JP2001290592A - Finger mounted type pointing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the operalrilty of a pointing device when a notebook-sized personal computer is used as mobile equipment. SOLUTION: This finger mounts type pointing device A transmits a relative movement quantity of a computer main body and is equipped with a device main body 1 having a finger mount part 2 which is mounted and fixed to a finger of an operator and an operation part 6 which is provided in the device main body 1 and used to move a pointer displayed at a display part of the computer main body; and the operation of the operation part 6 is converted into a relative movement quantity, which is sent to the computer main body.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pointing device of an information device typified by a notebook personal computer with a concept of mobile use, and more specifically, a finger for transmitting a relative movement amount to a computer main body. The present invention relates to a wearable pointing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 13 shows the appearance of a general notebook personal computer.

[0003] A notebook personal computer is often used exclusively for portable use, and comprises a personal computer main body 92 integrated with a keyboard section 91 and a lid 94 provided with a display section 93. Normally, a notebook computer provided as a portable device has a keyboard device 91 and a pointing device 95.
Is attached, and by operating it, the pointer 96 on the screen can be moved. In addition, when used on a desk or the like, a pointer 96 can be operated by connecting a pointing device 97 such as a mouse to the outside.

In recent years, such notebook personal computers have been increasingly miniaturized and thinned. This is due to various needs of users in addition to advances in miniaturization technology, and accordingly, some problems have arisen with respect to pointing devices.

One of the problems is that the use of the pointing device is restricted depending on the place where the main body is used. A mobile device typified by a notebook personal computer can be used in a moving car or in an airplane such as a bullet train or an airplane in addition to being used on a desk at work or at home. These information devices are generally provided with a keyboard in consideration of such various use scenes. This is because the keyboard is more convenient when inputting large amounts of data or characters using word processing software or spreadsheet software.

[0006] However, with the spread of graphic user interfaces in recent years, inconveniences may occur when using only a keyboard, and various pointing devices have been developed. Generally, the most prevalent device is a mouse. This pointing device can be intuitively operated even by a beginner. However, when a notebook computer is used as a mobile device, there is a problem that the device cannot be used because there is almost no space for moving the device. Therefore, in order to solve such a problem, a notebook personal computer is generally provided with a touch panel type or trackball type pointing device near a keyboard portion. With this, the pointer can be moved even when the notebook computer is used as a mobile device.

[0007]

However, these pointing devices have the following problems.

That is, in the trackball system, the notebook computer is becoming thinner in recent years, and because of its structure, there is a restriction on the arrangement thereof, so that the trackball system is gradually used. Further, in the case of the touch panel type, it is often difficult to use the touch panel as desired due to the sensitivity of the sensor and the like, so that it is often difficult to use the touch panel. In addition, when trying to operate these pointing devices while operating the keyboard, the position of the hand must be greatly broken. Further, in the case of a notebook computer having a smaller size, the space for arranging these pointing devices is eliminated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a finger-mounted pointing device which improves the usability of a pointing device when a notebook personal computer is used as a mobile device. It is in. In order to achieve this object, the present invention proposes a structure that realizes the following two points. (1) The pointing device can be operated without breaking the finger position even during keyboard operation. (2) Even in a place where an external pointing device such as a mouse cannot be used (when mobile), the device can be used with the same operability as an existing pointing device such as a mouse.

[0010]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a finger-mounted pointing device of the present invention is a finger-mounted pointing device for transmitting a relative movement amount with respect to a computer main body. A device main body having a finger mounting portion to be fixedly mounted on a finger, and an operation portion provided on the device main body for moving and operating a pointer displayed on a display portion of the computer main body, and the operation of the operation portion is relatively moved It is characterized in that it is converted into an amount and transmitted to the computer body.

According to the present invention having such features,
In a state where the keyboard is operated (that is, a state in which both fingers are arranged on the keyboard), the operation unit of the device main body attached to an arbitrary finger is operated with another finger, so that the computer main body is operated. The pointer displayed on the display unit can be moved. In other words, during the operation of the keyboard, without significantly breaking the position of the finger,
A pointing device can be operated.

In the finger-mounted pointing device according to the present invention, in the above configuration, the operating portion is formed on a stick-shaped projection, and by rotating this projection up, down, left, and right, the corresponding up, down, left, and right directions are obtained. And transmits it to the computer main body.

According to the present invention having such features,
In a state where the keyboard is being operated (that is, a state where both fingers are arranged on the keyboard), by rotating the projection of the device body attached to any finger with another finger, The pointer displayed on the display unit of the computer body can be moved up, down, left, and right. That is,
During operation of the keyboard, the pointing device can be operated without significantly changing the position of the finger.

The finger-mounted pointing device according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-described configuration, the protrusion is further provided so as to be able to be pushed, and this pushing operation is converted into input information and transmitted to the computer main body. .

According to the present invention having such features,
While the keyboard is being operated (that is, the fingers of both hands are placed on the keyboard), the user presses the projection of the device body attached to any finger with another finger to operate the computer. The operation signal can be transmitted to the main body. That is, it is possible to operate the pointing device without significantly changing the position of the finger during the operation of the keyboard.

Further, in the finger-mounted pointing device of the present invention, in each of the above-mentioned structures, the finger-mounted portion is provided so as to be mounted on the index finger or the middle finger, and the operation portion is provided so as to be operated by the thumb. I do.

According to the present invention having such features,
For example, the device body is attached to the index finger of the left hand, and the operation unit is operated with the thumb of the left hand (rotating operation or pushing operation)
By doing so, the pointer displayed on the display unit of the computer main body can be moved, and a push-in operation signal can be transmitted to the computer main body. In other words, during operation of the keyboard, the pointing device can be operated without changing the position of the finger (the position from the index finger to the little finger in the left hand). When operating the keyboard with blind touch, the thumb of the left hand is basically used only for pressing down the space key, and is usually not used much. From this,
If the left thumb is used for operating the operation unit, it is possible to use the pointing device without substantially changing the position of the finger when operating the keyboard. From the opposite perspective, it can be said that the left thumb is being used effectively.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1A is an external view showing an embodiment of a finger-mounted pointing device of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a partially enlarged view.

This finger-mounted pointing device A
Comprises a device main body 1 formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a ring portion (finger mounting portion) 2 for inserting a finger is formed on an upper portion of the device main body 1. Further, on one side surface of the device main body 1, an operation unit 6 described in detail later is provided.

Then, the index finger or the middle finger of the user is
By inserting the ring portion 2 of the device main body 1, the device main body 1 is mounted and fixed on a finger. At this time, the device main body 1 needs to be mounted and fixed regardless of the thickness of the finger, so that the inner diameter of the ring portion 2 can be adjusted by, for example, air pressure.

More specifically, a cylindrical thickness adjuster 3 made of resin (vinyl or the like) is disposed inside the ring portion 2, and a button 4 provided on the device main body 1 is pressed, so that the thickness is adjusted. Air enters the adjustment unit 3, and the inside diameter of the ring unit 2 is reduced, so that it fits the finger. By pressing the button 4 again, air is released from the thickness adjustment unit 2 and the finger is released.

With this structure, it can be fixed to any user regardless of the thickness of the finger. When operating the keyboard, the device main body 1 is hidden under the worn finger and under the palm, so that the finger-mounted pointing device A does not interfere. However, if the length of the device main body 1 is excessively long, a lower key may be unexpectedly pressed by the device main body 1, so that the device main body 1 is preferably as short as possible.

FIG. 12 shows a state in which such a finger-mounted pointing device A is attached to a notebook computer. The notebook computer main body 81 and the finger-mounted pointing device A are connected by a cable 82 and are connected using various connectors 83 (PS2, USB, etc.).

On the other hand, in the present invention, there are two types of the operation section 6 of a trackball type and a joystick type.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show an embodiment in which the operation unit 6 is a trackball type. FIG.
(B) is a front view, (c) is a side view.

That is, a trackball section 11 for operating a pointer and a button section 12 for clicking, dragging and deciding are provided on the side surface of the device body 1. By operating this trackball section 11,
You can move the pointer on the screen. The structures of the trackball 11 and the button 12 are basically the same as those mounted on the mouse.
Here, a detailed description of the structure is omitted. For the button section 12, for example, the button section 12a (see FIG. 2C) has the same role as the left button of the mouse, and the button section 12b has the same role as the right button of the mouse.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show an operation example using the trackball unit 11, wherein FIG. 3A is a side view of the device body 1 having the trackball unit 11, and FIG. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a cursor 13.

When the trackball portion 11 is rotated in the direction of the arrow, the pointer 13 on the screen moves in the direction of the arrow. When the trackball portion 11 is rotated in the direction of the arrow, the pointer 13 on the screen moves in the direction of the arrow. When the trackball 11 is rotated in the direction of the arrow, the pointer 13 on the screen moves in the direction of the arrow. When the trackball 11 is rotated in the direction of the arrow, the pointer 13 on the screen moves in the direction of the arrow. It is designed to move.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show an embodiment in which the operation unit 6 is a joystick type. FIG.
(B) is a front view, (c) is a side view.

That is, a stick 21 for operating a pointer is provided on a side surface of the device main body 1. The stick portion 21 is provided so as to be tiltable (actually rotatable) in eight directions and pushable. By tilting the stick portion 21,
The pointer on the screen can be moved, and a signal corresponding to a button click can be output by performing a pressing operation.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the tilting and pushing structure of the stick 21.

The stick portion 21 is held by being inserted into a stick support portion 31 provided on a side surface of the device main body 1. A disk-shaped electrode holding plate 23 is attached near the insertion tip 22. ing. The eight electrode portions 2 are arranged at equal intervals around the lower surface of the electrode holding plate 23.
4a to 24h are provided. In addition, stick part 2
The ninth electrode 24i is also provided on the first insertion tip 22. FIG. 6A is a view of the electrode holding board 23 viewed from the lower surface side, and shows an arrangement state of the nine electrodes 24a to 24i.

On the other hand, the nine electrodes 54a are also provided on the inner surface (more precisely, the side surface of the device body 1) of the stick supporting portion 31 facing each of the nine electrodes 24a to 24i.
a to 54h (eight electrodes 54 provided at equal intervals in a ring shape)
a to 54h and one electrode 54 provided at the center thereof.
i) is provided. FIG. 6B shows the arrangement of the nine electrodes 54a to 54i. The electrodes 24a to 24i and 54a to 54i output signals to the controller 60 with a circuit configuration that outputs a High signal when the opposing electrodes are in contact with each other and a Low signal when the opposing electrodes are not in contact with each other. ing. 6 (a) and 6 (b), corresponding electrodes are given the same numbers with a 〇 separately.

The stick portion 21 having such nine electrodes 24a to 24i is formed by a return spring (coil spring) 41 with the central portion 21a inserted into the insertion cylindrical portion 32 of the stick receiving portion 31. Is held.

That is, at the lower end of the insertion cylindrical portion 32,
An annular spring receiving portion 33 is formed on the inner peripheral portion thereof,
An annular projection 25 is formed at the upper end of the stick portion 21 in the insertion cylindrical portion 32. The return spring 41 is mounted between the spring receiving portion 33 and the projecting portion 25, and urges the stick portion 21 to always push it upward. The electrodes 24a to 24i provided on the periphery of the lower surface of the electrode holding board 23 and the insertion tip 22 of the stick 21 and the electrodes 54a to 54i provided on the side of the device body 1 are sticks. When the unit 21 is not operated, it is always in a non-contact state. Further, regarding the tilting operation of the stick portion 21, the hole 3 of the insertion cylindrical portion 32 into which the stick portion 21 is inserted is described.
Just by making the diameter of 2a slightly larger than the diameter of the stick portion 21, a tilting operation (including a rotating operation) becomes possible. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the stick portion 21 is tilted in one direction (a state in which one of the electrode portions 24a to 24h is in contact with one corresponding electrode portion of the electrode portions 54a to 54h). 8 shows a state in which the stick portion 21 is pushed in (a state in which the electrode portion 24i is in contact with the electrode portion 54i). FIG. .

With the above configuration, when the stick portion 21 is tilted up, down, left, and right, the electrode portions in the tilted direction are brought into contact with each other, and the electrode portions are turned on during that time, and a High signal is output to the control 60. With such a configuration, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, when the stick unit 21 is tilted in the direction of the arrow, the pointer 13 on the screen moves in the direction of the arrow, and the stick unit 2 is moved.
When 1 is tilted in the direction of the arrow, the pointer 13 on the screen moves in the direction of the arrow. When the stick unit 21 is tilted in the direction of the arrow, the pointer 13 on the screen moves in the direction of the arrow.
When the stick 21 is tilted in the direction of the arrow, the pointer 13 on the screen moves in the direction of the arrow. In addition, by pushing down the stick portion 21, operations such as clicking and dragging can be performed.

The joystick type structure is as follows.
The structure is not limited to the structure shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, and may have the same structure as a current joystick.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a state in which a joystick type finger-mounted pointing device A is mounted on the index finger of the left hand. However, in this example,
A finger-mounted pointing device A having a structure in which the stick portion 21 is located substantially beside the ring portion 2 is illustrated. In this example, the finger-mounted pointing device A is mounted deeper than the second joint of the index finger.
In this case, the stick 21 is operated with the left thumb. By adopting such a form, while typing on the keyboard, without breaking the position of the finger,
The pointing device can be operated.

When operating the keyboard by blind touch, the left thumb is basically used only for pressing down the space key, and is not usually used much. For this reason, if the left thumb is used for operating the operation unit,
The pointing device can be used without breaking the finger position during keyboard operation (with the hand on the keyboard and without removing the hand from the home position).

FIG. 11 shows a joystick type finger-mounted pointing device A shown in FIGS.
2 shows a conceptual circuit configuration of FIG.

Each of the electrode portions 24a to 24i and 54a to 54i
(-,-, ...,-,-)
) Is sent to the computer as it is, and the signal line is controlled by the computer itself. In general, as shown in FIG. 11, the controller 60 in the pointing device controls the contact state ( −
,-, ...,-,-ON / OFF)) is converted into data of the movement amount and the switch state, and the converted data is notified to the computer main body.

This is more advantageous than preparing a special interface and its driver separately on the computer body side.
This is because emulating a serial mouse or an import mouse has advantages such as a lower development cost of the computer main body.

Accordingly, the electrode portions 24a to 24i, 54a to
The state of 54i is changed according to the contents shown in Tables 1 and 2,
Δx (movement amount in X direction), Δy (movement amount in Y axis direction),
Control to convert to SW (switch state) and output to the computer through cable / interface,
Power line from the computer itself (also cable /
(Supplied via an interface).

[0045]

[Table 1]

[0046]

[Table 2]

In the above-described two embodiments, if there is a possibility that the trackball 11 is rotated by a finger or the like or the stick portion 21 falls down, the trackball 11 is prevented from falling. A rotation stopper or a tilt stopper for the stick portion 21 may be provided.

[0048]

According to the finger-mounted pointing device of the present invention, the computer can be operated by operating the operation section of the device body attached to an arbitrary finger with another finger while operating the keyboard. Since the pointer displayed on the display unit of the main body can be moved, the pointing device can be operated without significantly changing the position of the finger.

Further, according to the finger-mounted pointing device of the present invention, while operating the keyboard, the projection of the device main body mounted on an arbitrary finger is rotated by another finger to operate. Since the pointer displayed on the display unit of the computer main body can be moved up, down, left, and right, the pointing device can be operated (cursor moving operation) without significantly changing the position of the finger.

Further, according to the finger-mounted pointing device of the present invention, while the keyboard is being operated, the protrusion of the device main body mounted on an arbitrary finger is pushed with another finger to perform an operation. Since the operation signal can be transmitted to the computer main body, the pointing device can be operated (operation corresponding to a click) without significantly changing the position of the finger.

According to the finger-mounted pointing device of the present invention, for example, by attaching the device main body to the index finger of the left hand and operating the operation unit with the thumb of the left hand, the display is displayed on the display unit of the computer main body. The pointer can be moved, and a push operation signal can be transmitted to the computer main body. That is, during operation of the keyboard, the pointing device can be operated without changing the position of the finger. in this case,
When operating the keyboard with blind touch, the thumb of the left hand is basically used only for the operation of pressing down the space key, and usually not used much. Therefore, if the left thumb is used for operating the operation unit, the pointing device can be used without completely changing the position of the finger when operating the keyboard.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is an external view showing an embodiment of a finger-mounted pointing device of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a partially enlarged view.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show an embodiment in which an operation unit is a trackball type, where FIG. 2A is an external perspective view, FIG.
(C) is a side view.

FIG. 3 shows an operation example using a trackball unit;
(A) is a side view of the trackball, and (b) is an explanatory view of a pointer (cursor) 13 linked thereto.

4A and 4B show an embodiment in which the operation unit is a joystick type, wherein FIG. 4A is an external perspective view, FIG. 4B is a front view, and FIG. 4C is a side view.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a tilting and pushing structure of a stick unit.

FIG. 6A is an explanatory view showing an arrangement state of nine electrodes provided on a stick part side, and FIG. 6B is an illustration showing an arrangement state of nine electrodes provided on a side surface side of a device body. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the stick unit is tilted in one direction.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a stick unit is pressed.

FIG. 9 shows an operation example using a stick unit;
(A) is a side view of a stick part, (b) is explanatory drawing of the pointer (cursor) 13 linked | linked with this.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a state in which a joystick-type finger-mounted pointing device is mounted on the index finger of the left hand.

FIG. 11 is a conceptual circuit configuration diagram of a joystick type finger-mounted pointing device.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the finger-mounted pointing device is mounted on a notebook computer.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the appearance of a general notebook computer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A finger-mounted pointing device 1 device main body 2 ring portion (finger-mounted portion) 6 operation portion 11 trackball portion 12 button portion 13 pointer (cursor) 21 stick portion 22 tip insertion portion 23 electrode holding board 24a to 24i electrode portion 31 stick Supporting part 32 Inserting cylindrical part 41 Return spring 54a to 54i Electrode part 60 Controller

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A finger-mounted pointing device for transmitting an amount of relative movement with respect to a computer main body, the device main body having a finger mounting portion that is mounted and fixed to an operator's finger, and provided on the device main body. An operation unit configured to move a pointer displayed on a display unit of the computer main unit, wherein the operation of the operation unit is converted into a relative movement amount and transmitted to the computer main unit. 2. The operation unit is formed as a stick-shaped projection, and by rotating the projection up, down, left, and right, the operation is converted into a corresponding relative movement amount in the up, down, left, and right directions and transmitted to the computer main body. The pointing device according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The finger-mounted pointing device according to claim 2, wherein the protrusion is further provided so as to be able to be pushed, and the pushing operation is converted into input information and transmitted to a computer main body. 4. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein the finger mounting portion is provided so as to be mounted on a forefinger or a middle finger, and the operation portion is provided so as to be operated by a thumb.
A finger-mounted pointing device according to item 1.