Optical input device for measuring finger movement
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
InventorsMartin Dieter Liess, Christoph Dobrusskin, Aldegonda Lucia Weijers
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An optical input device for measuring the movement of a finger (15) ia accommodated in a housing provided with a transparent window (12) for transmitting a measurement beam (13) from a diode laser (3) to the finger and radiation reflected by the finger to a detector (4). This feature prevents that grease and dust disturb and block the measuring beam.
Claims18
An optical input device for measuring a movement of a finger along at least one measuring axis, said optical input device comprising:
- a transparent window for facilitating the movement of the finger along the at least one measuring axis;
- and
- a laser operable to generate a measuring beam in a direction of the transparent window,
- wherein an action plane associated with said transparent window is defined by the measuring beam converging into the finger, and
- wherein an upper surface of said transparent window is convex in at least one of two mutually perpendicular directions in the action plane.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a display screen for displaying a cursor;
- and
- an optical input device for controlling a movement of the cursor by measuring a movement of a finger along at least one measuring axis, said optical input device including
- a transparent window for facilitating the movement of the finger along the at least one measuring axis, and
- a laser operable to generate a measuring beam in a direction of the transparent window,
- wherein an action plane associated with said transparent window is defined by the measuring beam converging into the finger, and
- wherein an upper surface of said transparent window is convex in at least one of two mutually perpendicular directions in the action plane.
An optical input device for measuring a movement of a finger along at least one measuring axis, said optical input device comprising:
- a transparent window for facilitating the movement of the finger along the at least one measuring axis,
- wherein an upper surface of said transparent window is convex in at least one of two mutually perpendicular directions;
- laser means for generating at least one measuring beam in at least one direction of the transparent window;
- optical means for converging the at least one measuring beam into the finger;
- and
- converting means for converting at least a portion of a reflection of the at least one measuring beam from the finger into an electrical signal indicative of the movement of the finger along the at least one measuring axis.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a display screen for displaying a cursor;
- and
- an optical input device for controlling a movement of the cursor by measuring a movement of a finger along at least one measuring axis, said optical input device including
- a transparent window for facilitating the movement of the finger along the at least one measuring axis,
- wherein an upper surface of said transparent window is convex in at least one of two mutually perpendicular directions,
- laser means for generating at least one measuring beam in at least one direction of the transparent window,
- optical means for converging the at least one measuring beam into the finger, and
- converting means for converting at least a portion of a reflection of the at least one measuring beam from the finger into an electrical signal indicative of the movement of the finger along the at least one measuring axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.