Two-axis ball-based cursor control apparatus with tactile feedback
US6937228B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 29, 2002 |
| Grant date | Aug 30, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 3, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F3/03549
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A two-axis ball-based cursor control apparatus with tactile feeling is provided, which includes a housing; a spherical ball contained partially within the housing and having a plurality of recesses distributed about its outer surface; two pairs of spring biased sensor mechanisms each including a probe, a spring, and a transducer; and a means for processing the signals received from the sensor mechanisms. Each of the four probes is positioned so that it rests within one of the recesses on the spherical ball when the ball is stationary. As the ball is rotated, the probes are pushed up and out of the recesses by the ball, causing the corresponding springs to alternately compress and decompress, before the probes come to rest in adjacent recesses. Each transducer generates an electrical signal corresponding to the rate of compression and decompression in the corresponding spring. The signal processing means then translates the signals from each of the transducers into movement of a cursor on an electronic display screen which corresponds to the rotation of the spherical ball about each of its axes.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.