FI84113B - Marking and command device for a computer - Google Patents

Description

84113

COMPUTER INDICATOR AND COMMAND DEVICE - MARKERINGS- OCH ORDERGIVNINGSANORDNING FÖR EN DATOR

The present invention relates to a computer pointer and command-issuing device comprising a manually movable unit comprising at least one sensor for detecting the movements of the unit, electronics for interpreting sensor signals into a computer-understood format, keys for issuing commands to the computer and a communication channel between the device and the computer.

The most commonly used organ for two-dimensional interaction with a computer, the so-called mouse, has generally been found to be the most suitable interaction device for humans, 15 but its use without a sufficiently large and flat table surface or the like is difficult.

In addition, one of the reasons for the difficulty of working in three-dimensional systems in current systems is the binding of the user to two-dimensional data input as well as two-dimensional on-screen verification. The latter restriction can be alleviated or removed by stereo images, holographic technology or automatic three-dimensional model manufacturing equipment. The current three-dimensional data input means operate either mechanically, by means of an axle or movement arm device enabling free movement, or alternatively, for example, by means of an ultrasonic device. Both implementations require fixed installations and limit the work to a certain rather limited space where absolute coordinates are used.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned limitations and to provide a device suitable for flexible interaction with a computer, independent of working levels. To achieve this, the pointing and commanding device according to the invention is characterized in that the sensors detecting the movements of the unit forming the device are acceleration sensors with which the direction, speed and length of the unit's movements can be detected in at least one direction of movement. on the basis of time.

The advantages of the device according to the invention to one of its main applications, i.e. three-dimensional computer-aided design, compared to other three-dimensional input devices, are its small size and the way in which it works based on relative coordinate data. The relative coordinate information allows working with optional precision in a space whose size is limited only by the memory space of the computer 15 used.

Another application of the device according to the invention is a conventional mouse, e.g. used in connection with a personal computer, which places great demands on a conventional, platform-dependent two-dimensional interaction element, especially in the case of portable computers 20 where the writing pad is variable. It is also conceivable that menu-driven programs written for a two-dimensional mouse, with a slight modification, could be made to jump from one lattice level to another, e.g., returning to the main menu after a completed task, by moving the interaction member vertically from the desktop.

Another advantage of the device according to the invention is the lack of moving parts and their independence from, for example, the special substrate required by the optical mouse. The disadvantage of the simplest (2-D) applications would probably be, at least initially, a significantly higher price than prior art interaction devices. In the future, when e.g.

accelerometers are integrated in the same hybrid circuit

II

3 84113 consumable electronics, the result would be a relatively inexpensive device with series production, whereby this disadvantage is also eliminated over time.

Other preferred embodiments of the invention are characterized by what is stated in the claims below.

The invention will now be described in more detail by means of Examples 10 with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

Fig. 1 shows schematically the basic parts of a device according to the invention, Fig. 2 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of the device according to the invention,

Figure 3 shows an embodiment of a device according to the invention.

20

Figure 1 shows the general structure of the device according to the invention. The device consists of four main components, sensors S1-S3, a processor, keys 2 and a communication channel 3. The operation of the device is based on the use of the acceleration sensors S1, S2 and 25 S3 in the direction V-- of the movements of the pointing and commanding device. speed and length. The sensors are positioned so that they measure accelerations in the directions of axes perpendicular to each other. These are hereinafter referred to as the X-Y and Z-axes. Changes in the position of the device can be inferred from the direction of acceleration and the intensity and the elapsed time.

The function of the sensors S1, S2 and S3, as stated earlier, is to detect movements in the directions of the different axes and to convert the signals into such a form that they are recognizable by the processor 1. Application temperature and. 84113 In 4 G regions, a piezo-resistive acceleration sensor is suitable because it measures accelerations linearly from a static situation. Capacitive sensors are coming to the market in the near future, which will obviously also be possible to use in the implementation of the invention.

The processor part 1 receives signals from the sensors, the nature of which may vary according to the operating principle of the sensor. Most preferably, the processor converts the signals into a form 10 that conforms to the so-called standard format for "mice". According to an example, the necessary number of keys 2 are connected to the processor part, which, depending on the application, are used in the same way as conventional mouse keys or in 3-D applications to give special signals due to the nature of the device movements.

The keys 2 must comprise any pressure- or contact-responsive devices, they can be, for example, pressure sensors placed on the surface of the hand-held device or below it. The operation of the keys can also be easily effected by means of pressure sensors 20, e.g. three-step operation, where e.g. the smallest hand or finger grip corresponds to the normal state of the device (cursor movement), normal press corresponds to normal activation of the device (key press) and strongest do not pass motion data on to the computer (so it is equivalent to lifting the mouse off the table).

The application according to Figure 1 has three sensors for detecting movements in the directions of the main axes.

30 As shown in Figure 2, the sensors may also be duplicated,

Sla, Slb ... S3a, S3b, so that the rotational movements of the pointing and commanding device can also be detected. *

Various solutions are conceivable for transmitting information between the pointer and command device according to the invention and the information machine. A reliable and proven solution i 5 84113 su is to use the cable 3 according to Figures 1 and 2 between the devices. In this way, the electricity demand of the device can also be most easily solved. Another solution that is perhaps better in terms of usability is the use of the infrared link 4 in communication, as shown in Figure 3. In this case, the movements of the device would never be restricted due to insufficient cable length or other obstacles. Aligning the infrared light beam at the receiver is currently quite problem-free thanks to the wide-angle radiating LEDs. In addition to the conventional function keys 10, the computer pointing and commanding device according to the invention requires a pause key 5, which prevents the transfer of movement data from the device to the computer. This key, especially in 3-D applications, allows the device to be moved freely to a more comfortable position for its user 15 without moving the cursor.

The pointing and commanding device according to the invention can be used in a slightly simplified manner as described above as a conventional, e.g. personal computer, mouse, i.e. as a substantially two-dimensional interaction device, and its structure could very well correspond to the principle diagram shown in Figure 1. In this case, the mouse may have the same sensor equipment as described above, in which case the pause key is unnecessary, because the sensor detecting the vertical movements of the device 25 can be programmed to prevent the transmission of roaming motion data to the computer. Of course, without departing from the invention, the sensor equipment can be reduced to detect movements in only two (ordinary mouse) or one dimensions.

30

It will be clear to a person skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the examples given above, but that its various embodiments may vary within the scope of the claims below.

Claims (7)

A computer pointing and commanding device comprising a manually movable unit comprising at least one sensor for detecting the movements of the unit (S1-S3), electronics (1) for interpreting the sensor signals and a computer-understood format, keys (2) for issuing commands to the computer and a communication channel (3,4) between the device and the computer, characterized in that the sensors (S1-S3) detecting the movements of the unit are accelerometers, the direction, speed and length of the movements of the unit being detectable in at least one direction of movement based on the direction, intensity and elapsed time. Computer pointer and command device according to claim 1, characterized in that there are three acceleration sensors (S1-S3) for detecting the movements of the mobile unit, with which the direction, speed and length of the movements of the unit can be detected in three mutually perpendicular directions of movement. A computer pointer and command device according to claim 1, characterized in that there are six acceleration sensors (S1a1, S2a, S2b, S3a, S3b) for detecting the movements of the mobile unit, two for each of the three directions of movement perpendicular to each other, allows the direction, speed and length of the unit's rotations to be identified. Computer pointing and commanding device according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the acceleration sensors are connected to detect movements in the direction of one or two axes. Il 84113 7 Computer pointing and commanding device according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the acceleration sensors are piezo-resistive acceleration sensors. 5 Computer pointing and commanding device according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the acceleration sensors are capacitive acceleration sensors. 6 84113 Computer pointing and commanding device according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the data transmission between the device and the computer is effected by means of an infrared link (4). »84113