Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display peripheral interface input device – Cursor mark position control device
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-29
2004-05-18
Nguyen, Chanh (Department: 2675)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display peripheral interface input device
Cursor mark position control device
C345S161000, C324S207130
Reexamination Certificate
active
06738043
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coordinates input apparatus, and more particularly, to an improved coordinates input apparatus having a simplified structure and that can be used without the need for extensive special operating space.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, easy-to-operate pointing devices such as the mouse or digitizer, have come to be widely used instead of keyboards as an input means for desktop computers and the like.
For example, a mouse or a digitizer can be used with desktop computers and the like.
However, the laptop and other portable computers that have become popular in recent years are often used outdoors, in vehicles, and so forth, that is, in locations where there is no adequate flat surface on which to rest the computer. As a result, there is often little or no space in which to operate a pointing device such as a mouse or digitizer.
In response to such a requirement, a pointing device that tilts when pressed and the resulting angle of inclination sensed has been proposed as one type of suitable pointing device that is compact and requires very little space in which to operate.
A description of such a conventional compact pointing device will now be given with reference to
FIGS. 1
,
2
,
3
and
4
.
FIG. 1
is a diagram showing a front cross-sectional view of a conventional pointing device illustrating a state in which a key-top operating portion of the apparatus is in a substantially vertical state.
FIG. 2
is a diagram showing a front cross-sectional view of a conventional pointing device illustrating a state in which the key-top operating portion of the apparatus is in a tilted state.
FIG. 3
is a diagram illustrating the relative positions of the magnet and the magnetoelectric transducer of the pointing device shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
.
FIG. 4
is a diagram showing a side view of the magnet and magnetoelectric transducer of FIG.
3
.
According to the conventional art, a pointing device
1
comprises an operating part
2
, a pressure part
3
and a coordinates sensor
4
.
The operating part
2
comprises a key top
2
a
, a stick
2
b
fixedly mounted to one end of the key top
2
a
and consisting of a shaft
2
b
-
1
extending downward and terminating in a distal end formed into the shape of a hemisphere
2
b
-
2
with the rounded half upward (in the drawing), and a holder
2
c
which forms a sphere when joined to the hemispherical tip
2
b
-
2
of the stick
2
b
. A flange
2
b
-
3
extends horizontally from a lower edge of the hemisphere
2
b
-
2
, around the entire periphery thereof. The hemispherical tip
2
b
-
2
operating part
2
is contained within a container composed of an upper cover
5
a
with an aperture in the center thereof and a flat housing
5
b
, with a lower portion of the hemisphere
2
b
-
2
positioned above the center of the housing
5
b
and supported by a concavity
5
b
-
2
formed in a projection
5
b
-
1
projecting upward from the center of the housing
5
b
. At the same time, the upper part of the hemisphere
2
b
-
2
is retained in place by an inwardly and downwardly projecting part formed along the edge
5
a
-
1
of the opening in the upper cover
5
a.
The pressure part
3
comprises a cylindrical slider
3
a
slidably movable in a vertical direction along side walls
5
a
-
2
of the upper cover
5
a
and a coil spring
3
b
positioned between the floor of a concavity
3
a
-
1
formed inside the slider
3
a
and the upper cover
5
a
and attached at both ends thereto so as to impel the slider
3
a
downward at all times. A cylindrical projection
3
a
-
2
that projects toward the hemisphere
2
b
-
2
is provided on the slider
3
, such that a lower surface of this projection
3
a
-
2
engages the upper surface of the flange
2
b
-
3
.
The coordinates sensor
4
comprises a magnet
4
a
provided on an interior of the holder
2
c
and a plurality of magnetoelectric transducers
4
b
mounted on a printed circuit board
6
bonded to a bottom surface of the frame
5
, the magnetoelectric transducers
4
b
being recessedly mounted with respect to the bottom surface of the holder
2
c
. It should be noted that there are actually four magnetoelectric transducers
4
b
-
1
through
4
b
-
4
displaced a predetermined distance from the center line of the magnet
4
a
, as can be seen in FIG.
3
.
In the pointing device
1
having the structure described above, pressing and moving the key top
2
a
slides the slider
3
a
upward against the spring force of the coil spring
3
b
and, as shown in
FIG. 2
, the stick
2
b
is tilted in a given direction. At this time, the magnet
4
a
built into the holder
2
c
is tilted with respect to the magnetoelectric transducer
4
b
mounted on the printed circuit board
6
.
Then, by releasing the key top
2
a
, the spring force of the compressed coil spring
3
b
returns the key top
2
a
to an original position before it was manipulated, thus returning the positional relation between the magnet
4
a
and the magnetoelectric transducer
4
b
to an initial state as well.
A description will now be given of the principle upon which the coordinates detector of the pointing device
1
operates.
In a case in which the stick
2
b
is perpendicular to the printed circuit board
6
as shown in
FIG. 1
, then as shown by the solid line in
FIG. 4
the magnet
4
a
is separated from the four magnetoelectric transducers
4
b
(shown as
4
b
-
1
through
4
b
-
4
in
FIG. 3
) by a certain equal distance. Accordingly the magnetic field imparted to each of the magnetoelectric transducers
4
b
-
1
through
4
b
-
4
is essentially equal and thus, for example, if the direction from which the magnetic field is detected is perpendicular to the printed circuit board
6
, then the detected magnetic field direction components B
1
through B
4
of the magnetic flux density passing through the magnetoelectric transducers
4
b
-
1
through
4
b
-
4
would be substantially equal, and therefore the output voltage of each of the magnetoelectric transducers would also be essentially equal.
By contrast, if the stick
2
b
is tilted with respect to the printed circuit board
6
as shown in
FIG. 2
, then the distance separating the magnet
4
a
from the magnetoelectric element
4
b
changes as indicated by the dashed line in FIG.
4
. In the case of
FIG. 4
, the magnet
4
a
simultaneously approaches the magnetoelectric transducer
4
b
-
1
and moves further away from the magnetoelectric transducer
4
b
-
3
, so the detected magnetic field direction component B
1
increases while the detected magnetic field direction component B
3
decreases and the output voltages from the magnetoelectric transducers
4
b
-
1
and
4
b
-
3
change as well, with an angle of inclination &thgr; of the key top
2
a
deduced from a calculation of the difference in output between the magnetoelectric transducers
4
b
-
1
and
4
b
-
3
and further converted into an X-axis coordinate value for the purpose of moving a cursor on a display (coordinate space). Similarly, by calculating the difference in output voltages between the magnetoelectric transducers
4
b
-
2
and
4
b
-
4
the angle of inclination &thgr; of the key top
2
a
can be converted into a Y-axis coordinate value. That is, XY coordinate values can be obtained when the stick
2
b
tilts in a given direction based on the direction and angle of that tilt. These XY coordinates are input into a computer and the direction, extent and speed of movement of the pointer or cursor then displayed on the display.
However, the conventional pointing device as described above has a disadvantage in that the restorative force of a compressed coil spring
3
b
is employed to return the key top
2
a
to its original position after it has been tilted in a given direction, with the result that the overall size of the conventional pointing device is increased at least by an amount equivalent to that portion of the coil spring
3
b
that engages the key top
2
a
, thus limiting the extent to which the pointing device as a whole, an
Anyaso Uchendu O.
Fujitsu Takamisawa Component Limited
Nguyen Chanh
Staas & Halsey , LLP
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