Pointing control system for controlling rotations of an object within a three dimensional view

• US 5,959,614 A
• Filed: 09/30/1997
• Issued: 09/28/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Primax Electronics Limited
• Inventors: Ho, Heng-Chun
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US08/940,836
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• Field of Search: 345/157, 345/163, 345/164, 345/165, 345/166, 345/167
• US Class Current: 345/167
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour

Abstract

The present invention discloses a pointing control system for controlling rotations of an object within a three dimensional view. The three dimensional view comprises first axis and second axes which are perpendicular to each other. The pointing control system comprises an image displaying device for displaying the three dimensional view, a computer electrically connected to the displaying device and a pointing device electrically connected to the computer. The computer comprises a program for controlling image display of the displaying device and rotations of the object within the three dimensional view. The pointing device comprises a housing and a first pointing controller installed in the housing. The first pointing controller comprises: a ball rotatably installed inside of the housing; a first rod and a second rod rotatably installed in the housing and attached to the ball for interacting with the ball to detect rotations of the ball in two different directions; a first angle displacement detector for detecting rotations of the first rod and generating a corresponding first angle displacement signal; and a second angle displacement detector for detecting rotations of the second rod and generating a corresponding second angle displacement signal. When the program receives the first angle displacement signal, the program will transform the first angle displacement signal into a first rotation angle and then rotate the object along the first axis about the first rotation angle. And when the program receives the second angle displacement signal, the program will transform the second angle displacement signal into a second rotation angle and then rotate the object around the second axis for the second rotation angle.

Claims

1. A pointing control system for controlling rotations of an object within a three dimensional view, the three dimensional view comprising first, second and third axes mutualIy perpendicular to one another, the pointing control system comprising a displaying device for displaying the three dimensional view, a computer electrically connected to the displaying device and a pointing device electrically connected to the computer, the computer comprising a program for controlling image display of the displaying device and rotations of the object within the three dimensional view, the pointing device comprising a housing having a horizontal plane and a vertical plane, a first pointing controller installed in the horizontal plane and a second pointing controller installed in the vertical plane, the first and the second pointing controllers both comprising:

(1) a ball rotatably installed inside the housing;

(2) two mutually perpendicular rods rotatably installed in the housing and attached to the ball for interacting with the ball to detect rotations of the ball in two different directions; and

(3) two angle displacement detectors installed in the housing for detecting rotations of the two rods and generating two corresponding angle displacement signals;

wherein when the program receives the two angle displacement signals of the first pointing controller, the program will transform the two angle displacement signals of the first pointing controller into two corresponding rotation angles of the first pointing controller and then rotate the object along the first axis and the second axis about the two corresponding rotation angles of the first pointing controller, and when the program receives the two angle displacement signals of the second pointing controller, the program will transform the two angle displacement signals of the second pointing controller into two corresponding rotation angles of the second pointing controller and then rotate the object along the first axis and the third axis about the two corresponding rotation angles of the second pointing controller.

2. The pointing control system of claim 1 wherein when the two angle displacement signals of the first or the second pointing controller are received by the program at the same time period, the program will select the larger angle displacement signal and neglect the smaller angle displacement signal.

3. The pointing control system of claim 1 wherein the first pointing controller is a track ball for generating the two angle displacement signals.

4. The pointing control system of claim 1 wherein the second pointing controller is a track ball for generating the two angle displacement signals.

5. The pointing control system of claim 1 wherein each of the two angle displacement detectors comprises a wheel installed at one end of the corresponding rod and a sensing device for sensing rotations of the wheel to generate the corresponding angle displacement signal.

6. A pointing control system for controlling rotations of an object within a three dimensional view, the three dimensional view comprising first, second and third axes mutually perpendicular to one another, the pointing control system comprising an image displaying device for displaying the three dimensional view, a computer electrically connected to the displaying device, and a pointing device electrically connected to the computer, the computer comprising a program for controlling image display of the displaying device and rotations of the object within the three dimensional view, the pointing device comprising a housing having a horizontal plane and a vertical plane, a first pointing controller installed in the horizontal plane for generating a first and a second angle displacement signals, and a second pointing controller installed in the vertical plane for generating a third angle displacement signal, the first pointing controller comprising:

(1) a ball rotatably installed in the horizontal plane;

(2) two mutually perpendicular rods rotatably installed in the housing for interacting with the ball to detect rotations of the ball; and

(3) two angle displacement detectors installed in the housing for detecting rotations of the two rods and generating the first and second angle displacement signals;

wherein when the program receives the first, second or third angle displacement signal, the program will transform the received signal into a rotation angle and then rotate the object along the first, second or third axis about the rotation angle.

7. The pointing control system of claim 6 wherein the first pointing controller is a track ball for generating the two angle displacement signals.

8. The pointing control system of claim 6 wherein the second pointing controller is a rotatable wheel which can be rotated back and forth for generating the third angle displacement signal.