Background
The navigation device (such as an optical mouse) for a computer can judge the coordinate displacement by using the method of detecting the surface characteristics of the working surface, and can also judge whether the optical mouse is lifted relative to the working surface or not or is directly placed on the working surface according to the detection result of the surface characteristics. The conventional lift height detection technology is to determine the distance variation of the optical mouse relative to the working surface according to the parameter variation of the surface characteristics on the working surface, however, the material, surface roughness, dirt or dust of the working surface can affect the parameter value of the surface characteristics, and the uniformity of the lift height determination cannot be achieved for the working surfaces with different surface characteristics, so that the conventional lift height detection technology of the optical mouse cannot accurately detect the distance variation of the mouse relative to the working surface.
Disclosure of Invention
The present invention provides a distance detection mechanism for detecting an accurate distance relative to a working surface and a navigation device having a distance detection function, so as to solve the above-mentioned problems.
The present invention discloses a distance detecting mechanism capable of detecting a distance relative to a working surface, the distance detecting mechanism includes a base, a connecting member, a feature unit and a detecting unit. The connecting member is disposed on the base in a partially protruding manner. The connecting piece selectively contacts or separates the working surface, and can generate at least one axial distance change relative to the base. The characteristic unit is arranged on the connecting piece. The detection unit is connected to the base. The detecting unit detects a parameter difference of the feature unit along with the distance variation of the connecting piece relative to the base so as to determine the distance between a bottom surface of the base and the working surface by using the parameter difference.
The present invention further discloses a navigation device with distance detection function, which can detect the distance relative to a working surface. The navigation device comprises a shell, a coordinate detection module and a distance detection mechanism. The coordinate detection module is arranged in the shell and used for detecting the coordinate movement of the shell relative to the working surface. The distance detection mechanism is disposed in the housing. The distance detection mechanism comprises a base, a connecting piece, a characteristic unit and a detection unit. The connecting member is disposed on the base in a partially protruding manner. The connecting piece selectively contacts or separates the working surface, and can generate at least one axial distance change relative to the base. The characteristic unit is arranged on the connecting piece. The detection unit is connected to the base. The detecting unit detects a parameter difference of the feature unit along with the distance variation of the connecting piece relative to the base so as to determine the distance between a bottom surface of the base and the working surface by using the parameter difference.
The navigation device comprises a distance detection mechanism, wherein the distance detection mechanism detects the known characteristic unit on the connecting piece by using the detection unit, is not influenced by the material, surface roughness, dirt or dust of a working surface, and can accurately calculate the lifting height of the navigation device relative to the working surface through the distance change between the connecting piece and the base. The connecting piece of the distance detection mechanism protrudes out of the base in a movable mode to contact the working surface, and the connecting piece can synchronously generate distance variation along with the lifting or the putting down of the navigation device by matching with the elastic restoring force of the elastic element, so that the distance detection mechanism not only can be used for calculating the lifting height of the navigation device, but also can be used for pressing and leveling the working surface when the working surface is made of light and thin materials (such as paper) so as to improve the detection precision of the coordinate detection module. The navigation device utilizes the setting of threshold value to adjust the sensitivity of the distance detection mechanism, and the navigation device is not considered to be lifted up only when the connecting piece is completely separated from the working surface; as long as the distance between the connecting piece and the base changes and exceeds the threshold value, even if the connecting piece still touches the working surface, the connecting piece can still be interpreted as the navigation device to make the lifting action, and the coordinate value information of the coordinate detection module is stopped being output.
Detailed Description
Referring to fig. 1 and 2, fig. 1 and 2 are structural side views of a navigation device 10 at different stages of operation according to an embodiment of the present invention. The navigation device 10 may be an optical mouse, and the user operates the navigation device 10 to move on the working surface S, and determines the operation command to be input according to the movement track. The navigation device 10 includes a housing 12, a coordinate detection module 14, and a distance detection mechanism 16. The housing 12 is used for accommodating the coordinate detection module 14 and the distance detection mechanism 16, and provides protection against dust and water. The coordinate detecting module 14 can detect the characteristic pattern on the working surface S by using an optical detecting technique or detect the rotation information of the roller shaft by using a roller detecting technique, so as to determine the coordinate movement of the housing 12 relative to the working surface S. If the user slightly lifts the navigation device 10, i.e. the navigation device 10 is separated and does not contact the working surface S, the distance detection mechanism 16 can be used to detect the precise distance change and determine the lifting height of the navigation device 10 relative to the working surface S, thereby triggering other possible applications.
The distance detection mechanism 16 includes a base 18, a connector 20, a feature unit 22, and a detection unit 24. The base 18 is disposed at the bottom of the housing 12, or may be considered as a portion of the bottom of the housing 12. The connecting member 20 is disposed on the base 18 in a partially protruding manner; in this embodiment, the connecting member 20 includes a sliding portion 26 slidably disposed on the base 18 and a main body portion 28 connected to the sliding portion 26, wherein a first end 281 of the main body portion 28 protrudes from the bottom surface 181 of the base 18. The connector 20 can selectively contact or separate the work surface S and can be moved relative to the base 18 along the axis D1 as the navigation device 10 is raised or lowered. The feature unit 22 is disposed on the connecting member 20, and the detecting unit 24 is disposed on the supporting member 30 of the base 18. When the distance between the connecting member 20 and the base 18 varies, the detecting unit 24 detects the parameter difference of the characteristic unit 22, and determines the distance between the bottom surface 181 and the working surface S.
The aforementioned axial direction D1 is approximately parallel to the normal vector of the plane of the bottom surface 181. In addition, the connecting member 20 can be movably disposed on the base 18 in an inclined manner, so that the moving direction of the connecting member 20 relative to the base 18 intersects with the normal vector of the bottom surface 181. Alternatively, the moving direction of the connecting member 20 relative to the base 18 may be designed to be changed into an arc direction, a spiral direction, or the like; the connecting member 20 along other moving directions may be designed to partially protrude the side of the base 18 (or the housing 12) and extend to be curved to point to the bottom 181, in addition to partially protruding the bottom 181. It is within the scope of the present invention to design the distance detection mechanism 16 so long as the distance of the connecting member 20 varies when the navigation device 10 is lifted up or down relative to the working surface S.
The navigation device 10 further includes a controller 32 electrically connected to the coordinate detection module 14 and the distance detection mechanism 16. As shown in fig. 1, when the navigation device 10 is lifted up and gradually moves away from the working surface S, the elastic element 34 mounted on the main body 28 releases its elastic restoring force to move the connecting element 20 toward the outside of the base 18, and the detecting unit 24 detects the parameter difference of the characteristic unit 22 along with the movement of the connecting element 20, and knows the distance between the bottom surface 181 and the working surface S; when the distance is higher than the predetermined threshold value, the navigation device 10 is determined to be separated from the working surface S, and the controller 32 stops outputting the coordinate values generated by the coordinate detection module 14. As shown in fig. 2, when the navigation device 10 contacts and approaches the working surface S, the elastic element 34 is compressed to store elastic restoring force, the connecting element 20 moves into the base 18, and the detecting unit 24 detects the parameter difference of the feature unit 22 to obtain the distance between the bottom surface 181 and the working surface S; until the distance is lower than the threshold value, it is determined that the navigation device 10 is located on the working surface S, and the controller 32 can accordingly output the coordinate values generated by the coordinate detection module 14.
Fig. 3 and fig. 4 are schematic side views of possible variations of the navigation device 10 according to the embodiment of the invention. The elastic element 34 shown in fig. 1 and 2 is disposed on the main body 28, however, the elastic element 34 may be alternatively disposed on the sliding portion 26, that is, two ends of the elastic element 34 respectively abut against the sliding portion 26 and the base 18, as shown in fig. 3, and the practical application is not limited thereto. The feature cells 22 shown in fig. 1 and 2 are disposed at the second end 282 of the body portion 28; as the connecting member 20 moves, the detecting unit 24 detects the difference in size and/or brightness of the feature unit 22, for example, the feature unit 22 has a larger size and stronger brightness when approaching the detecting unit 24, and has a smaller size and weaker brightness when departing from the detecting unit 24, and the parameter difference is used to determine the distance variation between the bottom surface 181 and the working surface S. In addition, the feature unit 22 can be selectively disposed on the side surface 283 of the main body 28, as shown in fig. 4, the detecting unit 24 detects the displacement difference of the feature unit 22, for example, the navigation device 10 moves upward when approaching the working surface S and moves downward when separating the working surface S, so as to determine the distance variation between the bottom surface 181 and the working surface S.
Since the sliding portion 26 and the main body portion 28 belong to the interlocking objects fixed to each other, the feature unit 22 can be further selectively disposed on one end 261 or the side surface 262 of the sliding portion 26, as shown in fig. 5, fig. 5 is a structural side view of another possible modification of the navigation device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The detecting unit 24 detects the size and/or brightness difference of the feature cells 22 (in a solid line pattern) on the end 261 or the displacement difference of the feature cells 22 (in a dotted line pattern) on the side surface 262, thereby determining the distance variation of the connector 20 in the axial direction D1 relative to the base 18.
Referring to fig. 6 and 7, fig. 6 and 7 are structural side views of a navigation device 10' according to various embodiments of the present invention. In each embodiment, elements having the same numbers as those in the other embodiments have the same structures and functions, and thus, the description thereof will not be repeated. As shown in fig. 6, the connecting member 20' may be a semi-spherical elastomer made of rubber, and the material and shape thereof are not limited thereto. The elastomer has an opposite fixed end 36 and a free end 38. The fixed end 36 is disposed on the base 18, and the free end 38 protrudes from the base 18 from the bottom surface 181. The feature unit 22 is mounted on the free end 38 at a position facing the detection unit 24. When the navigation device 10' contacts the work surface S, the elastomer is squeezed causing the free end 38 to retract into the base 18; when the navigation device 10' separates from the working surface S, the elastic body rebounds to move the free end 38 out of the base 18, so that the detecting unit 24 can determine the distance variation of the bottom surface 181 relative to the working surface S according to the size and/or brightness difference of the feature unit 22 on the free end 38.
As shown in FIG. 7, the connector 20' may further include an extension 40 disposed within the free end 38, the extension 40 extending from the free end 38 toward the fixed end 36, and the feature unit 22 may be selectively mounted at one end 401 or one side 402 of the extension 40. The feature unit 22 is disposed at the end 401, and as shown by the solid line pattern, the detecting unit 24 detects the size and/or brightness difference thereof to determine the distance variation of the connector 20' relative to the base 18; the feature unit 22 is disposed on the side 402, and as shown in the dotted line pattern, the detection unit 24 detects the displacement difference to obtain the information related to the distance variation.
In summary, the navigation device of the present invention includes a distance detecting mechanism, which uses a detecting unit to detect a known feature unit on a connecting element, and is not affected by the material, surface roughness, dirt or dust of the working surface, and can accurately calculate the lifting height of the navigation device relative to the working surface through the distance variation between the connecting element and the base. The connecting piece of the distance detection mechanism protrudes out of the base in a movable mode to contact the working surface, and the connecting piece can synchronously generate distance variation along with the lifting or the putting down of the navigation device by matching with the elastic restoring force of the elastic element, so that the distance detection mechanism not only can be used for calculating the lifting height of the navigation device, but also can be used for pressing and leveling the working surface when the working surface is made of light and thin materials (such as paper) so as to improve the detection precision of the coordinate detection module. The navigation device utilizes the setting of threshold value to adjust the sensitivity of the distance detection mechanism, and the navigation device is not considered to be lifted up only when the connecting piece is completely separated from the working surface; as long as the distance between the connecting piece and the base changes and exceeds the threshold value, even if the connecting piece still touches the working surface, the connecting piece can still be interpreted as the navigation device to make the lifting action, and the coordinate value information of the coordinate detection module is stopped being output.
Compared with the prior art, the distance detection mechanism of the invention designs the distance detection mechanism of the characteristic unit of which the detection unit can detect the position at the known position by utilizing the movable combination of the connecting piece and the base, not only can achieve accurate distance and control adjustment, but also has the advantage of pressing and finishing the working surface to improve the detection precision of the coordinate detection module.
The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and all equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the claims of the present invention should be covered by the present invention.