Capacitive mouse

• US 6,587,093 B1
• Filed: 11/03/2000
• Issued: 07/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Errington, Andrew M., Shaw, Scott J., Trent, Raymond A. Jr., Gillespie, David W., Day, Shawn P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Saras, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): BELL, PAUL A
• Application Number:
  US09/705,593
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/163, 345/164, 345/167, 345/173, 345/174, 345/184, 341/20, 341/22, 341/33, 178/18.06, 178/19.06, 324/658, 324/660, 324/661, 324/662, 324/686.725, 200/600, 340/870.37
• US Class Current: 345/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0312 for tracking the rotation of a spherical or circular member, e.g. optical rotary encoders used in mice or trackballs using a tracking ball or in mouse scroll wheels tracking relative movement in co-operation with a regularly or irregularly patterned surface, e.g. as in optical mice G06F3/0317; constructional details of scroll or thumb-wheels G06F3/0362; optical rotary encoders G01D5/3473
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts

Abstract

A pointing device some or all of whose elements are made from capacitive sensors. Such elements may include a rotary motion detector which includes a rotating member and a plurality of fixed capacitive detecting members; a rolling ball with patterned conductive surface and a plurality of fixed capacitive detecting members; capacitive touch sensors or capacitive switches to serve as mouse buttons; and a scrolling wheel, knob, or touch surface built from capacitive sensors. The pointing device further includes a capacitance measuring circuit and processor to measure variations of capacitance on the various capacitive elements and to determine the movement of and other activations of the mouse.

Claims

1. A rotary motion detector comprising:

a rotating member, said rotating member including only one electrically conductive pattern of conductive material;

a capacitance detecting means operatively coupled to said rotating member said capacitance detecting means comprising a plurality of fixed capacitance detecting members and a capacitance measuring circuit that measures the variations of capacitance on said capacitance detecting members, and

processing means operatively coupled to said capacitance detecting means to determine the movement of said rotating member based on said capacitance measurements.

2. The rotary motion detector of claim 1 in which said rotating member includes a disc with an electrically conductive notched pattern.

3. The rotary motion detector of claim 2 in which said conductive notched pattern is electrically grounded.

4. The rotary motion detector of claim 2 in which said capacitance detecting members comprise conductive plates in close proximity to said electrically conductive notched pattern of said disc.

5. The rotary motion detector of claim 4, in which said capacitance detector includes at least three of said capacitance detecting members.

6. The rotary motion detector of claim 5, in which said processing means combines the capacitance measurements from said capacitance detecting members to compensate for variations in distance between said capacitance detecting members and said rotating member.

7. The rotary motion detector of claim 4, in which motion of a pointing device is detectable by said rotary motion detector.

8. The rotary motion detector of claim 4, in which computer scrolling commands are detectable by said rotary motion detector.

9. The rotary motion detector of claim 1 in which said rotating member includes at least one pattern of conductive material.

10. The rotary motion detector of claim 1 in which said capacitance detecting members comprise conductive plates in close proximity to said rotating member.

11. The rotary motion detector of claim 1, in which said capacitance measuring circuit produces digitized output for said processing means.

12. The rotary motion detector of claim 1, in which said capacitance measuring unit produces varying capacitance measurements for said processing means.

13. The rotary motion detector of claim 12, in which said processing means uses said varying capacitance measurements to measure the motion of said rotating member to greater resolution than the size of said capacitance detecting members.

14. The rotary motion detector of claim 1, in which said rotating member is electrically connected to said capacitance measuring circuit, and said capacitance detector measures capacitance between said rotating member and said capacitance detecting members.

15. The rotary motion detector of claim 1, in which said rotating member is capacitively coupled to said capacitance measuring circuit, and said capacitance detector measures transcapacitance between said capacitance measuring circuit and said capacitance detecting members.

16. The rotary motion detector of claim 1, in which said rotating member induces transcapacitance between some of said capacitance detecting members, and said capacitance detector measures said transcapacitance between said capacitance detecting members.

17. The rotary motion detector of claim 1, in which motion of a pointing device is detectable by said rotary motion detector.

18. The rotary motion detector of claim 1, in which computer scrolling commands are detectable by said rotary motion detector.

19. The rotary motion detector of claim 18, in which said rotary motion detector is contained within a computer pointing device.

20. A rotary motion detector comprising:

a rotating member;

a capacitance detecting means operatively coupled to said rotating member said capacitance detecting means comprising a plurality of fixed capacitance detecting members and a capacitance measuring circuit that measures the variations of capacitance on said capacitance detecting members, and

processing means operatively coupled to said capacitance detecting means to determine the movement of said rotating member based on said capacitance measurements, said capacitance measuring circuit produces varying capacitance measurements for said processing means, said processing means uses said varying capacitance measurements to measure the motion of said rotating member to greater resolution than the size of said capacitance detecting members.

21. The rotary motion detector of claim 20, in which motion of a pointing device is detectable by said rotary motion detector.

22. The rotary motion detector of claim 20, in which computer scrolling commands are detectable by said rotary motion detector.

23. A rotary motion detector comprising:

a rotating member;

a capacitance detecting means operatively coupled to said rotating member said capacitance detecting means comprising a plurality of fixed capacitance detecting members and a capacitance measuring circuit that measures the variations of capacitance on said capacitance detecting members, wherein said rotating member is electrically connected via physical contact to said capacitance measuring circuit, and said capacitance detecting means measures capacitance between said rotating member and said capacitance detecting members; and

processing means operatively coupled to said capacitance detecting means to determine the movement of said rotating member based on said capacitance measurements.

24. The rotary motion detector of claim 23, in which said rotating member and said capacitance measuring circuit are connected to electrical ground.

25. A rotary motion detector comprising:

a rotating member;

a capacitance detecting means operatively coupled to said rotating member, said capacitance detecting means comprising a plurality of fixed capacitance detecting members and a capacitance measuring circuit that measures the variations of capacitance on said capacitance detecting members, and

processing means operatively coupled to said capacitance detecting means to determine the movement of said rotating member based on said capacitance measurements, wherein said processing means combines the capacitance measurements from said capacitance detecting member to compensate for variations in distance between said capacitance detecting member and said rotating member.

26. A rotary motion detector comprising:

a rotating member, wherein said rotating member includes an electrically conductive notched pattern that is electrically grounded;

a capacitance detecting means operatively coupled to said rotating member said capacitance detecting means comprising a plurality of fixed capacitance detecting members and a capacitance measuring circuit that measures the variations of capacitance on said capacitance detecting members, and

processing means operatively coupled to said capacitance detecting means to determine the movement of said rotating member based on said capacitance measurements.

27. A rotary motion detector comprising:

a rotating member, said rotating member including spaced apart conductive regions disposed along a locus of points defined by a radius from the center of the rotating member, spaced apart conductive regions being electrically grounded;

at least two spaced apart conductive surfaces capacitively coupled to said spaced apart regions of said rotating member;

a capacitance measuring circuit operatively coupled to said at least two spaced apart conductive surfaces; and

a processor operatively coupled to said capacitance measuring circuit.

28. A rotary motion detector comprising:

a rotating member, said rotating member including spaced apart conductive regions disposed along a locus of points defined by a radius from the center of the rotating member;

at least two spaced apart conductive surfaces capacitively coupled to said spaced apart regions of said rotating member;

a capacitance measuring circuit operatively coupled to said at least two spaced apart conductive surfaces; and

a processor operatively coupled to said capacitance measuring circuit, wherein said processor combines capacitance measurements from said capacitance measuring circuit to compensate for variations in distance between said at least two spaced apart conductive surfaces and said rotating member.

29. A rotary motion detector comprising:

a rotating member, said rotating member including spaced apart conductive regions disposed along a locus of points defined by a radius from the center of the rotating member;

at least two spaced apart conductive surfaces capacitively coupled to said spaced apart regions of said rotating member;

a capacitance measuring circuit operatively coupled to said at least two spaced apart conductive surfaces; and

a processor operatively coupled to said capacitance measuring circuit, wherein said capacitance measuring circuit produces varying capacitance measurements for said processor and said processor uses said varying capacitance measurements to measure the motion of said rotating member to greater resolution that the size of said at least two spaced apart conductive surfaces.

30. A rotary motion detector comprising:

a rotating member, said rotating member including spaced apart conductive regions disposed along a locus of points defined by a radius from the center of the rotating member;

at least two spaced apart conductive surfaces capacitively coupled to said spaced apart regions of said rotating member;

a capacitance measuring circuit operatively coupled to said at least two spaced apart conductive surfaces, wherein said rotating member is electrically connected via physical contact to said capacitance measuring circuit, and said capacitance measuring circuit measures capacitance between said rotating member and said at least two spaced apart conductive surfaces; and

a processor operatively coupled to said capacitance measuring circuit.

31. A rotary motion detector comprising:

a rotating member, said rotating member including spaced apart conductive regions disposed along a locus of points defined by a radius from the center of the rotating member;

at least two spaced apart conductive surfaces capacitively coupled to said spaced apart regions of said rotating member;

a capacitance measuring circuit operatively coupled to said at least two spaced apart conductive surfaces, wherein said rotating member and said capacitance measuring circuit are connected to electrical ground; and

a processor operatively coupled to said capacitance measuring circuit.