Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display peripheral interface input device – Cursor mark position control device
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-04
2004-02-24
Chow, Dennis-Doon (Department: 2675)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display peripheral interface input device
Cursor mark position control device
C345S165000, C345S179000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06697053
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image sensor mouse. More particularly, the present invention relates to an image sensor mouse in which a full color light emitting diode is used as a light source for irradiating a reflection surface on which the image sensor mouse is moved.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a mouse connected to a computer via a cable for pointing a cursor position on a computer display device, there has conventionally been used a direction pointing device like a mouse by which an amount of movement of a ball moving on a plane or reflecting surface is converted into values of X-Y axis coordinates to obtain an X-axis coordinate signal and a Y-axis coordinate signal. In such a contact type mouse in which a ball moves on a plane, there is a danger to cause an operation error due to the contamination of the mouse by the dust.
For this reason, there has been developed a contact-less type mouse that optically obtains an X-axis coordinate signal and a Y-axis coordinate signal without using a ball for obtaining an X-axis coordinate signal and a Y-axis coordinate signal. For example, refer to U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,505. As a contact-less type mouse, there has been in practical use a mouse that detects an amount of movement and a direction of movement of the mouse using an image processing coordinate conversion integrated circuit, and converts the detected results into an X-axis coordinate signal and a Y-axis coordinate signal as output signals. The contact-less type mouse will be briefly explained below with reference to
FIGS. 6 and 7
.
A reference numeral
1
denotes an upper side case of the mouse made of a light transmittable plastic material. This upper side case
1
has a crooked upward convex shape. On the front portion of the upper side case
1
as shown on the left side of the plan view in
FIG. 6
, a selection key
611
is connected to the left side of a primary part
10
of the mouse via a hinge, and a menu display key
621
is connected to the right side of the primary part
10
of the mouse via a hinge. A reference numeral
641
denotes a slit formed on the border between the selection key
611
and the menu display key
621
.
A reference numeral
2
denotes a lower side case sheltered by the upper side case
1
. An outer surface of a bottom wall
21
of the lower side case
2
is formed on a plane on which the bottom wall
21
moves contacting with a reflection surface S. At the substantially central portion of the bottom wall
21
, a central aperture
20
is formed. An arc front edge projection
211
is formed at a front position close to the central aperture
20
of the inner surface of the bottom wall
21
, and an arc rear edge projection
212
is formed at a rear position close to the central aperture
20
of the inner surface of the bottom wall
21
. A pair of left and right protrusions
22
are formed at further front position on the inner surface of the bottom wall
21
.
A lens member
3
made of a transparent material is engaged with the arc front edge projection
211
and the arc rear edge projection
212
formed on the inner surface of the bottom wall
21
of the lower side case
2
so as to be positioned between those projections
211
and
212
. This lens member
3
comprises a collimator lens
31
for collimating a light radiated from a light emitting diode
8
, which is to be explained later, an optical guide part
32
for guiding a reflected light reflected by the reflection surface S, an optical coupling part
33
for coupling the collimator lens
31
and the optical guide part
32
, and a disk type positioning board
34
for supporting thereon those collimator lens
31
, the optical guide part
32
and the optical coupling part
33
which are integrally assembled together into one body.
A reference numeral
5
denotes a printed circuit board, which is secured to the lower side case
2
such that the printed circuit board
5
is mounted on the top ends of the pair of protrusions
22
formed at the front position on the bottom wall
21
of the lower side case
2
, the top end of the arc front edge projection
211
and the top end of the arc rear edge projection
212
. An optical guide part aperture
51
is formed on the printed circuit board
5
correspondingly to the optical guide part
32
and the optical coupling part
31
of the lens member
3
. The printed circuit board
5
is connected to a computer, a power supply, and other external circuit devices (not shown) via a cable
52
and a plug, for example, a universal serial bus (USB) plug
53
. A reference numeral
50
denotes a connector.
A reference numeral
7
denotes an image processing coordinate conversion integrated circuit mounted on the upper surface of the printed circuit board
5
. This image processing coordinate conversion integrated circuit
7
has a light receiving lens
71
on the lower surface thereof. In addition, the image processing coordinate conversion integrated circuit
7
includes therein an image sensor
72
that has a central axis common with a central axis of the light receiving lens
71
and an optical axis of the aforementioned optical guide part
32
. By this structure, the central axis of the light receiving lens
71
, the optical axis of the optical guide part
32
and the central axis of the image sensor
72
are set in a common axis. The image processing coordinate conversion integrated circuit
7
is electrically connected to the wirings (not shown) formed on the printed circuit board
5
.
A reference numeral
60
denotes a pair of shaft-supporting props for a scroll wheel
64
which are formed on the upper surface of the bottom wall
21
of the lower side case
2
. Each of the shaft-supporting props
60
has thereon a shaft-supporting slit
661
in which a shaft
66
is movable upward and downward. Reference numerals
61
,
62
and
63
denote a selection switch, a menu display switch and a scroll switch, respectively, and those switches are mounted on the upper surface of the printed circuit board
5
. The selection switch
61
is operated by a depression movement of the selection key
611
formed on the upper side case
1
, and the menu display switch
62
is operated, similarly to the selection key
61
, by a depression movement of the menu display key
621
formed on the upper side case
1
. The scroll switch
63
is operated and controlled by a downward movement of the driving shaft
66
in the shaft-supporting slits of the shaft-supporting props
60
caused by a depression movement of the scroll wheel
64
that is projected upward from the slit
641
formed between the selection key
611
and the menu display key
621
. Further, the scroll switch
63
is biased upward by a restoring bias spring force (not shown). When the depression force of the scroll wheel
64
is removed, the shaft
66
is moved upward, and the scroll switch
63
is restored to its off state. Under the condition that this mouse is supported by a specific operating system, by having the entire image sensor mouse scan toward arbitrary direction leaving the scroll wheel
64
depressed, a displayed screen image can be scrolled toward the scanning direction. A reference numeral
65
denotes a mechanical encoder. When the scroll wheel
64
is rotated, the mechanical encoder
65
is rotated via the rotary movement of the driving shaft
66
. The displayed screen image is scrolled upward and downward correspondingly to the rotation of the encoder
65
. The rotation ratio between the scroll wheel
64
and the encoder
65
is designed to be 1:1.
Here, the driving operation of the light emitting diode
8
will be explained below with reference to
FIGS. 8A and 8B
. This light emitting diode
8
is mounted on the upper surface of the printed circuit board
5
, and emits a single color light having red color (R). This light emitting diode
8
is connected to an external power supply (not shown) via the printed wirings on the printed circuit board
5
, the cable
52
and the USB plug
53
. A reference numeral
90
denotes a switching
Chow Dennis-Doon
Gallagher & Lathrop
Hosiden Corporation
Lathrop, Esq. David N.
LandOfFree
Image sensor mouse does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Image sensor mouse, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Image sensor mouse will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3327345