Hybrid pointing device

• US 8,730,169 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2010
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Inventors: Lin, Cho Yi, Chang, Yen Min, Ko, Yi Hsien, Hsu, Yao Ching
• Primary Examiner(s): Bolotin, Dmitriy
• Application Number:
  US12/770,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20110102319A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,481 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 configured to be operated by a user on a working surface, the hybrid pointing device comprising:

an operation field located only at a front portion of a top surface of the hybrid pointing device and configured to accommodate a plurality of fingers of the user moving thereon for activating a clicking operation, a scrolling operation and a multi-touch operation;

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

a second module including

at least one light source configured to emit light, and

at least one image sensor disposed on a plane and configured to optically cover at least the operation field and to capture an image containing at least one light spot caused by the plurality of fingers in the operation field, the plurality of fingers reflecting the light emitted by the at least one light source;

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

a processor configured to identify gestures of the plurality of fingers associated with the clicking operation, the scrolling operation and the multi-touch operation according to position information of the at least one light spot on the image.

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

3. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to calculate the movement sensed by the first module.

4. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a touch plate, defining the operation field, for the user to operate the plurality of fingers thereon, wherein

the touch plate is transparent to the light emitted by the at least one light source.

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

6. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wall extends all the way from the plane to the top surface of the hybrid pointing device.

7. A hybrid pointing device configured to be operated by a user on a working surface, the hybrid pointing device comprising:

an operation field located only at a front portion of a top surface of the hybrid pointing device and configured to accommodate a plurality of fingers of the user moving thereon for activating a clicking operation, a scrolling operation and a multi-touch operation;

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

a second module including an image sensor disposed on a plane and configured to optically cover at least the operation field and to capture an image containing at least one shadow caused by the plurality of fingers in the operation field, the plurality of fingers blocking ambient light directly from outside of the hybrid pointing device;

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

a processor configured to identify gestures of the plurality of fingers associated with the clicking operation, the scrolling operation and the multi-touch operation according to a position variation of the at least one shadow on the image.

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

9. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to calculate the movement sensed by the first module.

10. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a touch plate, defining the operation field, for the user to operate the plurality of fingers thereon, wherein

the touch plate is transparent to visible light or being formed with a plurality of through holes thereon for light transmission.

11. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 7, wherein

a position of the shadow on the image is formed as a look-up table formed by dividing the field of view of the image sensor into a matrix of a plurality of sub-areas, and pre-storing all the sub-areas, and

the processor is configured to identify gestures of the plurality of fingers according to the position information of the shadow on the image retrieved from the look-up table.

12. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the wall extends all the way from the plane to the top surface of the hybrid pointing device.

13. The hybrid pointing device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the at least one light source is disposed at a corner formed by the wall and the plane.