Method of operating an optical mouse

• US 7,808,485 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies ECBU IP Singapore Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Knee, Derek L., Gordon, Gary B., Hartlove, Jason T., Badyal, Rajeev
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar; Srilakshmi K
• Application Number:
  US11/929,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20080055243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 348/169, 348/170
• US Class Current: 345/166
• 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 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

A method for controlling a computer cursor involves capturing a plurality of arrays of data in a hand held device representing light entering the device from an environment in which the device resides, processing at least some of the plurality of arrays of data in the device to estimate motion of the device with respect to the environment during each of a plurality of measurement cycles, and sending a series of estimated motion signals to a computer to move a cursor display in response to motion of the device relative to the environment, each such estimated motion signal representing the estimated motion of the handheld device during more than one of the plurality of measurement cycles.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a computer cursor, comprising:

capturing a plurality of arrays of data in a hand held device representing light entering the device from an environment in which the device resides;

processing at least some of the plurality of arrays of data in the device to estimate motion of the device with respect to the environment during each of a plurality of measurement cycles; and

sending a series of estimated motion signals to a computer to move a cursor display in response to motion of the device relative to the environment, each such estimated motion signal representing the estimated motion of the handheld device during more than one of the plurality of measurement cycles.

2. The method of claim 1 in which processing at least some of the plurality of arrays of data further comprises:

comparing at least some of the arrays of data to estimate motion.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein a rate at which the arrays of data are captured is higher than a rate at which the series of estimated motion signals are sent to the computer.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein a rate at which the arrays of data are processed is higher than a rate at which the series of estimated motion signals are sent to the computer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein processing at least some of the plurality of arrays of data further comprises:

comparing information derived from a first array of data with information derived from a second array of data to estimate motion of the device during a measurement cycle.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein comparing information derived from a first array of data with information derived from a second array of data to estimate motion further comprises:

comparing a portion of the second array with multiple shifted portions of the first array.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein processing at least some of the plurality of arrays of data further comprises:

altering an aspect of at least one of the first and second arrays of data for at least some of a plurality of comparisons therebetween to estimate motion of the device with respect to the environment.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein altering an aspect of at least one of the first and second arrays of data for at least some of a plurality of comparisons therebetween further comprises:

shifting at least one element of one of the first and second arrays of data between a first and second correlation of the plurality of comparisons.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein comparing the first array of data with the second array of data to estimate motion further comprises:

estimating motion in accordance with a comparison between a shifted element of one of the first and second arrays of data with the other one of the first and second arrays of data.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the motion estimated during each of the plurality of measurement cycles is related to a distance between elements of the arrays of captured data.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein each of the motion signals sent to the computer represents motion greater than the distance between elements of the arrays of captured data.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein processing at least some of the plurality of arrays of data in the device to estimate motion of the device during each of a plurality of measurement cycles comprises:

comparing at least portions of a first and second of the arrays of data to estimate motion, if any, of the device during each of the plurality of measurement cycles; and

accumulating the estimated motion during a plurality of measurement cycles to determine a magnitude for the combined motion estimate signal.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein sending a series of estimated motion signals to a computer to move a cursor display further comprises:

scaling the series of estimated motion signals to move the cursor display in accordance with movement of the device.

14. A method for controlling a cursor, comprising:

providing an array of photodetectors in a handheld device;

capturing a plurality of arrays of data in the device from the array of photodetectors, each data array including data elements each representing light captured at one of the photodetectors at a selected time;

processing at least one data element in a first array of the plurality of arrays of data with a plurality of data elements in a second array to estimate any motion during a time interval between the captures of the first and second arrays by comparing the at least one data element and one of the plurality of data elements in the second array;

combining a plurality of motion estimates; and

selectively providing a combined motion estimate signal to the computer to control a cursor.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein selectively providing a combined motion estimate to a computer further comprises:

determining if the combined motion estimate represents a valid motion of the device.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein selectively providing a combined motion estimate to a computer further comprises:

not sending the combined motion estimate if the combined motion estimate would not represent a valid motion between the device and the environment.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein selectively providing a combined motion estimate to a computer further comprises:

sending a different signal to the computer if the combined estimates do not represent a valid motion of the device.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein selectively providing a combined motion estimate signal to the computer to control a cursor further comprises:

scaling the combined motion estimate signal.