JPH04138516A - Pointing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To determine the existence of accelerating operation and to change the rate of acceleration in accordance with the operation of this pointing device by controlling the display position of a display body based upon the added result of outputs from an acceleration rate setting means for setting up the rate of acceleration based upon pressure force or the like applied from the outside and a momentum detecting means. CONSTITUTION:When a ball 1a is rotated without pressing it downward at the time of applying the pointing device 1 to a track ball e.g., a momentum detecting means 2 detects the rotation, and since pressing force to a pressure sensitive rubber 7 included in the acceleration rate setting means 3 becomes zero, the output of A/D converter 7 through a current/voltage converter 8 becomes zero and the cursor to be the display body is moved in a state suppressing acceleration control. At the time of rotating the ball 1a while depressing it, the output from the converter 9 is increased in accordance with pressing force and positional control is executed by an additional output part 4 so that the moving distance of the cursor is increased. Thus, the existence of accelerating operation can be determined and the rate of acceleration can be changed in accordance with the operation of the pointing device.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] An object of the present invention is to provide a pointing device that can change the presence or absence of an acceleration operation and the rate of acceleration according to the operation of the pointing device. A pointing device for controlling the display position of a display body displayed at an arbitrary position, the pointing device comprising: a movable part provided on the pointing device, or a momentum detecting means for detecting the momentum of the pointing device itself; an acceleration ratio setting means for setting an acceleration ratio based on a control amount of the acceleration ratio setting means; and an addition output means for adding the acceleration ratio determined by the acceleration ratio setting means to the amount of momentum detected by the amount of momentum detection means and outputting the result, The display position of the display body is controlled based on the output signal from the addition output means.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a pointing device, and more specifically, the present invention relates to a pointing device.
For example, the present invention relates to a pointing device, such as a mouse or a trackball, which is used as a display on a combiator display and controls the operation of a cursor or the like.

In recent years, in order to improve man-machine interfaces in computer application software, many pointing devices, such as mice and trunk balls, have been developed as input devices with higher operability.

This includes the direction and amount of rotation of the ball, which is a movable part of a mouse, trackball, etc., the direction and amount of movement of the mouse itself in the case of a mouse operated by an optical sensor, and the amount of movement of the ball, which is a movable part of a mouse or trackball. It controls the display position of a display such as a cursor on the display according to the amount of movement, such as the direction in which the lever is tilted and the angle at which the lever is tilted.In order to obtain a better operating feeling, Depending on the usage status of the software, it is required that the display position of the cursor can be freely controlled according to the amount of movement caused by the operation of the pointing device.

[Conventional technology]

Examples of conventional pointing devices of this type include those shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

This is to set acceleration to control the display position of a mouse cursor, which is a display body, by switching the operation mode of mouse 100, which is a pointing device. , switching means 103, and acceleration setting means 104.

The sensor 101 outputs a predetermined signal according to the amount of momentum such as the direction and amount of rotation of the ball, which is a movable part provided at the bottom of the mouse 100 body. The amount of movement of the mouse 100 is detected by counting the detected signals.

The switching means 103 switches the operation mode of the mouse 100 between a normal mode and an acceleration mode based on an external command, and further, in the normal mode,
The resolution of the mouse 100 can be switched in three stages: 400, 200° and 100 counts.

The acceleration setting means 104 increases the count number by the movement amount detection means 102 at a predetermined rate based on the amount of movement of the mouse 100 within a certain period of time. In this case, a larger acceleration is set for the movement of the mouse cursor than when the mouse is moved slowly.

In the above configuration, in the normal mode, the ratio between the amount of movement of the mouse 100 and the amount of movement of the mouse cursor on the screen is constant, and the position of the mouse cursor on the screen depends on the amount by which the mouse 100 is moved. is controlled.

Generally, for example, in the case of software in which the movement range of the mouse cursor spans the entire screen area, the resolution of the mouse 100 is increased, while in the case of software that requires detailed work such as CAD-CAM, Reduce the resolution of the mouse 100. This is Mouse 100
As the resolution decreases from 400 counts to 200,100 counts, the amount of movement of the mouse cursor per unit movement of the mouse 100 becomes smaller, making detailed work easier. This is because it becomes difficult to move quickly.

That is, in the case of software that uses the entire screen and also includes detailed work, a mode change command is sent to the mouse 100 in advance, and the operation mode of the mouse 100 is set from normal mode to acceleration mode.
When moving the mouse cursor from one edge of the screen to the other,
The position of the mouse cursor has been controlled by moving the mouse 100 quickly and, when performing detailed work, by moving the mouse 100 slowly.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in such a conventional pointing device, when the operation mode of the mouse 100 is set to the acceleration mode by the switching means 103, the acceleration setting means 104 uniquely controls the acceleration mode. Since it was configured to be set, if you set it to -degree acceleration mode,
Regardless of the intention of the operator operating the mouse 100,
Since the speed of movement of the mouse 100 and the amount of movement of the mouse cursor change relative to the amount of movement, there is a problem in that it is difficult to move the mouse cursor as desired by the operator.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a pointing device that can change the presence or absence of an acceleration operation and the rate of acceleration depending on the operation of the pointing device.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the pointing device according to the present invention is a pointing device 1 that controls the display position of a display body C displayed at an arbitrary position on a display device, as shown in FIG. , a movable part 1a (lb, lc) provided in the pointing device 1
), or an amount of movement detection means 2 that detects the amount of movement of the pointing device 1 itself, an acceleration ratio setting means 3 that sets the ratio of acceleration based on a predetermined control amount from the outside, and an acceleration rate setting means 3 that sets the acceleration ratio based on a predetermined control amount from the outside. addition output means 4 for adding and outputting the ratio of .
The display position of the display body C is controlled based on the output signal from the display body C.

Note that it is effective for the acceleration ratio setting means 3 to set the acceleration ratio based on an external pressing force as a predetermined control amount.

; Effect] In the present invention, the acceleration ratio is set by the acceleration ratio setting means based on a predetermined control amount from the outside, for example, a pressing force from the outside, and the addition output of the momentum detection means and the acceleration ratio setting means is The display position of the display body is controlled by.

That is, the presence or absence of an acceleration operation is determined in accordance with the operation of the pointing device, and the rate of acceleration is further changed.

〔Example] Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained based on the drawings.

Figures 2.3 (a), (b), and (c) show a first embodiment of the pointing device according to the present invention;
The figure is a block diagram of this embodiment.

First, the configuration will be explained.

The pointing device 1 of this embodiment is broadly divided into an amount of motion detection means 2, an acceleration ratio setting means 3, and an addition output means 4.

The momentum detecting means 2 is provided in the pointing device 1, for example, as shown in FIGS.
) In order to detect the momentum of the movable part 1a (lb, lc) as shown in FIG. , M P U
(Micro Pr.

cessir+g [In1t) Consists of some of the 10 functions, including rotary encoders 5X, 5
Y converts the amount of rotation into an electrical signal, and the count detection circuit 6
X and 6Y are for counting electrical signals output from the rotary encoders 5X and 5Y.

The acceleration ratio setting means 3 includes a pressure-sensitive rubber 7 as a sensor that detects a pressing force as a predetermined control amount from the outside, and a pressure converter 8 that converts a current value sent from the pressure-sensitive rubber 7 into a voltage value. , an A/D converter 9 that converts the analog value of the current / into a digital value by the pressure converter 8, and a part of the function of the MPU10.The pressure-sensitive rubber 7 contains metal or carbon particles in the rubber. is dispersed and its resistance value changes according to the pressing force, and the pressure-sensitive rubber 7
The current value is changed by changing the resistance value.

The addition/output means 4 includes an MPU 10 and controls the display position of the display C by adding the outputs from the count detection circuits 6X, 6Y and the A/D converter 9.

In addition, E is a power supply, and Fig. 3 (a), (b),
(c) shows the case where this embodiment is applied to a trackball, a mouse, and a joystick, respectively.

In the case of a trackball, the pressure-sensitive rubber 7 is placed at the bottom of the trunk ball unit 12 in the case 11, as shown in FIG. 3(a), and in the case of a mouse, as shown in FIG. 3(b). , a pressure-sensitive rubber 7 is provided on the bottom of the mouse, and a low-friction nylon resin 1 is provided on the sliding surface that comes into contact with a desk, mouse pad, etc.
3rd prize is attached. Further, in the case of a joystick, as shown in FIG. 3(c), pressure-sensitive rubber 7 is provided at the trigger 15 portion of the grip 140.

Next, the action will be explained.

In the case of the trackball shown in FIG. 3(a), the ball 1a
If it is rotated without pushing downward, the pressing force on the pressure sensitive rubber 7 becomes zero, so the output of the A/D converter 9 via the current/voltage converter 8 also becomes zero, which is different from the normal case in the conventional example. Similar to the mode, the cursor, which is the display body C, is moved without acceleration control. When the ball 1a is rotated while being pressed, the output from the A/D converter 9 is increased in accordance with the pressing force, and the position of the cursor is controlled to increase the amount of movement of the cursor.

In the case of the mouse shown in Fig. 3(b), as with the trackball, if you want to move the cursor a large amount, you can move it by pressing the mouse, but if you want to make subtle adjustments to the cursor movement, you can do so without pressing the mouse downward. By moving it to
The position of the mouse cursor, which is the display object C, is controlled.

In the case of the joystick shown in FIG. 3(c), the A/D converter 9
The output from the lever IC is outputted to the MPU10, and the position of the mouse cursor, which is the display body C, is controlled by the direction and angle of tilting the lever IC.

Therefore, in this embodiment, pointing device 1
By applying a pressing force to the pressing force, it is possible to determine whether or not to perform an acceleration operation according to the pressing force, and furthermore, it is possible to change the rate of acceleration.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a mouse when the second embodiment of the pointing device according to the present invention is applied to the mouse;
In FIG. 4, the same numbers as those given to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3(b) indicate the same parts.

In the mouse of this embodiment, a variable resistor 16 is slidably provided on the side surface of the mouse body in place of the pressure-sensitive rubber 7 that detects pressing force as a predetermined control amount from the outside. In this embodiment, by sliding the variable resistor 16 to determine the desired acceleration and determining the resistance value, it is possible to determine whether or not an acceleration operation is to be performed, and furthermore, it is possible to change the rate of acceleration.

Therefore, in the case of the first embodiment, when trying to obtain a constant acceleration, a constant pressing force was required;
In this embodiment, since the variable resistor 16 is used to obtain a predetermined control amount from the outside, it is easier to set a constant acceleration to the mouse than in the first embodiment, and the operator can You can control the position of the mouse cursor as you wish.

As described above, in this embodiment, the acceleration ratio setting means sets the acceleration ratio based on external pressing force, etc. as a predetermined control amount from the outside by the acceleration ratio setting means and the momentum detection means. The display position of the display body can be controlled by the output.

Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not an acceleration operation is to be performed in accordance with the operation of the pointing device, and it is also possible to change the rate of acceleration.

Although the above embodiments have been described using a cursor as an example of a display object, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be used, for example, to control the display position of a sprite character used in a game or the like.

In addition, although the above example describes a mouse that detects the movement of a ball using a rotary encoder, it can also be applied to a mouse that uses an optical sensor instead of a ball to detect the amount of movement of the mouse. It goes without saying that it is possible.

[Effects of the Invention] In the present invention, the acceleration ratio setting means sets the acceleration ratio based on an external pressing force or the like as a predetermined control amount from the outside by the acceleration ratio setting means and the momentum detection means. The display position of the display body can be controlled by the addition output.

Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not an acceleration operation is to be performed in accordance with the operation of the pointing device, and it is also possible to change the rate of acceleration.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a principle diagram of the pointing device of the present invention, Figure 2 is a block diagram of the first embodiment of the pointing device of the present invention, and Figure 3 (a) is a case in which the first embodiment is applied to a trackball. 3(b) is a side view of a mouse when the first embodiment is applied to a mouse, and FIG. 3(c) is a perspective view of a joystick when the first embodiment is applied to a joystick. 4 is a perspective view of a mouse in which the second embodiment of the pointing device according to the present invention is applied to a mouse; FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a mouse as an example of a conventional pointing device; FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a mouse as an example of a conventional pointing device; The figure is a block diagram of FIG. 1.--pointing device, la, lb
... Ball (movable part), 1c... Lever (movable part), 2 ... Momentum detection means, 3 ... Acceleration ratio setting means, 4. ...Addition output means, 5X, 5Y...Rotary encoder, 6
X, 6Y... Count number detection circuit, 7...
...Pressure sensitive rubber, 8...Current/pressure converter, 9...A/D converter, 10...MPU, 11...Case , 12... Trunk hole unit 13... Nylon resin, 14... Grip, 15... Trigger 16... Variable resistor, C ...Display body. Principle diagram of the pointing device of the present invention FIG. 1 A perspective view of a trackball when the first embodiment is applied to a trackball FIG. 3 (M1) A side view of a mouse when the first embodiment is applied to a mouse Figure 3 (T, L) (C) A perspective view of a joystick when the first embodiment is applied to a joystick Figure 3 (V, L) A perspective view of a mouse when the second embodiment is applied to a mouse A perspective diagram of a mouse as an example of a conventional pointing device

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A pointing device that controls the display position of a display body displayed at an arbitrary position on a display device, comprising a momentum detection device that detects the momentum of a movable part provided in the pointing device or the pointing device itself. means, acceleration ratio setting means for setting an acceleration ratio based on a predetermined control amount from the outside, and adding the acceleration ratio by the acceleration ratio setting means to the amount of momentum detected by the amount of momentum detection means and outputting the result. A pointing device comprising: addition output means; and controlling a display position of the display body based on an output signal from the addition output means. (2) The pointing device according to claim 1, wherein the acceleration ratio setting means sets the acceleration ratio based on an external pressing force as a predetermined control amount.