Data input device

• US 6,097,372 A
• Filed: 06/03/1998
• Issued: 08/01/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Katsutoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): LAO, LUNYI
• Application Number:
  US09/089,812
• Time in Patent Office: 790 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/158, 345/163, 345/164, 345/165, 345/167, 345/169, 345/123, 345/341, 348/734, 463/37.38, 278/148 B
• US Class Current: 345/167
• 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 3/03549 Trackballs G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device

Abstract

In a data input device, an X-encoder 2 and a Y-encoder 3 are driven by a track ball 1 called a track ball and pulse outputs can be obtained from the respective encoders. Switches SW1, SW2, SW3 and SW4 are disposed around the track ball 1. When the track ball 1 is rolled about a Z-axis by a finger F while depressing a peripheral portion of the track ball 1 with the finger F, the finger F successively touches the switches SW1, SW2, SW3 and SW4. At the time, since the outputs from the X-encoder 2 and the Y-encoder 3 are converted into data on a Z-axis coordinate in response to the outputs from the switches, data about the Z-axis can be input. With this arrangement, the data input device can input Z-axis coordinate data which cannot be input by prior art track ball type data input devices.

Claims

1. A data input device comprising:

an operating body rolled manually;

encoders for obtaining outputs in accordance with the rolling of said operating body;

coordinate data creating means for creating coordinate data from the outputs from said encoders; and

sensors for sensing that a hand is in touch with a peripheral portion of said operating body,

wherein said coordinate data creating means outputs different coordinate data depending upon whether said sensors do not sense the hand in a state that the operating body is being rolled or said sensors sense the hand rolling said operating body,

wherein when said sensors do not sense the hand in the state that the operating body is being rolled, said coordinate data creating means creates rotation data about a specific coordinate axis, whereas when it is sensed that the hand rolling said operating body is in touch with said sensors, said coordinate data creating means creates rotation data about a coordinate axis different from the above specific coordinate axis,

wherein said operating body is formed to a spherical shape and said data input device comprises an encoder for obtaining an output about an X-axis and an encoder for obtaining an output about a Y-axis in accordance with a rolling direction of said spherical operating body, wherein when said sensors do not sense the hand in the state that said operating body is being rolled, rotation data about the X-axis and the Y-axis are obtained from said coordinate data creating means, whereas when it is sensed that the hand rolling said operating body is in touch with said sensors, the data about the X-axis and the Y-axis are converted into rotation data about a Z-axis and output from said coordinate data creating means.

2. A data input device according to claim 1, comprising sign inverting means for inverting a sign of outputs which are obtained from said encoders when the rotation data about the Z-axis is output from said coordinate data creating means and whose rotational direction is opposite to the rotational direction obtained up to that time to thereby permit said coordinate data creating means to output data having the same rotational direction about the Z-axis.

3. A data input device according to claim 2, comprises:

first and third sensors confronting each other across said spherical operating body which the hand rolling said operating body is in touch with when said encoder for obtaining the output about the X-axis is in operation; and

second and fourth sensors confronting each other across said spherical operating body which the hand rolling said operating body is in touch with when said encoder for obtaining the output about the Y-axis is in operation,

wherein said sign inverting means obtains an output having a different sign when the hand is in touch with said first sensor and when the hand is in touch with said third sensor as well as obtains an output having a different sign when the hand is in touch with said second sensor and when the hand is in touch with said fourth sensor.

4. A data input device comprising:

an operating body rolled manually;

encoders for obtaining outputs in accordance with the rolling of said operating body;

coordinate data creating means for creating coordinate data from the outputs from said encoders;

sensors for sensing that a hand is in touch with a peripheral portion of said operating body, and

two operating bodies for rolling the same encoder, wherein said sensors are disposed around one of said operating bodies and different coordinate data is output from said coordinate data creating means based on an encoder output when the hand is in touch with said sensors and an encoder output when the hand is not in touch with said sensors,

wherein said coordinate data creating means outputs different coordinate data depending upon whether said sensors do not sense the hand in a state that the operating body is being rolled or said sensors sense the hand rolling said operating body.

5. A data input device comprising:

an operating body rolled manually;

encoders for obtaining outputs in accordance with the rolling of said operating body;

coordinate data creating means for creating coordinate data from the outputs from said encoders; and

sensors for sensing that a hand is in touch with a peripheral portion of said operating body,

wherein said coordinate data creating means outputs different coordinate data depending upon whether said sensors do not sense the hand in a state that the operating body is being rolled or said sensors sense the hand rolling said operating body

wherein when said sensors do not sense the hand in the state that said operating body is being rolled, said coordinate data creating means creates moving data on X-Y coordinates, whereas when it is sensed that the hand rolling said operating body is in touch with said sensors, said coordinate data creating means creates screen scroll data based on the outputs from said encoders.

6. A data input device according to claim 5, wherein two encoders are disposed in directions orthogonal to each other and rotated by said operating body, two sets of said sensors are disposed around said operating body, and when one of said sensors senses the hand, said data creating means creates scroll data in a specific direction based on the output from one of said encoders, whereas when the other of said sensors senses the hand, said data creating means creates scroll data in a direction different from the above specific direction based on the output from the other of said encoders.

7. A data input device according to claim 5, wherein two encoders are disposed in directions orthogonal to each other and rotated by said operating body, first, second, third and fourth sensors are sequentially disposed and when said first sensor or said third sensor senses the hand, said data creating means creates scroll data in a specific direction based on the output from one of said encoders, whereas when said second sensor or said fourth sensor senses the hand, said data creating means creates scroll data in a direction different from the above specific direction based on the output from the other of said encoders.