One chip USB optical mouse sensor solution

A method of controlling the position of a screen pointer for an electronic device having a display screen, the method comprising:

• illuminating an imaging surface, thereby generating reflected images;
• directing the reflected images onto an electronic chip, the electronic chip including an array of photo detectors;
• digitizing output values of the photo detectors with the electronic chip, thereby generating digital representations of the reflected images;
• correlating at least one version of a first one of the digital representations with at least one version of a second one of the digital representations using circuitry on the electronic chip;
• generating with the electronic chip a first set of motion data based on the correlation, the first set of motion data indicative of relative motion in orthogonal axes between the electronic chip and the imaging surface;
• outputting movement data in a serial format from the electronic chip based on the generated motion data;
• adjusting the position of the screen pointer in accordance with the movement data;
• and
• outputting test information from the electronic chip in the serial format to a host device, the test information including results of internal tests performed by the electronic chip.

An electronic chip for use in an apparatus for controlling the position of a screen pointer, the electronic chip comprising:

• an array of photo detectors for receiving reflected light from an imaging surface;
• an analog to digital converter coupled to the array of photo detectors for generating digital image data based on outputs of the photo detectors;
• a controller coupled to the analog to digital converter, the controller configured to generate a first set of movement data based on the digital image data, the first set of movement data indicative of relative motion between the electronic chip and the imaging surface;
• and
• a serial interface coupled to the controller for outputting motion data based on the generated movement data in a serial format, wherein the serial interface is configured to be coupled to a host device, and the electronic chip is configured to provide testing information about the chip to the host device through the serial interface.