# US 5,703,356 A · Pointing device utilizing a photodetector array > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,703,356 A - Document ID: US5703356A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 08/424,125 - Filed: 1995-04-19 - Granted: 1997-12-30 - Earliest claimed: 1992-10-05 - Assignees: Logitech, Inc. - Inventors: Marc Bidiville; Eric Raeber; Javier Arreguit; Harthmuth Buczek; Floris A. Van Shaik; Fran.cedilla.ois Bauduin; Denis O'Keeffe - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5703356A ## CPC - G06F 3/0317: {in co-operation with a patterned surface, e.g. absolute position or relative movement detection for an optical mouse or pen positioned with respect to a coded surface} - G06F 1/1613: {for portable computers (cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202)} - G06F 1/169: {the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes (G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033)} - G06F 3/0312: {for tracking the rotation of a spherical or circular member, e.g. optical rotary encoders used in mice or trackballs using a tracking ball or in mouse scroll wheels (tracking relative movement in co-operation with a regularly or irregularly patterned surface, e.g. as in optical mice G06F3/0317; constructional details of scroll or thumb-wheels G06F3/0362; optical rotary encoders G01D5/3473)} - G06F 3/03543: {Mice or pucks (G06F3/03541 takes precedence)} - G06F 3/03547: {Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface} - G06F 3/03549: {Trackballs (G06F3/03541 takes precedence)} - G06F 3/0383: {Signal control means within the pointing device} - G06F 3/042: by opto-electronic means - G06F 2203/0338: Fingerprint track pad, i.e. fingerprint sensor used as pointing device tracking the fingertip image - G06F 2203/04109: FTIR in optical digitiser, i.e. touch detection by frustrating the total internal reflection within an optical waveguide due to changes of optical properties or deformation at the touch location - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A cursor control device for personal computers and workstations includes various embodiments, some of which include a patterned ball and some of which rely on other patterned surfaces, which recognizes changes in the position of the pattern relative to a sensor having an array of photosensitive elements. Circuitry associated with the sensor determines movement of the pattern across the array, and translates that movement into conventional cursor control signals supplied to a host system. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A cursor pointing device for controlling the position of a cursor on a display comprising: a ball having thereon a fixed irregular pattern of areas which appear light and dark when illuminated by substantially monochromatic radiation; source means for illuminating a portion of said ball with said substantially monochromatic radiation; sensor means responsive to said substantially monochromatic radiation reflected from the ball and impinging on the sensor for creating an output; and processing means responsive to the output from the sensor means for generating a cursor control output. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The pointing device of claim 1 wherein said substantially monochromatic radiation is infrared. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The pointing device of claim 1 wherein the pattern is covered by a layer which is transparent to radiation of the predetermined frequency. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The pointing device of claim 1 further comprising: optical means interposed between the ball and the sensor means for focusing an image of an illuminated portion of the ball on the sensor means. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The pointing device of claim 4 further comprising: aperture means for limiting the optical means. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The pointing device of claim 3 wherein said layer is opaque to visible light. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The pointing device of claim 1 wherein the sensor means includes a plurality of pixels, each capable of generating an output signal related to the amount of light reaching that pixel, and wherein the processing means intermittently samples the output signals of the pixels in accordance with a predetermined sequence. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The pointing device of claim 7 wherein the source means intermittently illuminates the ball in accordance with the predetermined sampling sequence. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The pointing device of claim 1 wherein the cursor pointing device is a trackball. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The pointing device of claim 1 wherein the radiation reflecting off the ball diffusely illuminates the sensor means. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The pointing device of claim 1 wherein the sensor means comprises a photosensitive array having a plurality of pixels. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The pointing device of claim 11 wherein the pixels of the photosensitive array provide outputs to the processing means which permit the correlation of edges in the pattern and temporal intensity changes in the illumination of the ball. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The pointing device of claim 1, wherein said substantially monochromatic radiation is not coherent radiation. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The pointing device of claim 1, wherein said sensor means comprises: a plurality of pixels, responsive to said radiation reflected from said ball, each of said pixels includes: a photodetector element for receiving said radiation reflected from said ball and for converting said radiation into an electrical signal having an signal strength corresponding to an intensity of said received radiation; a first memory unit for storing a first intensity value of said pixel representing the intensity of radiation received by said photodetector element at a first time; a second memory unit for storing a second intensity value of said pixel representing the intensity of radiation received by said photodetector element at a second time; a first comparator, disposed to receive signals from said first memory unit, for comparing said first and second intensity values to identify if an edge condition occurred between said first time and said second time. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The pointing device of claim 14 wherein said first comparator determines that an edge condition occurred if a ratio of said first intensity value and said second intensity value is not within a predefined range. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The pointing device of claim 15, wherein each of said pixels further comprises: a second comparator, disposed to receive an adjacent pixel signal from an adjacent pixel of said plurality of pixels representing an intensity of radiation received by said adjacent pixel, for comparing a signal representing one of said first and second intensity values with said adjacent pixel signal to identify an edge condition. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The pointing device of claim 16 wherein said second comparator determines that an edge condition exist if a ratio of said first intensity value and said second intensity value is not within a predetermined range. ### Claim 18 A trackball pointing device for controlling the position of a cursor on a display comprising: a ball, for manipulation by the palm or fingers, having thereon a fixed irregular pattern of areas which appear light and dark when illuminated by substantially monochromatic radiation; source means for illuminating a portion of the ball with said substantially monochromatic radiation; sensor means responsive to the radiation reflected from the ball, for receiving said reflected radiation and for creating an output in response to said received radiation, and processing means responsive to the output from the sensor means for generating a cursor control output. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The trackball of claim 18 further including a lens means for focusing an image of the ball on the sensor means. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The trackball pointing device of claim 18 wherein said pattern is covered by a layer which is transparent to radiation of the predetermined frequency. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The trackball pointing device of claim 20 wherein said layer is opaque to visible light. ### Claim 22 (depends on 18) The trackball pointing device of claim 18, wherein said substantially monochromatic radiation is not coherent radiation. ### Claim 23 (depends on 18) The trackball pointing device of claim 18, wherein said sensor means comprises: a plurality of pixels, responsive to said radiation reflected from said ball, each of said pixels includes: a photodetector element for receiving said radiation reflected from said ball and for converting said radiation into an electrical signal having an signal strength corresponding to an intensity of said received radiation; a first memory unit for storing a first intensity value of said pixel representing the intensity of radiation received by said photodetector element at a first time; a second memory unit for storing a second intensity value of said pixel representing the intensity of radiation received by said photodetector element at a second time; a first comparator, disposed to receive signals from said first memory unit, for comparing said first and second intensity values to identify if an edge condition occurred between said first time and said second time. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The trackball pointing device of claim 23 wherein said first comparator determines that an edge condition occurred if a ratio of said first intensity value and said second intensity value is not within a predefined range. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The trackball pointing device of claim 24, wherein each of said pixels further comprises: a second comparator, disposed to receive an adjacent pixel signal from an adjacent pixel of said plurality of pixels representing an intensity of radiation received by said adjacent pixel, for comparing a signal representing one of said first and second intensity values with said adjacent pixel signal to identify an edge condition. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The trackball pointing device of claim 25 wherein said second comparator determines that an edge condition exist if a ratio of said first intensity value and said second intensity value is not within a predefined range. ### Claim 27 An electronic mouse for controlling the position of a cursor on a display comprising: a ball having thereon a fixed irregular pattern of areas which appear light and dark when illuminated by substantially monochromatic radiation; source means for illuminating a portion of the ball with said substantially monochromatic radiation; sensor means responsive to the radiation reflected from the ball, for receiving said reflected radiation and for creating an output in response to said received radiation, and processing means responsive to the output from the sensor means for generating a cursor control output. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The electronic mouse of claim 27 wherein said pattern is covered by a layer which is transparent to radiation of the predetermined frequency. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The electronic mouse of claim 28 wherein said layer is opaque to visible light. ### Claim 30 (depends on 27) The trackball pointing device of claim 27, wherein said substantially monochromatic radiation is not coherent radiation. ### Claim 31 (depends on 27) The trackball pointing device of claim 27, wherein said sensor means comprises: a plurality of pixels, responsive to said radiation reflected from said ball, each of said pixels includes: a photodetector element for receiving said radiation reflected from said ball and for converting said radiation into an electrical signal having an signal strength corresponding to an intensity of said received radiation; a first memory unit for storing a first intensity value of said pixel representing the intensity of radiation received by said photodetector element at a first time; a second memory unit for storing a second intensity value of said pixel representing the intensity of radiation received by said photodetector element at a second time; a first comparator, disposed to receive signals from said first memory unit, for comparing said first and second intensity values to identify if an edge condition occurred between said first time and said second time. ### Claim 32 (depends on 31) The trackball pointing device of claim 31 wherein said first comparator determines that an edge condition occurred if a ratio of said first intensity value and said second intensity value is not within a predefined range. ### Claim 33 (depends on 32) The trackball pointing device of claim 32, wherein each of said pixels further comprises: a second comparator, disposed to receive an adjacent pixel signal from an adjacent pixel of said plurality of pixels representing an intensity of radiation received by said adjacent pixel, for comparing a signal representing one of said first and second intensity values with said adjacent pixel signal to identify an edge condition. ### Claim 34 (depends on 33) The trackball pointing device of claim 33 wherein said second comparator determines that an edge condition exist if a ratio of said first intensity value and said second intensity value is not within a predefined range.