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WO2007061228A1 - A pointing device capable of variable speed scrolling and a method using the same - Google Patents

A pointing device capable of variable speed scrolling and a method using the same Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2007061228A1
WO2007061228A1 PCT/KR2006/004940 KR2006004940W WO2007061228A1 WO 2007061228 A1 WO2007061228 A1 WO 2007061228A1 KR 2006004940 W KR2006004940 W KR 2006004940W WO 2007061228 A1 WO2007061228 A1 WO 2007061228A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
pointing device
housing
movement
user
recited
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/KR2006/004940
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Sung-Chul Juh
Original Assignee
Mobisol Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Mobisol Inc. filed Critical Mobisol Inc.
Publication of WO2007061228A1 publication Critical patent/WO2007061228A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
    • G06F3/033—Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user, e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor
    • G06F3/0338—Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user, e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
    • G06F3/033—Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user, e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor
    • G06F3/0354—Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user, e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
    • G06F3/033—Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user, e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor
    • G06F3/0362—Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user, e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/048—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
    • G06F3/0484—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
    • G06F3/0485—Scrolling or panning
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05G—CONTROL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS INSOFAR AS CHARACTERISED BY MECHANICAL FEATURES ONLY
    • G05G9/00—Manually-actuated control mechanisms provided with one single controlling member co-operating with two or more controlled members, e.g. selectively, simultaneously
    • G05G9/02—Manually-actuated control mechanisms provided with one single controlling member co-operating with two or more controlled members, e.g. selectively, simultaneously the controlling member being movable in different independent ways, movement in each individual way actuating one controlled member only
    • G05G9/04—Manually-actuated control mechanisms provided with one single controlling member co-operating with two or more controlled members, e.g. selectively, simultaneously the controlling member being movable in different independent ways, movement in each individual way actuating one controlled member only in which movement in two or more ways can occur simultaneously
    • G05G9/047—Manually-actuated control mechanisms provided with one single controlling member co-operating with two or more controlled members, e.g. selectively, simultaneously the controlling member being movable in different independent ways, movement in each individual way actuating one controlled member only in which movement in two or more ways can occur simultaneously the controlling member being movable by hand about orthogonal axes, e.g. joysticks
    • G05G2009/0474—Manually-actuated control mechanisms provided with one single controlling member co-operating with two or more controlled members, e.g. selectively, simultaneously the controlling member being movable in different independent ways, movement in each individual way actuating one controlled member only in which movement in two or more ways can occur simultaneously the controlling member being movable by hand about orthogonal axes, e.g. joysticks characterised by means converting mechanical movement into electric signals
    • G05G2009/04759—Light-sensitive detector, e.g. photoelectric

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a pointing device capable of scrolling with varying speed and a method for scrolling the same; and, more particularly, to a device capable of pointing mode and scrolling mode.
  • the present invention has a movable surface with patterns optimized for the detection by the optical image sensor, touch sensor and control algorithm.
  • the present invention prevent the performance degradation of pointing device controlled by finger tips caused by the change of the optical characteristics of fingerprint due to the humidity change, contamination by dirt, oil, lotion, etc.
  • the present invention enables a compact sized input device with pointing mode and scroll mode, and thus can be applied to portable terminals such as phones and PDAs.
  • a conventional optical mouse moves over a surface, typically over a mouse pad, and its optical mouse sensor detects movement by comparing the sequence of images obtained.
  • the movement distance of a mouse is typically restricted by the size of a mouse pad.
  • a optical mouse is of choice as a pointing device for computers, it is not appropriate as a pointing device for hand-held devices, such as mobile phones or PDAs. It is because a conventional mouse is too big to be integrated into hand-held devices and hand-held devices can't provide enough space for the operation.
  • the prior art disclosed in Korean patent publication No. 2002-0073432 is related to a portable electronic device and a method of controlling a menu item selection and user recognition thereof.
  • the technique in the prior art has problems that it is needed to rub a number of times in order to move to a desired menu item as it is needed to rub against an imaging surface included in the electronic device in order to move the menu item pointer and that the detection is affected by how fast and exactly a finger moves on the surface.
  • Korean patent publication No. 2002-0063338 as another prior art is related to a device itself as a pointing device by judging if an input of a pointing button exists, using a portable terminal as the pointing device, which can be used without any extra addition of a pointing device even when a portable terminal gets smaller by minimizing a space for display.
  • the prior art has a problem that it is needed to move the portable terminal itself to scroll a desired display screen.
  • Korean patent publication No. 2003-0075243 as another prior art is related to a portable terminal to which the principle of a mouse with an optical sensor is applied, wherein the principle enables a point to move more swiftly compared to a PDA using a touch screen and prevents a blurring phenomenon caused by using the touch screen.
  • the prior art has problems that the position of the point should be set by using the PDA itself to move the pointer and that an additional hardware button should be included to execute a set up program.
  • the present invention has been proposed in order to overcome the above- described problems in the related art. It is an object of the present invention to provide a device capable of pointing mode and scrolling mode with varying speed within a compact space so that it is applicable to a small and highly portable device such as a mobile phone or a PDA. It is obtained by using a movable plane with optical patterns optimized for the image sensor inside, and sensors for the scroll mode detection. Users can move this plane to provide pointing information.
  • This invention adopts the movable plane with optical patterns optimized for the image sensor inside, instead of direct control using human finger which has varying optical characteristics.
  • the touch sensor detects the impedance change due to the finger touch.
  • This touch sensor data and motion data provided together enable the scrolling mode control algorithm which decides the operation of the device either mode of the mouse mode or scroll mode.
  • a pointing device capable of pointing mode and scrolling mode with varying speed, including a first housing forming an external shape of the pointing device which includes a movable plane with optical patterns optimized for the image sensor inside, an object surface moving corresponding to a movement which is generated by a user, an elastic structure for restoring the object surface through elasticity or magnetism once the object surface is released by a user after providing the motion information, a washer for reducing a frictional force to two dimensional movement of the elastic structure, a reflecting object provided with a certain pattern capable of being detected by an optical sensor array to reflect a light beam emitted from a light source, a first switch located at one side of a lower part of the first housing for detecting a pressure exerted from an outside and an elastic object located under one side of the lower part of the first housing which restores the position of the first housing after the pressure is released. It also includes touch sensor, and automatics operation mode selection algorithm so that appropriate mode can be chosen
  • a compact device which provides a two dimensional pointing function and a scroll function appropriate for portable terminal such as a mobile phone can be implemented in a single device.
  • FIG. 1 is a construction view illustrating a mobile phone equipped with a pointing device in accordance with one example of the present invention
  • FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the pointing device in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram depicting a moving path of the object surface of the pointing device in accordance with the present invention
  • FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram illustrating an operational plane and a touch sensor included in the object surface in accordance with the present invention
  • FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the pointing device in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention.
  • Fig. 6 is an exploded view showing the combination relation of construction components in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram representing the pointing device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.
  • Fig. 8 is a flow chart depicting an operational mode decision based on the user's input through the moving pattern and touch sensor.
  • buttons 180 elastic object
  • Fig. 1 is a construction view illustrating a mobile phone equipped with a pointing device in accordance with one example of the present invention.
  • a portable terminal 100 is a portable mobile device which includes a mobile phone, a PDA, or a smart phone, and such portable mobile devices have a characteristic of miniaturization.
  • the portable terminal 100 in accordance with the present invention is equipped with a pointing device and is composed of an object surface 110 including a rubber or surface bump structure and a touch sensor.
  • the portable terminal 100 includes a display device 103, a pointer 105 is displayed on a screen of the display device 103 and the pointing device is used as a means to move the pointer.
  • the portable terminal 100 includes at least one function button 170 which has another function.
  • the function button 170 is used to execute another function of the portable terminal 100 or to input an execution command.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the pointing device in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.
  • the pointing device moves corresponding to movements of a first housing 150 which forms an external shape of the pointing device, an object surface 110 which is exposed on the external surface of the upper part of the first housing 150 for contact to users' fingers, and the object surface 110 at the bottom of the first housing 150, and an elastic structure 120 moving corresponding to movements of the object surface 110 and placed between the washer 130 and the reflecting object 140 is equipped for restoring a position of the object surface 110 when the user's finger is detached from the object surface 110, and includes the second housing 240 which forms an external shape of an optical recognition device at the bottom of the elastic structure 120.
  • At least one button 170 is provided on the outside of the first housing 150 to perform another role of the pointing device.
  • a space with a specific size is formed on an upper part of the first housing 150 in order to move the object surface 110 which is connected to the elastic structure 120, and the object surface 110 which is contacted to the user's finger and moves, is capable of moving in all directions within a space range of the upper part of the first housing 150.
  • FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram illustrating a moving path of the object surface of the pointing device in accordance with the present invention.
  • the object surface 110 is capable of moving in all directions, up and down, right and left, and the pointer can be moved to any desired direction as it is possible to move the pointer through an optical recognition which detects the movement of an object.
  • the object surface 110 can be moved by a contact of a user's finger, and when the user's finger is detached from the object surface 110, a restoration corresponding to the movement of the object surface 110 is made by the elastic structure which is included in the pointing device.
  • the elastic structure which is included in the pointing device.
  • FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram illustrating an operational plane and a touch sensor included in the object surface in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in Fig. 4, at the center of the object surface 110, there locates the operational plane 113 for contact with the user's finger to move the object surface, and to the outside of the operational plane 113, there locates a touch sensor 115 for detecting the contact with the user's finger.
  • the operational plane is made of a sort of bump structure or substances to increase the frictional force with a finger to prevent the user's finger on the object surface 110 from slipping.
  • the touch sensor 115 can detect the contact with the user's finger, so when the user's finger is contacted, the touch sensor is capable of supplying power to a light source which is included in the pointing device to operate the pointing device, and when the user's finger is detached from the touch sensor 115, capable of blocking power of the light source which is included in the pointing device to stop the whole operation of the pointing device.
  • a touch sensor for detecting the user's finger is located at the center of the object surface, and an operational plane for moving the object surface to which the user's finger is contacted can be located at the outside of the touch sensor.
  • FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of a pointing device in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention.
  • the object surface 110 to which the user's finger is contacted is located on the external surface of the upper part of the first housing 150 of the pointing device, and the first housing 150 which forms the external shape of the pointing device is equipped at the bottom of the object surface 110.
  • the first housing 150 is formed as a cylinder without a bottom surface, and is formed at the top surface for a whole structure of the object surface 110, the elastic structure 120 and a reflecting object 140 to be able to move corresponding to the movement which a user makes is formed, and a PCB substrate 250 which is equipped with an optical sensor array 230 for receiving the imaging signal reflected from the reflecting object 140 is formed as a whole structure at the bottom of the first housing 150, and the PCB substrate 250 forms the base of the first housing 150 which is formed as a cylinder without a bottom surface.
  • An elastic structure 120 for restoring the movement of the object surface 110 is equipped between the washer 130 and the reflecting object 140 at the lower side of the certain space which is formed at the upper part of the first housing 150, and the washer 130 is located between the first housing 150 and the elastic structure 120.
  • a reflecting object which reflects the light which is emitted from the light source 210 is located under the elastic structure 120, and the object surface 110, elastic structure 120 and the reflecting object 140 are combined as one body and moves corresponding to the movement of the object surface 110 to which the user's finger is contacted.
  • a second housing 240 is equipped between the lower part of the reflecting object and the PCB substrate which forms the base of the first housing 150 which is formed as a cylinder without a bottom surface, and a light source 210 which emits a light beam for detecting the movement of the reflecting object 140, a lens 220 which focuses the reflected beams from the reflecting object 140 and an optical sensor array for detecting the beam which passes through the lens 220 are equipped inside of the second housing 240.
  • the second housing 240 is formed in a cylindrical structure, and a certain space for emitting beams from the light source 210 to the reflecting object 140 is formed at the upper part of the second housing 240, and a certain space for the optical sensor array 230 to detect the beam which passes through the lens 220 in order to be connected to the PCB substrate 250 is formed at the lower part of the second housing 240.
  • the second housing 240 is not defined only to a cylinder type structure, and it is desirable that the housing 240 is formed in an arbitrary shape such as triangle or a quadrangle.
  • a button 170 for providing the movement corresponding to the pressure by the user is equipped and at least one second switch 190 for inputting the signal corresponding to the movement of the button 170 is equipped at the lower part of the button 170.
  • the object surface 110 includes the operational plane and the touch sensor, and the operational plane is made with the surface formed as bump shapes to which the user's finger to be contacted and to move the object surface 110 with ease, or formed with materials with high frictional forces for preventing slipping of the finger which is closely contacted with the operational plane.
  • the touch sensor is for detecting the contact of the object surface 110 with the user's finger for using the pointing device, and the touch sensor perceives said contact using the pointing device and operates the light source 210 which emits the beam for detecting the movement of the reflecting object 140 when the touch sensor recognizes the contact of the user's finger, and stops the movement of the pointing device by halting the movement of the light source 210 which is included inside of the pointing device when the user's finger is detached from the touch sensor.
  • the elastic structure 120 is located between the washer 130 and the reflecting object
  • the elastic structure 140 at the lower part of the upper part of the first housing 150 and is for restoring the position of the object surface 110 through the elastic or magnetic force against the movement of the object surface 110, and when elastic force is used, the elastic structure can be made of those materials such as rubber, silicon or metal springs, and when magnetic force is used, the elastic structure can be made of a magnet and the object surface 110 is restored to the first position by the magnetic force.
  • the elastic structure 120 can have curvatures or grooves on its surface to improve elasticity in order to make moving or restoring smooth.
  • the washer 130 which is located between the first housing 150 and the elastic structure 120 is for providing the elastic movement of the elastic structure 120, and is made in order to reduce the friction with the first housing 150 when the elastic structure 120 is moved two dimensionally by the movement of the object surface 110 exerted to the object surface, and is formed with plastic films such as polyetylene terephthal, polycarbonate, polyimide, polymethyl methacrylate, teflon, or acryl in order to reduce the friction between the first housing 150 and the elastic structure 120.
  • plastic films such as polyetylene terephthal, polycarbonate, polyimide, polymethyl methacrylate, teflon, or acryl in order to reduce the friction between the first housing 150 and the elastic structure 120.
  • the reflecting object 140 is located under the elastic structure 120 and moves corresponding to the movement of the object surface 110, and is made into a structure for reflecting a beam which is emitted from the light source 210, and the lower surface of the reflecting object is made of a lattice or a recognizable pattern for easily recognizing the movement of the reflecting object 140.
  • the object surface 110, the elastic structure 120 and the reflecting object 140, combined as a whole body are moved on a two dimensional plane, and are capable of making a restoration corresponding to the movement by the elasticity or magnetism of the elastic structure 120.
  • a signal processing part (not shown) is included and composed on the PCB substrate 250 in order to extract movement information of the reflecting object 140 by receiving the electric signal detected at the optical sensor array 230.
  • a first switch 160 is equipped for genera ting a signal corresponding to the pressure exerted to the object surface by the user, and at a certain place of the lower part of the first housing 150, an elastic object 180 for restoring the moved first housing and the PCB substrate for pressing the first switch 160 is equipped.
  • the elastic object is for restoring the position of the first housing 150, and is made of material which uses elasticity such as rubber, silicon or spring.
  • At least one button 170 is equipped at the outside of the first housing 150, and when the button 170 is pressed by a user, and at least one second switch 190 which is connected to the button generates a signal is equipped at the lower part of the button 170.
  • the generated signal generates a command signal which executes commands such as a click function in using the pointing device.
  • a light source blocking structure (not shown) can be included between the light source 210 and the optical sensor array 230 inside of the second housing 240.
  • Fig. 6 shows an exploded view showing a combination relation of some configuration components in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention.
  • the object surface 110, the elastic structure 120 and the reflecting object 140 are combined in a whole body and are located in the upper part of the first housing 150.
  • the object surface is located on the upper surface of the upper part of the first housing 150
  • the washer 130, the elastic structure 120 and the reflecting body 140 are located on the lower surface of the upper part of the first housing 150, and it is desirable to form a space which penetrates the upper part of the first housing 150 so that a whole body which is composed of the object surface 110, the elastic structure 120 and the reflecting body 140 is capable of moving to every direction in 2 dimension in the upper part of the first housing 150.
  • the elastic structure 120 is fixed on the first housing 150 and is capable of freely inputting pointing information through a whole body structure which is composed of the object surface 110, the elastic structure 120 and the reflecting object.
  • FIG. 7 shows a construction diagram of a pointing device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.
  • the object surface 110 to which the user's finger is contacted is located on the top of the pointing device, and the elastic structure 120 and washer 130 are formed at the lower part of the object surface 110, and the first housing 150 which forms the external shape of the pointing device is equipped at the lower part of the washer 130, and the reflecting object 140 is equipped at the lower surface of the upper part of the first housing.
  • the first housing 150 is formed as a cylinder shape without a base, and the upper surface forms a certain place for a whole body structure of the object surface 110, the elastic structure 120 and the reflecting object 140 to be able to move corresponding to the movement which a user makes, and the PCB substrate 250 equipped with the optical sensor array 230 for receiving the image signal reflected from the reflecting object 140 is made as a whole body structure at the lower part of the first housing 150.
  • An elastic structure 120 for restoring the movement of the object surface 110 is equipped at a certain place formed at the upper part of the first housing 150, and the washer 130 is located between the first housing 150 and the elastic structure 120.
  • a reflecting object which reflects the beam emitted from the light source 210 is located at the lower surface of the upper part of the first housing 150, and the object surface 110, the elastic structure 120 and the reflecting object 140 are combined as a whole body and move corresponding to the movement of the object surface 110 to which is contacted to the user's finger and moves.
  • the second housing 240 is equipped between the lower part of the reflecting object 140 and the PCB substrate 250 which is connected to the lower part of the first housing 150, and the light source 210 for emitting beams for detecting the movement of the reflecting object 140, the lens 220 for converging the reflected beam from the reflecting object 140 and the optical sensor array 230 for detecting the beams which passes through the lens 220 are equipped at the inside of the second housing 240.
  • the second housing 240 is formed in a cylinder structure, and the upper surface of the second housing 240 has formed a certain place for emitting the beam from the light source 210 to the reflecting object 140, and the lower part of the second housing 240 has formed a certain place for the optical sensor array 230 for detecting beams which passes through the lens 220 in order to be connected to the PCB substrate.
  • the PCB substrate 250 which is connected to the first housing 150 and the lower part of the first housing 150 moves downward of the PCB substrate 250 where pressure works by the pressure which a user imposes, and at this time, a first switch 160 which moves for detecting the finger pressure of the user, or inputting the corresponding signal is equipped at the lower part of the PCB substrate 250, and at least one elastic object 180 is equipped at a certain place of the lower part of the first housing 150 for restoring the first housing 150 which moves by the finger pressure of the user and the position of the PCB substrate 250.
  • a button 170 for providing the movement corresponding to the pressure by the user is equipped and at least one second switch 190 for inputting the signal corresponding to the movement of the button 170 is equipped at the lower part of the button 170.
  • the object surface 110 includes the operational plane and the touch sensor, and the operational plane is made with the surface formed as bump shapes to which the user's finger to be contacted and move the object surface 110 with ease, or is formed with materials with high frictional forces for preventing slipping of the finger which is closely contacted with the operational plane.
  • the touch sensor is for detecting the contacting the object surface 110 of the user's finger for using the pointing device.
  • the touch sensor perceives said contact using the pointing device and operates the light source 210 which emits beams for detecting the movement of the reflecting object 140, and when the user's finger is detached from the touch sensor, it stops the movement of the pointing device by halting the movement of the light source 210 which is included inside of the pointing device.
  • the elastic structure 120 is located at the lower part of the object surface 110 and is for restoring the position of the object surface 110 through the elastic or magnetic force against the movement of the object surface 110, when elastic force is used, the elastic structure can be made of those materials such as rubber, silicon or metal springs, and in case when magnetic force is used, can be made of a magnet and the object surface 110 is restored to the first position by the magnetic force.
  • the elastic structure 120 can have curvatures or grooves on its surface to improve elasticity in order to make moving or restoring smooth.
  • a washer 130 which is located between the first housing 150 and the elastic structure 120 is for providing the elastic movement of the elastic structure 120, and is made in order to reduce the friction with the first housing 150 when the elastic structure 120 is moved 2-dimensionally by the movement of the object surface 110 at the upper part of the first housing 150, and is formed with plastic films such as polyetylene terephthal, polycarbonate, polyimide, polymethyl methacrylate, teflon, or acryl to reduce the friction between the first housing 150 and the elastic structure 120.
  • the reflecting object 140 is located at the lower surface of the upper part of the first housing 150 and moves corresponding to the movement of the object surface 110, and is made into a structure for reflecting the beams emitted from the light source 210, and the lower surface of the reflecting object is made of a lattice or a recognizable pattern for easily recognizing the movement of the reflecting object 140.
  • the object surface 110, the elastic structure 120 and the reflecting object 140 are combined as a whole body and are moved on a two dimensional plane and are capable of making a restoration corresponding to movement by elasticity or magnetism of the elastic structure 120.
  • a signal processing part (not shown) is included and composed on the PCB substrate 250 in order to extract movement information of the reflecting object 140 by receiving the electric signal detected at the optical sensor array 230.
  • a first switch 160 is equipped for generating a signal corresponding to the pressure made on the object surface by the user, and at a certain place of the lower part of the first housing 150, an elastic object 180 for restoring the moved first housing and the PCB substrate for pressing the first switch 160 is equipped.
  • the elastic object is for restoring the position of the first housing 150 and the PCB substrate 250, and is made of material which uses elasticity such as rubber, silicon or spring.
  • At least one button 170 is equipped at the outside of the first housing 150, at the lower part of the button 170, at least one second switch 190 is equipped and when the button 170 is pressed by a user, the second switch which is connected to the button generates a signal.
  • the generated signal generates commands which execute commands such as a click function in using the pointing device.
  • the elastic structure 120 is formed on the upper part of the button 170 or buttons outside of the first housing 150, and is made to form a shape that covers all over the upper part of the pointing device.
  • a light source blocking structure (not shown in drawings) can be included between the light source 210 and the optical sensor array 230 inside of the second housing 240.
  • Fig. 8 is a flow chart depicting an operational mode decision based on the user's input through the moving pattern and touch sensor.
  • the device select pointing mode when motion data is non-zero and the touch sensor is on, and scroll mode when motion data is zero and the touch sensor is on.
  • the device is idle mode and power save mode when touch sensor data is off. As shown in Fig.
  • a continuous movement data is inputted at step S810, and when there is a touch sensor input at step S820, the pointing device is operated at a pointing mode and outputs the movement information at step S830, and when there is no movement data at step S 840 but exists a contact input of a user through the touch sensor at step S850, switches into a scroll mode.
  • the direction and the speed of the automatic scroll uses the last movement data which a user provides, the user can change the direction and speed of the automatic scroll easily by going to the inside of the boundary where it is possible to freely move the whole body structure of the object surface, the elastic structure and the reflecting object for a while and settling to a desired direction and speed when the user desires to reset the direction or the speed of the scroll.
  • the pointing device continuously maintains the scroll mode at step S860, and when a movement data is inputted at step S 870, the pointing device is automatically switched into a pointing mode from the scroll mode at step S830.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Position Input By Displaying (AREA)

Abstract

The present invention relates to a pointing device capable of scrolling with varying speed and a method for scrolling the same; and, more particularly, to a device providing a pointing and scrolling function in a compact design so that it can be applied to portable terminals such as mobile phones and PDAs. In addition, the automatic switch of dual mode would improve the user convenience. By adding a movable surface of patterns optimized for the detection by image sensor inside, one can prevent performance degradation of optical sensors by the variation of optical characteristics of fingertips due to moisture changes, contamination by oil, dirt, lotion, skin disease, etc. The pointing device capable of scrolling with varying speed includes a first housing forming an external shape of the pointing device, an object surface moving corresponding to a movement which is generated by a user, an elastic structure for restoring the object surface through elasticity or magnetism against the movement of the object surface, a washer for reducing a frictional force to two dimensional movement of the elastic structure, a reflecting object provided with a certain pattern optimized for the detection by the image sensor included, a touch sensor which detects user's touch, a first switch located at one side of a lower part of the first housing for detecting a pressure exerted from an outside and an elastic object located at one side of the lower part of the first housing for restoring the position of the first housing moved to exert pressure to the first switch.

Description

Description
A POINTING DEVICE CAPABLE OF VARIABLE SPEED SCROLLING AND A METHOD USING THE SAME
Technical Field
[1] The present invention relates to a pointing device capable of scrolling with varying speed and a method for scrolling the same; and, more particularly, to a device capable of pointing mode and scrolling mode. The present invention has a movable surface with patterns optimized for the detection by the optical image sensor, touch sensor and control algorithm. The present invention prevent the performance degradation of pointing device controlled by finger tips caused by the change of the optical characteristics of fingerprint due to the humidity change, contamination by dirt, oil, lotion, etc. The present invention enables a compact sized input device with pointing mode and scroll mode, and thus can be applied to portable terminals such as phones and PDAs.
[2]
Background Art
[3] A conventional optical mouse moves over a surface, typically over a mouse pad, and its optical mouse sensor detects movement by comparing the sequence of images obtained. The movement distance of a mouse is typically restricted by the size of a mouse pad. Though a optical mouse is of choice as a pointing device for computers, it is not appropriate as a pointing device for hand-held devices, such as mobile phones or PDAs. It is because a conventional mouse is too big to be integrated into hand-held devices and hand-held devices can't provide enough space for the operation. One can make a compact mouse and integrate it into hand-held devices and obtain the motion information by moving the whole hand-held information device. But, it is unnatural to move the whole device and the display integrated, since most users need to watch display but it is troublesome to watch the moving display.
[4] The prior art disclosed in Korean patent publication No. 2002-0073432 is related to a portable electronic device and a method of controlling a menu item selection and user recognition thereof. In the prior art, it is possible to operate an electronic device without carrying any additional external equipment using a menu display having a menu item pointer for high lighting a specific menu item, and identify and confirm a specific user by detecting an operational pattern of an electronic device. However, the technique in the prior art has problems that it is needed to rub a number of times in order to move to a desired menu item as it is needed to rub against an imaging surface included in the electronic device in order to move the menu item pointer and that the detection is affected by how fast and exactly a finger moves on the surface.
[5] Korean patent publication No. 2002-0063338 as another prior art is related to a device itself as a pointing device by judging if an input of a pointing button exists, using a portable terminal as the pointing device, which can be used without any extra addition of a pointing device even when a portable terminal gets smaller by minimizing a space for display. However, the prior art has a problem that it is needed to move the portable terminal itself to scroll a desired display screen.
[6] Korean patent publication No. 2003-0075243 as another prior art is related to a portable terminal to which the principle of a mouse with an optical sensor is applied, wherein the principle enables a point to move more swiftly compared to a PDA using a touch screen and prevents a blurring phenomenon caused by using the touch screen. However, the prior art has problems that the position of the point should be set by using the PDA itself to move the pointer and that an additional hardware button should be included to execute a set up program.
[7]
Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem
[8] Therefore, the present invention has been proposed in order to overcome the above- described problems in the related art. It is an object of the present invention to provide a device capable of pointing mode and scrolling mode with varying speed within a compact space so that it is applicable to a small and highly portable device such as a mobile phone or a PDA. It is obtained by using a movable plane with optical patterns optimized for the image sensor inside, and sensors for the scroll mode detection. Users can move this plane to provide pointing information.
[9] And, it is another object of the present invention to provide a pointing device without the degradation in performance which results from the variance of optical characteristics of human fingerprint due to the humidity change, contamination by dirt, oil, lotion, etc. This invention adopts the movable plane with optical patterns optimized for the image sensor inside, instead of direct control using human finger which has varying optical characteristics.
[10] And also, it is another object of the present invention to provide scrolling function with varying speed, by including a touch sensor. The touch sensor detects the impedance change due to the finger touch. This touch sensor data and motion data provided together enable the scrolling mode control algorithm which decides the operation of the device either mode of the mouse mode or scroll mode.
[H]
Technical Solution [12] In accordance with one aspect of the present, there is provided a pointing device capable of pointing mode and scrolling mode with varying speed, including a first housing forming an external shape of the pointing device which includes a movable plane with optical patterns optimized for the image sensor inside, an object surface moving corresponding to a movement which is generated by a user, an elastic structure for restoring the object surface through elasticity or magnetism once the object surface is released by a user after providing the motion information, a washer for reducing a frictional force to two dimensional movement of the elastic structure, a reflecting object provided with a certain pattern capable of being detected by an optical sensor array to reflect a light beam emitted from a light source, a first switch located at one side of a lower part of the first housing for detecting a pressure exerted from an outside and an elastic object located under one side of the lower part of the first housing which restores the position of the first housing after the pressure is released. It also includes touch sensor, and automatics operation mode selection algorithm so that appropriate mode can be chosen.
[13]
Advantageous Effects
[14] In accordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention, by applying the present invention, a compact device which provides a two dimensional pointing function and a scroll function appropriate for portable terminal such as a mobile phone can be implemented in a single device.
[15] Also, it can prevent the performance degradation due to the variation of optical characteristics of finger caused by moisture change, contamination such as sweat and/ or dirt, etc.
[16] And also, it can provide scroll function with varying speed. Users can switch the operation mode and change the speed of scroll easily, i.e. One can keep touch pad or properly shaped jog and push it to the direction of scroll to the limit and hold it. This dual mode device within a compact space can provide pointing mode and scroll mode, thus would enable the design of hand-held device user friendly.
[17]
Brief Description of the Drawings
[18] Fig. 1 is a construction view illustrating a mobile phone equipped with a pointing device in accordance with one example of the present invention;
[19] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the pointing device in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;
[20] Fig. 3 is a configuration diagram depicting a moving path of the object surface of the pointing device in accordance with the present invention; [21] Fig. 4 is a configuration diagram illustrating an operational plane and a touch sensor included in the object surface in accordance with the present invention;
[22] Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of the pointing device in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention;
[23] Fig. 6 is an exploded view showing the combination relation of construction components in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention;
[24] Fig. 7 is a configuration diagram representing the pointing device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; and
[25] Fig. 8 is a flow chart depicting an operational mode decision based on the user's input through the moving pattern and touch sensor.
[26]
[27] <Descriptions of reference numerals for major parts in the drawings>
[28] 110: object surface 120: elastic structure
[29] 130: washer 140: reflecting object
[30] 150: first housing 160: first switch
[31] 170: button 180: elastic object
[32] 190: second switch 210: light source
[33] 220: lens 230: optical sensor array
[34]
Mode for the Invention
[35] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[36] Prior to this, terms or words used in the specification and claims are not limited to usual or encyclopedical meaning, but the present invention should be understood by the meaning or concepts matching to the technical spirits of the present invention on the basis of such principles that the scope of the term can be properly defined to explain the present invention with the best method by the inventor.
[37] Thus, since the embodiments described in the present specification and construction described on the accompanying drawings are only the preferred embodiments, but do not represent for all technical aspects of the present invention, it should be understood that various equivalents and modification examples exist for replacing with the technical aspects of the present invention at the time of filing the present invention.
[38] Fig. 1 is a construction view illustrating a mobile phone equipped with a pointing device in accordance with one example of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, a portable terminal 100 is a portable mobile device which includes a mobile phone, a PDA, or a smart phone, and such portable mobile devices have a characteristic of miniaturization. [39] The portable terminal 100 in accordance with the present invention is equipped with a pointing device and is composed of an object surface 110 including a rubber or surface bump structure and a touch sensor. The portable terminal 100 includes a display device 103, a pointer 105 is displayed on a screen of the display device 103 and the pointing device is used as a means to move the pointer.
[40] By using the pointing device, it is possible to move the pointer 105 and use services by clicking a desired menu as in case of a mouse of a personal computer.
[41] Also, the portable terminal 100 includes at least one function button 170 which has another function. The function button 170 is used to execute another function of the portable terminal 100 or to input an execution command.
[42] Fig. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the pointing device in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the pointing device moves corresponding to movements of a first housing 150 which forms an external shape of the pointing device, an object surface 110 which is exposed on the external surface of the upper part of the first housing 150 for contact to users' fingers, and the object surface 110 at the bottom of the first housing 150, and an elastic structure 120 moving corresponding to movements of the object surface 110 and placed between the washer 130 and the reflecting object 140 is equipped for restoring a position of the object surface 110 when the user's finger is detached from the object surface 110, and includes the second housing 240 which forms an external shape of an optical recognition device at the bottom of the elastic structure 120.
[43] Also, at least one button 170 is provided on the outside of the first housing 150 to perform another role of the pointing device.
[44] A space with a specific size is formed on an upper part of the first housing 150 in order to move the object surface 110 which is connected to the elastic structure 120, and the object surface 110 which is contacted to the user's finger and moves, is capable of moving in all directions within a space range of the upper part of the first housing 150.
[45] Fig. 3 is a configuration diagram illustrating a moving path of the object surface of the pointing device in accordance with the present invention. As shown in Fig. 3, the object surface 110 is capable of moving in all directions, up and down, right and left, and the pointer can be moved to any desired direction as it is possible to move the pointer through an optical recognition which detects the movement of an object.
[46] Also, the object surface 110 can be moved by a contact of a user's finger, and when the user's finger is detached from the object surface 110, a restoration corresponding to the movement of the object surface 110 is made by the elastic structure which is included in the pointing device. In other words, when the user's finger is detached from the object surface 110, by the restoring force of the elastic structure, the object surface moves to the center of the first housing where it is positioned at the beginning.
[47] Fig. 4 is a configuration diagram illustrating an operational plane and a touch sensor included in the object surface in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in Fig. 4, at the center of the object surface 110, there locates the operational plane 113 for contact with the user's finger to move the object surface, and to the outside of the operational plane 113, there locates a touch sensor 115 for detecting the contact with the user's finger.
[48] The operational plane is made of a sort of bump structure or substances to increase the frictional force with a finger to prevent the user's finger on the object surface 110 from slipping.
[49] Also, the touch sensor 115 can detect the contact with the user's finger, so when the user's finger is contacted, the touch sensor is capable of supplying power to a light source which is included in the pointing device to operate the pointing device, and when the user's finger is detached from the touch sensor 115, capable of blocking power of the light source which is included in the pointing device to stop the whole operation of the pointing device.
[50] Also, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention (not shown), a touch sensor for detecting the user's finger is located at the center of the object surface, and an operational plane for moving the object surface to which the user's finger is contacted can be located at the outside of the touch sensor.
[51] Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of a pointing device in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 5, the object surface 110 to which the user's finger is contacted is located on the external surface of the upper part of the first housing 150 of the pointing device, and the first housing 150 which forms the external shape of the pointing device is equipped at the bottom of the object surface 110. The first housing 150 is formed as a cylinder without a bottom surface, and is formed at the top surface for a whole structure of the object surface 110, the elastic structure 120 and a reflecting object 140 to be able to move corresponding to the movement which a user makes is formed, and a PCB substrate 250 which is equipped with an optical sensor array 230 for receiving the imaging signal reflected from the reflecting object 140 is formed as a whole structure at the bottom of the first housing 150, and the PCB substrate 250 forms the base of the first housing 150 which is formed as a cylinder without a bottom surface.
[52] An elastic structure 120 for restoring the movement of the object surface 110 is equipped between the washer 130 and the reflecting object 140 at the lower side of the certain space which is formed at the upper part of the first housing 150, and the washer 130 is located between the first housing 150 and the elastic structure 120. A reflecting object which reflects the light which is emitted from the light source 210 is located under the elastic structure 120, and the object surface 110, elastic structure 120 and the reflecting object 140 are combined as one body and moves corresponding to the movement of the object surface 110 to which the user's finger is contacted.
[53] Also, a second housing 240 is equipped between the lower part of the reflecting object and the PCB substrate which forms the base of the first housing 150 which is formed as a cylinder without a bottom surface, and a light source 210 which emits a light beam for detecting the movement of the reflecting object 140, a lens 220 which focuses the reflected beams from the reflecting object 140 and an optical sensor array for detecting the beam which passes through the lens 220 are equipped inside of the second housing 240.
[54] The second housing 240 is formed in a cylindrical structure, and a certain space for emitting beams from the light source 210 to the reflecting object 140 is formed at the upper part of the second housing 240, and a certain space for the optical sensor array 230 to detect the beam which passes through the lens 220 in order to be connected to the PCB substrate 250 is formed at the lower part of the second housing 240. At this time, the second housing 240 is not defined only to a cylinder type structure, and it is desirable that the housing 240 is formed in an arbitrary shape such as triangle or a quadrangle.
[55] Also, when a user presses the object surface 110 which is equipped on the external surface of the upper part of the first housing 150, the PCB substrate 250 which is connected to the first housing 150 and the lower part of the first housing 150 moves downward of the PCB substrate 250 where pressure works by the pressure which a user imposes, and at this time, a first switch 160 which moves for detecting the finger pressure of the user or inputting the corresponding signal is equipped at the lower part of the PCB substrate 250, and at least one elastic object 180 is equipped at a certain place of the lower part of the first housing 150 for restoring the first housing 150 which moves by the finger pressure of the user and the position of the PCB substrate 250.
[56] Also, at the outside of the first housing 150, a button 170 for providing the movement corresponding to the pressure by the user is equipped and at least one second switch 190 for inputting the signal corresponding to the movement of the button 170 is equipped at the lower part of the button 170.
[57] The object surface 110 includes the operational plane and the touch sensor, and the operational plane is made with the surface formed as bump shapes to which the user's finger to be contacted and to move the object surface 110 with ease, or formed with materials with high frictional forces for preventing slipping of the finger which is closely contacted with the operational plane.
[58] Also, the touch sensor is for detecting the contact of the object surface 110 with the user's finger for using the pointing device, and the touch sensor perceives said contact using the pointing device and operates the light source 210 which emits the beam for detecting the movement of the reflecting object 140 when the touch sensor recognizes the contact of the user's finger, and stops the movement of the pointing device by halting the movement of the light source 210 which is included inside of the pointing device when the user's finger is detached from the touch sensor.
[59] The elastic structure 120 is located between the washer 130 and the reflecting object
140 at the lower part of the upper part of the first housing 150 and is for restoring the position of the object surface 110 through the elastic or magnetic force against the movement of the object surface 110, and when elastic force is used, the elastic structure can be made of those materials such as rubber, silicon or metal springs, and when magnetic force is used, the elastic structure can be made of a magnet and the object surface 110 is restored to the first position by the magnetic force.
[60] The elastic structure 120 can have curvatures or grooves on its surface to improve elasticity in order to make moving or restoring smooth.
[61] The washer 130 which is located between the first housing 150 and the elastic structure 120 is for providing the elastic movement of the elastic structure 120, and is made in order to reduce the friction with the first housing 150 when the elastic structure 120 is moved two dimensionally by the movement of the object surface 110 exerted to the object surface, and is formed with plastic films such as polyetylene terephthal, polycarbonate, polyimide, polymethyl methacrylate, teflon, or acryl in order to reduce the friction between the first housing 150 and the elastic structure 120.
[62] The reflecting object 140 is located under the elastic structure 120 and moves corresponding to the movement of the object surface 110, and is made into a structure for reflecting a beam which is emitted from the light source 210, and the lower surface of the reflecting object is made of a lattice or a recognizable pattern for easily recognizing the movement of the reflecting object 140.
[63] The object surface 110, the elastic structure 120 and the reflecting object 140, combined as a whole body are moved on a two dimensional plane, and are capable of making a restoration corresponding to the movement by the elasticity or magnetism of the elastic structure 120.
[64] Also, a signal processing part (not shown) is included and composed on the PCB substrate 250 in order to extract movement information of the reflecting object 140 by receiving the electric signal detected at the optical sensor array 230.
[65] At the lower part of the PCB substrate 250, a first switch 160 is equipped for genera ting a signal corresponding to the pressure exerted to the object surface by the user, and at a certain place of the lower part of the first housing 150, an elastic object 180 for restoring the moved first housing and the PCB substrate for pressing the first switch 160 is equipped. The elastic object is for restoring the position of the first housing 150, and is made of material which uses elasticity such as rubber, silicon or spring.
[66] Also, at least one button 170 is equipped at the outside of the first housing 150, and when the button 170 is pressed by a user, and at least one second switch 190 which is connected to the button generates a signal is equipped at the lower part of the button 170. The generated signal generates a command signal which executes commands such as a click function in using the pointing device.
[67] Also, although not illustrated in Fig. 5, in order to prevent the beam emitted from the light source 210 from affecting the optical sensor array directly or indirectly, a light source blocking structure (not shown) can be included between the light source 210 and the optical sensor array 230 inside of the second housing 240.
[68] Fig. 6 shows an exploded view showing a combination relation of some configuration components in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 6, the object surface 110, the elastic structure 120 and the reflecting object 140 are combined in a whole body and are located in the upper part of the first housing 150. In other words, the object surface is located on the upper surface of the upper part of the first housing 150, and the washer 130, the elastic structure 120 and the reflecting body 140 are located on the lower surface of the upper part of the first housing 150, and it is desirable to form a space which penetrates the upper part of the first housing 150 so that a whole body which is composed of the object surface 110, the elastic structure 120 and the reflecting body 140 is capable of moving to every direction in 2 dimension in the upper part of the first housing 150.
[69] Also, the elastic structure 120 is fixed on the first housing 150 and is capable of freely inputting pointing information through a whole body structure which is composed of the object surface 110, the elastic structure 120 and the reflecting object.
[70] Fig. 7 shows a construction diagram of a pointing device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 7, the object surface 110 to which the user's finger is contacted is located on the top of the pointing device, and the elastic structure 120 and washer 130 are formed at the lower part of the object surface 110, and the first housing 150 which forms the external shape of the pointing device is equipped at the lower part of the washer 130, and the reflecting object 140 is equipped at the lower surface of the upper part of the first housing. At this time, the first housing 150 is formed as a cylinder shape without a base, and the upper surface forms a certain place for a whole body structure of the object surface 110, the elastic structure 120 and the reflecting object 140 to be able to move corresponding to the movement which a user makes, and the PCB substrate 250 equipped with the optical sensor array 230 for receiving the image signal reflected from the reflecting object 140 is made as a whole body structure at the lower part of the first housing 150.
[71] An elastic structure 120 for restoring the movement of the object surface 110 is equipped at a certain place formed at the upper part of the first housing 150, and the washer 130 is located between the first housing 150 and the elastic structure 120. A reflecting object which reflects the beam emitted from the light source 210 is located at the lower surface of the upper part of the first housing 150, and the object surface 110, the elastic structure 120 and the reflecting object 140 are combined as a whole body and move corresponding to the movement of the object surface 110 to which is contacted to the user's finger and moves.
[72] Also, the second housing 240 is equipped between the lower part of the reflecting object 140 and the PCB substrate 250 which is connected to the lower part of the first housing 150, and the light source 210 for emitting beams for detecting the movement of the reflecting object 140, the lens 220 for converging the reflected beam from the reflecting object 140 and the optical sensor array 230 for detecting the beams which passes through the lens 220 are equipped at the inside of the second housing 240.
[73] At this time, the second housing 240 is formed in a cylinder structure, and the upper surface of the second housing 240 has formed a certain place for emitting the beam from the light source 210 to the reflecting object 140, and the lower part of the second housing 240 has formed a certain place for the optical sensor array 230 for detecting beams which passes through the lens 220 in order to be connected to the PCB substrate.
[74] Also, when a user presses the object surface 110 which is equipped at the top of the pointing device, the PCB substrate 250 which is connected to the first housing 150 and the lower part of the first housing 150 moves downward of the PCB substrate 250 where pressure works by the pressure which a user imposes, and at this time, a first switch 160 which moves for detecting the finger pressure of the user, or inputting the corresponding signal is equipped at the lower part of the PCB substrate 250, and at least one elastic object 180 is equipped at a certain place of the lower part of the first housing 150 for restoring the first housing 150 which moves by the finger pressure of the user and the position of the PCB substrate 250.
[75] Also, at the outside of the first housing 150, a button 170 for providing the movement corresponding to the pressure by the user is equipped and at least one second switch 190 for inputting the signal corresponding to the movement of the button 170 is equipped at the lower part of the button 170.
[76] The object surface 110 includes the operational plane and the touch sensor, and the operational plane is made with the surface formed as bump shapes to which the user's finger to be contacted and move the object surface 110 with ease, or is formed with materials with high frictional forces for preventing slipping of the finger which is closely contacted with the operational plane.
[77] Also, the touch sensor is for detecting the contacting the object surface 110 of the user's finger for using the pointing device. When the touch sensor recognizes the contact of the user's finger, the touch sensor perceives said contact using the pointing device and operates the light source 210 which emits beams for detecting the movement of the reflecting object 140, and when the user's finger is detached from the touch sensor, it stops the movement of the pointing device by halting the movement of the light source 210 which is included inside of the pointing device.
[78] The elastic structure 120 is located at the lower part of the object surface 110 and is for restoring the position of the object surface 110 through the elastic or magnetic force against the movement of the object surface 110, when elastic force is used, the elastic structure can be made of those materials such as rubber, silicon or metal springs, and in case when magnetic force is used, can be made of a magnet and the object surface 110 is restored to the first position by the magnetic force.
[79] The elastic structure 120 can have curvatures or grooves on its surface to improve elasticity in order to make moving or restoring smooth.
[80] A washer 130 which is located between the first housing 150 and the elastic structure 120 is for providing the elastic movement of the elastic structure 120, and is made in order to reduce the friction with the first housing 150 when the elastic structure 120 is moved 2-dimensionally by the movement of the object surface 110 at the upper part of the first housing 150, and is formed with plastic films such as polyetylene terephthal, polycarbonate, polyimide, polymethyl methacrylate, teflon, or acryl to reduce the friction between the first housing 150 and the elastic structure 120.
[81] The reflecting object 140 is located at the lower surface of the upper part of the first housing 150 and moves corresponding to the movement of the object surface 110, and is made into a structure for reflecting the beams emitted from the light source 210, and the lower surface of the reflecting object is made of a lattice or a recognizable pattern for easily recognizing the movement of the reflecting object 140.
[82] The object surface 110, the elastic structure 120 and the reflecting object 140 are combined as a whole body and are moved on a two dimensional plane and are capable of making a restoration corresponding to movement by elasticity or magnetism of the elastic structure 120.
[83] Also, a signal processing part (not shown) is included and composed on the PCB substrate 250 in order to extract movement information of the reflecting object 140 by receiving the electric signal detected at the optical sensor array 230.
[84] At the lower part of the PCB substrate 250, a first switch 160 is equipped for generating a signal corresponding to the pressure made on the object surface by the user, and at a certain place of the lower part of the first housing 150, an elastic object 180 for restoring the moved first housing and the PCB substrate for pressing the first switch 160 is equipped. At this time, the elastic object is for restoring the position of the first housing 150 and the PCB substrate 250, and is made of material which uses elasticity such as rubber, silicon or spring.
[85] Also, at least one button 170 is equipped at the outside of the first housing 150, at the lower part of the button 170, at least one second switch 190 is equipped and when the button 170 is pressed by a user, the second switch which is connected to the button generates a signal. The generated signal generates commands which execute commands such as a click function in using the pointing device.
[86] The elastic structure 120 is formed on the upper part of the button 170 or buttons outside of the first housing 150, and is made to form a shape that covers all over the upper part of the pointing device.
[87] Also, although not illustrated in Fig. 7, in order to prevent the beam emitted from the light source 210 from affecting the optical sensor array directly or indirectly, a light source blocking structure (not shown in drawings) can be included between the light source 210 and the optical sensor array 230 inside of the second housing 240.
[88] Fig. 8 is a flow chart depicting an operational mode decision based on the user's input through the moving pattern and touch sensor. The device select pointing mode when motion data is non-zero and the touch sensor is on, and scroll mode when motion data is zero and the touch sensor is on. The device is idle mode and power save mode when touch sensor data is off. As shown in Fig. 8, through a movement of the object surface of the pointing device, a continuous movement data is inputted at step S810, and when there is a touch sensor input at step S820, the pointing device is operated at a pointing mode and outputs the movement information at step S830, and when there is no movement data at step S 840 but exists a contact input of a user through the touch sensor at step S850, switches into a scroll mode.
[89] In other words, as the direction and the speed of the automatic scroll uses the last movement data which a user provides, the user can change the direction and speed of the automatic scroll easily by going to the inside of the boundary where it is possible to freely move the whole body structure of the object surface, the elastic structure and the reflecting object for a while and settling to a desired direction and speed when the user desires to reset the direction or the speed of the scroll.
[90] Also, when the movement data is 0 at step S 870, the pointing device continuously maintains the scroll mode at step S860, and when a movement data is inputted at step S 870, the pointing device is automatically switched into a pointing mode from the scroll mode at step S830.
[91] While the present invention has been just described with respect to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, other modifications and variations for the present invention may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

Claims
[1] A pointing device capable of scrolling with varying speed, comprising: a first housing forming an external shape of the pointing device; an object surface moving corresponding to a movement which is generated by a user; an elastic structure for restoring the object surface through elasticity or magnetism against the movement of the object surface; a washer for reducing a frictional force to two dimensional movement of the elastic structure; a reflecting object provided with a certain pattern capable of being detected by an optical sensor array to reflect a light beam emitted from a light source a first switch located at one side of a lower part of the first housing for detecting a pressure exerted from an outside; and an elastic object located at one side of the lower part of the first housing for restoring the position of the first housing moved to exert pressure to the first switch.
[2] The pointing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the object surface is located on an upper surface of an upper part of the first housing.
[3] The pointing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the elastic structure is located under a lower surface of an upper part of the first housing, the washer is located between the lower surface of the upper part of the first housing and the upper s urface of the elastic structure, and the reflecting object is located at the lower surface of the elastic structure.
[4] The pointing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the pointing device further comprising: at least one button located on at an external surface of the first housing for providing a movement corresponding to a pressure generated by the user; and at least one second switch located at a lower part of the button for inputting a signal corresponding to the movement of the button.
[5] The pointing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the object surface, the elastic object and the reflecting object are combined as one body.
[6] The pointing device as recited in claim 1, further comprising an optical recognition device inside of the first housing.
[7] The pointing device as recited in claim 6, wherein the optical recognition device comprising: a light source for emitting a light beam to the reflecting object; a lens for converging an image reflected from the reflecting object; an optical sensor array for receiving the image which passes through the lens and converting the movement of the image into an electrical signal; and a second housing covering the optical recognition device.
[8] The pointing device as recited in claim 7, wherein the optical recognition device further comprises a signal processor located at an inside or an outside of the second housing for extracting movement information of the image by receiving the electrical signal.
[9] The pointing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the elastic structure is included at an inside or an outside of the first housing to provide a flexible movement on a two dimensional plane corresponding to the movement of the object surface.
[10] The pointing device as recited in claim 9, wherein the elastic structure uses one of rubber, silicon rubber and a magnet.
[11] The pointing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the washer uses a plastic film selected from a group consisting of polyetylene terephthal, polycarbonate, polyimide, polymethyl methacrylate, teflon, and acryl to reduce a friction of the first housing against the movement of the elastic structure.
[12] The pointing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the object surface comprises: an operational plane which a user's finger contacts to allow the user to move the pointing device; and a touch sensor for detecting the contact of the user's finger.
[13] The pointing device as recited in claim 12, wherein a surface of the operational plane is formed as a bumper shape or is made from a material with a high frictional force in order to prevent the user's finger from slipping.
[14] The pointing device as recited in claim 12, wherein, if the user's finger is contacted, the touch sensor detects the contact of the user's finger and is capable of using the pointing device by operating the light source.
[15] A scrolling method of a two dimensional pointing device capable of scrolling with varying speed, comprising the step of: switching a pointer of the two dimensional pointing device into a pointing mode corresponding to a signal inputted into a touch sensor; detecting a pointer movement of the pointing device and the signal inputted into the touch sensor to convert the pointer movement and the signal into a scroll mode; and terminating the pointing device by detecting the pointer movement and the signal inputted into the touch sensor in the scroll mode.
[16] The scrolling method as recited in claim 15, wherein if data of the pointer movement is 0 in the pointing mode and a signal is inputted to the touch sensor, the pointer of the pointing device is switched into a scroll mode.
[17] The scrolling method as recited in claim 16, wherein, if the data of the pointer movement is inputted in the scroll mode, the pointer of the pointing device is converted again into the pointing mode, and if the data of pointer movement is 0 and the signal is inputted to the touch sensor, the scroll function of the pointing device is maintained.
PCT/KR2006/004940 2005-11-23 2006-11-23 A pointing device capable of variable speed scrolling and a method using the same WO2007061228A1 (en)

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US8780055B2 (en) 2009-10-02 2014-07-15 Blackberry Limited Low power wakeup detection circuit and a portable electronic device having a low power wakeup detection circuit
CN106462228A (en) * 2015-02-27 2017-02-22 Dnx株式会社 Wearable device and method for controlling same

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KR200446497Y1 (en) * 2009-07-24 2009-11-04 임종훈 Mouse scroll wheel of various rotation
KR101302146B1 (en) * 2011-11-30 2013-08-30 크루셜텍 (주) Optical Pointing Device

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CN102012752A (en) * 2009-09-07 2011-04-13 财团法人工业技术研究院 Input device, operating method and optical reflection plate module
EP2315102A1 (en) * 2009-10-02 2011-04-27 Research In Motion Limited A low power wakeup detection circuit and a portable electronic device having a low power wakeup detection circuit
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CN106462228A (en) * 2015-02-27 2017-02-22 Dnx株式会社 Wearable device and method for controlling same

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