted to illuminate;

an optical sensor positioned below the bottom surface of the navigation pad and configured to detect movement of an object in at least one of X axis and Y axis in the event the object is in contact with the top surface of the navigation pad.

19. The optical navigation module of claim 18 wherein the chrome-like ring is formed over an electroluminescent foil to enable illumination.

20. The optical navigation module of claim 18 further comprising a capacitive sensor positioned below the bottom surface of the navigation pad and configured to detect movement of the object above the top surface of the navigation pad in the Z axis in the event the object is within a set range of the top surface of the navigation pad.