US 5,512,920 AGranted

Locator device for control of graphical objects

AssigneeMitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.

InventorSarah F. F. Gibson

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Abstract

A three degree-of-freedom locator device for the control of graphical objects on a computer display mimics natural two-dimensional movement of the user's hand by providing for simultaneous translation and rotation of the graphical object. In one embodiment, a computer mouse-type locator with two trackball and position-encoder sensor systems detects movement of the locator over a stationary pad or like device. The graphical object is selected by a mouse button click. Subsequent two-dimensional translation and rotation of the locator are detected by the dual trackball system and used to control the position and orientation of the graphical object. The result is intuitive control of the placement of the selected object on the computer screen. The natural movement of the mouse in the user's hand is transformed into simultaneously translation and rotation of the object.

Claims14

Dependent claims

Apparatus for the control of graphical objects appearing on a computer driven display, comprising:

a locator device for permitting simultaneous two-dimensional translation and rotation of said graphical object including spaced-apart rollerball sensors positioned on said locator device in a fixed relationship to each other on the same side of said locator device, each of said rollerball sensors including means for generating signals corresponding to rollerball movement for simultaneously generating an output corresponding to the angle associated with the angular orientation of said locator device and the translation of said locator device as said locator device is moved and rotated in a two-dimensional plane;
and,
means coupled to the output of said locator device for translating and rotating said graphical object in accordance with the sensed displacements of said sensors to mimic the angular rotation and displacement of said locator device, whereby the movement of said graphical object on said display is controlled by the movement of said locator device.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.