KR20120040774A - Optical pointing apparatus and portable device having the optical pointing apparatus - Google Patents

Optical pointing apparatus and portable device having the optical pointing apparatus Download PDF

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Publication number
KR20120040774A
KR20120040774A KR1020100102177A KR20100102177A KR20120040774A KR 20120040774 A KR20120040774 A KR 20120040774A KR 1020100102177 A KR1020100102177 A KR 1020100102177A KR 20100102177 A KR20100102177 A KR 20100102177A KR 20120040774 A KR20120040774 A KR 20120040774A
Authority
KR
South Korea
Prior art keywords
housing
pointing device
optical pointing
light
subject
Prior art date
Application number
KR1020100102177A
Other languages
Korean (ko)
Inventor
안건준
이광한
Original Assignee
크루셜텍 (주)
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by 크루셜텍 (주) filed Critical 크루셜텍 (주)
Priority to KR1020100102177A priority Critical patent/KR20120040774A/en
Publication of KR20120040774A publication Critical patent/KR20120040774A/en

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
    • G06F3/033—Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user, e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor
    • G06F3/0354—Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user, e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
    • G06F3/041—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
    • G06F3/042—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means by opto-electronic means

Abstract

An optical pointing device according to the present invention includes a light source unit; A first housing illuminated by the light source and in contact with the subject; A second housing coupled to the first housing and having an accommodation space therein; And a substrate accommodated in the accommodation space and mounted with an image sensor configured to detect incident light reflected by the subject, wherein the first housing is formed on an upper portion of the second housing and is bottomed by the second housing. It is characterized in that it is formed spaced apart from the predetermined distance.

Description

A mobile terminal equipped with an optical pointing device and an optical pointing device {OPTICAL POINTING APPARATUS AND PORTABLE DEVICE HAVING THE OPTICAL POINTING APPARATUS}

The present invention relates to a portable terminal equipped with an optical pointing device and an optical pointing device. More specifically, the present invention relates to an optical pointing device and a portable terminal provided with the optical pointing device capable of extending the available area of the PCB substrate included in the optical pointing device without changing the size of the optical pointing device or the size of the main board.

In general, an electronic device such as a mobile terminal or a personal digital assistant (PDA) adopts a user interface using a keypad.

As an example of the user interface, a pointing device includes a pointing device such as a mouse, and the pointing device includes a light and a ball.

A pointing device using a light is called an optical pointing device. An example of the optical pointing device is an indicator device called an optical mouse. An example of a pointing device using a ball is a ball mouse. have.

In the case of the mouse, the movement of the pointer (cursor) may be implemented according to the displacement value of the mouse by moving the mouse on a subject (for example, a mouse pad). In contrast, in the case of a pointing device mounted directly on a mobile phone body, The movement of the pointer may be implemented according to the displacement value of the subject by moving the subject (eg, a finger) on the surface of the pointing device. In conclusion, the pointing device moves the pointer according to the relative movement of the subject.

The optical pointing device includes a light source that emits light to detect relative movement of a subject, an image sensor that detects an optical signal, and a cover housing for contacting the image sensor with a subject (eg, a finger).

The optical pointing device may be provided separately from an electronic device such as an optical mouse of a computer, and may be connected by wire or wirelessly, but may be mounted directly on a main body in an electronic device such as a mobile phone. Basic operation principle of the optical pointing device can be applied to the same operation principle of the optical mouse.

However, in the optical pointing device of the mobile phone, the user's finger touches and moves the cover housing to operate the device. In the mouse of the computer, the cover housing contacts the pad of the mouse and slides on the mouse pad.

When the relative movement of the subject is performed on the cover housing as in the case of a mobile phone, for example, when the optical pointing device of the mobile phone is brought into contact with the surface of the cover housing by moving a finger, the light input to the image sensor according to the movement of the finger. The signal is changed so that the electronic device can be manipulated as the finger moves.

In more detail, in the state where the subject does not contact the cover housing, the light emitted from the light source passes through the cover housing and is emitted to the outside of the cover housing. On the other hand, when a subject such as a finger contacts the cover housing, the light emitted from the light source hits the subject, is reflected, and is then picked up by the image sensor.

When the subject moves, the optical signal reflected by the subject and sensed by the image sensor also changes. In addition, the optical signal detected by the image sensor is processed by a controller (not shown) having an image processor (not shown), so that the movement of the cursor may be implemented according to the movement of the subject on the display screen of the electronic device.

1 is a view for schematically explaining a configuration of an existing optical pointing device as described above.

The existing optical pointing device 100 includes a light source unit 110, an image sensor 120, an optical guide member 130, and a cover housing 140.

The light guide member 130 is provided inside the cover housing 140, and the subject is in contact with the surface of the cover housing 140.

The light source unit 110 emits light toward the surface of the cover housing 140. When the subject is positioned on the surface of the cover housing 140, the light source emitted from the light source unit 110 is reflected by hitting the subject and then is reflected by the light guide. The light is incident on the image sensor 120 through the member 130.

The light guide member 130 includes a light blocking body 131 for blocking the light of the entire band and an optical guide part 132 formed through the light blocking body 131, and the light guide part 132 The light guides the light source reflected from the subject to the image sensor 120.

The light guide member 130 is provided on the upper side of the image sensor 120 to cover the upper side of the image sensor 120, and the predetermined area of the image sensor 120 receives a predetermined amount of light flowing from the cover housing 140. To guide and block light.

The image sensor 120 is mounted on an upper portion of the main substrate 126, and the main substrate 126 forms a bottom of the optical pointing device 100. The image sensor 120 is connected to an electronic device, for example, a main circuit board (not shown) of the mobile phone through the connector 127. In addition, the image sensor 120 has a rectangular light detection area that functions as an area for detecting light, and when the light captured in the light detection area is changed by a relative operation of a subject, a pointer (cursor) of the pointer is displayed on the display screen. The movement is implemented.

On the other hand, in the case of the optical pointing device described above, which is generally mounted on a portable terminal, since the optical pointing device is manufactured in a small size and ultra-slim, a component (eg, an image sensor) is selected on a narrow main board inside the optical pointing device in consideration of an optical pattern and a circuit pattern. It is not easy to deploy.

However, the optical guide member 130 of the conventional optical pointing device is stacked on the main substrate 126 as shown in FIG. 2. In more detail, a portion located on the side of the accommodation space 134 and perpendicular to the bottom surface formed along the circumference of the light guide member 130 is defined as a 'vertical portion', and the space of the accommodation space 134 When the upper portion and the horizontal portion of the bottom surface is defined as the 'horizontal portion', the 'vertical portion' of the light guide member 130 is configured to be positioned along the upper edge of the main substrate 126.

Therefore, in the existing optical pointing device, when the 'vertical portion' of the optical guide member 130 is seated on the upper surface of the main substrate 126, the bottom of the 'vertical portion' of the optical guide member 130 and the main substrate 126. Since the available area of the main board 126 is reduced by an area where the upper surface of the upper surface abuts, there is a problem that the available area of the main board 126 may not be utilized to the maximum in the optical pointing device to be implemented with a limited volume.

The present invention is designed to solve the problems as described above,

It is an object of the present invention to further increase the available area of the PCB substrate inside the optical pointing device without changing the size of the optical pointing device or the size of the main board, thereby further improving the degree of freedom of arrangement and design of components on the PCB substrate.

An optical pointing device according to the present invention includes a light source unit; A first housing illuminated by the light source and in contact with the subject; A second housing coupled to the first housing and having an accommodation space therein; And a substrate accommodated in the accommodation space and mounted with an image sensor configured to detect incident light reflected by the subject, wherein the first housing is formed on an upper portion of the second housing and is bottomed by the second housing. It is characterized in that it is formed spaced apart from the predetermined distance.

In particular, the first housing is characterized in that is coupled to the second housing and fixed through the coupling means.

In addition, the coupling means, characterized in that the epoxy to adhesively fix the first housing and the second housing.

In addition, the coupling means, characterized in that the coupling groove formed in the upper portion of the coupling groove and the second housing formed in the bottom of the first housing.

In addition, the substrate is characterized in that the upper surface is accommodated in the second housing so that the entire exposed inside the receiving space.

The outer circumference of the second housing may be exposed to the outside.

The first housing may include a transparent member through which the outgoing light of the light source unit and the incident light reflected by the subject are transmitted.

The second housing may further include: an illumination hole for illuminating the light emitted from the light source unit to the first housing; And an incident hole for guiding the light reflected by the subject to the image sensor.

According to the present invention has the following effects.

The usable area of the PCB substrate provided in the optical pointing device can be expanded without changing the size of the optical pointing device or the size of the main board.

Therefore, there is an effect that can further improve the arrangement of components on the PCB substrate and design freedom.

1 is an exploded perspective view for schematically illustrating a configuration of an existing optical pointing device.
2 is a cross-sectional view for describing an internal structure of a conventional optical pointing device.
3 is an exploded perspective view for explaining in detail the configuration of the optical pointing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view for explaining and comparing the internal structure of the optical pointing device and the conventional optical pointing device according to the present invention.
5 is a view showing the difference between the substrate usable area in the conventional optical pointing device and the substrate available area in the optical pointing device according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Repeated descriptions, well-known functions and configurations that may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, and detailed description of the configuration will be omitted. Embodiments of the present invention are provided to explain in detail the present invention to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the shape and size of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity. In the drawings, parts irrelevant to the main features of the present invention are omitted in order to clearly describe the present invention, and like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to "include" or "include" a certain component, unless otherwise stated that does not exclude the other component that can further include or include other components it means.

The optical pointing device according to the present invention is coupled to a portable terminal as an auxiliary input device, and the portable device includes all electronic devices capable of wired / wireless communication and capable of executing multimedia content. For example, the portable terminal includes an information terminal, a remote controller, and a smartphone. , Game consoles, PMPs, e-books, and the like.

In addition, the optical pointing device according to the present invention functions as an input auxiliary device to operate a cursor (or pointer) on a screen output by a display unit of a portable device, and to select a function displayed on the screen as a left mouse button of a PC. Also perform. The optical pointing device implements a pointing technique in a personal computer (PC) by creating and moving a cursor (or pointer) on a screen through a finger movement. That is, when the finger is placed on the optical pointing device and the finger is moved up, down, left and right, the cursor (or the pointer) moves according to the direction. Here, the optical pointing device can be applied to various techniques. The optical pointing device may detect physical contact of the user's finger or light reflected from the user's finger. In addition, the optical pointing device may sense light reflected by the body part when the ball or other body part as well as the user's finger is in physical contact or proximity.

Hereinafter, an optical pointing device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3 is an exploded perspective view for explaining the configuration of the optical pointing device according to an embodiment of the present invention in detail, Figure 4 is a comparison for explaining the internal structure of the optical pointing device and the conventional optical pointing device according to the present invention Drawing. Here, Figure 4 (a) is a view showing the internal structure of the existing optical pointing device, Figure 4 (b) is a view showing the internal structure of the optical pointing device according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the optical pointing device 200 according to the present invention includes a light source unit 210, an image sensor 220, a main substrate 226, an optical guide member 230, and a cover housing 240. It is composed. Here, the cover housing 240 corresponds to the 'first housing' described in the claims of the present specification, the light guide member 230 corresponds to the 'second housing' described in the claims of the present specification.

The light source unit 210 emits light toward the surface of the cover housing 240. When the subject is positioned on the surface of the cover housing 240, the light source emitted from the light source unit 210 is reflected by hitting the subject and then reflected by the light guide. The light is incident on the image sensor 220 via the member 230. That is, the cover housing 240 is illuminated by the light source unit 210, and the subject is in contact with the surface of the cover housing 240.

The light source unit 210 may be implemented through an infrared light-emitting diode (LED) or a laser diode (LD) corresponding to the amount of illuminance of the required light. LED and LD have a difference in the output amount of light irradiation, LED is used when output is required with a relatively small amount of light, and LD is used when output is required with a relatively large amount of light. Therefore, in the present invention, the LED and LD used in the light source unit 210 may be selectively used according to the design specifications of the optical pointing device 200.

The cover housing 240 is formed on the light guide member 230 and is spaced apart from the bottom by the light guide member 230.

The cover housing 240 and the light guide member 230 are fixedly coupled through the coupling means.

Coupling means is epoxy to adhesively fix the cover housing 240 and the light guide member 230, or the coupling groove formed in the center of the bottom of the cover housing 240 and the upper center of the light guide member 230 Can be a bump.

The cover housing 240 may be made of optical plastic to transmit light emitted from the light source 210. For example, when the light emitted from the light source unit 210 is IR (infrared ray), the infrared ray may be made of optical plastic so as to transmit only infrared rays, or may be formed by coating an IR resin on a transparent member (eg, transparent plastic).

The light guide member 230 is coupled to the bottom of the cover housing 240. The optical guide member 230 includes an accommodation space 234 for accommodating the main substrate 226 on which the image sensor 220 is mounted, and covers the upper side of the image sensor 220.

 Referring to FIG. 4, a portion perpendicular to the bottom surface formed along the circumference of the light guide member 230 is defined as a “vertical portion,” and is positioned above the accommodation space 234. When the horizontal portion with respect to the bottom surface is defined as the 'horizontal portion', the 'vertical portion' of the light guide member 230 according to the present invention is located on the bottom surface along the side circumference of the main substrate 226 . That is, since the bottom area of the accommodating space 234 is larger than the top surface area (or bottom area) of the main substrate 226, when the light guide member 230 is coupled with the main substrate 226, the main substrate 226 is used. The upper surface of is entirely exposed in the receiving space 234 of the light guide member 230. Therefore, in the present invention, all of the upper surface of the main substrate 226 can be used (see Fig. 4 (b)).

However, in the conventional optical pointing device 100, the vertical portion of the light guide member 130 corresponding to the vertical portion of the present invention is positioned along the upper edge of the main substrate 126 (Fig. 4 (a). ) Reference). That is, the available area loss occurs on the main board as much as the area where the vertical portion of the light guide member 130 and the main board abut.

Assuming that the volumes of the conventional optical pointing device and the optical pointing device according to the present invention are the same as each other and the same size as that of the main substrate provided therein, FIG. 5 shows the conventional optical pointing device and the optical according to the present invention. The difference in available area on the main board between the pointing devices is shown. 5 (a) is a view showing the main substrate available area in the conventional optical pointing device, Figure 5 (b) is a view showing the main substrate available area in the conventional optical pointing device. The darkened portions in FIG. 5 represent available areas.

That is, according to the present invention, the usable area of the main board can be extended without changing the size of the optical pointing device or the size of the main board, thereby improving the degree of freedom in arranging components and designing freedom on the PCB board.

The light guide member 230 includes a light blocking body 231 and a light guide part 232 that block light, and the light guide part 232 passes through a light source reflected from a subject to the image sensor 220. Guide the light to the light detection zone. In this case, the light guide unit 232 may perform an aperture function, a light condensing function, light filtering, or the like.

In more detail, when the light source unit 210 is implemented through a laser diode (LD), the light guide unit 232 may be provided to a lighting hole and a subject for illuminating the light emitted from the LD to the cover housing 240. An incident hole for guiding the incident light reflected by the image sensor 220 may be provided. In addition, when the light source unit 210 is implemented through a light emitting diode (LED), the light guide unit 232 may include a prism (or a reflector) for refracting the incident light reflected by the subject at a predetermined angle. An optical system including a condenser lens or the like for condensing the incident light may be provided. Here, the configuration of the optical system may be selectively changed according to the design specifications of the optical pointing device.

The image sensor 220 is mounted on the main substrate 226. The main substrate 226 forms the bottom of the optical pointing device 100. The image sensor 220 is connected to an electronic device, for example, a main circuit board (not shown) of the mobile phone through the connector 227. Here, the main substrate 226 corresponds to the 'substrate' described in the claims of the present specification.

The image sensor 220 has a rectangular light detection area that functions as an area for detecting light. When the light captured by the object is changed by the relative operation of the subject, the movement of the pointer (cursor) on the display screen is changed. Is implemented.

On the other hand, although not shown in the figure, the light guide member 230 may be fixed to the main substrate 226 by a rod-shaped fixing member. The number of the fixing members may be selectively varied according to the bonding strength between the light guide member 230 and the main substrate 226.

As described above, an optimal embodiment has been disclosed in the drawings and specification. Although specific terms have been used herein, they are used only for the purpose of describing the present invention and are not used to limit the scope of the present invention as defined in the meaning or claims. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible from this. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention will be defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

200: light pointing device 210: light source part
220: image sensor 226: main board
230: light guide member 232: light guide portion
234: accommodation space 240: cover housing

Claims (9)

As an optical pointing device,
A light source unit; A first housing illuminated by the light source and in contact with the subject; A second housing coupled to the first housing and having an accommodation space therein; And a substrate accommodated in the accommodation space and mounted with an image sensor detecting incident light reflected by the subject.
The first housing is formed on the upper portion of the second housing, characterized in that formed by being spaced apart from the bottom by a predetermined distance from the bottom housing, the optical pointing device. The method according to claim 1,
And the first housing is fixedly coupled to the second housing via a coupling means. The method according to claim 2,
The coupling means is an optical pointing device, characterized in that the epoxy to adhesively fix the first housing and the second housing. The method according to claim 2,
The coupling means is an optical pointing device, characterized in that the coupling groove formed in the upper portion of the housing and the coupling groove formed in the bottom of the first housing. The method according to claim 1,
The substrate is optical pointing device, characterized in that the upper surface is accommodated in the second housing so that the entire surface is exposed inside the receiving space. The method according to claim 1,
An optical pointing device, characterized in that the periphery of the outer surface of the second housing is exposed to the outside. The method according to claim 1,
And the first housing is formed of a transparent member through which the outgoing light of the light source unit and the incident light reflected by the subject are transmitted. The method according to claim 1,
The second housing,
An illumination hole for illuminating the light emitted from the light source unit to the first housing; And
And an incident hole for guiding the light reflected by the subject to the image sensor. A portable terminal comprising the optical pointing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
KR1020100102177A 2010-10-20 2010-10-20 Optical pointing apparatus and portable device having the optical pointing apparatus KR20120040774A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
KR1020100102177A KR20120040774A (en) 2010-10-20 2010-10-20 Optical pointing apparatus and portable device having the optical pointing apparatus

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
KR1020100102177A KR20120040774A (en) 2010-10-20 2010-10-20 Optical pointing apparatus and portable device having the optical pointing apparatus

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
KR20120040774A true KR20120040774A (en) 2012-04-30

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
KR1020100102177A KR20120040774A (en) 2010-10-20 2010-10-20 Optical pointing apparatus and portable device having the optical pointing apparatus

Country Status (1)

Country Link
KR (1) KR20120040774A (en)

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