This invention relates to a pointing device such as mouse pad for inputting to a cell phone, a portable device or a computer.
In a conventional cell phone or mobile phone, or a conventional portable device, a switch referred to as a four-direction key or eight-direction key for determining on/off binary is used. An item displayed on image plane of the device is selected using this switch. When the item is selected the item is determined or decided by a click switch.
Of recent years the performance of the cell phone or portable device has be dramatically increased, the contents of liquid crystal display have been highly developed, and particularly graphics, games, and 3D images have been able to be displayed. Under the present situation the input device is in the process of change from one using four direction switch to the other in which 360-degrees omnidirectional movement is put out by the pressure of finger. Such a pointing device can change movement speed by the pressure of finger and also can change moving distance.
To embody such a pointing device, electric capacitance pressure sensor or magnetometric sensor is used. In either type of sensor, an operator can control the contents of image on contact with the sensor by his finger so that smooth movement is obtained in response to the movement of finger.
When the pointing device provided with such an omnidirectional pressure sensor is used, an operator controls to pinpoint or specify a particular location or a particular character on the image, and then should push the click switch 18 for decision.
When it comes to control an input device over 360 degrees freely by finger, an operator happens to get into touch with the key top slightly on pushing down the decision switch if the click switch is positioned at the center of key top as usual. As a result, the cases that the item different from a selected icon or character is decided occur frequently.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pointing device which can prevent malfunction which may occur in a conventional pointing device.
Meanwhile considering that a conventional mouse or pointing device for computer input, the mouse needs a planar surface such as a table. Under a situation that a laptop personal computer is used, there is a case in that such a planar surface is not present nearby. In view of operationality of mouse, since a cursor is moved in accordance with the movement of mouse on the surface, it is inconvenient to control movement of long distance or speed of movement.
It is the other object of the present invention to provide a pointing device which requires no planar surface and has a good operationality of input device of for computer.
To accomplish the object, there is provided a pointing device comprises an omnidirectional pressure sensor positioned on a portion of instrument, and a click switch positioned on another portion of the instrument different from the position of said omnidirectional pressure sensor. It is preferable that the omnidirectional pressure sensor is positioned in front of the instrument and the click switch is positioned on the rear portion or the upper portion of the instrument. It is also preferable that the omnidirectional pressure sensor moves the cursor on the screen of the instrument and the click switch functions as decision switch for deciding the position of movement of the cursor.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be explained in the following detailed description of the invention having reference to the appended drawings:
To begin with, an electric capacitance pressure sensor will be explained as an example of a 360-degrees omnidirectional pressure sensor, herein after referred to as a sensor.
Now, when one point of periphery of key top is pushed by a finger, the thickness of air layer at that point is reduced, and as a result the electric capacitance between the copper plates 40 mounted on substrate 32 and the projecting portion 42 of conductive silicon rubber 34 changes. The orientation thus pushed is detected by the change. That is, the sensor 30 can detect the pressure in 360 degrees omnidirection.
When such a sensor is used as an input device for cell phone, if the click bottom or decision switch is, as mentioned above, positioned at the center of or near sensor, and on clicking the finger 38 touches the key top 36 slightly, a cursor or image on the screen would be moved.
The pointing device according to the present invention prevents interference between the finger and the click switch for decision in the case that the input device changes from four direction switch to the device in which 360 degrees direction can be detected.
Now, the pointing device in accordance with the present invention using above-mentioned omnidirectional pressure sensor will be explained.
For the cell phone or mobile instrument, the screen is controlled by thumb and the fluctuation of screen selection position on pushing down the click switch can be prevented if the decision switch is positioned as shown in
Furthermore, conventionally the mouse for computer input is slid on the surface of the table. On the other hand, the mouse in accordance with the present invention is particularly convenient for presentation in business since the position on the large screen is indicated while the mouse is held by hand.
Furthermore, the sensor is of the type that the speed of movement changes with the pushed pressure. For example, in case that it is used in place of mouse for computer input, as shown in
Now, a portion of key top is pushed down to move a cursor in a desired direction until the cursor reaches a desired point, and then the decision switch which corresponds to the left click bottom of the mouse is clicked to decide that point smoothly. In case that the cursor is moved for a long distance, the cursor can reach the destination point at a high speed by pushing down the key top strongly, and for example, “Word document” can be decided by the decision switch. Thereafter, in order to drag the word document thus decided, the key top is operated to move the word document to the destination position while the decision switch remains down. To summarize, different operations on the screen can be achieved between the case in that the click switch is first pushed down and then omnidirectional pressure sensor is operated and the case in that omnidirectional pressure sensor is first operated and then the click switch is pushed down.
It is understood that many modifications and variations may be devised given the above description of the principles of the invention. It is intended that all such modifications and variations be considered as within the spirit and scope of this invention, as it is defined in the following claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2008-032569 | Feb 2008 | JP | national |