Optical-mechanical roller with ratchet
US6157369A · kind A · utility
35Cited by
22References
14Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 14, 1997 |
| Grant date | Dec 5, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 14, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01H2019/146
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A pointing device, such as a mouse, track ball or joystick, having a roller. The roller itself has either a plurality of slits or reflective strips for optical detection. A photoemitter and photodetector are positioned to detect rotation of the roller. Thus, the present invention eliminates the need for coupling to a separate optical encoder. The roller can be depressed to cause the actuation of a microswitch. In a preferred embodiment, the photoemitter and photodetector are aligned along a vertical axis, such that the position information is not affected by the vertical depressing of the roller.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.