Detector for electro-optical mouse
First Claim
1. An optical mouse detector system comprising,a surface having two sets of lines, one set intersecting the other, with spaces therebetween, each set having a characteristic color and a pre-determined width, the lines and spaces having three levels of contrast, including a first level for the lines, a second level for intersections of the lines and a third level for the spaces,two linear arrays of detector cells movable relative to the surface, each linear array capable of imaging one line and one space from the surface, with one linear array parallel in orientation with one of said two sets of intersecting lines, the second linear array parallel in orientation with the other set, said detector cells having optical means associated with two adjacent detector cells in the same linear array for imaging the width of one line which is a member of the set of lines not parallel to the detector array containing said two adjacent cells, andmeans movable over the surface for measuring contrast differences, said means having inputs from two non-adjacent detector cells in the same linear array, said means having an output indicative of contrast differences for signalling line crossings corresponding to changes in contrast differences.
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Abstract
A detector of an electro-optical mouse having two linear arrays of detector cells at right angles to each other. One linear array images a line and a space in the X direction, while another linear array images a line and a space in the Y direction. Changes in contrast level indicate line crossings. Each linear array has four cells, adjacent cells being 90° out-of-phase with each other. By pairing first and third cells and second and fourth cells of each linear array, then subtracting the output of these, a 180° shift between the cells enhances discrimination of lines and spaces. Lines may be of two colors, or of a single color with optically contrasting line intersections, so long as a total of three contrast levels can be observed by the detector. Counting means is provided for counting line crossings so that observed detector motion on the surface can be made to correspond to cursor motion for a video display.
148 Citations
19 Claims
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1. An optical mouse detector system comprising,
a surface having two sets of lines, one set intersecting the other, with spaces therebetween, each set having a characteristic color and a pre-determined width, the lines and spaces having three levels of contrast, including a first level for the lines, a second level for intersections of the lines and a third level for the spaces, two linear arrays of detector cells movable relative to the surface, each linear array capable of imaging one line and one space from the surface, with one linear array parallel in orientation with one of said two sets of intersecting lines, the second linear array parallel in orientation with the other set, said detector cells having optical means associated with two adjacent detector cells in the same linear array for imaging the width of one line which is a member of the set of lines not parallel to the detector array containing said two adjacent cells, and means movable over the surface for measuring contrast differences, said means having inputs from two non-adjacent detector cells in the same linear array, said means having an output indicative of contrast differences for signalling line crossings corresponding to changes in contrast differences.
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9. An optical mouse detector system comprising,
a light source disposed in a movable housing having a beam focussed on a surface over which the housing moves, the surface having first and second sets of intersecting orthogonal lines with spaces between individual lines, said two sets of lines and spaces having three levels spaces of contrast, including a first level for the lines, a second level for the intersections of the lines and a third level for the spaces, a detector having two linear arrays of more than two detector cells per array aligned with one linear array parallel to each of said orthogonal lines with two non-adjacent detector cells in the same array having output means connected for producing a difference signal representing the optical contrast between said two non-adjacent cells, whereby changes in contrast levels indicate line crossings, and counting means connected to the detector for counting said line crossings.
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14. An optical mouse detector system comprising,
a surface having a pattern of passive, position-related intersecting lines thereon, with a first and second group of lines and spaces between the lines, presenting different contrast levels to a detector, a housing movable over the surface having a light source directed toward the surface, said housing having a detector mounted therein, together with means for imaging and distinguishing two adjacent areas of the surface having different contrast levels, said detector having two non-parallel rows of detector cells including a first row of cells aligned with a first line in said first group of lines and a second row of cells aligned with a second line in said second group of lines, said first and second rows of cells having alternately spaced cells in the same row connected to difference amplifiers for detecting line crossings corresponding to changes in said contrast levels.
Specification