Hybrid pointing device

• US 8,581,847 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2012
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Inventors: Chang, Yen Min, Ko, Yi Hsien
• Primary Examiner(s): Bolotin, Dmitriy
• Application Number:
  US13/454,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20120206353A1
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-178, 178/18.09, 178/18.11
• US Class Current: 345/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0428 by sensing at the edges of the touch surface the interruption of optical paths, e.g. an illumination plane, parallel to the touch surface which may be virtual sensing beam interruptions in a planar beam grid of an optical touch-screen G06F3/0421

Abstract

The present invention discloses a hybrid pointing device including an optical navigation module and a pointing module. The optical navigation module is configured to replace the conventional buttons of a convention pointing device, such as an optical mouse or a trackball mouse. The optical navigation module is configured to sense gestures of at least one object operated by a user to activate commands associated with particular programs running on the host. Since the optical navigation module is only configured to sense gestures of the object but not the movement of the hybrid pointing device relative to a surface, the resolution thereof is aimed to be sufficiently high enough for sensing gestures and no need to be relatively high.

Claims

1. A hybrid pointing device for being operated by a user on a surface, the hybrid pointing device comprising:

a storage unit configured to store information of predetermined gestures;

a first module configured to sense a movement of the hybrid pointing device relative to the surface;

a second module comprising;

a light source configured to emit light; and

an image sensor disposed on a plane and configured to capture an image containing at least one finger image of at least one finger of the user operated upon an operation field which is located only at a top front portion of the hybrid pointing device;

a wall extending from one end of the operation field toward the plane and configured to block a part of field of view of the image sensor in such a manner that the field of view covers the top front portion of the hybrid pointing device without covering a top rear portion of the hybrid pointing device; and

a processor configured to compare a position variation of the finger image with the information of predetermined gestures to identify a current gesture.

2. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first module is an optical mouse module or a trackball mouse module.

3. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor also calculates the movement sensed by the first module.

4. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image sensor captures the image containing one finger image of one finger of the user operated upon the operation field.

5. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the information of predetermined gestures comprises a left moving gesture, a right moving gesture, an upward moving gesture, a downward moving gesture, a clockwise moving gesture and a counterclockwise moving gesture.

6. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image sensor captures the image containing two finger images of two fingers of the user operated upon the operation field.

7. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the information of predetermined gestures comprises a moving closer gesture, a moving apart gesture, a left moving gesture, a right moving gesture, an upward moving gesture, a downward moving gesture, left-button click gesture and right-button click gesture.

8. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image sensor captures the image containing three finger images of three fingers of the user operated upon the operation field.

9. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the information of predetermined gestures comprises an upward moving gesture and a downward moving gesture.

10. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the upward moving gesture is associated with a left-button click command or a right-button click command;

and the downward moving gesture is associated with the right-button click command or the left-button click command.