Finger operated digital input device

• US 5,706,026 A
• Filed: 03/13/1995
• Issued: 01/06/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: John Dyer Wentz, Robert Hormann Kent
• Original Assignee: John Dyer Wentz, Robert Hormann Kent
• Inventors: Wentz, John Dyer, Kent, Robert Hormann
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CHANH DUY
• Application Number:
  US08/404,135
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 340/706, 340/709, 340/710, 340/712, 341/20, 341/21, 178/18, 178/19, 178/20, 345/157, 345/159, 345/163, 345/164, 345/165, 345/180, 345/156, 345/160, 345/168, 345/169
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0331 Finger worn pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0333 Ergonomic shaped mouse for one hand
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0335 Finger operated miniaturized mouse
• 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 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03546 using a rotatable ball at the tip as position detecting member

Abstract

A digital input device has a thimble worn on a finger and operated as a mouse for displacement encoding or as a pointer for angular encoding, using a base unit. The thimble can also be attached to a stylus to form a tracing pen or joystick handle. A sensor preferably includes a contact roller at an end of the thimble that rotates with movement over a surface. The sensor emits a signal as a function of incremental displacement of the sensor over a surface, in X and Y directions. The sensor couples to the base unit at a universal joint and the base unit has a cup-shaped contact surface for encoding angular displacement around the universal joint, using displacement of the sensor over the cup-shaped surface. The contact roller is mechanically arranged to pass a coding strip having reflective, transmissive or magnetic stripes before a sensing element. The sensor can be pivoted back on the finger to enable typing. When disengaged from the base unit, the sensor can roll on any surface, and with the stylus can be used as a tracing pen. By scaling the displacement of the input device to equal displacement of a cursor or pointer controlled by software, the input device can be used directly on a display screen.

Claims

1. A digital input device for operation via a user'"'"'s finger, comprising:

a thimble dimensioned to engage the user'"'"'s finger;

a sensing means arranged at an end of the thimble, the sensing means being operable to encode displacement of the thimble relative to a separate surface and to produce a signal as a function of said displacement; and

,

means for communicating the signal to an external device, whereby the user can encode data by wearing the thimble and displacing the thimble and the sensing means over the separate surface;

wherein the sensing means comprises a contact roller that is rotatable in the thimble by relative movement between the contact roller and the separate surface, and further comprising a detector circuit operable to generate the signal responsive to incremental rotation of the contact roller along at least two axes; and

,

wherein the detector circuit comprises a plurality of sensing rollers coupled mechanically with the contact roller to rotate upon rotation of the contact roller, the sensing rollers being rotatable on distinct axes, and wherein the sensing rollers each are operable to pass a surface having regular variations before a respective said at least one sensing element upon rotation of the contact roller, the sensing element producing an output signal that is pulsed as a function of movement of the contact roller.

2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the detector circuit is operable to generate the signal responsive to incremental rotation of the contact roller in two perpendicular axes.

3. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the sensing means further comprises an intermediate roller ball frictionally engaged against the contact roller, and two sensing rollers arranged against the intermediate roller ball, the sensing rollers being frictionally engaged against the intermediate roller ball and constrained for rotation in distinct axes.

4. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the variations are variations of one of light reflectivity, light transmissiveness and magnetic field, and wherein the sensing element comprises a detector responsive thereto.

5. The input device according to claim 4, wherein the variations are provided in at least two lines of digital code and wherein the detector circuit comprises two sensing elements for each of mutually perpendicular directions, the at least two lines of digital code being arranged for encoding a direction and an extent of movement of the contact roller.

6. The input device according to claim 1, further comprising a base unit, the base unit defining an opening for engaging the thimble, the opening and the thimble engaging so as to define a universal joint, and wherein the base unit has a contoured surface on which the contact roller rests.

7. The input device according to claim 6, wherein the thimble is disengageable from the base unit, whereby the contact roller is usable on any surface.

8. The input device according to claim 6, wherein the contoured surface defines a spherical surface concentric with a center of the universal joint.

9. The input device according to claim 6, wherein the base unit includes means proximate the opening for releasably resiliently engaging the thimble such that the base unit and the thimble are relatively mounted to engage the contoured surface and the contact roller under resilient pressure.

10. The input device according to claim 6, further comprising a stylus dimensioned to fit in the thimble, whereby the input device is alternatively usable as a finger operated device, a pen device and as a joystick in the base unit.

11. The input device according to claim 6, wherein the thimble further comprises:

a stylus/finger-engaging portion and a separate housing for housing the sensing means, which separate housing of the thimble is detachable from the stylus/finger-engaging portion of the thimble, and,

further comprising at least one additional stylus/finger-portion of a different diameter, for affixing the sensing means housing to at least one of a different user and stylus.

12. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the contact roller is disposed relative to a distal end of the user'"'"'s finger at a position spaced from said distal end in a direction extending distally from said distal end.

13. A digital input device for operation via a user'"'"'s finger, comprising:

a thimble dimensioned to engage the user'"'"'s finger;

a sensing means arranged at an end of the thimble, the sensing means being operable to encode displacement of the thimble relative to a separate surface and to produce a signal as a function of said displacement; and

,

means for communicating the signal to an external device, whereby the user can encode data by wearing the thimble and displacing the thimble and the sensing means over the separate surface;

wherein the thimble comprises a mounting part operable to engage the user'"'"'s finger and a sensor housing coupled to the mounting part, the sensor housing being movable through operative positions relative to the mounting part between one extreme position cupping said end of the user'"'"'s finger in thimble-like fashion and an opposite extreme position exposing an end of the user'"'"'s finger, whereby typing is enabled without removing the mounting part thimble.

14. The input device according to claim 13, further comprising a transmitter coupled to the sensing means by a cable, the transmitter being operable to transmit a signal from the sensing element, and a receiver operable to receive the signal from the sensing element, the receiver being coupleable in communication with a processor.

15. The input device according to claim 14, wherein the transmitter is powered by a battery.

16. The input device according to claim 15, wherein the receiver is disposed in a base unit and further comprising means for alternatively coupling the transmitter to the base unit for charging the battery.

17. The input device according to claim 14, wherein the transmitter comprises an infrared signalling device.