RU2530333C2 - Mouse pointing device with easier grip - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: physics, computer engineering.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to pointing devices moved by a user. The mouse pointing device with easier grip comprises a housing, a chipset, one or more user hand approach (proximity) sensors, wherein one or more propellers and turning means can be mounted in and/or on the housing, as well as drives which provide operation thereof and enable the mouse to move independently at least back and forth and turn at least left and right relative to a supporting surface and/or a user, thereby allowing the mouse to approach under the palm of the user lowered thereon when the user needs to grip the mouse by the hand, for fast and correct gripping.

EFFECT: providing fast gripping of a mouse through automatic movement of the mouse under the palm of a user lowered thereon.

2 cl, 1 dwg

Description

The invention relates to the field of digital data processing using electrical devices, and in particular to designs of pointing devices moved by the user (“mice”, trackballs, “feathers”, joysticks), and accessories for them, can be used in the manufacture of peripheral devices for personal computers .

Known pointing device "mouse", which has a housing that carries on itself and accommodates all the other structural elements of the "mouse" (Vilkhovchenko S. Modern computer: device, selection, modernization. - St. Petersburg: "Peter", 2000. - p.334-342. Muller S. Modernization and repair of PCs, 17th edition. - M .: "William", 2008. - p.1068-1077). At the same time, the case does not contain any structural elements (propulsion devices, drives, etc.) with which the “mouse” could independently move relative to the supporting surface, the human user, the computer to which it is connected, etc. back and forth, left and right, rotate, etc.

The disadvantage of these pointing devices is that during hard, concentrated work at a personal computer (for example, when typing texts in a program - a text editor, or editing images in a program - a graphical editor, or even during an intensive game of computer "shooter" or " strategy ") all the attention of the human user (and, therefore, his gaze) is literally riveted to the computer monitor for which he is working, and more precisely to the software with which he is working at that moment. The focus on software, as you know, helps to make fewer mistakes during work, but the need for periodic attention shift (and, accordingly, a shift of view) to something extraneous (like a “mouse” in order to grab it with your hand and move it with it using the "mouse" cursor on the screen) is very annoying and also leads to unnecessary spending of valuable time, as well as quick physical fatigue. If the computer “mouse” itself could somehow be moved under the user's hand falling on it, while providing an instant and correct grip, then working (and playing) with such a “mouse” would be more productive and more convenient, and the user (in especially a beginner) would not be annoyed due to awkward hand raids on her body (which causes the mouse cursor to go astray), erroneous clicks on the wrong mouse button and other inaccurate actions of her own.

The pointing device "mouse" of the Swiss company Logitech - (2011 model) Wireless Mouse M515 (see the website of the company Logitech and pages http://www.logitech.com/ru-ru/press/press-releases/ 8016), which contains inside its case a sensor (or sensors) for approaching the palm of the hand of a human user working with it. The presence in the design of the proximity sensor allows you to activate (enable) this "mouse" when a custom palm rests on it, otherwise (in the absence of a palm) the "mouse" goes into "sleep" mode (turns off). This saves the battery installed in the "mouse" batteries (two AA batteries). According to the manufacturer, one set of batteries of this wireless mouse should be enough for two years of normal operation. Thus, the presence of a proximity sensor (or sensors) of the hand in the Logitech Wireless Mouse M515 mouse increases usability (for example, the mouse cursor does not stray during accidental sliding of the case), greatly lengthens its battery life, and generally increases the life of all electronic elements of its design.

The disadvantage of this “mouse” prototype is the inability to independently move relative to the supporting surface, the human user, the computer to which it is connected, etc., as a result of which it is impossible to provide an approach (movement) of the “mouse” under the user's palm resting on it for quick and convenient hand grip, which, in turn, is decently annoying (especially for novice users of personal computers), leads to rapid physical fatigue, as well as unnecessary waste of valuable working time and.

The technical result of the invention is to increase the overall convenience and performance during operation of the "mouse" by preventing unnecessary movements and overspending of working time as a result of eliminating repetitive routine actions, such as diverting attention from the screen to look at the "mouse" and vice versa, feeling for the case mice ”(especially long under conditions of darkening, restoring the position of a stray“ mouse ”cursor, to which (groping and restoring) each time it takes izitelno 0.5 seconds or more, the cancellation of erroneous keystrokes (which also takes time), etc.

The problem is solved due to the fact that in the pointing device "mouse" containing the body, a chipset (controlling the operation of the "mouse" and interacting with a personal computer), a sensor (or sensors) for hand proximity and others, usually installed on the body (or inside him) structural elements, the installation of a special mover (or movers) is provided, allowing the "mouse" to independently move relative to the supporting surface (and, therefore, the human user) back and forth, left-right, turning relative to the supporting surface, etc., as well as the installation of the drive (or drivers) providing the operability of the drive, thereby providing the “mouse” with the ability to precisely fit (move) under the user's palm falling on it at those times when the user needs to grab the “mouse” with his hand to move with its help on the screen of the "mouse" cursor (to perform the work performed on the computer), guaranteeing the user a quick and correct (and therefore convenient) capture of it. The drive of the mover (or movers) is connected to the “mouse” chipset and, powered by energy, is controlled by its commands, and the chipset itself, powered by a computer either through a wired interface (for example, PS / 2 or USB), or installed in the “mouse” "batteries, generates commands for the drive on the basis of data supplied by the proximity sensor (or sensors) depending on the position of the user's hand relative to the body of the mouse.

The technical essence and principle of operation of the proposed pointing device "mouse" are illustrated in the drawing (Fig. 1), which shows a longitudinal section of the "mouse" with the simplest mover, its drive and the mechanism for turning the case in a horizontal plane installed inside its body.

The proposed pointing device "mouse" (Fig. 1) consists of a housing 1, a printed circuit board 2 located inside it (on which are located all the electrical and electronic components of the mouse structure, including the chipset 3 soldered on it), a coil (together with the core and winding) of an electromagnet 4, which is fixedly attached to the printed circuit board 2 so that the core, peering from below from the housing 1, simultaneously serves as the back support of the mouse housing, and in its upper part acts as a rotation axis for the driven gear 5, on which from above not the drive 6 of the pair of eccentrics 7 rotating in the vertical plane 7 (driving the mouse in motion relative to the supporting surface due to centrifugal forces), as well as the rotation mechanism of the mouse body 8 in the horizontal plane (with pinion gear 9 on the output shaft) and sensors the proximity of the hands of 10, 11, 12 and 13 of the human user, installed in front, on the sides and behind the housing 1 on its upper side. Chipset 3 “mice”, receiving data from controls (buttons, scroll wheel, mouse tracking unit (which includes a light source, light guide, lens, optical sensor, etc.), hand proximity sensors, etc.) and processing them, it generates the corresponding signals, transmits them through a wired (for example, PS / 2 or USB) or wireless (for example, operating in the standard 2.4 - GHz band) interface 14 of the computer to which the mouse is connected, and through the same the interface (or from batteries 15 installed in the “mouse”) receives power for its own nnogo powering operation and other structural components. The electromagnet 4 is powered from the printed circuit board 2, that is, in fact, from the chipset 3, and turns on and off at the right time by commands from it. The driven gear 5 with the drive 6 attached to it is rotated (horizontally) by the driving gear 9 of the rotation mechanism 8 of the mouse housing, which is a direct current electric motor (or reduction motor) mounted on a printed circuit board 2 (and from it receiving power) and turning it on and off (as well as reversing, for example, by changing the polarity of the power supply) by commands from the chipset 3, and the angle of rotation of the gear 9 (and also gear 5) is determined by or integrated into the rotation mechanism 8, Whether mounted separately on the circuit board 2 the steering angle sensor 16 (which is likely to be structurally similar, such as mechanical-electrical transducers, which were established previously for "mouse" ball type). The drive 6 of the eccentrics 7, which is also a direct current electric motor (or an electric motor - reducer), is also powered from the printed circuit board 2 and rotates the eccentrics 7 in both directions (according to the drawing - clockwise and counterclockwise) on command from the chipset 3, reversing its rotation, for example, by changing the polarity of the supply. In this case, the output shaft of the drive 6 lies in the same plane with the axial line of the electromagnet 4 (to prevent the occurrence of a harmful turning moment), and the drive 6 itself contains an output shaft position sensor connected to the chipset 3, similar in design to the above-described rotation angle sensor 16. Eccentrics 7 rotate together with the output shaft of the drive 6 (to the left and to the right of it), and their material, shape, weight, rotation parameters, etc. selected so as to ensure the most efficient movement of the "mouse" due to the centrifugal forces arising from rotation. At least four pieces of hand sensors 10, 11, 12, and 13 are installed on the mouse — one in the front, two on the sides, one in the back (a typical example is the Avago Technologies HSDL-9100 proximity sensor (or proximity), infrared, analog, reflective type (the emitter is an infrared LED, the receiver is a photodiode), size 2.7 * 2.75 * 7.1 mm, detection of an object at a distance of up to 60 mm, the temperature range is -40 ... + 85 degrees Celsius, as an infrared narrowband filter (to protect from sunlight or a bright lamp) Xia polycarbonate colored with an absorption coefficient of not more than 10 percent, the use - consumer electronics, medical, and industrial equipment), they are all connected to the printed circuit board 2 and from the same is made of washing. When a human user brings his hand to proximity sensors, then, when triggered, the sensors signal this to chipset 3, whose built-in hardware and software generates the necessary control actions and, coordinating the work of the units and parts described above and moving the case in the necessary manner relative to the supporting surface, brings the "mouse" exactly under the user's hand for its comfortable and proper grip. The supporting surface of the "mouse" in this case is a piece of ferromagnetic material, which can be, for example, a "rug" of steel sheet, externally covered with rubber.

The mouse pointing device described above is used as follows. Immediately after turning on the personal computer to which the "mouse" is connected (and therefore turning on the "mouse" itself), its chipset 3 (its built-in hardware and software), analyzing data from the rotation angle sensor (built-in to the rotation mechanism 8 or installed separately - 16), as well as from the position sensor of the output shaft of the actuator 6, generates control actions on the rotation mechanism 8 and the actuator 6 of the eccentrics 7 to set the actuator and eccentrics to the position corresponding to the beginning of work (that is, when the longitudinal axis at ode 6 parallel to the longitudinal axis of the "mouse" and the cams 7 facing downwards, as in Figure 1). When a person further begins to work hard at a computer, his entire attention is concentrated on the software in which he works, therefore he puts his hand on the “mouse” (in order to use it to move the “mouse” cursor on the screen) without interrupting eyes from a computer monitor, that is, in essence, horrible, not caring for the correct combination of the palm and the body of the 1 "mouse" (and everything that is on the body - buttons, scroll wheels, etc.). This leads most often to the fact that the response distance is overcome each time not for all four hand proximity sensors 10, 11, 12 and 13, but only for some of them. For example, if a user's palm is approached from above to case 1 with a strong backward shift, then only one proximity sensor 13 will work and this forces the chipset 3 to develop such a control action that the entire mouse moves backward accordingly (initially - before sensors 11 and 12 are triggered) , then - until the sensor 10 is triggered, only about 2/3 ... 3/4 of the length). If the user's palm is approached from above to case 1 with a not very strong backward shift, proximity sensors 11, 12 and 13 will work, which forces the chipset 3 to develop such a control action that the entire mouse only moves back a little (before the sensor 10 only works, only about 1/3 ... 1/4 of its length). If, when approaching the user's palm, all four proximity sensors work at once, then this situation can be considered initially sufficiently accurate positioning of the mouse relative to the user's hand falling on it (which will provide him with a quick and correct grip on its body) and, therefore, in moving the mouse "relative to the supporting surface, there will be no need at all. If the user's palm has approached the case 1 from the top with an offset forward, then the chipset 3 produces control actions similar to those described above, but it makes the mouse move not backward, but forward. It may happen that the sensors 11 and 12 do not work synchronously. This will happen, for example, if the user's palm also has a lateral displacement relative to the housing 1. Then the chipset 3 should provide “mice”, in addition to moving back and forth, also moving left and right depending on the direction of displacement of the user's approaching hand (i.e. from which of the sensors 11 and 12 will work first). If the proximity sensor 11 (left) is the first to trigger, then the chipset 3 produces a control action that shifts the entire mouse to the left until the sensor 12 (right) is triggered. If the proximity sensor 12 (right) is the first to trigger, then the chipset 3 produces a control action that shifts the entire mouse to the right, respectively, until the sensor 11 (left) is triggered. The movement of the "mouse" relative to the supporting surface (under the control of the chipset 3) is carried out by an electromagnet 4, a drive 6 of a pair of rotating eccentrics 7 and a rotation mechanism 8 of the mouse body in a horizontal plane. If you simply turn on the drive 6 of the eccentrics 7 in the work, then, rotating, the eccentrics 7 will cause the drive 6 (and with it the entire "mouse") to oscillate in the horizontal plane and bounce due to variables in the direction of centrifugal forces. As a result, there will be no movement of the “mouse” relative to the supporting surface, unless centrifugal forces are reduced (with the help of something) in the direction opposite to the desired direction of movement. An additional frictional force (magnetic) acts due to the attraction of the electromagnet 4, which is involved in the work depending on the position of the eccentrics 7, to the supporting surface (from the ferromagnetic material) when the electromagnet 4 is turned on. After turning on the actuator 6, the eccentrics 7 begin to rotate and rotate from the lower position shown in FIG. 1 to a horizontal one with a forward direction. Electromagnet 4 is switched off at this time (and there is no magnetic one created by it that complements the friction force generated by the weight of the “mouse”), as a result, the resulting centrifugal forces, overcoming the friction of the legs of the housing 1 on the supporting surface, slightly shift the drive 6 (and with it the whole mouse) forward. Then at some point (after the eccentrics 7 have passed the horizontal position), the chipset 3 turns on the power of the electromagnet 4 (and a magnetic complementary force appears to the weight of the “mouse”). The eccentrics 7, while continuing to rotate the drive 6, rotate from a horizontal position to the top, as a result, the existing centrifugal forces (upward and possibly exceeding the weight of the mouse) are neutralized by the very weight of the mouse and the force of attraction of the electromagnet 4 to the supporting surface, and drive 6 (and with it the entire "mouse") remains in place without bouncing up. Further, continuing to rotate, the eccentrics 7 rotate from an upper position to a horizontal one with a backward direction, changing accordingly the direction of the acting centrifugal forces. Since the electromagnet 4 is still turned on at this time (and a significant magnetic complementary friction force is acting), the friction of the legs of the housing 1 against the supporting surface is not overcome by the centrifugal forces directed backward and the drive 6 (and with it the entire "mouse") remains in place practically without moving back. Finally, the eccentrics 7, continuing to rotate further by the drive 6, turn from a horizontal position to the bottom, respectively, directing the acting centrifugal forces downward. Since in this phase all the forces (both centrifugal and the weight of the “mouse”) are directed downwards and, by definition, cannot overcome the resistance of a rigid and strong supporting surface (rug, desktop, floor, etc.), drive 6 (a with it, the entire “mouse”) continues to remain in the same place until the start of a new turn of the eccentrics 7. At some point (after the eccentrics have passed 7 the horizontal position), the chipset 3 only needs to turn off the power of the electromagnet 4 and, having received the latest information from proximity sensors 10, 11, 12 and 13, work out a decision on further actions of the "mouse" (continuing to move in the same or opposite direction, turning or stopping). The movement of the mouse both forward and backward is provided by reversing the rotation of the output shaft of the actuator 6 and correspondingly matching the direction of rotation of the operation of the electromagnet 4. Turning the electromagnet 4 on and off is synchronized with the rotation of the eccentrics 7 using the position sensor of the output shaft of the actuator 6 mounted on the actuator 6 and connected to the chipset 3. When the drive shaft 6 is rotated to the optimal position for the start-termination of the force of attraction of the electromagnet 4 to the supporting surface, the output shaft position sensor appropriately signals the chipset 3, in response to which it either turns on or off the electromagnet 4, ensuring the movement of the mouse. If you want to move the “mouse” not only back and forth, but also left-right, you need to perform several turns (in addition to back and forth) approximately the same way as cars do, parking on a stretch of road limited by other cars, for which the design provides for the rotation mechanism 8 of the mouse housing in the horizontal plane. If you need to turn the housing 1 to the left, the rotation mechanism 8 (under the control action of the chipset 3) with the help of gears 5 and 9 turns the drive 6 to the right until the corresponding (restrictive) signal appears from the rotation angle sensor 16 integrated in the rotation mechanism or separately installed, directing the plane the action of centrifugal forces arising from the rotation of the eccentrics 7, transverse to the longitudinal axis of the mouse. Next, the chipset 3, controlling the operation of the electromagnet 4 and the drive 6, as described above, shifts the back of the mouse housing 1 to the right, performing a left turn of the housing 1. The mouse housing rotates to the right in the same way, but the drive 6 rotates and then shifts the back part of the mouse body 1, respectively, to the left. Materials, design, operating parameters (developed power, speed of rotation, acceleration during acceleration and deceleration, operating and response times, etc.), coordination among themselves, etc. of components and parts 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 16 are selected by the manufacturer in such a way as to ensure the most efficient (fast, accurate, but preferably silent, vibration-free and with minimal energy consumption ) movement of the "mouse" on the supporting surface. The above described “mouse” mover device was chosen because it allows its movement when the mover (and its drive, and everything else) is located entirely inside the “mouse” case, without any components of the structure or its separate parts being taken out of it , which, in turn, makes it possible to make the mouse case in one-piece and, if necessary, airtight due to the absence of gaps and technological holes on its surface. A disadvantage of the above described “mouse” mover device is the need for a ferromagnetic “rug”, without which the movement of this “mouse” will be impossible. This design flaw can be eliminated by a design in which a rubber suction cup can be installed on the underside of the housing 1, and suppose the electromagnet 4 acts as a vacuum pump, creating a vacuum under it, working similarly to the attraction of an electromagnet to a ferromagnetic surface. A suction cup with a rubber seal can be created (on the surface of the housing 1, say, around the core of the electromagnet 4) by pressing a rubber ring into the annular groove on the underside of the housing 1. Then, when applying power to the electromagnet 4, its core movable relative to the coil (and case 1) (the design of this unit, of course, should be slightly modified) could be pulled into the coil and, acting like a piston, create a vacuum under the suction cup, which pressed would (using atmospheric pressure) the housing 1 to the supporting surface and would hold him when he needs to stay in place. Instead of electromagnet 4, of course, you can also use a conventional vacuum pump (for example, a piston pump driven by an electric motor), which can be placed on the printed circuit board 2 inside the housing 1, ensuring the pumping of air from the suction cup through the pipeline. Such an arrangement of the mover would allow the mouse to move on almost any solid and smooth supporting surface (wooden tabletops, glass, non-magnetic metal, etc.), which would make the mouse even more convenient to use. It is also possible to ensure the movement of the "mouse" without any forces pressing it on the supporting surface (magnetic, atmospheric pressure, etc.). For example, you can install a mechanism in the “mouse” case that, due to the displacement of the center of gravity of the “mouse” (due to the movement of the load) forward or backward (beyond the front or rear supports of the case) and using the recoil moment when rotating the flywheel inside (or by rotating the supports themselves), exposes the "mouse" to the front or rear supports and, turning the case, provides the "mouse" movement by walking along the supporting surface. This design of the mover (and drives) also allows you to make the body of the "mouse" monoblock and even airtight (if it becomes necessary to ensure the "mouse" waterproof).

The invention allows you to bring the "mouse" (using the built-in mover (or movers), rotation tools and their drives) under the user's hand in such a way as to provide him with a quick and correct grip of her body even without taking her eyes off the screen, seriously saving working time, which reduces fatigue and reduces annoyance of the user (especially the beginner) while working at the computer.

Claims (2)

1. A pointing device "mouse" with a lightweight grip, comprising a housing, a chipset, one or more proximity sensors (proximity) of the user's hand, characterized in that in its housing and / or it can be installed one or more movers and means of rotation; as well as the drives ensuring their operability, allowing the ″ mouse ″ to independently move at least forward and backward and turn at least left and right relative to the supporting surface and / or the user, thereby providing ″ mouse ″ to the ability to approach (move) under the user's palm falling on it when he needs to grab the ″ mouse ″ with his hand, for a quick and correct grip. 2. The pointing device ″ mouse ″ according to claim 1, characterized in that the drives of the movers and means of performing rotation can be controlled by the effects of the chipset ″ mouse ″, and the chipset itself can generate control actions for the drives based on data received from the sensor or proximity sensors (proximity) of the user's hand, depending on the position of this hand relative to the body of the ″ mouse ″.