GB2192045A - Device for the input of graphic analog data into a computer - Google Patents

Abstract

The device for the input of graphic analog data into a computer comprises a lightweight ball (6) and measuring rollers (33) injection formed on axles (54) each of which carries at its other end a disc (32) of an associated opto-electronic generator. These axles (34) are pivoted in sleeves (27) injection formed together with a mask (28) which is located in front of the corresponding discs (32). These sleeves (27) are fixed by clipping onto a base (1) of the housing. A resting roller (20) cooperates with the ball (6) and is carried by a balance (14) pivotally mounted on the base (1) of the housing and resiliently biassed by a spring (18) into contact with the ball (6) to apply the ball (6) against the measuring rollers (33) and towards the base (1) of the housing. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Device for the input of graphic analog data into a computer This invention relates to a device for the input of graphic analog data into a computer.

Devices are known for taking from a graph, drawing or any other bi-dimensional representation, in an analogical way, a certain number of data, singular points and so on and to code them in a form for use by a computer.

Such a device is generally called a 'mouse' by the man skilled in the art. The principle of a mouse is to code and transmit to a computer the displacements of said mouse, resting on a working table and comfortably housed within the hand of the user, which displacements the mouse makes under the movements of its user. Keys can be actuated by the fingers of the user to control certain actions or certain mode of interactions. The electronic part of this mouse is for example described in a document entitled "Mouse P-4" Inter-active graphic input device" of February 23, 1982 published by the applicants.

The measuring or detecting member of the mouse is a steel ball of about 20 mm diameter which rolls on a plane surface during the displacement of the mouse and which transmits its movements along two orthogonal axes to two opto-electronic pulse generators comprising a luminous source, an optical detector, a fixed mask and a disc provided with slots driven in rotation through the ball. The electric pulses generated by the opto-electronic generators are treated by an electronic circuit incorporated within the mouse permitting to deliver information, compatible with the input of a computer, corresponding to the displacement, along the two orthogonal axes, of the mouse.

Such a mouse is for example described in Swiss patents 640.961 and 655.809 as well as in US Patent B1-3.835.464.

Such a mouse presents several important drawbacks the main ones of which are the following: 1. The steel ball is heavy. It is thus necessary to drive it to overcome its inertia, and this necessitates an important adherence with the support on which is rolls. Furthermore the weight of this ball is such that if the mouse undergoes inadvertant shocks, severe damage, even going so far as the destruction of the fragile parts of the mouse such as the pulse coders and/or the electronic circuits, is to be feared.

The existing mouse has for transportation and/or mailing to be dismantled to separate the balls from the rest of the mouse in order to avoid any deterioration.

2. The data coding means and their drives through the ball are mechanical parts which necessitate precise machining and very delicate mounting and this increases the cost of the mouse.

3. The lateral or vertical abutment for the ball is not satisfactory so that a certain play cannot be avoided in the members for rotatably driving the information coders.

There is thus a need for a generally improved device for the input of graphic analog data into a computer which at least reduces the above drawbacks particularly by increasing its precision of working and in rendering the device less sensitive to outside shocks.

According to the present invention there is provided a device for the input of graphic analog data into a computer, including a housing containing a free ball a portion of which emerges out of a base of the housing through an aperture therein, two measuring rollers cooperating with the surface of the ball along orthogonal axes and each driving a disc of an opto-electronic generator, and means for resiliently biassing the ball towards a rest position, wherein the ball is light in weight and made of synthetic material, each measuring roller is injection formed on one end of a respective axle carrying at its other end the disc of the associated opto-electronic generator, the measuring roller axles are pivoted in sleeves formed in one piece with a plane mask having two slots located in front of and facing slots in the corresponding disc, the sleeves are fixedly located by being clipped onto the base of the housing, and the means for resiliently biassing the ball towards the rest position includes a resting roller cooperating with the ball and located in a plane equally spaced from the tangent planes to the ball in which the measuring rollers are located, said resting roller being carried by a balance pivotally connected to the base of the housing and resiliently biassed towards the ball, and the contact point of the resting roller with the ball being located above the diametral plane of the ball which is parallel to the base of the housing so that said means operates to urge the ball against the measuring rollers and towards the base of the housing.

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how the attached drawing shows schematically and by way same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective assembly view of a device of the invention, Figure 2 is a partial top view of the device of Fig. 1 with a cover and a printed circuit being removed, Figure 3 is a cross sectional view along line Ill-Ill of Fig. 2, Figure 4 is a cross sectional view along line iV-IV of Fig. 2, and Figure 5 is a partial view from underneath of the device of Figs. 1 to 4.

A device of the invention for the input of graphic analog data to a computer, otherwise termed a 'mouse', as illustrated has a housing formed by a base 1 and a cover 2 fastened the one on the other for example by means of screws traversing the base and cooperating with feet forming part of the cover. The upper face of the cover 2 comprises three apertures giving passage to control keys 3 for switches fixed on a printed circuit comprising all the electrical and electronic elements of the mouse. These elements as well as the printed circuit itself, the luminous sources and the optical capters, also fixed onto the printed circuit, are of well known type, for example as used in the mouse described in Swiss patent 655.809 and will not be described here.

The base 1 of this housing, as well as the mechanical part of the mouse are shown in detail in Figs. 2 to 4 and it is in that combination and particular original assembly that the novel characteristics of this mouse are to be seen, which permits minimising the drawbacks of existing mice.

The base 1, in moulded synthetic material is made in one piece and comprises an aperture 4 in its bottom 5, intended to permit the introduction and taking out of a ball 6 which will be described in detail later on. This ball 6 is maintained in service position shown at the drawing by a part 7 partially ciosing the aperture 4 and leaving a circular hole permitting a portion of the ball 6 having the shape of a spherical portion to emerge out of the lower plane of the bottom 5 of the base 1. The part 7 fits into the opening 4 and comprises a hook 8 cooperating with a notch 9 of the bottom 5. This part 7 is fixed in place by means of a screw 10 screwed into a stud 11 moulded together with the base 1.The dimension of the circular hole of the part 7 is such that the ball 6 emerges out of the lower plane of the base 1 to a distance about equal, but never lower, than the height of the feet 12 on the lower surface of this base.

The base 1 comprises further a pillar 13 moulded together with said base 1, having an axis parallel to the stud 11 located in a plane containing the symmetry axis of the ball 6 and of the stud 11 and at a distance from said stud which is greater than the diameter of the ball 6.

The upper ends of the stud 11 and of the pillar 13 are in a plane parallel to the bottom of the base and are used as supports on which a printed circuit, comprising the whole opto-electric portion of the mouse, is fixed by means of screws.

The pillar 13 is used as support for means for resiliently biassing the ball towards a rest position, including a balance 14 pivoting about an axis 15 into housings 16 of said pillar 13.

The lower part of said balance 14 is movable within a void 17 in the pillar 13 and is connected by means of a biassing spring 18 to a lug 19 made in one piece with the bottom 5 of the base 1.

The upper part of the balance 14 is movable in front of the upper part of the pillar 13, of less width than its lower part, and comprises a resting roller 20 pivoted on an axle 21 parallel to the plane of the bottom 5 of the base 1. The spring 18 tends to maintain the Teflon (Trade Mark) resting roller 20 in contact with the surface of the ball 6 and applies to said ball a force directed towards the stud 11 and the bottom 5 of the base 1, that is along an oblique line which is contained in a plane containing the symmetry axes of the stud 11, of the pillar 13 and the centre of the ball 6.

The rear face of this balance 14, directed towards the pillar 13 has in its upper portion two rods 22 constituting abutments for contacting the front lateral face of the pillar 13 to limit the angular displacement of said balance 14 and therethrough the displacement, perpendicular to the bottom 5, of the ball 6.

In opposition to all the existing mice which have steel balls, to obtain a sufficient friction force with the surface on which is rolls through its own weight, the ball 6 of the present mouse is made out of a synthetic material, generally in polyurethane, and its weight is thus very low. The necessary friction force for good working of the mouse is obtained by the oblique resting roller 20, under the biassing action of the spring 18. Due to the low weight of the ball 6, only a few grams, the mouse can undergo relatively violent shocks without any deterioration. Thanks to this, the mouse can be mailed from the manufacturers to the distributors, or directly to the clients and users completely assembled, thus simplifying greatly the transportation and exlcuding user error in setting up the ball in place.

The bottom 5 of the base 1 comprises further two supports 23, 24, made in one piece with the base, and each forming a housing 25, 26 respectively. The planes of symmetry of these two housings 25, 26, are perpendicular to the bottom 5 of the base, are perpendicular to one another and intersect themselves along a straight line contained in a plane passing through the symmetry axis of the pillar 13 and of the stud 11 and containing the centre of the ball 6. The angles formed by each of the symmetry planes of these housings 25, 26, with the plane passing through the symmetry axes of the stud 11 and of the pillar 13 are equal.

These housings 25, 26 comprise a central portion presenting plane walls and end portions comprising walls having the shape of a arc of circle of a size slightly greater than half a circle so as to constitute retaining means.

These housing each receive the mechanical part of a measuring system of the displacement of the mouse along the coordinates X and Y. Each mechanical measuring system comprises a fixed part formed by a sleeve 27 injection moulded together with a mask 28 in only one part. This mask 28 comprises two slots and the sleeve 27 has in its median portion two flats 29. In the service position, the sleeve 27 is inserted into one of the housings 25, 26, its angular position being defined by the flats 29 entering into contact with the plane walls of the housing, its axial position being determined by the entering into contact of the mask 28 with a wall 30, 31 of the corresponding support.The sleeves 27 are clipped into the service position and maintained therein by their cylindrical ends the circular periphery of which cooperates with the retaining means of the corresponding housings 25, 26.

The movable part of these mechanical measuring systems comprises a disc 32 provided with slots which is injection formed onto one end of an axle 34 pivoted without play in the sleeve 27 of the fixed part and the other end of which carries a measuring roller 33 of synthetic material. The position of the measuring roller is such that it is located in a plane tangent to the periphery of the ball 6.

These mechanical measuring assemblies are very robust, very light and of a very low cost.

Their assembly is easy and can be made without any adjustment by non qualified personnel.

The optical part of the measuring system comprises luminous or light sources located on one side of each mask 27 in front of its slots and luminous or light beam detectors located in front of the disc 32. These luminous or light sources and these detectors are fixed onto the printed circuit of the mouse.

Furthermore, these mechanical measuring assemblies are very light, a few grams, and do not undergo any damage under the action of shocks to which the mouse can be submitted.

The measuring rollers 33 which may also be of Teflon contact the periphery of the ball 6 along two perpendicular planes which are tangent to the surface of the ball and transmit to the discs 32 the angular displacements, function of the displacements along coordinates X and Y of the mouse.

It is to be further noted that the abutments 22 limit the displacement of the ball within the housing 1, 2 to avoid any deterioration for example of the rollers 33.

Therefore, thanks to the combination of three elements: a) a light ball in synthetic material, generally made of polyurethane, b) injection moulded mechanical measuring systems which are light and precise, and which can be clipped into service position without adjustment, c) and a diagonal resting device for the ball tending to appiy it against its two measuring rollers and towards the base of the mouse, which device comprises also an abutment limitting the displacement of the ball toward the inside of the housing, a mouse of very low cost, of a great precision and above all completely insensible to shocks can be produced.

One can further note that when taking in the hand an existing mouse having a steel ball or steel ball covered with rubber, outside of its working position, one hears a disagreable noise caused by the heavy ball falling from its position against the upper abutments onto the bottom of the mouse constituting the lower abutment. This drawback is also eliminated by the present invention.

Finally in the device of the invention, the force acting on the light plastics material ball is greater than the gravity force acting on said ball, that is higher than its weight. Therefore the device can be used on non horizontal surfaces, presenting any inclination. One can even use this mouse in reversed position, cooperating with a surface directed downwardly or even in the space where there is no gravity.

Claims (5)

1. A device for the input of graphic analog data into a computer, including a housing containing a free ball a portion of which emerges out of a base of the housing through an aperture therein, two measuring rollers cooperating with the surface of the ball along orthogonal axes and each driving a disc of an opto-electronic generator, and means for resiliently biassing the ball towards a rest position, wherein the ball is light in weight and made of synthetic material, each measuring roller is injection formed on one end of a respective axle carrying at its other end the disc of the associated opto-electronic generator, the measuring roller axles are pivoted in sleeves formed in one piece with a plane mask having two slots located in front of and facing slots in the corresponding disc, the sleeves are fixedly located by being clipped onto the base of the housing, and the means for resiliently biassing the ball towards the rest position includes a resting roller cooperating with the ball and located in a plane equally spaced from the tangent planes to the ball in which the measuring rollers are located, said resting roller being carried by a balance pivotally connected to the base of the housing and resiliently biassed towards the ball, and the contact point of the resting roller with the ball being located above the diametral plane of the ball which is parallel to the base of the housing so that said means operates to urge the ball against the measuring rollers and towards the base of the housing.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the balance carrying the resting roller has an abutment for limiting its angular displacement and therefore limiting the displacement of the ball towards the inside of the housing.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein the ball is made of polyurethane and the measuring rollers and resting roller are made of Teflon.

4. A device according to claim 2, wherein the sleeves in which are pivoted the axles carrying the discs and the measuring rollers each have at least one lateral flat cooperating with a plane surface of a support of the base, in which the sleeve is clipped, to define its angular position, as well as the angular position of the associated mask.

5. A device for the input of graphic analog data into a computer, substantially are hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.