Pointing device utilizing a photodetector array

• US 5,703,356 A
• Filed: 04/19/1995
• Issued: 12/30/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Logitech Europe S A (Logitech International SA)
• Original Assignee: Logitech, Inc. (Logitech International SA)
• Inventors: O'Keeffe, Denis, Arreguit, Javier, Bidiville, Marc, Raeber, Eric, Buczek, Harthmuth, Van Shaik, Floris A., Bauduin, Fran.cedilla.ois
• Primary Examiner(s): Westin, Edward P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, John R.
• Application Number:
  US08/424,125
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: 250/231.13, 250/231.12, 250/231.18, 250/229, 250/221, 250/237 G, 250/227.13, 356/375, 340/710, 345/163, 345/164, 345/165, 345/166, 345/167, 345/156, 345/157, 345/158, 345/179, 341/13, 341/14, 341/5, 341/6, 341/31
• US Class Current: 250/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• 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 2203/0338 Fingerprint track pad, i.e. fingerprint sensor used as pointing device tracking the fingertip image
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04109 FTIR in optical digitiser, i.e. touch detection by frustrating the total internal reflection within an optical waveguide due to changes of optical properties or deformation at the touch location
• 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 3/0317 in co-operation with a patterned surface, e.g. absolute position or relative movement detection for an optical mouse or pen positioned with respect to a coded surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03549 Trackballs G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means

Abstract

A cursor control device for personal computers and workstations includes various embodiments, some of which include a patterned ball and some of which rely on other patterned surfaces, which recognizes changes in the position of the pattern relative to a sensor having an array of photosensitive elements. Circuitry associated with the sensor determines movement of the pattern across the array, and translates that movement into conventional cursor control signals supplied to a host system.

Claims

1. A cursor pointing device for controlling the position of a cursor on a display comprising:

a ball having thereon a fixed irregular pattern of areas which appear light and dark when illuminated by substantially monochromatic radiation;

source means for illuminating a portion of said ball with said substantially monochromatic radiation;

sensor means responsive to said substantially monochromatic radiation reflected from the ball and impinging on the sensor for creating an output; and

processing means responsive to the output from the sensor means for generating a cursor control output.

2. The pointing device of claim 1 wherein said substantially monochromatic radiation is infrared.

3. The pointing device of claim 1 wherein the pattern is covered by a layer which is transparent to radiation of the predetermined frequency.

4. The pointing device of claim 1 further comprising:

optical means interposed between the ball and the sensor means for focusing an image of an illuminated portion of the ball on the sensor means.

5. The pointing device of claim 4 further comprising:

aperture means for limiting the optical means.

6. The pointing device of claim 3 wherein said layer is opaque to visible light.

7. The pointing device of claim 1 wherein the sensor means includes a plurality of pixels, each capable of generating an output signal related to the amount of light reaching that pixel, and wherein the processing means intermittently samples the output signals of the pixels in accordance with a predetermined sequence.

8. The pointing device of claim 7 wherein the source means intermittently illuminates the ball in accordance with the predetermined sampling sequence.

9. The pointing device of claim 1 wherein the cursor pointing device is a trackball.

10. The pointing device of claim 1 wherein the radiation reflecting off the ball diffusely illuminates the sensor means.

11. The pointing device of claim 1 wherein the sensor means comprises a photosensitive array having a plurality of pixels.

12. The pointing device of claim 11 wherein the pixels of the photosensitive array provide outputs to the processing means which permit the correlation of edges in the pattern and temporal intensity changes in the illumination of the ball.

13. The pointing device of claim 1, wherein said substantially monochromatic radiation is not coherent radiation.

14. The pointing device of claim 1, wherein said sensor means comprises:

a plurality of pixels, responsive to said radiation reflected from said ball, each of said pixels includes;

a photodetector element for receiving said radiation reflected from said ball and for converting said radiation into an electrical signal having an signal strength corresponding to an intensity of said received radiation;

a first memory unit for storing a first intensity value of said pixel representing the intensity of radiation received by said photodetector element at a first time;

a second memory unit for storing a second intensity value of said pixel representing the intensity of radiation received by said photodetector element at a second time;

a first comparator, disposed to receive signals from said first memory unit, for comparing said first and second intensity values to identify if an edge condition occurred between said first time and said second time.

15. The pointing device of claim 14 wherein said first comparator determines that an edge condition occurred if a ratio of said first intensity value and said second intensity value is not within a predefined range.

16. The pointing device of claim 15, wherein each of said pixels further comprises:

a second comparator, disposed to receive an adjacent pixel signal from an adjacent pixel of said plurality of pixels representing an intensity of radiation received by said adjacent pixel, for comparing a signal representing one of said first and second intensity values with said adjacent pixel signal to identify an edge condition.

17. The pointing device of claim 16 wherein said second comparator determines that an edge condition exist if a ratio of said first intensity value and said second intensity value is not within a predetermined range.

18. A trackball pointing device for controlling the position of a cursor on a display comprising:

a ball, for manipulation by the palm or fingers, having thereon a fixed irregular pattern of areas which appear light and dark when illuminated by substantially monochromatic radiation;

source means for illuminating a portion of the ball with said substantially monochromatic radiation;

sensor means responsive to the radiation reflected from the ball, for receiving said reflected radiation and for creating an output in response to said received radiation, and

processing means responsive to the output from the sensor means for generating a cursor control output.

19. The trackball of claim 18 further including a lens means for focusing an image of the ball on the sensor means.

20. The trackball pointing device of claim 18 wherein said pattern is covered by a layer which is transparent to radiation of the predetermined frequency.

21. The trackball pointing device of claim 20 wherein said layer is opaque to visible light.

22. The trackball pointing device of claim 18, wherein said substantially monochromatic radiation is not coherent radiation.

23. The trackball pointing device of claim 18, wherein said sensor means comprises:

a plurality of pixels, responsive to said radiation reflected from said ball, each of said pixels includes;

a photodetector element for receiving said radiation reflected from said ball and for converting said radiation into an electrical signal having an signal strength corresponding to an intensity of said received radiation;

a first memory unit for storing a first intensity value of said pixel representing the intensity of radiation received by said photodetector element at a first time;

a second memory unit for storing a second intensity value of said pixel representing the intensity of radiation received by said photodetector element at a second time;

a first comparator, disposed to receive signals from said first memory unit, for comparing said first and second intensity values to identify if an edge condition occurred between said first time and said second time.

24. The trackball pointing device of claim 23 wherein said first comparator determines that an edge condition occurred if a ratio of said first intensity value and said second intensity value is not within a predefined range.

25. The trackball pointing device of claim 24, wherein each of said pixels further comprises:

a second comparator, disposed to receive an adjacent pixel signal from an adjacent pixel of said plurality of pixels representing an intensity of radiation received by said adjacent pixel, for comparing a signal representing one of said first and second intensity values with said adjacent pixel signal to identify an edge condition.

26. The trackball pointing device of claim 25 wherein said second comparator determines that an edge condition exist if a ratio of said first intensity value and said second intensity value is not within a predefined range.

27. An electronic mouse for controlling the position of a cursor on a display comprising:

a ball having thereon a fixed irregular pattern of areas which appear light and dark when illuminated by substantially monochromatic radiation;

source means for illuminating a portion of the ball with said substantially monochromatic radiation;

sensor means responsive to the radiation reflected from the ball, for receiving said reflected radiation and for creating an output in response to said received radiation, and

processing means responsive to the output from the sensor means for generating a cursor control output.

28. The electronic mouse of claim 27 wherein said pattern is covered by a layer which is transparent to radiation of the predetermined frequency.

29. The electronic mouse of claim 28 wherein said layer is opaque to visible light.

30. The trackball pointing device of claim 27, wherein said substantially monochromatic radiation is not coherent radiation.

31. The trackball pointing device of claim 27, wherein said sensor means comprises:

a plurality of pixels, responsive to said radiation reflected from said ball, each of said pixels includes;

a photodetector element for receiving said radiation reflected from said ball and for converting said radiation into an electrical signal having an signal strength corresponding to an intensity of said received radiation;

a first memory unit for storing a first intensity value of said pixel representing the intensity of radiation received by said photodetector element at a first time;

a second memory unit for storing a second intensity value of said pixel representing the intensity of radiation received by said photodetector element at a second time;

a first comparator, disposed to receive signals from said first memory unit, for comparing said first and second intensity values to identify if an edge condition occurred between said first time and said second time.

32. The trackball pointing device of claim 31 wherein said first comparator determines that an edge condition occurred if a ratio of said first intensity value and said second intensity value is not within a predefined range.

33. The trackball pointing device of claim 32, wherein each of said pixels further comprises:

a second comparator, disposed to receive an adjacent pixel signal from an adjacent pixel of said plurality of pixels representing an intensity of radiation received by said adjacent pixel, for comparing a signal representing one of said first and second intensity values with said adjacent pixel signal to identify an edge condition.

34. The trackball pointing device of claim 33 wherein said second comparator determines that an edge condition exist if a ratio of said first intensity value and said second intensity value is not within a predefined range.