JP2012190481A - Pointing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pointing device capable of realizing high portability while retaining high operability.SOLUTION: A pointing device 300 comprises: a bottom face in a rectangular shape; a top face in the same shape as the bottom face opposing and in parallel to the bottom face; and two side face pairs including a plurality of rectangular side faces vertical to the bottom face and the top face. The top face has two input buttons of an input button 302 for inputting determination and an input button 301 for opening a menu screen arranged in a lengthwise direction, the first input button 302 out of the two input buttons is disposed in an area including a point corresponding to a center along the lengthwise direction of the top face and a center along a widthwise direction, and the second input button 301 out of the two input buttons is disposed in an area including a point sandwiched between the first input button 302 disposed on the top face and an end along the lengthwise direction of the top face and the center along the widthwise direction. A charging terminal to be used for charging an internal storage battery is provided on one of the side faces.

Description

  The present invention relates to a pointing device for operating a cursor, which is a GUI (Graphical User Interface) in the computer, and a computer provided with a space for storing the pointing device.

  There is a mouse as a pointing device which is a device for moving a cursor on a computer screen. FIG. 29 shows a general mouse shape. The user supports the back of the upper surface by covering it with the palm, and grips the housing from the side using three fingers, the thumb, the ring finger, and the little finger. Two input buttons are arranged in front of the upper surface, and input is performed by clicking the two buttons with the index finger and the middle finger respectively. Further, a sphere or an image sensor for detecting the moving distance and moving direction of the mouse is attached to the back surface, and the detected moving distance and moving direction are reflected in the movement of the cursor.

On the other hand, in general mobile computers, a touch pad and a trackball are installed as a pointing device in the computer main body in consideration of carrying convenience. The touch pad moves the cursor using a change in capacitance or resistance value generated by touching the user. The trackball detects the rotation of the ball with an image sensor and moves the cursor. In the vicinity of the touch panel or the trackball, an execution button and an auxiliary button corresponding to the two input buttons of the mouse are provided.

  However, touchpads and trackballs are often inferior to mice in terms of operability. Among users, even if a touchpad or a trackball is provided on the computer main body, there are users who use a mouse separately connected. In order to meet such needs, portability is improved by reducing the size and thickness of the mouse.

  In general, when a mouse is downsized, it is gripped by three points, that is, thumb, ring finger, and little finger, and operation stability is lowered as compared with a method of gripping by four points including a palm. There exists a mouse | mouth described in patent document 1 as a conventional mouse | mouth which compensates for the fault of such miniaturization. According to this mouse, a plate-like protrusion is arranged in the center, and the protrusion can be held between the index finger and the middle finger so that the mouse can be stably operated.

  Moreover, there exists a mouse | mouth described in patent document 2 as a conventional mouse | mouth which compensates for the operativity fall accompanying thickness reduction. According to this mouse, it has a pivotable panel portion installed and can be fixed at a fixed angle, so that it can be gripped in the same manner as a normal mouse and can maintain a certain operability. Further, portability can be improved by enabling storage in a PCMCIA card slot (PCMCIA is a registered trademark of the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association, hereinafter omitted) provided in a computer as the thickness is reduced.

In addition, in order to reduce the projection of the scroll foil, like the mouse described in Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4, plane input means such as a touch panel is installed on the upper surface or side surface, and the scroll input unit is downsized. I am trying.
JP 2003-131806 A JP 2001-34405 A JP 2000-311057 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-345082

An object of the present invention is to provide a pointing device that realizes high portability while maintaining good operability.

  A pointing device which is one embodiment of the present invention is a pointing device having a height of 6 mm to 20 mm, and has a bottom surface having a rectangular shape with a length in the longitudinal direction of 40 mm to 100 mm, and the same shape as the bottom surface And a pair of side surfaces configured by a plurality of rectangular side surfaces perpendicular to the bottom surface and the top surface. Two input buttons, an input button for inputting a decision and an input button for opening a menu screen, are arranged in the longitudinal direction on the upper surface, and the first input button which is one of the two input buttons is disposed in the longitudinal direction of the upper surface. The second input button, which is the other of the two input buttons, is arranged in a region including the center position in the center and the short direction, and the first input button arranged on the upper surface and the longitudinal direction of the upper surface It arrange | positions in the area | region containing the center position of a transversal direction between edge. Inside, at least a wireless transmission unit that wirelessly transmits signals transmitted from the two input buttons and a storage battery that supplies power to the wireless transmission unit are provided. A charging terminal used for charging the storage battery is disposed on the side surface.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a pointing device with improved portability and high operability.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a pointing device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The device 100 includes a top surface 110, a bottom surface 120, and two pairs of side surfaces 130, 140, 150, and 160 that face each other. The user grips the housing with the left side 150 and the right side 160 as gripping surfaces and is sandwiched from both sides by the thumb and ring finger or the thumb and little finger. On the other hand, the computer main body is provided with a space in which the device 100 can be stored. When the device is not used, portability can be improved by storing the device 100 in the computer.

2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 show a top view, a bottom view, a front view, a rear view, and an exploded perspective view of the device 100, respectively.

Input buttons 101 and 102 are provided on the upper surface of the device. Microswitches 177 and 178 mounted on the circuit board are arranged below the input button, and a signal is input through the microswitch when the input button is clicked.

An opening 121 is provided near the center of the device bottom surface, and a lens 122 and a light emitting element 123 that illuminates the contact surface are provided above the opening. An image sensor 173 is provided above the lens 122 to optically read the state of the contact surface. The optical processing unit 174 compares the image data obtained by the image sensor 173 by correlating the image data at an interval of several thousandths, and calculates the movement direction and movement distance of the device. Here, when gripping at two points from both sides, the entire device is likely to rotate around the center, so the image sensor 173 is provided above the intersection of the two diagonal lines on the bottom surface in order to minimize reading errors due to rotation. It has been.

  A concave portion 131 is provided on the front surface of the device, and the device can be fixed to the computer main body by fitting with a convex portion provided in the storage portion of the computer main body during storage.

On the back of the device, an antenna 141 for communicating with a computer is embedded. Data related to the moving direction and moving distance obtained by the optical processing unit 174 and signals input through the micro switches 177 and 178 are subjected to processing such as modulation, D / A conversion, and up-conversion by the transmitting unit 175. It is transmitted to the computer through the antenna 141. Possible communication methods between the device and the computer include infrared communication and communication using Bluetooth (registered trademark). Note that the communication method is not limited to this, and any method can be used as long as it has a communication speed of several tens of kilobits / second or more necessary for communicating the movement amount and movement direction read by the device. good. Here, a communication speed of about several hundred kilobits / second to several tens of megabits / second is desirable from the viewpoint of accuracy and stability. In addition, from the viewpoint of the device usage state and power consumption reduction, a communication method with a communication distance of several meters or less is desirable.

A ground terminal 142 and a charging terminal 143 are provided on the back of the device. The storage batteries 171 and 172 built in the device are charged by contacting the ground terminal and the power supply terminal provided in the storage portion of the computer main body during storage. Here, the ground terminal has a larger total area than other terminals so that stable grounding can be achieved. In addition, it is provided at a location closest to the insertion direction in the storage portion so that the ground terminal can first come into contact with the ground terminal on the computer side and ground when compared with other terminals.

  A control unit 176 that controls the operation of the transmission unit 175, the optical processing unit 174, and the light emitting element 123 is provided inside the device. When the device is stored in the computer, the control unit 176 functions as each unit. The control which stops is also performed.

The storage batteries 171 and 172 supply power to each unit. Here, the number of storage batteries does not need to be two, but since the weight ratio of the storage battery to the total weight of the device is large, it is desirable that the storage batteries are arranged symmetrically with respect to the cross section dividing the longitudinal direction of the device in half. . If the arrangement of each part of the device is designed so that the vertical axis passing through the center of gravity of the entire device passes through the image sensor 173, reading errors caused by rotation about the center of gravity can be kept to a minimum. it can.

  Next, a computer that houses the above pointing device will be described. FIG. 7 is an overview of the computer 200. The computer is a portable notebook computer in which a lid 201 having an image display unit 204 and a main body 202 are connected to each other through a rotating unit 203 so as to be opened and closed. On the upper surface of the main body, a plurality of keys 203 for inputting characters, a touch pad as a pointing device, and input buttons 205 and 206 corresponding to right click and left click of the mouse are installed.

When the computer is not used, it is folded and hooked locking members 209 provided on the lid are hooked and fixed on claws in the locking receiving portion 210 provided on the main body. When in use, the release button 11 is pressed to release the fixing and open the lid.

  The main body has a storage portion 212 having an opening on the front surface of the main body, and can be stored by inserting the pointing device 100 through the opening. The side of the storage unit 212 is spring-loaded and has a convex part that can move in a direction perpendicular to the device insertion direction. When the storage unit 212 is stored, the pointing device is stored by being fitted with a concave part provided on the side of the pointing device. Fixed to the part. In use, by pushing an unillustrated eject button, the protrusion at the lock position returns to the lock release position against the biasing force of the spring, and the fitting is released, and the pointing device is discharged. By providing such a locking mechanism, the pointing device can be attached and detached.

Here, in a mobile computer in which a lid provided with a screen display unit as shown in FIG. 7 and a main body provided with a storage unit for storing a pointing device can be opened and closed by a hinge, the lid is closed. In some cases, it is better to have a configuration in which the pointing device cannot be discharged from the storage unit. Specifically, for example, when the lid is closed, the locking member attached to the lid engages with the locking receiving portion of the main body so that the lid and the main body are integrally fixed. A part may block the passage of the eject button, or a part of the locking member and a part of the eject button may be engaged to prevent movement of the eject button. By preventing the eject button from being accidentally pushed, the device can be prevented from being accidentally ejected. In addition, a part of the locking member may be configured to prevent the spring-loaded convex part from moving in a direction away from the concave part, or the member pushed by the locking member may be an eject button or a convex part. The movement may be fixed. When the lid is closed, it is unlikely that the pointing device will be used. Use the locking member provided on the lid to lock the eject button or the locking mechanism itself. Sometimes, it is possible to prevent the pointing device from coming out of the storage unit due to malfunction.

  A side surface of the storage portion 212 has a ground terminal and a power supply terminal. The ground terminal is connected to the ground of the computer main body, the power supply terminal is connected to the power jack and battery of the computer (not shown), and when the pointing device is stored, the ground terminal and the charging terminal provided on the side of the pointing device By contacting, the storage battery in the pointing device can be charged.

As described above, it is a rectangular parallelepiped housing having a longitudinal direction, a lateral direction, and a certain height, and is provided as a gripping surface for gripping a pair of opposing side surfaces along the lateral direction from both sides. It is a device that is easy to store in a computer. In addition, as a shape of a housing, it is desirable that the height of a housing is a height of about 3 mm to 20 mm so that it can be easily grasped by grasping from both sides. Further, in consideration of the distance between the natural human thumb and ring finger, the length of the longitudinal casing is designed to be about 4 cm to 12 cm, so that it is easy to grip. The average adult hand size is more preferably 6 to 16 mm in height and the length of the longitudinal body is between 6 to 10 cm, which is most preferable. Note that the shape of the pointing device and the position of the storage unit provided in the computer are not limited to the above shapes. A pointing device as shown in FIGS. 8 to 20 may be used. Hereinafter, a part of the description of the same part is omitted.

  In FIG. 8, the input buttons 301 and 302 on the upper surface of the device are arranged at positions shifted from the center of the device. When gripping by gripping the side surface of 350 with the thumb and the side surface of 360 with the ring finger, the index finger and the middle finger, which are the fingers to press the input button, are on the ring finger side because of the shape of the hand. They are arranged so as to be shifted from the center in the gripping surface direction, and the input switch can be pushed naturally. The index finger side input button 302 that is normally left-clicked is an input button used for determination, selection, etc., and has a frequency of use more than that of the right-click input button 301 having an auxiliary role such as opening a pull-down menu. Therefore, the left click input button operated with the index finger may be designed larger than the right click input button operated with the middle finger.

  FIG. 9 includes a scroll wheel 403 on the upper surface of the device. By rotating the scroll wheel, the screen of the browser or the like scrolls up, down, left and right. The operability can be further improved by providing such scroll means. Moreover, since the index finger and the middle finger are longer than the other fingers, it is necessary to bend the finger greatly when the input button is pressed from above. Therefore, by chamfering the side surface and the top surface along the longitudinal direction, which are different from the side surfaces 450 and 460 held by the top surface, the thumb, and the ring finger, the input button is configured to span the three surfaces of the top surface, the chamfered surface, and the side surface. Since input can be made from the side, the input switch can be pushed in the form of a natural finger.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the upper surface and side surfaces may be chamfered with curved surfaces. Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the upper surface and the side surface may be formed of a pair of curved surfaces so that the input buttons 601 and 602 can be pressed from an arbitrary angle. By mixing curved surfaces, when the input switch is pressed, the corners do not hit the forefinger or middle finger, so that the finger can be made less tired.

Moreover, you may comprise the height of the surfaces 750 and 760 to hold | grip higher than the height of the other part of a housing like FIG. As the device becomes thinner, the height of the grip portion also becomes lower. Therefore, when the height is more than a certain level, it becomes difficult to sandwich the device with fingers from both sides. Therefore, the holding surface is kept at a constant height, and the other portions are made thinner, so that the operability is not impaired and the size can be reduced. In addition, by providing the inclined surfaces 770 and 780 from the gripping surface toward the center of the housing, it is possible to provide a guide role when the input buttons 701 and 702 are pressed.

  Moreover, you may provide a curved surface instead of a slope from the holding surface to the center like FIG. Moreover, you may provide the surface which is parallel to a bottom face between the holding surface and the slope which goes to a center like FIG. Further, by designing the height of the scroll wheel 903 provided between the input switches 901 and 902 to be lower than the height of the gripping surface, it is possible to prevent breakage due to the scroll foil being caught during storage.

Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the gripping surface may be configured with the side surfaces on both sides along the lateral direction of the casing as slopes. By placing your finger on the slope, the housing can be pressed in the direction of the ground plane and can be gripped from both sides, so the device can be operated stably. In addition, a slope may be formed by chamfering a vertical side surface and an upper surface along the short direction.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 16, the central portion of the housing in which the input buttons 1101 and 1102 are arranged on the upper surface may protrude forward from both side portions of the gripping surfaces 1150 and 1160. With this configuration, the input buttons 1101 and 1102 can be pressed without bending the index finger and middle finger so deeply. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 17, the central portion of the housing may protrude forward from the gripping surfaces 1250 and 1260 and be longer than the width of the gripping surface.

  FIG. 18 is a conceptual diagram showing a computer 1300 having a storage unit of another form. Each storage unit is provided with a projection for fitting, a ground terminal, and a power supply terminal inside, similarly to the storage unit 212 of the computer 200 shown in FIG. Here, these terminals and protrusions can be appropriately arranged on the side surface, bottom surface, and top surface of the storage portion in accordance with the device to be stored.

Like the storage part 1302, you may comprise so that a device can be accommodated by providing an opening part in the left and right side surfaces of a computer main body. Even if the device is thicker, it can be accommodated by providing an accommodating portion on the side surface by making the side surface thicker than the front surface to have an opening.

  Also, the insertion direction into the opening may be either the longitudinal direction or the short direction. Since it is not necessary to provide a storage part deep inside the main body 1301 by configuring like the storage part 1303, it is easy to arrange without interfering with other parts such as the PCMCIA slot, and the design becomes easy.

Further, like the storage portion 1304, an opening may be provided on the upper surface of the main body to insert the device from above. At this time, for example, when inserting a device having a height of the gripping surface higher than the height near the center as in the devices of FIGS. 12 to 14, the height of the device gripping surface and the depth of the storage portion 1304 are made the same. It may be left. In this way, the scroll wheel does not protrude from the main body 1301, and can be stored properly.

A storage portion may be provided at a corner of the main body 1301 like the storage portion 1305. When the chamfering angle between the front surface of the main body and the side surface of the main body is set equal to the chamfering angle between the gripping surface and the front surface of the device shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, even a device having a shape as shown in FIGS. .

  As described above, by using the pointing device and the computer according to the first embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to have high operability and portability by allowing the computer to be stored without impairing the operability as the pointing device.

When the device is housed, it may be provided with a function of turning off the power of the device, assuming that the device is not in use.

(Embodiment 2)
The pointing device and the computer according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention have a configuration in which a part of the device function is appropriately limited and changed according to the attachment / detachment of the device to / from the computer main body.

  FIG. 19 is an overview diagram of the pointing device according to the present embodiment. In addition to the ground terminal 1410 and the charging terminal 1420, four signal output terminals 1431, 1432, 1433, 1434 and an attachment / detachment detection terminal 1440 are provided on the side surface as external connection terminals. The signal output terminal is a terminal for transmitting a signal input by the device to the outside. The signal output terminals 1431 and 1432 are respectively connected to a rotation detection unit that detects the rotation of the scroll wheel 1403 and a micro switch attached to the lower part of the scroll wheel. The signal output terminals 1433 and 1434 are respectively input buttons 1401. , 1402 is connected to a micro switch provided at the bottom. On the other hand, the attachment / detachment detection terminal 1440 is a terminal for detecting whether or not the device is attached to the computer.

  FIG. 20 is a schematic view of a part of the computer according to the present embodiment. A touch pad 1502 is attached to the upper surface of the main body 1501. On the other hand, the input buttons corresponding to the left click and right click of the pointing device are not attached to the main body, but instead, the storage portion 1504 is attached to the opposite side of the keyboard 1503 across the touch pad with the upper surface as an opening. ing.

  The storage portion 1504 is provided with four signal input terminals 1531, 1532, 1533, 1534 that are external connection terminals, a ground terminal 1510, a power supply terminal 1520, and an attachment / detachment detection terminal 1540. The terminals can be connected to the corresponding terminals when the pointing device 1400 of FIG. 19 is housed.

  FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing an operational relationship between the pointing device 1400 and the computer 1500. Hereinafter, detailed description will be given with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20.

  A central control unit 1554 composed of a CPU, a memory, and the like checks whether the pointing device 1400 is attached to the storage unit 1504 of the computer 1500, so that the control unit 1454 on the pointing device 1400 side through the attachment / detachment detection terminal 1540 at regular intervals. To poll. If there is no response, the central control unit 1554 determines that the pointing device 1400 is not attached, and stops the function of the touch pad 1553.

When the control unit 1454 does not receive polling from the central control unit 1554 through the attachment / detachment detection terminal 1440, the control unit 1454 determines that the pointing device 1400 is not attached to the computer main body 1500, and activates the transmission unit 1452 and the movement detection unit 1453. Let

The movement detection unit 1453 includes an image sensor, a light emitting element, an optical processing circuit, and the like, detects the movement distance and movement direction of the pointing device 1400, obtains information on the movement distance and movement direction of the cursor, and outputs the information to the transmission unit 1452. To do.

The signal input unit 1455 outputs each input signal obtained by pressing and rotating the input switches 1401 and 1402 and the scroll wheel 1403 to the transmission unit 1452.

  The transmission unit 1452 performs wireless transmission such as modulation, D / A conversion, and up-conversion on the information regarding the movement distance and movement direction input from the movement detection unit 1453 and the input signal input from the signal input unit 1455. Processing is performed and wireless transmission is performed via the antenna 1451.

  Note that the storage battery 1456 supplies power to each unit in the pointing device 1400.

  The reception unit 1552 performs wireless reception processing such as down-conversion, A / D conversion, equalization processing, and demodulation on the signal wirelessly received via the antenna 1551, and outputs the obtained signal to the central control unit 1554. To do.

  Based on the signal input from the receiving unit 1552, the central control unit 1554 performs corresponding processes such as cursor movement, selection and determination operations, scroll operations, and auxiliary operations, and the screen display unit 1456 reflects the processing. Let

On the other hand, when the control unit 1454 receives polling from the central control unit 1554 through the attachment / detachment detection terminal 1440, the control unit 1454 detects and determines that the device is attached to the computer, and transmits a response signal to the central control unit 1554. Then, control for stopping the functions of the transmission unit 1452 and the movement detection unit 1453 is performed. When the device is attached to the computer, the power consumption can be reduced by performing power control and stopping the energization of the transmitter 1452 and the movement detector 1453 that are not used.

When the central control unit 1554 receives the response signal, the central control unit 1554 detects and determines that the device is attached to the computer, and controls the touch pad 1553 to operate. Further, the power management unit 1555 is instructed to charge the storage battery 1456. The power management unit 1555 charges the storage battery 1456 through a power supply terminal using a battery or an external power source in accordance with a charging instruction from the central control unit 1554. The other power management unit 1555 supplies power to the control unit 1454 in the device to start and stop as necessary when the device is stored.

The central control unit 1554 controls the movement of the cursor based on information input from the touch pad 1553, and an instruction from the user input from the signal input unit 1455 of the attached device 1400 via the signal input terminal. Based on the above, corresponding processes such as a selection and determination operation, a scroll operation, and an auxiliary operation are performed, and the screen display unit 1456 reflects the process.

As described above, when the pointing device is not attached to the computer, the input signal input from the user through an interface such as an input button or a scroll wheel and information on the movement of the cursor obtained by optical processing are wirelessly communicated. When it is attached to the computer, the function to generate and send information related to the movement of the cursor is stopped and the signal input from the user through the interface such as the input button or scroll wheel is output to the housing. Output to the computer through the terminal. The computer confirms whether or not the device is attached. When the device is not attached, the input signal input from the user through an interface such as an input button or a scroll wheel provided on the device, and the movement of the cursor. Both of the information are received wirelessly and the function of the touch pad provided on the main body is stopped. On the other hand, when attached, the touchpad is activated, information on cursor movement is input from the touchpad, and input signals input from the user through interfaces such as input buttons and scroll wheels provided on the device are The signal is input from the device through a signal input terminal provided in the storage unit.

In this way, it is possible to reduce the power consumption by partially limiting the pointing device function according to the usage status, and it is not necessary to provide an input button on both the device and the computer body, so that the manufacturing cost and miniaturization Will be advantageous.

For example, when used at a desk or the like, it is possible to input with high operability by separating the pointing device from the computer and using it as a mouse. On the other hand, when it cannot be used separately in a train or the like, the cursor can be moved and signals can be input using the touch pad, the input button of the mouse in the attached state, and the scroll wheel while the computer is attached. In this way, a pointing device with high operability and portability that flexibly adapts to the use situation by adopting a configuration that can be used by combining a part of the functions of the pointing device fixed to the computer and the removable pointing device. A device can be provided.

In addition, by placing the storage part on the front side of the touchpad, this area is usually a place where the keypad is not touched from the front of the left and right when entering the keypad with both hands. Even if it is a space, it does not get in the way.

Further, when the device is mounted on the computer main body, the control unit in the device is provided with means for confirming the OS activation state of the computer, and is configured to turn off the power of the device main body when the OS is not activated or in the logoff state. This will save you more power.

In the present embodiment, the optical processing unit that performs processing for calculating the moving distance and moving direction of the cursor based on the image obtained by the image sensor is arranged on the pointing device side, but this function is performed on the computer side. You may let them. On the pointing device side, image data obtained by the image sensor is wirelessly transmitted through the transmission unit, and an optical processing unit provided separately on the computer side obtains the movement distance and movement direction of the cursor from the image data received by the reception unit. It may be configured. Such a configuration eliminates the need for an optical processing unit on the pointing device side, thereby enabling a reduction in the size of the device. On the pointing device side, the image data obtained by the image sensor is optically processed, and the distance and direction of movement of the pointing device are obtained and transmitted wirelessly from the transmission unit. The processing unit provided on the computer side receives the reception unit. The signal regarding the movement distance and movement direction of the pointing device is converted into information regarding the movement distance and movement direction of the cursor using the cursor speed set by the user, and the cursor movement on the image display unit is performed. The structure to reflect may be sufficient.

(Embodiment 3)
The pointing device according to the third embodiment of the present invention is configured to output a part of a signal to a computer via an external connection terminal when stored, as in the second embodiment, and has two input buttons attached to the device. The signal input by is not output to the computer, but the signal obtained by operating the scroll wheel is output to the computer. Note that the description of the same parts as those in the first and second embodiments is omitted.

  FIG. 22 is an overview of the pointing device according to the present embodiment. Two input buttons are arranged on the upper surface of the housing, and a scroll wheel 1603 is provided on a gripping surface opposite to the insertion direction into the storage unit. The user places the thumb on the gripping surface provided with the scroll wheel, puts the ring finger or the little finger on the opposing gripping surface, and grips it so that it is picked from both sides. Further, a ground terminal, a charging terminal, an attachment / detachment detection terminal, and two signal output terminals (not shown) are provided on the rear surface. Here, the two signal output terminals are respectively connected to a detection unit for detecting the rotation of the scroll wheel and a micro switch attached to the back of the scroll wheel.

On the other hand, an overview of the computer according to the present embodiment is the same as the computer 200 shown in FIG. However, the storage section is further provided with two signal input terminals for exchanging signals when the device is mounted and an attachment / detachment detection terminal for detecting the attachment / detachment state of the device as external connection terminals.

When the device is not attached to the computer, the device and the computer operate in the same manner as in the second embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted. When attached to the computer, a signal input from the user using a scroll wheel is output to a central control unit in the computer via a signal output terminal.

The central control unit in the computer is a signal for controlling the movement of the cursor input from the touch pad, an instruction operation input by the user through two input buttons attached to the upper surface of the main body, a signal related to the auxiliary operation, and The corresponding processing is performed using a signal related to the scroll operation input from the device in the mounted state via the signal input terminal.

In this way, by using the scroll foil attached to the device when the device is mounted, there is no need to separately provide a scroll foil on the computer main body, the signal input from the device scroll foil, the touch pad attached to the computer main body And if it inputs from two input buttons, operativity can be improved.

In the device of the present embodiment having an opposing gripping surface, even if a scroll wheel is provided on the gripping surface, the scroll is rotated because the scroll foil is contacted so that the thumb is vertically covered when gripping the housing. If you want to scroll, you can move the thumb back and forth, and if you want to activate the micro switch located behind the scroll wheel, you can do it by pushing the thumb harder, The scroll wheel can be operated while holding the housing.

In the above description, the scroll wheel is provided on the gripping surface, but the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 23, the scroll wheel may be arranged on the front side surface along the longitudinal direction, and the storage portion may be provided so that the scroll wheel protrudes from the opening on the side surface of the computer main body. A scroll wheel may be provided at the corners of two matching side surfaces, and a storage portion may be provided so that a part of the scroll wheel protrudes from the opening.

(Embodiment 4)
The pointing device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention relates to a configuration in which a detection unit that detects a device usage state of a user is added and power supply to each unit is limited when the user is not operating the device.

  FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram of a pointing device according to the present embodiment. A pinhole 1904 is provided on the gripping surface, and a light detection unit (not shown) is provided at the back of the pinhole. When the amount of light detected by the light detection unit is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the control means in the device stops the function of each part of the device, assuming that the device is not in use.

  As in the pointing device according to the present invention, in a device shape in which a pair of gripping surfaces are sandwiched and operated by two fingers, the gripping surfaces are always covered with fingers when the device is used. Accordingly, when the user uses the device, the pinhole 1904 is covered with a finger, so that the amount of light detected by the light detection unit is reduced. By reading the usage state from the change in the amount of light and performing power control and function control, power is consumed only when necessary, so that power consumption can be reduced.

Thus, by comprising, a detection means can be provided with a small structure compared with the case where it controls using a vibration detection part etc., for example. In addition, the vibration detection unit may misrecognize that it is in use even when the hand is touched accidentally, or in the case of an earthquake or vibration in a vehicle. Does not occur. Because there is a region that the finger touches at the time of use without depending on the personality of the holding method for each user due to the shape of the device, it is possible to determine whether or not the device is used properly by providing a detection means in that area. Power control and function control can be performed.

  Since the thumb has a larger area than the ring finger or the little finger, it is desirable to provide the pinhole on the grip surface on the thumb side. Moreover, you may provide a pinhole in the chamfering surfaces 1970 and 1980 which are the 2nd chamfering surfaces.

The detection means for detecting the usage state is not limited to the combination of a pinhole and a light detection unit. For example, a planar detection member that detects a change in capacitance or a change in resistance value is used as a gripping surface 1950. , 1960, 1970, 1980, and similar control may be performed based on the detection result.

(Embodiment 5)
The pointing device and the computer according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention are intended to allow the user to use the pointing device in a more natural way.

In the optical mouse, the amount and direction of movement of the mouse are detected by an image sensor in which image elements are arranged in a two-dimensional array in the XY direction. The image sensor is attached to the inside of the mouse so that the XY directions in which N × N image elements are arranged substantially coincide with the left and right front and back of the mouse housing. Here, the front-rear direction of the mouse is a direction along the boundary line of the two input switches, and the left-right direction is a direction orthogonal to the boundary line. Thus, by aligning the arrangement direction of the image elements in the image sensor and the left / right / front / rear direction of the mouse case, the cursor can be moved up / down / left / right on the screen by moving the mouse case back and forth.

However, as shown in FIG. 26, when the pointing device 2002 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape is gripped with the thumb and the ring finger or the thumb and the little finger with the two side surfaces along the short side as the gripping surfaces, the parallel relationship with the computer 2001 If you try to operate while keeping, you need to twist your wrist outward. This is because a human hand has a thumb shorter than the other fingers, and the ring finger needs to be pulled back in order to maintain a parallel positional relationship with the computer. Thus, since it is necessary to apply unnecessary force to the wrist, the operability is slightly lowered. Note that the image sensor 2003 is provided in the mouse so that the X-Y direction of the image sensor coincides with the left-right front-rear direction of the mouse housing.

In view of the second problem, the configuration of the pointing device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention determines the two arrangement directions of the image elements arranged in the image sensor from the longitudinal direction and the short direction of the device housing. The image sensor is provided in the device with the angle being shifted.

  FIG. 27 is a conceptual diagram showing the positional relationship between the computer main body, the device, and the hand that holds the device. As shown in the figure, the image sensor is attached so that the XY direction of the image sensor and the right direction and the front direction of the device housing have a predetermined angle. Here, the X-Y direction of the image sensor is two orthogonal arrangement directions of the image elements arrayed in the image sensor. The left-right direction of the device housing is a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the device housing, and the front-rear direction is a direction parallel to the short direction. Also, two input buttons (not shown) are attached to the upper surface of the device, and the two input buttons are attached so that the boundary line between the two input buttons is parallel to the short direction.

As shown in FIG. 27, when the X direction of the image sensor is provided so as to be parallel to the computer main body 1501, the gripping surface on the ring finger side of the mouse enclosure is projected forward. Accordingly, since the gripping surface comes to the position of the thumb and ring finger in a natural state without twisting the wrist, the mouse can be operated in a natural state.

The effect can be felt if the offset angle provided between the X-Y direction of the image sensor and the left-right front-rear direction of the mouse housing is 10 degrees or more. However, if it is tilted beyond 80 degrees, it will be necessary to twist the wrist greatly inward, so an angle between 10 degrees and 80 degrees may be set. It should be noted that a sharp angle such as 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, and 60 degrees is desirable because the user can easily recognize it with a sense. Further, a mark indicating the XY direction may be provided on the surface of the mouse. By doing so, the user can discriminate between the XY directions, so that the cursor on the screen can be accurately moved.

(Embodiment 6)
In the invention according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention, the same problem as in the fifth embodiment is solved by software by correcting the movement angle of the cursor using a program executed on a computer. It is intended.

FIG. 27 shows a property screen 2202 for mouse setting called up by the screen display unit 2201. A user reads a mouse setting program stored in the computer body by performing a predetermined input using an interface such as a mouse, and displays a property screen 2202 on the screen display unit 2201. The property screen includes setting means for setting the relationship between the moving distance of the mouse and the moving distance of the cursor, and angle correcting means for correcting the angle between the moving direction of the mouse and the moving direction of the cursor. An icon indicating the set value is moved to the desired set value using the cursor 2205, or the desired set value is input using an input device such as a keyboard, and the desired setting is stored in the storage means in the computer. The control means in the computer determines the movement distance of the corresponding cursor by using the stored moving speed setting value for the signal indicating the movement distance and movement direction of the mouse sent from the mouse, and Using the set value of the compensation angle, a process of determining a movement direction obtained by adding the rotation corresponding to the compensation angle set in the movement direction as the movement direction of the cursor is performed and reflected in the operation of the cursor 2205 of the screen display unit 2201.

Thus, the program for setting the cursor performs a process for correcting the moving direction of the mouse based on the setting value set by the setting means for setting the relationship between the moving direction of the mouse and the moving direction of the cursor, A process for displaying the movement direction after the correction process on the screen as the movement direction of the cursor is performed, and a setting according to the user's preference is possible, and an optimum customization can be performed for each user.

  In this way, in a general mouse that does not consider storage, it is ready to align the movement direction of the mouse with the movement direction of the cursor, but the movement direction of the mouse is limited when the shapes that can be taken are limited And the movement direction of the cursor are set, and a program for displaying the cursor in accordance with the set correspondence can be executed on the computer, so that a part of the deterioration in operability caused by the device shape can be compensated.

  The pointing device and the computer according to the present invention have been described above. Thus, according to the present invention, a pointing device and a computer having high operability and portability can be provided.

The pointing device of the present invention described above is a mouse because it has an input button for inputting selection and determination instructions and means for generating and outputting information related to cursor movement.

  In each of the above embodiments, the touch pad is mainly described as the pointing device fixedly attached to the computer. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a cursor such as a trackball, a pointing stick, a touch panel, etc. Any pointing device having a function of moving the screen can be replaced.

In addition, each of the control unit, the transmission unit, the reception unit, the movement detection unit, the image sensor, and the optical detection unit described above may be realized using a semiconductor integrated circuit. Here, the integrated circuit may be referred to as LSI, VLSI, or ULSI.

  The pointing device and the computer according to the present invention can be used as a mobile computer that is mainly assumed to be carried and a pointing device incorporated in the mobile computer.

Overview of pointing device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention 1 is a top view of a pointing device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The bottom view of the pointing device which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention The front view of the pointing device which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention The rear view of the pointing device which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention 1 is an exploded perspective view of a pointing device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Overview of the computer according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention Overview of pointing device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention Overview of pointing device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention Overview of pointing device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention Overview of pointing device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention Overview of pointing device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention Overview of pointing device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention Overview of pointing device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention Overview of pointing device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention Overview of pointing device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention Overview of pointing device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention Overview of the computer according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention Overview of pointing device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention Overview of the computer according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention The block diagram which shows the operation | movement relationship which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. Overview of pointing device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention Overview of pointing device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention Overview of pointing device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention Overview of pointing device according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention The conceptual diagram showing the relationship between the computer, pointing device, and hand concerning Embodiment 5 of this invention The conceptual diagram showing the relationship between the computer, pointing device, and hand concerning Embodiment 5 of this invention Explanatory drawing showing the mouse setting screen concerning Embodiment 6 of this invention Schematic diagram of a prior art mouse

100, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1400, 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2002, 2102 Pointing devices 101, 301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801 , 901, 1001, 1101, 1201, 1401, 1601, 1701, 1801, 1901 Right input button 102, 302, 402, 502, 602, 702, 802, 902, 1002, 1102, 1202, 1402, 1602, 1702, 1702, 1802 , 1902 Left input button 150, 350, 450, 550, 650, 750, 850, 950, 1050, 1150, 1250, 1950 Left grip surface 160, 360, 460, 560, 660, 760, 860, 960 1060, 1160, 1260, 21960 Right grip surface 110 Top surface 120 Bottom surface 130 Front surface 140 Back surface 131 Recessed portion 121 Opening portion 122 Lens 123 Light emitting element 142, 1410 Ground terminal 143, 1420 Charging terminal 141 Antenna 171, 172 Storage batteries 173, 2003, 2103 Image sensor 174 Optical processing unit 175 Transmission unit 176 Control unit 177 Right micro switch 178 Left micro switch 200, 1300, 1500 Computer 201 Lid 202, 1301, 1501, 2001, 2101 Computer main body 203 Rotation unit 204 Image display unit 205 , 1503 Keyboard 206, 1502 Touch pad 207 Right input button 208 Left input button 209 Locking member 210 Locking receiving portion 211 Release button 212, 130 1303, 1304, 1305, 1504 Storage unit 403, 503, 903, 1403, 1603, 1703, 18031903 Scroll wheel 770, 780 Slope 1431, 1432, 1433, 1434 Signal output terminal 1440 Detachment detection terminal 1510 Ground terminal 1520 Power Supply terminal 1531, 1532, 1533, 1534 Signal input terminal 1540 Attachment / detachment detection terminal 1400 Pointing device 1451 Antenna 1452 Transmitter 1453 Movement detector 1454 Control unit 1455 Signal input unit 1456 Storage battery 1500 Computer 1551 Antenna 1552 Receiver 1553 Touchpad 1554 Central control unit 1555 Power management unit 1556, 2201 Image display unit 2104 Mark 2202 Setting screen 2203, 2204 Con 2205 cursor

Claims (5)

A pointing device having a height of 6 mm to 20 mm,
A bottom surface having a rectangular shape with a length in the longitudinal direction of 40 mm to 100 mm;
An upper surface having the same shape as the bottom surface and facing in parallel to the bottom surface;
Two pairs of side surfaces composed of a plurality of rectangular side surfaces perpendicular to the bottom surface and the top surface;
Have
On the top surface, two input buttons, an input button for inputting a decision and an input button for opening a menu screen, are arranged in the longitudinal direction,
A first input button, which is one of the two input buttons, is arranged in a region including the center in the longitudinal direction and the center in the short direction of the upper surface, and the second input button which is the other of the two input buttons Between the first input button arranged on the upper surface and the longitudinal end of the upper surface and disposed in a region including a central position in the short direction,
Inside,
A wireless transmission unit that wirelessly transmits a signal sent from the two input buttons;
A storage battery for supplying power to the wireless transmitter;
Is provided at least,
On the side,
A charging terminal used for charging the storage battery is disposed.
pointing device. A first input button, which is one of the two input buttons, is arranged in a region including the center in the longitudinal direction and the center in the short direction of the upper surface, and the second input button which is the other of the two input buttons Is disposed in a region between the first input button disposed on the upper surface and the longitudinal end of the upper surface and including a central position in the lateral direction, so that the second is disposed on the upper surface. Two input buttons are arranged so as to be asymmetrical in the longitudinal direction and symmetrical in the lateral direction on the upper surface,
The pointing device according to claim 1. Near the center of the bottom surface, an opening for optically reading the state of the contact surface is arranged,
A movement detector for optically detecting a movement distance and a movement direction of the pointing device is further disposed in the interior.
The pointing device according to claim 1 or 2. An input button larger than an input button for opening the menu screen is arranged on the upper surface as an input button for performing the determination input,
The pointing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The first input button disposed in a region including the center in the longitudinal direction of the upper surface and the center in the lateral direction is between the first input button on the upper surface and the longitudinal end of the upper surface. And it is larger than the second button arranged in a region including the center position in the short direction,
The pointing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.