RU2290683C2 - Cursor control device - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: computer engineering, computer information input.

SUBSTANCE: cursor control device of "mouse" type, which has a coordinate device of mechanical or optical type mounted inside, is equipped with a coordinate ball, mounted on the outer surface of case cover and connected to position to electrical signal converters or four additional keys, located on the outer surface of case cover next to "mouse" buttons and connected to position to electrical signal converters using two independent informational channels to implement the function of moving the cursor in two coordinates.

EFFECT: extended functional capabilities of the device, increased quantity of means to control the cursor.

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Description

The invention relates to electronic equipment and can be used to enter information into a computer. In particular, the present invention contemplates the construction of an information input device capable of transmitting two different streams of information, each of which represents independent motion information in two coordinates.

The need to use an additional (to the keyboard) cursor control device in a computer arises in those cases when it is required to provide the ability to quickly move the cursor on the screen in combination with the convenience of its precise positioning. These requirements are presented, for example, when working with graphic information or using branched menu systems. In principle, these operations can be performed using the keyboard by pressing the cursor keys, however, firstly, only fixed directions of movement with an interval of 45 ° are possible and, secondly, it is necessary to repeatedly press the named keys, requiring a considerable investment of time . In this regard, the use of the keyboard is very ineffective, and to perform the operations in question, as a rule, additional cursor control devices are used. So, at present, almost all application programs provide for the use of a mouse (US 5841426, 11.24.1998, US 5886685, 03.23.1999, RU 94045218, 12.27.1996, US 5812114, 09.09.1998, US 5907318, 05.25.1999. US 5838305, 11.17.1998, RU 2123201, 12/10/1998).

The “mouse” type manipulator consists of a body, which is made of two parts, the base and the cover. On the upper side of the base there is a ball with converters of its position into electrical signals and a socket for its placement, and on the lower side there are supports, which are protruding flat platforms of various configurations, made of material with a low coefficient of friction, based on which, “mouse”, moved by the operator’s hand, it glides easily on a flat surface, such as a table, while maintaining a constant gap between the table surface and the base. On the lid of the casing are located outside the mouse buttons.

Currently, the following requirements apply to cursor control devices: the ability to quickly move the cursor, the convenience of its accurate positioning, high reliability, minimum dimensions and weight, minimum cost, the sufficiency of using only one additional device in conjunction with the keyboard.

Given these requirements, attempts were made to upgrade the cursor control device by expanding its capabilities.

For example, in US No. 2002/0113776, a mouse-type device is described, comprising a housing of a base on which a mechanical and / or optical-type coordinate device is mounted, and a cover, the device being provided with a coordinate ball mounted on the outer surface of the body cover and associated with the converters of its position into electrical signals to implement the function of moving the cursor in two coordinates. This device does not have “mouse keys” located on the outer surface of the lid next to an additional coordinate ball. The corresponding button switches the mouse to the discrete mode of signal output.

No. 6489948 describes a mouse-type device comprising a housing of a base on which a mechanical type coordinate device is mounted in the form of a coordinate ball and a cover, the device being provided with an additional coordinate ball mounted on the outer surface of the housing cover and connected with converters of its position into electrical signals to implement the function of moving the cursor in two coordinates, there are two control keys for selecting interface elements on the display.

This patent solves the technical problem of ensuring accurate cursor positioning on the display. The first coordinate ball provides positioning of the cursor on the display in a given place, and the second coordinate ball located on the cover moves the cursor to the right place, if in the first case it was not possible to immediately get to the right place. For this, both coordinate devices in the mouse are connected to the same signal summing circuit.

And in US No. 5883619 a cursor control device is described, which is a mouse-type manipulator, which includes a housing from a base on which an optical-type coordinate device is mounted, and a lid, on whose outer surface there are mouse buttons, while it is equipped with a joystick mounted on the outer surface of the housing cover and connected to the converters of its position into electrical signals to implement the function of moving the cursor in two coordinates.

A similar device, but with the use of duplicate coordinate keys next to the mouse buttons with the function of precise cursor positioning, is described in US No. 5910798, G 09 G 5/08, publ. 06/08/1999. At the same time, all buttons are used on one output information channel.

None of the known solutions refers to two independent information flows from individual coordinate devices and to the various functions of each coordinate device for controlling the interface.

At the same time, the most common types of cursor control devices, in addition to the “mouse,” use a coordinate ball (trackball) and a joystick. Thus, for operators working with computers using the “mouse”, well-developed cursor control skills by spatial movement of the “mouse” are developed, but at the same time, these operators lose their acquired ability to control the cursor when they switch to the coordinate ball and use this device at the beginner level until a new skill is developed.

The present invention is directed to solving the technical problem of supplementing a mouse-type manipulator with an additional cursor control device such as a coordinate ball or a set of directional keys repeating similar keys on a keyboard, or in the form of a joystick. The technical result achieved in this case is to expand the functionality of the cursor control device and to expand the arsenal of technical means of cursor control.

The specified technical result is achieved in that the cursor control device, which is a mouse-type manipulator, includes a housing from the base, on which a mechanical and / or optical-type coordinate device is mounted, and a cover, on which the mouse buttons are located on the outer surface is equipped with a coordinate ball mounted on the outer surface of the housing cover and connected with the converters of its position into electrical signals or with additional four keys located on the the current surface of the housing cover next to the mouse buttons and associated with the transducers of their position into electrical signals to implement the function of moving the cursor in two coordinates.

These features are significant and interconnected with the formation of a stable set of features sufficient to obtain the desired technical result.

The present invention is illustrated by specific examples, which, however, are not the only possible, but clearly demonstrate the ability to achieve the given set of essential features of the desired result.

In Fig.1 shows a cursor control device of the type of "mouse" with an additional device of the type "trackball";

figure 2 - device control cursor type "mouse" with additional directional keys.

The present invention is illustrated by the example of a standard “mouse” made with a ball at the bottom. At the same time, its other designs, for example, with an optical signal conditioning device, can be considered as a standard “mouse”.

According to the present invention, the cursor control device is a mouse-type manipulator including a housing from a base 1, on the upper side of which there is a coordinate ball 2 with converters of its position into electrical signals and a socket 3 for its placement, and supports are located on the lower side made of low friction material. A cover 4 is mounted on the base, on the outer surface of which are located the mouse buttons 5, which are usually used to open the application menu or perform certain actions such as marking.

According to the first embodiment example (Fig. 1), the mouse type manipulator is equipped with a trackball coordinate ball 6 mounted on the outer surface of the housing cover 4 and connected to the transducers 10 of its position into electrical signals.

A feature of the “mouse” type manipulator according to the second embodiment example (FIG. 2) is that it is equipped with four additional keys 7 (FIG. 1) located on the outer surface of the housing cover next to the “mouse” keys and connected to the transducers of their position in electrical signals for implementing the cursor movement function in two coordinates (top-down, right-left) according to the type of operation of the keyboard cursor cursor keys. The indicated keys 7 repeat the course keys of the keyboard both in design and in connection with transducers that are activated by mechanical pressure when the key is recessed.

These devices work as follows.

The control device for the computer, which is a mouse-type manipulator, having a coordinate device of a mechanical (ball) or optical type in a single housing from below and a trackball coordinate ball device or several additional directional control buttons at the top can be connected to a controllable computer with an electric cord or in any other possible way (radio communication, infrared communication channel, etc.). The operator has the ability to simultaneously use the functions of both the “mouse”, the “trackball” or the course keys with one hand. In this case, data from both devices are processed and transmitted to the computer as independent signals and are used to control different interface elements.

The coordinate device located below recognizes the movement of the control device on a flat surface. The motion data is converted into control signals for the computer containing information about the movement in two coordinates X and Y (up-down and right-left). This data forms the informational first channel.

The trackball-type coordinate device located at the top recognizes the movement of a spherical body (ball) entering this device, which is attached to this spherical body by the fingers of the operator. Data on the movement of a spherical body is converted into control signals for a computer containing information about the movement in two coordinates X and Y (up-down and right-left). This data forms an informational second channel.

Data on the status of additional control buttons (pressed - not pressed) is also converted into control signals for the computer.

The data of the informational first channel is interpreted by computers and used to control interface elements similarly to the data received from a conventional “mouse” manipulator, i.e. to move the cursor on the screen, or for other purposes provided by the software.

The data of the second information channel is interpreted by the computer and used to control other interface elements: to scroll through the screen of texts and images that do not fit entirely on the screen in both vertical and horizontal dimensions; to iterate over interface controls; to control interfaces in computer games, etc., and can also be used instead of the signals of the keyboard buttons, meaning movement in different directions ("arrow"), which allows the operator to release the second hand for other purposes.

In this case, depending on the operator’s desire, a change of information channels may be provided, in which data of information channel number one will be processed as data of information channel number two, and vice versa.

The data on the state of the additional control buttons are used similarly to the data received from the usual “mouse”.

When working with a device such as a “mouse”, the operator’s palm, as a rule, always lies on a remote part of the body from the mouse buttons. The free surface of the case in the area of the mouse buttons can be used to place the directional keys or the trackball.

The present invention is industrially applicable, as it can be implemented using currently widely used technologies for the manufacture of manipulators such as "mouse" or "trackball".

Claims (1)

The cursor control device, which is a mouse-type manipulator, which includes a housing from the base on which a coordinate device of a mechanical and / or optical type is mounted, and a lid, on the outer surface of which are located the mouse buttons, characterized in that it is provided coordinate ball mounted on the outer surface of the housing cover and connected to the converters of its position into electrical signals or by four additional keys located on the outer surface of the housing cover Pusa near keys of the "mouse" and associated position transducers them into electric signals to implement cursor function in two coordinates, the coordinate data from both device independent signals represent two different information channels to different computers for control interface elements.

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