Pointing device utilizing a photodetector array
First Claim
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1. A sensing device for a pointing device, comprising:
- a plurality of pixels, including a first and second pixel aligned along a first axis, responsive to said radiation reflected from a surface, said first and second pixels includinga photodetector element for receiving said radiation reflected from the surface and for converting said radiation into an electrical signal having a signal strength corresponding to an intensity value of said received radiation;
a comparator unit, disposed to receive signals from said photodetector elements of said plurality of pixels at a first and second time, for comparing a first intensity value of said first pixel with a second intensity value of said second pixel at each of said first and second times, to identify if an edge condition exists between said first and second pixels at each of said first and second times, and to identify a movement of said edge condition between said first and second times wherein said comparator unit identifies that an edge condition exists when a ratio of said first intensity value and said second intensity value is not within a predefined range.
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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.
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23 Claims
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1. A sensing device for a pointing device, comprising:
a plurality of pixels, including a first and second pixel aligned along a first axis, responsive to said radiation reflected from a surface, said first and second pixels including a photodetector element for receiving said radiation reflected from the surface and for converting said radiation into an electrical signal having a signal strength corresponding to an intensity value of said received radiation; a comparator unit, disposed to receive signals from said photodetector elements of said plurality of pixels at a first and second time, for comparing a first intensity value of said first pixel with a second intensity value of said second pixel at each of said first and second times, to identify if an edge condition exists between said first and second pixels at each of said first and second times, and to identify a movement of said edge condition between said first and second times wherein said comparator unit identifies that an edge condition exists when a ratio of said first intensity value and said second intensity value is not within a predefined range. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
Specification