Multidimensional signal input device

Communications: electrical – Continuously variable indicating – With particular transmitter

Patent

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Details

341 20, 273438, 364190, 345157, 345161, G08C 1906, G09G 302

Patent

active

053292766

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF ART

The present invention is a multidimensional signal input device which is suitable for use as a device by which an operator gives relative motion commands on a non-contact basis while observing an object to be controlled to convert intended information into electric signals, and which is especially suitable for use as a device for inputting two-dimensional or three-dimensional coordinates or directions for a computer or an operation command device for a robot.


BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Ordinarily, a track ball, a joy stick, a mouse or the like have been widely used as devices for inputting coordinates or directions for a computer.
However, in the case of a conventional mouse, as a ball in the mouse is rolled and the quantity of the displacement is mechanically detected, it requires a certain range of smooth surface to be operated.
Although a conventional joy stick does not occupy much space, its movable portion has a limited range, which makes it difficult to use for performing minute input operations.
A conventional track ball does not have the problems as described above but it is difficult to operate the buttons on the track ball and the track ball itself simultaneously.
Further, though these devices are intrinsically two-dimensional dimensional input devices, there are conventional devices which have been modified into three-dimensional input devices (refer to unexamined Japanese published patent application No. 62-40619 for a track ball which represents such a case). However, since these three-dimensional devices are obtained by modifying intrinsically two-dimensional devices, they require the operator to perform unnatural operations that are different from what the operator intends.
As a device for three-dimensional input operations on a non-contact basis, for example, unexamined Japanese published patent application No. 1-96720 discloses a coordinate input device utilizing an acceleration sensor. When this device is manually put in a translation motion, it detects the motion from the acceleration. It does not provide information regarding rotation and is apt to generate operational errors, and it is expensive because it performs complicated operations wherein the acceleration must be integrated twice to be converted into position coordinates.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a non-contact multidimensional information input device which solves the above-mentioned problems and allows input to be made in a way that the operator intends with high accuracy at low cost and without restrictions on the place in which it is used.


DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

In order to accomplish such purposes, the present invention comprises angular velocity detectors provided on the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis which are orthogonal to each other, an operation unit in which said angular velocity detectors are installed, a shape like a box or an elliptic cylinder with grooves provided at the side portion thereof which comes into contact with three fingers, for facilitating gripping and installation on an articulation, shoulder, head or the like, and a circuit which converts angular velocity signals of each axis obtained from the operation unit into signals usable by a computer by means of V/F converters, sign detection circuits connected in parallel with the V/F converters, gate circuits for counting or stopping the output of the V/F converters in response to a command signal from a button pushed by an operator, and counter circuits. The motion of the operator's hand is directly detected by the operation unit. Output signals from the operation unit are processed and input to a computer as displacement signals, and commands from the operator are given through button operations.
When the operator maneuvers the operation unit into a three-dimensional rotary motion, the angular velocity detectors provided on the axes detect angular velocities about the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis. The angular velocities are integrated once by the circuit from the V/F converters up to the counter circuits to ob

REFERENCES:
patent: 4563740 (1986-01-01), Blake et al.
patent: 4787051 (1988-11-01), Olson
patent: 4839838 (1989-06-01), LaBiche et al.
patent: 5128671 (1992-07-01), Thomas, Jr.
patent: 5223709 (1993-06-01), Pettypiece, Jr.

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