초록 ▼

An optical translator device capable of providing information indicative of the amount and direction of relative movement between the device and a surface positioned relative thereto. The device comprises a light source for providing at least partially coherent radiation and the source radiation is

An optical translator device capable of providing information indicative of the amount and direction of relative movement between the device and a surface positioned relative thereto. The device comprises a light source for providing at least partially coherent radiation and the source radiation is directed toward an area of the surface area. The reflected coherent radiation or light at the surface area undergoes optical interference due to the texture of the surface thereby forming a speckle pattern consisting of light and dark features. A detector array at the device comprises a plurality of photodetector cells and positioned in the path to receive the reflected light and to detect the light and dark features as represented by the cells in the array detecting light features in the reflected light thereby representative of a sample of the speckle pattern. Means is provided to compare consecutively produced samples which are indicative of the translatory information. A particular application of the optical translator device is a novel optical cursor control device which derives its translatory information from movement on substantially any sufficiently reflective surface. The output of the detector array is provided to circuit means to produce signals indicative of the amount and direction of relative cursor control device movement over the surface based upon observation of changes and movement of the speckle pattern as presented to the detector array. Such a device can be characterized as a “padless optical mouse”to provide orthogonal signals to move a cursor from position to position on a display screen in response to movement of the mouse over any sufficiently reflective surface, such as a desk top.

대표청구항 ▼

In an optical translator device that does not require a specific repetitive reflective pattern for operation and capable of providing information indicative of the amount and direction of relative movement between said device and an unpatterned surface having natural surface irregularities positione

In an optical translator device that does not require a specific repetitive reflective pattern for operation and capable of providing information indicative of the amount and direction of relative movement between said device and an unpatterned surface having natural surface irregularities positioned relative thereto and comprising a light source having a sufficient degree of coherent radiation to provide a speckle pattern relative to said surface, said source directed toward an area of said surface wherein a portion of the light is reflected from said surface area, said reflected coherent light undergoing optical interference at said surface area due to the irregularity of said surface thereby forming a reflected speckle pattern consisting of light and dark features, a planar array at said device comprising a plurality of photodetector cells and positioned in a path to receive said reflected pattern and to permit said cells to detect said light features, the values of said cells responsive to said light features representative of a sample of said speckle pattern, means to determine the degree of correspondence of the values of adjacently positioned cells in consecutively produced samples, said degree of correspondence indicative of said information, said means to determine comprises means to total the number of identical values achieved between a number of said array cells under consideration in a present sample as compared with neighboring adjacent cells of a previous sample aligned in orthogonal directions and in diagonal directions relative to said cells in said present sample, the highest value of such comparisons representative of the highest value of matches found to occur between adjacently positioned cells in one of said directions indicative of a preponderence as to the direction of speckle pattern movement and indicative of said information.