Patent Application
20160313817
This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201510196174.4 filed on Apr. 23, 2015, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
The subject matter herein generally relates to human interface devices, and particularly to a mouse pad with a touch detection function.
When a user uses a mouse physically for a long time, a life time of the physical mouse would be decreased, at the same time, the user may be tired.
Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the disclosure.
Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, where appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the different figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described herein can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the related relevant feature being described. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and the proportions of certain parts can be exaggerated to better illustrate details and features. The description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and the proportions of certain parts may be exaggerated to better illustrate details and features of the present disclosure.
The present disclosure, including the accompanying drawings, is illustrated by way of examples and not by way of limitation. Several definitions that apply throughout this disclosure will now be presented. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean “at least one.”
Furthermore, the term “module”, as used herein, refers to logic embodied in hardware or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions, written in a programming language, such as, Java, C, or assembly. One or more software instructions in the modules can be embedded in firmware, such as in an EPROM. The modules described herein can be implemented as either software and/or hardware modules and can be stored in any type of non-transitory computer-readable medium or other storage device. Some non-limiting examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include CDs, DVDs, BLU-RAY, flash memory, and hard disk drives. The term “comprising” means “including, but not necessarily limited to”; it specifically indicates open-ended inclusion or membership in a so-described combination, group, series and the like.
The communication unit 30 is used for connecting the mouse pad 1 to an electronic device 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the communication unit 30 can be a USB data line or a USB port. The communication unit 30 connects the mouse pad 1 to the electronic device 2 by a USB port of the electronic device 2, and receives a power voltage from the electronic device 2. In other embodiments, the communication unit 30 can be a wireless transmission unit, such as Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Wireless Fidelity (WIFI), or BLUETOOTH. The communication unit 30 can connect the mouse pad 1 to the electronic device 2 wirelessly, and the mouse pad 1 is powered by a built-in battery. In the illustrated embodiment, the electronic device 2 can be a personal computer, such as a desktop computer or a laptop computer, or other device receiving input.
As illustrated in
In the illustrated embodiment, the first ultrasonic unit 40 and the second ultrasonic unit 50 both are ultrasonic sensors which are used to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves. When the mouse pad 1 is connected to the electronic device 2, the first ultrasonic unit 40 transmits a first ultrasonic wave towards the mouse pad 1, and the first ultrasonic wave has a transmission angle gradually changing along a first predetermined direction periodically, for example, as shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, a period when the transmission angle of the first ultrasonic wave changes from a minimum angle to a maximum angle along the first predetermined direction, is equal to a period when the transmission angle of the second ultrasonic wave changes from a minimum angle to a maximum angle along the second predetermined direction. Such period can be 1 millisecond (ms). In one embodiment, the first predetermined direction is a clockwise direction, and the second predetermined direction is an anticlockwise direction.
As illustrated in
In at least one embodiment, the storage device 20 can include various types of non-transitory computer-readable storage mediums. For example, the storage device 20 can be an internal storage system, such as a flash memory, a random access memory (RAM) for temporary storage of information, and/or a read-only memory (ROM) for permanent storage of information. The storage device 20 can also be an external storage system, such as a hard disk, a storage card, or a data storage medium. The at least one processor 10 can be a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, or other data processor chip that performs functions of the mouse pad 1.
As illustrated in
The detection module 101 detects whether the first ultrasonic unit 40 and the second ultrasonic unit 50 receive the reflection waves. In the illustrated embodiment, the first ultrasonic unit 40 and the second ultrasonic unit 50 both include, but are not limited to, a transmitter and a receiver. The detection module 101 determines whether the first ultrasonic unit 40 and the second ultrasonic unit 50 receive the reflection waves according to whether the receivers of the first ultrasonic unit 40 and the second ultrasonic unit 50 receive ultrasonic signals.
The detection module 101 further determines that the object 3 is touching the mouse pad 1 when the first ultrasonic unit 40 and the second ultrasonic unit 50 both receive the reflection waves. When neither of the first ultrasonic unit 40 and the second ultrasonic unit 50 receives the reflection waves, or only one of the first ultrasonic unit 40 and the second ultrasonic unit 50 receives the reflection waves, the detection module 101 determines that there is no object 3 touching the mouse pad 1, and continues to await detection.
The selection module 102 selects a predetermined number of reflection waves from all of the received reflection ultrasonic signals when the object 3 is touching the mouse pad 1. In the illustrated embodiment, the selected reflection waves include a number of first reflection waves generated due to the first ultrasonic waves being reflected by the object 3, and a number of second reflection waves generated due to the second ultrasonic waves being reflected by the object 3. Different reflection waves are reflected from different points of the object 3.
The first ultrasonic waves and the second ultrasonic waves are reflected by the object 3 when the first ultrasonic unit 40 and second ultrasonic unit 50 scan the object 3. In the illustrated embodiment, each position on the object 3 reflecting an ultrasonic wave is a reflection point. Due to the scanning periods of the first ultrasonic waves and the second ultrasonic waves being very short, during one period when the object 3 touches a position of the mouse pad 1, the first ultrasonic waves and the second ultrasonic waves scan and reflect from different positions on the object 3 in sequence.
In the illustrated embodiment, the number of selected first reflection waves and the number of selected second reflection waves both can be default values, such as five. In other embodiments, the number can be predetermined by users.
As illustrated in
In one embodiment, when the first ultrasonic unit 40 or the second ultrasonic unit 50 receives the reflection ultrasonic signals, the calculating module 103 determines a distance between a reflection point and the corresponding ultrasonic unit according to a propagation speed of the ultrasonic wave and a time interval to receiving a reflection wave. In addition, the calculating module 103 further determines a transmission angle of the corresponding ultrasonic wave when the first ultrasonic unit 40 or the second ultrasonic unit 50 receives the reflection ultrasonic signals. The position of the reflection point reflecting the corresponding ultrasonic wave with the transmission angle is determined according to the determined distance and the corresponding transmission angle. The calculating module 103 calculates the coordinate values of the first reflection points and the second reflection points in this way.
In the illustrated embodiment, the first ultrasonic unit 40 and the second ultrasonic unit 50 transmit the ultrasonic waves along the first predetermined direction and along the second predetermined direction by a predetermined incremental angle, such as 0.5 degrees angle. The propagation speed of the ultrasonic wave is fast, thus the receipt of a reflection wave after transmitting the ultrasonic wave with a certain transmission angle can establish the transmission angle of the first ultrasonic unit 40 or the second ultrasonic unit 50 as equivalent to the angle of a previously transmitted ultrasonic wave.
As illustrated in
The calculating module 103 determines the time when the first ultrasonic wave was transmitted with the angle θ, and the time when the corresponding first reflection wave was received. The time interval between transmitting the first ultrasonic wave and receiving the corresponding first reflection wave is thus determined, the calculating module 103 further determines the distance d between the first ultrasonic unit 40 and the reflection point A according to the time interval and the propagation speed of the ultrasonic wave. The calculating module 103 calculates the coordinate value of the reflection point A according to the coordinate value of the first ultrasonic unit 40, the angle θ, and the distance d. For example, assuming that the coordinate value of the reflection point A is (u, v), the calculating module 103 calculates the values of u and v according to a first equation tgθ=v/u, and a second equation u2+v2=d2.
The determining module 104 determines the reflection points having the same coordinate value at a first predetermined interval according to the coordinate values of all of the first reflection points and the second reflection points. The determining module 104 further selects a single reflection point from the reflection points having the same coordinate value as a detection point, and determines the coordinate value of the detection point. In the illustrated embodiment, the detection point represents the position of the object 3. The determining module 104 further can determine a number of detection points when the object 3 is moving, and can determine a track of motion of the object 3 according to changes of the coordinate values of the number of detection points. When the object 3 does not move, the number of the detection points determined by the determining module 104 is only one and the coordinate value of the detection point does not change. In the illustrated embodiment, the predetermined interval is an integer multiple of the scanning period, such as 0.1 second.
A description of obtaining the detection point follows. For example, assume that the coordinate values of five corresponding first reflection points which are calculated by the calculating module 103 are A(x1, y1), B(x2, y2), C(x3, y3), D(x4, y4), and E(x5, y5). Assume also that the coordinate values of five corresponding second reflection points which are calculated by the calculating module 103 are A1(x′1, y′1), B1(x′2, y′2), C1(x′3, y′3), D1(x′4, y′4), and E1(x′5, y′5).
When the number of reflection points on the object 3 having the same coordinate value is an odd number, the determining module 104 determines the reflection point in the middle position as being the detection point on the object 3. As illustrated in
When the number of reflection points having the same coordinate value on the object 3 is an even number, the determining module 104 determines the left reflection point from the two reflection points in the middle position as the detection point on the object 3. In the illustrated embodiment, the coordinate values of point A, point B, point C, and point D are respectively the same as the coordinate values of point A1, point B1, point C1, and point D1. Point A and point A1 are the reflection points having a first same coordinate value, point B and point B1 are the reflection points having a second same coordinate value, point C and point C1 are the reflection points having a third same coordinate value, and point D and point D1 are the reflection points having a fourth same coordinate value. Where the four points having the first same coordinate values, the second same coordinate values, the third same coordinate values, and the fourth same coordinate values are scanned by the first ultrasonic unit 40 and the second ultrasonic unit 50, then because point A and point B are in the middle position, the determining module 104 will determine that point B, which is the left reflection point, is the detection point on the object 3.
In other embodiments, when the number of reflection points having the same coordinate value on the object 3 is an even number, the determining module 104 can also determine that the right reflection point (from the two reflection points in the middle position) is the detection point on the object 3.
When there are no reflection points having the same coordinate value in the first reflection points and the second reflection points, the selection module 102 reselects a number of first reflection points and a number of second reflection points, until reflection points having the same coordinate value are found.
In one embodiment, the determining module 104 also can determine a number of coordinate value ranges, each including a number of first reflection points and second reflection points, according to the coordinate values of the first reflection points and the second reflection points at a second predetermined interval. The determining module 104 determines whether there are at least two reflection points having the same coordinate value in each range, and determines upon one reflection point, from the at least two reflection points having the same coordinate value, as being the detection point, when there are at least two reflection points having the same coordinate value in the range. When there are no reflection points having the same coordinate value in the range, the selection module 102 reselects a number of first reflection points and a number of second reflection points in the range.
In the foregoing manner, the determining module 104 can determine the corresponding detection points on a variety of objects 3, and determine a number of detection points on one object 3, and further determine the track of motion of each object 3 according to the changes of the coordinate values of the respective detection points. A multiple-touch detection function is thus achieved.
In another embodiment, the determining module 104 can calculate an average coordinate value of all of the first reflection points and the second reflection points, and determine the reflection point having the average coordinate value as the detection point. The determining module 104 can determine a number of coordinate value ranges, calculate the average coordinate value in each coordinate value range, and determine the reflection point having the average coordinate value as being the detection point on the object 3. Similarly, corresponding detection points on a variety of objects 3 can be determined.
The determining module 104 further determines the track of motion of the object 3 according to the changes of the coordinate values of the detection point of the object 3, and the definition module 105 defines corresponding mouse actions, thus causing the electronic device 2 to execute functions corresponding to the defined mouse actions.
In one embodiment, when the determining module 104 determines the detection point on the object 3, the first ultrasonic unit 40 and the second ultrasonic unit 50 continue to transmit the first ultrasonic waves and the second ultrasonic waves. Detection points on the object 3 are continually determined by the determining module 104, as are the current coordinate value of each detection point and the track of motion of the object 3 according to the changes of the coordinate values of the detection points. In all these situations, the definition module 105 can define the corresponding mouse actions.
When determining that the coordinate values of one detection point are changing continuously, the determining module 104 determines the direction and extent of motion of the detection point according to the changes of the coordinate values of the detection point. The definition module 105 defines the mouse action as a moving action when the determining module 104 determines that one detection point is moving, thus causing the electronic device 2 to control a cursor to execute the move action according to the direction and extent of motion of the detection point.
When the detection module 101 detects that the first ultrasonic unit 40 or the second ultrasonic unit 50 are not receiving the reflection waves, the determining module 104 cannot determine the coordinate value of one detection point. This represents a situation where there is no object 3 touching the mouse pad 1, thus the detection point disappears. When the detection module 101 detects the reflection waves from the first ultrasonic unit 40 and the second ultrasonic unit 50, and the determining module 104 can determine the coordinate value of the detection point after a period of time, there is or are objects 3 touching the mouse pad 1, thus the detection point reappears.
In the illustrated embodiment, the definition module 105 further defines the mouse action as a click action when the determining module 104 determines that one detection point appears then disappears within a first predetermined time duration, thus causing the electronic device 2 to execute the click action, the click action may be to select a target object displayed by the electronic device 2.
The definition module 105 further defines the mouse action as a double-click action when the determining module 104 determines that one detection point appears, then disappears, and then reappears within a second predetermined time duration, thus causing the electronic device 2 to execute the double-click action on a displayed and selected object, such as to open the object. In the illustrated embodiment, the first predetermined time duration and the second predetermined time duration can be determined by the user. The first predetermined time duration can be 0.5 seconds, the second predetermined time duration can be 1 second.
Furthermore, the definition module 105 further defines the mouse action as a right-click action when the determining module 104 determines that two detection points appear and then disappear at the same time within the first predetermined time duration, thus causing the electronic device 2 to execute the right-click action to view the properties of a displayed and selected object.
The definition module 105 further defines the mouse action as a dragging action when the determining module 104 determines that the coordinate values of two detection points have changed to the same extent, thus causing the electronic device 2 to execute the drag action to a displayed and selected object. In the illustrated embodiment, the object can be an icon, a file, or a folder.
The sending module 106 sends information about the defined mouse actions to the electronic device 2 via the communication unit 30, and the electronic device 2 analyzes the information about the mouse action to recognize the mouse actions, and further executes the required functions. In other embodiments, the sending module 106 also can send the track of motion information to the electronic device 2, and the electronic device 2 defines corresponding mouse actions according to the foregoing method, and further executes the required functions.
It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201510196174.4 | Apr 2015 | CN | national |
