Pointing device
First Claim
1. A pointing device comprising:
- a light emitting means for illuminating a subject selected from the group consisting of a surface of a finger, a lattice, and any perceivable pattern;
a hole through which light from the light emitting means is transmitted;
an image-acquisition area for taking an image of the subject from the transmitted light;
an image-formation means for forming an image by focusing the light reflected from the image-acquisition area;
a conversion means for converting the image formed by the image-formation means into an electric signal; and
an operation means for detecting the change of the image and calculating the amount of the change using the electric signal output from the conversion means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A pointing device to operate a portable electronic device using a finger is disclosed. The pointing device comprises a light emitting means for illuminating a subject; a hole through which light from the light emitting means is transmitted; an image-acquisition area for taking an image of the subject from the transmitted light; an image-formation means for forming an image by focusing the light reflected from the image-acquisition area; a conversion means for converting the image formed by the image-formation means into an electric signal; and an operation means for detecting the change of the image and calculating the amount of the change using the electric signal output from the conversion means. The subject is preferably the surface of a finger, a lattice, or any perceivable pattern. The pointing device can be embodied on portable electronic devices such as cellular phones and PDAs because it is small in size.
75 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A pointing device comprising:
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a light emitting means for illuminating a subject selected from the group consisting of a surface of a finger, a lattice, and any perceivable pattern;
a hole through which light from the light emitting means is transmitted;
an image-acquisition area for taking an image of the subject from the transmitted light;
an image-formation means for forming an image by focusing the light reflected from the image-acquisition area;
a conversion means for converting the image formed by the image-formation means into an electric signal; and
an operation means for detecting the change of the image and calculating the amount of the change using the electric signal output from the conversion means. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 18, 19, 20)
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2. A pointing device comprising:
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a light emitting means;
a light guide structure for guiding light from the light emitting means to a subject selected from the group consisting of a surface of a finger, a lattice, and any perceivable pattern;
an image-acquisition area for taking an image of the subject from the guided light;
an image-formation means for forming an image by focusing the light reflected from the image-acquisition area;
a conversion means for converting the image formed by the image-formation means into an electric signal; and
an operation means for detecting the change of the image and calculating the amount of the change using the electric signal output from the conversion means.
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8. A pointing device comprising:
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a light emitting means;
a light guide structure for guiding light from the light emitting means to a subject;
an image-acquisition area for taking an image of the subject from the guided light;
an image-formation means for forming an image by focusing the light reflected from the image-acquisition area;
a housing coupled to the image-formation means;
a conversion means for converting the image formed by the image-formation means into an electric signal;
a printed circuit board on which the conversion means is fixed;
a cover for protecting the light emitting means, the image-formation means, the housing, the conversion means, and the printed circuit board; and
an operation means for detecting the change of the image and calculating the amount of the change using the electric signal output from the conversion means. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification