Input device with multiple touch-sensitive zones

• US 9,367,146 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2011
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Logitech Europe S A (Logitech International SA)
• Original Assignee: Logitech Europe S.A
• Inventors: Piot, Julien, Merminod, Baptiste, Dayer, Christophe, White, Niall, Harvey, Stephen, Fortin, Frederic, Meisser, Mathieu, Ramond, Nicolas, Mathis, Olivier, Croisonnier, Regis
• Primary Examiner(s): Eurice, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US13/296,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20130120259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,674 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/163, 345/166, 235/462.45, 178/18.06
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3259 Power saving in cursor control device, e.g. mouse, joystick, trackball
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0332 Ergonomic shaped mouse adjustable to suit one of both hands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0333 Ergonomic shaped mouse for one hand
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0334 Ergonomic shaped mouse for vertical grip, whereby the hand controlling the mouse is resting or gripping it with an attitude almost vertical with respect of the working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• 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 3/03541 Mouse/trackball convertible devices, in which the same ball is used to track the 2D relative movement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0448 Details of the electrode shape, e.g. for enhancing the detection of touches, for generating specific electric field shapes, for enhancing display quality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 : using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 : for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An input device includes a housing for supporting a user'"'"'s hand and a displacement sensor, mounted in the housing, for providing a displacement signal. The input device also includes a first portion of the housing operable to receive a first digit of the user and a first solid-state touch sensor disposed in the first portion and operable to detect movement of the first digit along the first portion. The input device further includes a second portion on the housing operable to receive a second digit of the user and a second solid-state touch sensor disposed in the second portion and operable to detect movement of the second digit along the second portion.

Claims

1. A computer mouse comprising:

a housing for supporting a user'"'"'s hand;

a displacement sensor, mounted in the housing, for providing a displacement signal indicating a movement of the housing with respect to a surface;

a first, side portion of the housing to receive a thumb of the user;

a first, convex solid-state touch sensor disposed in the first side portion to detect a position and gesture movement of the thumb in two dimensions along the first, convex, solid state sensor;

a second portion on a top portion of the housing to receive a finger of the user;

a second solid-state touch sensor disposed in the second, top portion to detect two-dimensional movement of the finger along the second portion; and

a controller, mounted in said housing, and coupled to the first and second solid state sensors, for producing a plurality of gesture signals based on different combinations of sensed motion inputs from the first and second solid state sensors.

2. The computer mouse of claim 1 wherein the displacement sensor comprises an optical sensor.

3. The computer mouse of claim 1 wherein the first portion has a curvature in a second dimension substantially orthogonal to the at least one dimension.

4. The computer mouse of claim 3 wherein the first solid-state touch sensor detects circular motion of the thumb of the user during operation.

5. The computer mouse of claim 1 wherein the second portion is characterized by a curvature in at least one dimension.

6. The computer mouse of claim 5 wherein the curvature in the at least one dimension is convex and the second solid-state touch sensor comprises a linear sensor.

7. A computer mouse comprising:

a housing to support a user'"'"'s hand;

a displacement sensor to monitor a movement of the housing relative to a work surface in at least two dimensions;

a first two-dimensional, circular, convex touch sensor disposed in the housing which receives a user'"'"'s thumb during operation, the first touch sensor to detect a position and direction of the user'"'"'s thumb in two dimensions;

a second two-dimensional touch sensor disposed in the housing which receives a user'"'"'s finger during operation, the second touch sensor to detect a position and direction of the user'"'"'s finger in two dimensions; and

a controller, mounted in said housing, and coupled to the first and second touch sensors, for producing a plurality of gesture signals based on different combinations of sensed motion inputs from the first and second touch sensors.

8. The computer mouse of claim 7 further comprising a third touch sensor disposed in the housing and adjacent a third digit of the user'"'"'s hand during operation, wherein the third touch sensor comprises a two-dimensional touch sensor and the third digit comprises the user'"'"'s middle finger.

9. The computer mouse of claim 7 wherein the controller is electrically connected to the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor and operable to:

provide common drive signals to the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor; and

receive independent feedback signals from the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor.