Scanning mouse for a computer system

• US 5,994,710 A
• Filed: 04/30/1998
• Issued: 11/30/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.), Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.), PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Knee, Derek L., Davis, Bradley K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John R
• Application Number:
  US09/070,189
• Time in Patent Office: 579 Days
• Field of Search: 250/208.1, 250/208.2, 250/556, 250/557, 250/221, 250/222.1, 250/237 R, 250/239, 250/559.4, 250/559.44, 250/559.29, 250/559.37, 345/156, 345/157, 345/158, 345/163, 345/164, 345/165, 345/166, 382/312, 382/313, 382/314, 382/315, 382/316, 382/321, 382/322, 382/323, 382/324, 358/473, 341/5, 341/6, 341/13, 341/31
• US Class Current: 250/557
• 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

Abstract

A scanning mouse has two optical navigation sensors to allow measurement of both translation and rotation of the scanning mouse. It also has an image sensor, and the ability to digitize the sensed image data. There may be a second image sensor at perpendicular to the first. A high speed digital data path connects the scanning mouse to the computer. Software in the computer processes image line data that includes the locations of the navigation sensors and the digitized image data to produce partial scanned images that are further assembled into a complete image within the environment of the computer. Each optical navigation sensor images as an array of pixels the spatial features of generally any micro textured or micro detailed work surface below the mouse. The photo detector responses are digitized and stored as a frame into memory. Motion produces successive frames of translated patterns of pixel information, which are compared by autocorrelation to ascertain the direction and amount of movement. A hold feature suspends the production of movement signals to the computer.

Claims

1. A hand held pointing and scanning device, the device comprising:

a housing having a flat bottom surface that moves against a work surface having imageable features;

the housing also having a top surface shaped to receive a human hand and having a first axis extending generally in the direction from where the heel of the hand rests on the top surface to where the middle finger rest on the top surface, and a second axis perpendicular to the first, both axes being parallel to the bottom surface;

a first aperture in the bottom surface;

a first navigation sensor aligned with the first aperture and that produces first incremental displacement signals from imageable features on the work surface and visible through the first aperture, the first incremental displacement signals indicative of first motion in directions along the first and second axes and relative to the imageable features visible through the first aperture;

a second aperture in the bottom surface;

a second navigation sensor aligned with the second aperture and that produces second incremental displacement signals from imageable features on the work surface and visible through the second aperture, the second incremental displacement signals indicative of second motion in directions along the first and second axes and relative to the imageable features visible through the second aperture;

a third aperture in the bottom surface;

an image sensor aligned with the third aperture and that produces image data during selected times; and

a formatting mechanism coupled to the first and second incremental displacement signals and to the image data and during the selected time sends a formatted version of those data to a computer and that sends the first incremental displacement data during other times.

2. A device as in claim 1 further comprising a switch activatable by a finger of the human hand and wherein the selected time is defined by a position of the switch.

3. A device as in claim 1 wherein the image sensor is a contact image sensor.

4. A device as in claim 1 wherein the first incremental displacement signals are produced at the start of producing the image data and the second incremental displacement signals are produced at the conclusion of producing the image data.

5. A device as in claim 1 wherein the image sensor is a color image sensor.