Navigation device and image display system with inertial mode

• US 9,727,148 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2013
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Inventors: Chin, Kian-Ming, Chong, Yik-Leong
• Primary Examiner(s): LANDIS, LISA S
• Application Number:
  US14/139,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20150177857A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: 345163-166
• 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 3/03541 Mouse/trackball convertible devices, in which the same ball is used to track the 2D relative movement

Abstract

There is provided an image display system including a navigation device and an inertial unit. The navigation device outputs displacements at a report rate. The inertial unit may provide an inertial displacement for continuously controlling a cursor motion after the displacements decrease to zero.

Claims

1. A navigation device, configured to be placed on a work surface in operation, the navigation device comprising:

an image sensor configured to successively capture light reflected from the work surface to output image frames;

a processing unit configured to calculate displacements of the navigation device with respect to the work surface according to the image frames;

an output interface configured to output the displacements at a report rate; and

an inertial unit configured to

analyze a plurality of calculated displacements within a predetermined period and an inertial period which is subsequent to the predetermined period, and

provide an inertial displacement in the inertial period to control a cursor within the inertial period during which the calculated displacement is zero when at least one of the calculated displacements within the predetermined period is larger than a threshold and the calculated displacements decrease to zero within the predetermined period and maintain zero to the inertial period,

wherein

the cursor, within the predetermined period, is controlled by the displacements calculated by the processing unit without being controlled by the inertial displacement provided by the inertial unit.

2. The navigation device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an inertial switch configured to generate an enable signal to enable the inertial unit.

3. The navigation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inertial displacement configured to control the cursor within the inertial period during which the calculated displacement is zero is a maximum displacement or an average displacement of the displacements calculated within the predetermined period.

4. The navigation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inertial unit is configured to decrease the inertial displacement once every the inertial period.

5. The navigation device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the inertial unit is configured to decrease the inertial displacement with a decreasing ratio, and the decreasing ratio is selected from a user graphic interface or set previously.

6. The navigation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein during the output interface outputting the inertial displacement, the output interface stops outputting the inertial displacement when the processing unit detects a click signal, a roller signal, a nonzero displacement, a sense signal of a capacitive touch device or a sense signal of an optical finger navigation.

7. An image display system, comprising:

an image display device, comprising;

a screen displaying a cursor; and

a host configured to control images displayed by the screen; and

a navigation device configured to be placed on a work surface in operation, the navigation device comprising;

an image sensor configured to successively capture light reflected from the work surface to output image frames;

a processing unit configured to calculate displacements of the navigation device with respect to the work surface according to the image frames;

an output interface configured to output the displacements to the host at a report rate to allow the host to control a cursor according to the calculated displacements;

an inertial unit configured to

analyze a plurality of calculated displacements within a predetermined period and an inertial period which is subsequent to the predetermined period, and

provide an inertial displacement in the inertial period to control the cursor within the inertial period during which the calculated displacement is zero when at least one of the calculated displacements within the predetermined period is larger than a threshold and the calculated displacements decrease to zero within the predetermined period and maintain zero to the inertial period, wherein the cursor, within the predetermined period, is controlled by the displacements calculated by the processing unit without being controlled by the inertial displacement provided by the inertial unit; and

a multi-cursor switch configured to generate a control signal for controlling the host to display a plurality of sub-cursors around the cursor and separated by a predetermined pixel distance.

8. The image display system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the predetermined pixel distance is selected from a user graphic interface, set previously or determined according to a size of the screen.

9. The image display system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the host is configured to control one of the sub-cursors to display with different feature to be served as a main control sub-cursor.

10. The image display system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the navigation device further comprises at least one control button or a roller configured to select the main control sub-cursor between the sub-cursors.

11. The image display system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the cursor and the sub-cursors are configured to move synchronously according to the calculated displacement.

12. The image display system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the cursor and the sub-cursors are configured to move synchronously according to the inertial displacement.

13. An image display system, comprising:

a navigation device configured to be placed on a work surface in operation, calculate displacements with respect to the work surface according to light reflected from the work surface and output the displacements at a report rate; and

an image display device, comprising;

a screen displaying a cursor; and

a host comprising an inertial unit configured to

analyze a plurality of displacements received from the navigation device within a predetermined period and an inertial period which is subsequent to the predetermined period, and the host being configured to

control a cursor with an inertial displacement in an inertial period during which the displacement received from the navigation device is zero when at least one of the received displacements within the predetermined period is larger than a threshold and the received displacements decrease to zero within the predetermined period and maintain zero to the inertial period, wherein the cursor, within the predetermined period, is controlled by the displacements received by the navigation device without being controlled by the inertial displacement provided by the inertial unit.

14. The image display system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the host is configured to decrease the inertial displacement once every the inertial period.

15. The image display system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the host is configured to decrease the inertial displacement with a decreasing ratio, and the decreasing ratio is selected from a user graphic interface, set previously or determined according to a size of the screen.

16. The image display system as claimed in claim 13, wherein when the cursor reaches an edge of the screen, the host stops controlling the cursor with the inertial displacement.

17. The image display system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the navigation device comprises an inertial switch configured to generate an enable signal to the host for enabling the inertial unit.

18. The image display system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the inertial displacement configured to control the cursor within the inertial period during which the displacement received from the navigation device is zero is a maximum displacement or an average displacement of the displacements received within the predetermined period.

19. The image display system as claimed in claim 13, wherein during the host controlling the cursor with the inertial displacement, the navigation unit outputs a disable signal to the host for disabling the inertial unit when detecting a click signal, a roller signal, a nonzero displacement, a sense signal of a capacitive touch device or a sense signal of an optical finger navigation.