Hand held pointing device with roll compensation

• US 9,870,070 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2016
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Movea SA (TDK Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Movea SA (TDK Corporation)
• Inventors: Mathews, Michael, Mason, Walter M.
• Primary Examiner(s): ROSARIO, NELSON M
• Application Number:
  US15/008,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20160139687A1
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 702141, 702 33- 36, 702 41, 702 81, 702 84- 85, 702 92, 702 94- 97, 702127, 702142, 702145-147, 702149-153, 702155, 702157-158, 702179, 702182-183, 702188-189, 702198-199, 345156-159, 345163, 73 137, 73 175, 73 179, 33574, 33579, 340500, 340540, 340669-671
• 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 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device

Abstract

A pointing device includes accelerometers and rotational sensors that are coupled to a processor. The processor samples the accelerometers and rotational sensors to detect gravity and pointing device motion and uses algebraic algorithms to calculate roll compensated cursor control signals. The processor transmits the cursor control signals to a receiver that is coupled to an electronic device that moves the cursor on the visual display.

Claims

1. A pointing device for controlling movement of a cursor on an electronic display comprising:

a first rotational sensor providing a first rotational velocity signal R_X for rotational movement about a first axis;

a second rotational sensor providing a second rotational velocity signal R_Z for rotational movement about a second axis;

a first accelerometer providing a first acceleration signal A_X in response to an acceleration in a first direction along the first axis;

a second accelerometer providing a second acceleration signal A_Z in response to an acceleration in a second direction along the second axis;

a third accelerometer providing a third acceleration signal A_Y in response to an acceleration in a third direction along a third axis,

a processing unit that calculates from R_X, R_Z, A_X, A_Y and A_Z both a first vertical cursor movement signal compensated for roll angle and a second horizontal cursor movement signal compensated for roll angle so that the cursor'"'"'s direction is made independent of the roll angle of the pointing device,

wherein the second horizontal cursor movement signal is further compensated for pitch angle so that the horizontal displacement of the cursor is made independent of the pitch angle of the pointing device,

wherein vertical and horizontal directions are determined in reference to the electronic display frame,

and wherein the processing unit calculates a vector sum A_XZ of A_X and A_Z, and calculates cursor movement signals compensated for roll angle X_comp and Y_comp with the equations;

X_comp=[A_Z*R_X+A_X*R_Z]/A_XZ; and

Y_comp=[A_X*R_X−

A_Z*R_Z]/A_XZ.

2. A pointing device for controlling movement of a cursor on an electronic display comprising:

a first rotational sensor providing a first rotational velocity signal R_X for rotational movement about a first axis;

a second rotational sensor providing a second rotational velocity signal R_Z for rotational movement about a second axis;

a first accelerometer providing a first acceleration signal A_X in response to an acceleration in a first direction along the first axis;

a second accelerometer providing a second acceleration signal A_Z in response to an acceleration in a second direction along the second axis;

a third accelerometer providing a third acceleration signal A_Y in response to an acceleration in a third direction along a third axis; and

a processing unit that calculates, from R_X, R_Z, A_X, A_Y and A_Z, first cursor movement signals X_comp and Y_comp compensated for roll angle, and wherein signal X_comp is further compensated for pitch angle of the device as X_{comp corrected};

wherein the processing unit calculates X_{comp corrected}, the further compensation of roll compensated cursor movement signal X_comp, for pitch angle of the device with the equation X_{comp corrected}=X_comp/ cos(Pitch), where Pitch is the pitch angle of the device.

3. A pointing device for controlling movement of a cursor on an electronic display comprising:

a first rotational sensor providing a first rotational velocity signal R_X for rotational movement about a first axis;

a second rotational sensor providing a second rotational velocity signal R_Z for rotational movement about a second axis;

a first accelerometer providing a first acceleration signal A_X in response to an acceleration in a first direction along the first axis;

a second accelerometer providing a second acceleration signal A_Z in response to an acceleration in a second direction along the second axis;

a third accelerometer providing a third acceleration signal A_Y in response to an acceleration in a third direction along a third axis; and

a processing unit that calculates, from R_X, R_Z, A_X, A_Y and A_Z, first cursor movement signals X_comp and Y_comp compensated for roll angle, and wherein signal X_comp is further compensated for pitch angle of the device as X_{comp corrected},

wherein the processing unit calculates a vector sum A_XZ of A_X and A_Z, a vector sum A_XYZ of A_X, A_Y and A_Z, and wherein X_{comp corrected}, the further compensation of roll compensated cursor movement signal X_comp for pitch angle of the device, is calculated with the equation X_{comp corrected}=X_Comp*[A_XYZ/A_XZ].

4. A pointing device for controlling movement of a cursor on an electronic display comprising:

a first rotational sensor providing a first rotational velocity signal R_X for rotational movement about a first axis;

a second rotational sensor providing a second rotational velocity signal R_Z for rotational movement about a second axis;

a first accelerometer providing a first acceleration signal A_X in response to an acceleration in a first direction along the first axis;

a second accelerometer providing a second acceleration signal A_Z in response to an acceleration in a second direction along the second axis;

a third accelerometer providing a third acceleration signal A_Y in response to an acceleration in a third direction along a third axis; and

a processing unit that calculates, from R_X, R_Z, A_X, A_Y and A_Z, first cursor movement signals X_comp and Y_comp compensated for roll angle, and wherein signal X_comp is further compensated for pitch angle of the device as X_{comp corrected},

wherein the processing unit calculates a vector sum A_XZ of A_X and A_Z, a vector sum A_XYZ of A_X, A_Y and A_Z, and roll and pitch compensated cursor movement signal X_{comp corrected} and roll compensated cursor movement signal X_comp with the equations;

X_{comp corrected}=[A_Z*R_X+A_X*R_Z]/A_XZ*[A_XYZ/A_XZ]; and

Y_comp=[A_X*R_X−

A_Z*R_Z]/A_XZ.