Hybrid pointing device

• US 8,581,848 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2012
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Inventors: Lin, Cho-Yi, Chang, Yen-Min
• Primary Examiner(s): Bolotin, Dmitriy
• Application Number:
  US13/681,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20130076629A1
• Time in Patent Office: 357 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-178, 178/18.09, 178/18.11
• 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 3/03543 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

Abstract

There is provided a hybrid pointing device including an optical navigation module, a pointing module and a switching module. 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. The pointing module is configured to detect a movement between the hybrid pointing device and a working surface. The switching module is configured to active the optical navigation module or the pointing module according to a deformation of a touch plate.

Claims

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

a transparent touch plate on a top surface of the hybrid pointing device, the transparent touch plate comprising;

a soft plate configured for being pressed by the at least one finger;

a supporting plate disposed under the soft plate; and

a deformable unit fixed between the soft plate and the supporting plate and having a pattern configuration, wherein the deformable unit deforms as the soft plate is pressed and restores after the at least one finger is removed;

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 beams to the transparent touch plate; and

an image sensor arranged under the supporting plate of the transparent touch plate and configured to capture an image covering the transparent touch plate; and

a processor configured to detect a deformation of the transparent touch plate when at least one finger of the user presses thereon and to identify gestures according to a position information of at least one light spot in the image caused by the at least one finger in contact with the transparent touch plate.

2. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the soft plate is a part of or an entire of the touch plate.

3. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the deformable unit is made of an elastic material.

4. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pattern configuration is a predetermined reticular structure or a multi-line shaped structure.

5. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a reflective pattern layer disposed between the deformable unit and the supporting plate for reflecting light whose wavelengths are in a wavelength range of the light beams provided by the light source, wherein a shape of the reflective pattern layer is similar to a shape of the pattern configuration of the deformable unit.

6. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first module is activated when the deformation is smaller than a threshold of deformed size and the second module is activated when the deformation is larger than the threshold of deformed size.

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

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

9. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the position information of the at least one light spot in the image is retrieved from a look-up table formed by dividing a field of view of the image sensor into a matrix of a plurality of sub-areas.

10. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light source is also configured to illuminate the surface.

11. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light source and the second image sensor are disposed under the transparent touch plate.

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

a transparent touch plate on a top surface of the hybrid pointing device, the transparent touch plate comprising;

a soft plate being a part of or an entire of the transparent touch plate;

a supporting plate disposed under the soft plate; and

a deformable unit fixed between the soft plate and the supporting plate and having a pattern configuration, wherein the deformable unit deforms as the soft plate is pressed by the at least one finger and restores after the at least one finger is removed;

a light source configured to illuminate the transparent touch plate;

a first image sensor configured to capture a first image of the surface;

a second image sensor arranged under the supporting plate of the transparent touch plate and configured to capture a second image covering the transparent touch plate; and

a processor configured to calculate a movement of the hybrid pointing device relative to the surface according to the first image, to detect a deformation of the transparent touch plate according to the second image and to identify gestures according to a position information of at least one light spot in the second image caused by at least one finger of the user in contact with the transparent touch plate.

13. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the deformable unit is made of an elastic material.

14. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the pattern configuration is a predetermined reticular structure or a multi-line shaped structure.

15. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a reflective pattern layer disposed between the deformable unit and the supporting plate for reflecting light whose wavelengths are in a wavelength range of light provided by the light source, wherein a shape of the reflective pattern layer is similar to a shape of the pattern configuration of the deformable unit.

16. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the processor starts to identify the gestures when the deformation is larger than a threshold of deformed size.

17. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 12, wherein when the deformation is smaller than a threshold of deformed size, the first image sensor has a higher sampling frequency than the second image sensor.

18. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 12, wherein when the deformation is higher than a threshold of deformed size, a sampling frequency of the second image sensor is increased.