Computer graphic drawing apparatus with coarse and fine controls

• US 4,891,632 A
• Filed: 01/20/1988
• Issued: 01/02/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: King Phoenix Company Limited
• Original Assignee: King Phoenix Company Limited
• Inventors: Chang, David
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/146,293
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 340/706, 340/709, 340/710, 178/18, 74/471 XY, 273/148 B
• US Class Current: 345/165
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0333 Ergonomic shaped mouse for one hand
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0312 for tracking the rotation of a spherical or circular member, e.g. optical rotary encoders used in mice or trackballs using a tracking ball or in mouse scroll wheels tracking relative movement in co-operation with a regularly or irregularly patterned surface, e.g. as in optical mice G06F3/0317; constructional details of scroll or thumb-wheels G06F3/0362; optical rotary encoders G01D5/3473
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

An improved computer graphic drawing apparatus having a housing unit adapted for being held in hand during graphic drawing operations, a coarse adjusting device movably disposed in the housing unit, and an IC arrangement disposed in the housing unit and electrically connected to the coarse adjusting device for being coupled with a host computer. The improvement resides in a few adjusting device movably disposed in the housing unit and includes: a tracking member movably installed on one side of the housing unit; a first and a second rotary member separately installed in the housing unit and rotatably engaged with the tracking member for being rotated on X and Y coordinate axes; and a first and a second encoding device respectively provided in the housing unit and electrically connected to the IC arrangement in conjunction with both rotary members so as to effect signal conversion and transmission in accomplishing fine adjustment operations.

Claims

1. A computer graphic drawing apparatus having a housing unit adapted to be suitably held in hand for graphic drawing operation with a plurality of push buttons provided at a front portion thereof, a coarse adjusting device rotatably installed in the housing unit for drawing long lines and making coarse adjustments according to the movement of the housing unit, means for detecting said movement and producing electrical signals corresponding to said movement in the x and y directions, and an IC arrangement disposed in the housing unit and electrically connected to the push buttons and the coarse adjusting device for being coupled with a host computer through a transmission interface, said drawing apparatus comprising:

a fine adjusting means rotatably provided at one side of the housing unit for being continuously manipulated in all directions for making fine adjustments by a user'"'"'s thumb during graphic drawing operations, said fine adjusting means being spaced apart from said push buttons and said coarse adjusting device, the distance between said fine adjusting means and said push buttons being determined to allow said manipulation of said fine adjusting means by the user'"'"'s thumb while said user'"'"'s middle fingers are in position adjacent said push buttons for operation thereof and movement of said housing;

a first rotary means of an X coordinate axis is disposed in the housing unit, having one end portion rotatably engaged with said fine adjusting means for being rotated along with said manipulation of said fine adjusting means in the X-axis direction;

a second rotary means of a Y coordinate axis disposed in the housing unit, having one end portion rotatably engaged with said fine adjusting means for being rotated along with said manipulation of said fine adjusting means in the Y-axis direction;

a first encoding means provided at another end portion of said first rotary means and electrically connected to the IC arrangement for producing encoding signals therefrom along with rotations of said first rotary means in the X-axis direction; and

a second encoding means provided at another end portion of said second rotary means and electrically connected to the IC arrangement for producing encoding signals therefrom along with rotations of said first rotary means in the Y-axis direction, when said fine adjusting means is rotatably and continuously manipulated through a user'"'"'s thumb to make fine movement in all directions during a computer graphic drawing operation, fine adjustment in the X-axis and Y-axis directions will be effected on an associated CRT of the host computer.

2. A computer graphic drawing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said first encoding means comprises:

a first rotary disc encoding member having a plurality of light traveling apertures evenly spaced therein and rotatably disposed at another end of said first rotary means for being driven to rotate therewith;

a first light shielding plate having a plurality of light passing holes provided therein and fixed in the housing unit over said first rotary disc encoding member at an end of said first rotary means;

a first light transmitting means disposed in the housing unit in front of said first light shielding plate and electrically connected to the IC arrangement for transmitting light therefrom; and

a first light receiving means disposed in the housing unit in front of said first rotary disc encoding member in conjunction with said first light transmitting means and electrically connected to the IC arrangement for converting light signals received from said first light transmitting means into electrical signals, said signals being fed into the IC arrangement and the host computer in effecting fine adjustment on X-axis coordinate basis whenever said fine adjusting means is manipulated to move in a X direction.

3. A computer graphic drawing apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said second encoding means comprises:

a second rotary disc encoding member having a plurality of light traveling apertures evenly spaced therein and rotatably disposed at another end of said second rotary means for being driven to rotate therewith;

a second light shielding plate having a plurality of light passing holes provided therein and fixed over said second rotary disc encoding member at an end of said second rotary means;

a second light transmitting means disposed in the housing unit in front of said second light shielding plate for transmitting light therefrom; and

a second light receiving means disposed in the housing unit in front of said second rotary disc encoding member in conjunction with said second light transmitting means for converting light signals received from said second light transmitting means into electrical signals said signals being fed into the IC arrangement and the host computer in effecting fine adjustment on a Y-axis coordinate basis whenever said fine adjusting means is manipulated to move in a Y direction.

4. A computer graphic drawing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said coarse adjusting device includes a first ball mounted for rotation when said housing unit is moved in a computer graphic drawing operation, and said fine adjusting means includes a second ball for rotation by the user'"'"'s thumb in a computer graphic drawing operation.

5. A computer graphic drawing apparatus having a housing unit adapted to be suitably held in hand for graphic drawing operation with a plurality of push buttons provided at a portion thereof, a coarse adjusting device installed in said housing unit for drawing long lines and making coarse adjustments according to movement of said housing unit, means for detecting said movement of said coarse adjusting device and for producing electrical signals corresponding to said movement of said coarse adjusting device in the X and Y directions, the improvement therein comprising:

a fine adjusting means rotatably installed in said housing unit for being manipulated by the user'"'"'s thumb during computer graphic drawing operations, said fine adjusting means being spaced apart from said push buttons and said coarse adjusting device, the distance between said fine adjusting means and said push buttons being determined to allow said manipulation of said fine adjusting means by the user'"'"'s thumb while said user'"'"'s middle fingers are in position adjacent said push buttons for operation thereof and for movement of said housing unit;

means for detecting said manipulation of said fine adjusting means and producing electrical signals corresponding to said manipulations in the X and Y directions.

6. A computer graphic drawing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said fine adjusting means includes a first ball for said manipulation by the user.

7. A computer graphic drawing apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said coarse adjusting device includes a second ball, said second ball moving when said housing unit is moved.