Optical naviagation module having a metallic illumination ring

• US 8,982,063 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2011
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Ramrattan, Colin Shiva, Lowles, Robert James
• Primary Examiner(s): Lubit, Ryan A
• Application Number:
  US13/215,814
• Publication Number:
  US 20120133583A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells

Abstract

A navigation module for a handheld communication device having a navigation pad, a chrome-like ring surrounding the navigation pad, an illumination ring surrounding the navigation pad, and at least one light source optically coupled to the at least the illumination ring. The illumination ring can be interposed between the chrome-like ring and the navigation pad. The chrome-like ring can be interposed between the illumination ring and the navigation pad. The light source can be a light emitting diode.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising:

an optical navigation module configured to generate a navigation signal, the optical navigation module comprising;

a navigation pad having a top surface and a bottom surface;

a metallic ring surrounding at least a portion of the navigation pad and having at least an exposed top surface;

an illumination ring surrounding the metallic ring, the illumination ring being the same ring as the metallic ring and having at least an exposed top surface;

a light source that emits light, the light source being optically coupled to the illumination ring and being optically decoupled from the navigation pad;

a light sensor communicatively coupled to the light source, the light sensor configured to generate at least one first signal indicating a sufficient ambient light condition and at least one second signal indicating an insufficient ambient light condition, with the light source emitting light in response to an indication of an insufficient ambient light condition and the light source not emitting light in response to an indication of a sufficient ambient light condition;

a capacitive sensor positioned below the bottom surface of the navigation pad, the capacitive sensor being configured to detect movement of an object above the top surface of the navigation pad in the Z axis in the event the object is within a set range of the top surface of the navigation pad; and

a laser sensor positioned below the bottom surface of the navigation pad, the laser sensor being configured to detect movement of the object in at least one of X axis and Y axis in the event the object is in contact with the top surface of the navigation pad.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the light source is a light emitting diode.

3. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the light source is a multi-colored light emitting diode.

4. The communication device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the metallic ring and the illumination ring is formed using non-conductive vacuum metallization.

5. The communication device of claim 1, further comprising a lens positioned between the bottom surface of the navigation pad and the laser sensor.

6. The communication device of claim 1, further comprising a microprocessor communicatively coupled with the laser sensor, the capacitive sensor, and the light source, the microprocessor being configured to cause the light source to illuminate in response to at least one of the laser sensor and capacitive sensor detecting movement of the object.

7. The communication device of claim 6, wherein the microprocessor is further configured to exit from a sleep mode in response to at least one of the laser sensor and capacitive sensor detecting movement of the object.

8. The communication device of claim 1, further comprising at least one light pipe interposed between the light source and the illumination ring.

9. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the illumination ring, metallic ring, and navigation pad are substantially square.

10. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the illumination ring, metallic ring, and navigation pad are substantially square with rounded corners.

11. A communication device comprising:

a display;

a navigation tool module comprising;

a navigation pad having a top surface and a bottom surface;

a metallic ring surrounding at least a portion of the navigation pad and having at least an exposed top surface;

an illumination ring surrounding the metallic ring, the illumination ring being the same ring as the metallic ring and having at least an exposed top surface;

a light source that emits light, the light source being optically coupled to the illumination ring and being optically decoupled from the navigation pad;

a light sensor communicatively coupled to the light source, the light sensor configured to generate at least one first signal indicating a sufficient ambient light condition and at least one second signal indicating an insufficient ambient light condition, with the light source emitting light in response to an indication of an insufficient ambient light condition and the light source not emitting light in response to an indication of a sufficient ambient light condition;

a capacitive sensor positioned below the bottom surface of the navigation pad, the capacitive sensor being configured to detect movement of an object above the top surface of the navigation pad in the Z axis in the event the object is within the range of the top surface of the navigation pad; and

a laser sensor positioned below the bottom surface of the navigation pad, the laser sensor configured to detect movement of the object in at least one of X axis and Y axis in the event the object is in contact with the top surface of the navigation pad; and

a microprocessor communicatively coupled to the display, the capacitive sensor, the laser sensor and the light sensor.

12. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the light source is a light emitting diode.

13. The communication device of claim 11, wherein at least one of the metallic ring and illumination ring is formed using non-conductive vacuum metallization.

14. The communication device of claim 11, further comprising a lens positioned between the bottom surface of the navigation pad and the laser sensor.

15. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the microprocessor is configured to cause the light source to illuminate in response to at least one of the laser sensor and capacitive sensor detecting movement of the object.

16. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the microprocessor is further configured to exit from a sleep mode in response to at least one of the laser sensor and capacitive sensor detecting movement of the object.

17. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the navigation tool further comprises at least one light pipe interposed between the light source and the illumination ring.

18. A communication device comprising:

an optical navigation module configured to generate a navigation signal, the optical navigation module comprising;

a navigation pad having a top surface and a bottom surface;

a metallic ring surrounding at least a portion of the navigation pad, the metallic ring comprising a non-translucent portion not adapted to illuminate and a translucent portion adapted to illuminate with the translucent portion surrounding the non-translucent portion;

a light source that emits light, the light source being optically coupled to the metallic ring and being optically decoupled from the navigation pad;

a light sensor communicatively coupled to the light source, the light sensor configured to generate at least one first signal indicating a sufficient ambient light condition and at least one second signal indicating an insufficient ambient light condition, with the light source emitting light in response to an indication of an insufficient ambient light condition and the light source not emitting light in response to an indication of a sufficient ambient light condition;

a capacitive sensor positioned below the bottom surface of the navigation pad and configured to detect movement of an object above the top surface of the navigation pad in the Z axis in the event the object is within a set range of the top surface of the navigation pad;

a lens; and

a laser sensor positioned below the bottom surface of the navigation pad, the laser sensor being configured to detect movement of the object in at least one of X axis and Y axis in the event the object is in contact with the top surface of the navigation pad.