Inertial mouse system

• US 4,787,051 A
• Filed: 05/16/1986
• Issued: 11/22/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tektronix Incorporated (Fortive Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Tektronix Incorporated (Fortive Corp.)
• Inventors: Olson, Lynn T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harkcom, Gary V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Herndon, H. R.
• Application Number:
  US06/864,053
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 364/518, 364/444, 364/449, 364/453, 340/707-710, 178/18-20
• US Class Current: 345/179
• 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 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence

Abstract

A hand-held inertial mouse provides input data to a computer from which the computer can determine the translational and angular displacement of the mouse. The mouse includes accelerometers for producing output signals of magnitudes proportional to the translational acceleration of the mouse in three non-parallel directions. Pairs of these accelerometers are positioned to detect acceleration along each axis of a cartesian coordinate system such that an angular acceleration of the mouse about any axis of rotation causes representative differences in the magnitudes of the output signals of one or more of these accelerometer pairs. The translational velocity and displacement of the mouse is determined by integrating the accelerometer output signals and the angular velocity and displacement of the mouse is determined by integrating the difference between the output signals of the accelerometer pairs.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing data to a computer from which the computer can determine an operator selected spatial position with respect to a reference point corresponding to a location on a display, the apparatus comprising:

a chassis adapted to be held in an operator'"'"'s hand;

an accelerometer mounted on the chassis for producing an output signal of magnitude proportional to the acceleration of the chassis as the operator moves the chassis from a reference point;

means for integrating the accelerometer output signal to produce velocity data of magnitude proportional to the velocity of said chassis; and

means for providing said velocity data to a computer so that the computer can integrate the velocity data to determine the magnitude of the displacement of the chassis from the reference point, the displacement of the chassis being indicative of its spatial position with respect to the reference point.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising means for transmitting an operator initiated indicating signal to said computer so that the operator can indicate to said computer when the operator has moved the chassis to a selected spatial position.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

switch means mounted on said chassis, said switch means being operable by said operator; and

means for transmitting an indicating signal to said computer when said operator operates said switch means.

4. An apparatus for providing data to a computerized graphics system, said data representing an operator selected spatial position with respect to a reference point corresponding to an operator viewable display, the apparatus comprising:

a chassis adapted to be held in an operator'"'"'s hand;

an accelerometer mounted on the chassis for producing an output signal of magnitude proportional to the acceleration of the chassis when the operator moves the chassis from a reference point; and

means for twice integrating the accelerometer output signal to determine the displacement of said chassis from the reference point and for providing data representative of said displacement to said computerized graphics system.

5. An inertial mouse system for permitting an operator to provide data to a computer graphics system indicating an operator selected spatial position with respect to a reference point, the inertial mouse system comprising:

a chassis adapted to be held in an operator'"'"'s hand;

means responsive to operator input for transmitting an indicating signal to the computer when the operator has moved the chassis from a reference point to said operator selected spatial position;

an accelerometer mounted on said chassis for producing an accelerometer output signal of magnitude proportional to the acceleration of the chassis;

an integrator circuit mounted on said chassis for integrating the accelerometer output signal to produce a velocity signal;

an analog-to-digital converter for periodically converting the velocity signal to digital data thereby producing a sequence of digital data; and

means for integrating the magnitude of said sequence of digital data produced by said analog-to-digital converter to produce displacement data proportional to the displacement of the chassis from the reference point.

6. An apparatus for permitting an operator to provide input data to a computer from which the computer can determine an operator selected spatial position, said apparatus comprising:

a chassis adapted to be held in an operator'"'"'s hand;

means for asserting a reset signal when the operator is not moving the chassis;

an accelerometer mounted on said chassis for producing an accelerometer output signal of magnitude proportional to the acceleration of the chassis when the operator moves the chassis from a reference point;

an integrator circuit mounted on said chassis, responsive to said reset signal, for integrating the accelerometer output signal to produce an integrator circuit output signal proportional to the velocity of the chassis, said integrator circuit including means for setting said integrator output signal to zero magnitude upon assertion of said reset signal;

an analog-to-digital converter for periodically converting the integrator circuit output signal to a representative digital quantity thereby producing a sequence of data representing the velocity of said chassis; and

means for transmitting said sequence of data to said computer, said computer integrating said sequence of data to determine the displacement of said chassis from said reference point.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said means for asserting a reset signal comprises:

frequency detection means for indicating when said accelerometer output signal oscillates with a frequency component within a predetermined range of frequency components; and

means for causing said reset signal to be periodically asserted when said frequency detection means indicates that said accelerometer output signal does not oscillate with a frequency component within said predetermined range.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising a manually operable switch mounted on said chassis, said reset signal being asserted when said operator operates said switch.

9. An apparatus for permitting an operator to provide input data to a computer from which the computer can determine an operator selected spatial position with respect to a reference point, said apparatus comprising:

a chassis adapted to be held in an operator'"'"'s hand;

a plurality of accelerometers positioned on said chassis for producing output signals of magnitudes proportional to the translational acceleration of the chassis in a plurality of non-parallel directions when the operator moves the chassis from a reference point;

means for twice integrating the output signals of said accelerometers to produce displacement velocity indicating data indicating the displacement of said chassis from said reference point; and

means for providing said displacement indicating data to a computer.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 further comprising:

light detecting means mounted on said chassis for detecting light of a minimum intensity; and

means responsive to said light detecting means for transmitting to said computer a light detection indicating signal when said light detecting means detects light of said minimum intensity.

11. An apparatus for permitting an operator to provide input data to a computer from which the computer can determine an operator selected spatial position with respect to a reference point, said apparatus comprising:

a chassis adapted to be held in an operator'"'"'s hand;

a plurality of accelerometers, each for producing an output signal porportional to an acceleration in one direction, positioned on said chassis such that said each accelerometer produces an output signal of magnitude proportional to the translational acceleration of the chassis in one direction when the operator moves the chassis from a reference point, pairs of said accelerometers being oriented for detecting accelerations along each of the axis of a three-dimensional cartesian coordinate system such that an angular acceleration of the chassis about an axis of rotation in any direction causes a difference between the magnitudes of the output signals of the accelerometers of at least one of said accelerometer pairs;

means for integrating the output signal of each of said accelerometers to produce translational velocity indicating signals of magnitude proportional to the velocity of said chassis in a plurality of directions;

means for differencing the integrated output signals of the accelerometers of said pairs of accelerometers to produce angular velocity indicating signals of magnitude proportional to the angular velocity of the chassis; and

means responsive to said translational and angular velocity indicating signals for transmitting to said computer data of magnitude proportional to said translational and angular velocity indicating signals.