Optical device, and optical mouse incorporating the optical device
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An optical device to be positioned over a surface for illuminating an area thereof, and comprising:
- a light source; and
a light guide for projecting light from said light source onto the area, said light guide comprising a body of optically transparent material defining a prism and including an input face directed towards said light source and an output face directed away from the input face at an angle so that the light from said light source is refracted onto the area by the prism without undergoing reflection;
the prism comprising an extension for locating said light source in a given relationship with respect to the input face;
said light source comprising a light emitting diode (LED) mounted to the extension so that the input face is at an angle with respect to an emission axis of the LED.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An optical mouse includes a base and a lens for forming an image on an image sensor package. An LED projects light into the field of view of the lens via a prism. The prism enables the LED to be set horizontally, which reduces optical losses. The prism and lens may form part of a single molding.
5 Citations
25 Claims
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1. An optical device to be positioned over a surface for illuminating an area thereof, and comprising:
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a light source; and a light guide for projecting light from said light source onto the area, said light guide comprising a body of optically transparent material defining a prism and including an input face directed towards said light source and an output face directed away from the input face at an angle so that the light from said light source is refracted onto the area by the prism without undergoing reflection; the prism comprising an extension for locating said light source in a given relationship with respect to the input face; said light source comprising a light emitting diode (LED) mounted to the extension so that the input face is at an angle with respect to an emission axis of the LED. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An optical mouse comprising:
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a base for sliding across a surface and including an aperture therein; a light source for generating light; an optical assembly for directing the light from said light source through the aperture, and comprising a prism having an input face directed towards said light source and an output face directed away from the input face at an angle so that the light from said light source is refracted onto the surface by the prism without undergoing reflection; a lens for viewing the light projected on the surface; and an image sensor for receiving an image from said lens; said light source comprising a light emitting diode (LED) parallel to the surface; the prism comprising an extension on which said LED is mounted. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for operating an optical device comprising a light source and a light guide for projecting light therefrom onto a surface to be illuminated, the method comprising:
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positioning the optical device over the surface to be illuminated; and projecting light from the light source using a body of optically transparent material defining a prism, the prism including an input face directed towards the light source and an output face directed away from the input face at an angle so that the light from the light source is refracted onto the surface by the prism without undergoing reflection, the prism comprising an extension for locating the light source in a given relationship with respect to the input face, and the light source comprising a light emitting diode (LED) mounted to the extension so that the input face is at an angle with respect to an emission axis of the LED. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. An optical device to be positioned over a surface for illuminating an area thereof, and comprising:
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a light source; and a light guide for projecting light from said light source onto the area, said light guide comprising a body of optically transparent material defining a prism and including an input face directed towards said light source and an output face directed away from the input face at an angle so that the light from said light source is refracted onto the area by the prism without undergoing reflection; the input face having an angle between 25° and
45°
, and the output face having an angle between 0° and
−
5°
. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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24. An optical device to be positioned over a surface for illuminating an area thereof, and comprising:
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a light source; and a light guide for projecting light from said light source onto the area, said light guide comprising a body of optically transparent material defining a prism and including an input face directed towards said light source and an output face directed away from the input face at an angle so that the light from said light source is refracted onto the area by the prism without undergoing reflection; the input face having an angle of about 0°
, and the output face having an angle between −
20° and
−
30°
. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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Specification