JP2008040628A - Pointing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a user to perform a click operation without releasing his or her finger from a keyboard even when using a notebook-type personal computer equipped with a touch pad as a pointing device. <P>SOLUTION: In this pointing device 1 for inputting a click signal to the computer, a base body formed so as to be mountable on one hand with a ring is provided with: a right click button 4R and a left click button 4L as a click button which can be operated with the finger of the hand mounted with the base body; and a lever-and-push type scroll switch 5 for inputting a scroll signal and a selection decision signal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a pointing device having a mouse function that allows a computer to input a pointer operation signal, a click signal, and a scroll signal.

Notebook computers having a touch pad as a pointing device are widely used.
The touch pad is disposed on the front side of the space key of the keyboard, and both sides thereof are formed in a flat space.
JP 2003-248549 A

Since the keyboard operation is basically performed by putting a finger on the keyboard, when the pointer is moved by the touch pad, it is common for a keyboard expert to perform the operation with the thumb.
However, a touchpad that can be moved by pointing with a finger is not only difficult to operate compared to a mouse, but also has poor responsiveness, and the click button is located on the front side of the touch panel. Even when the touch panel is operated with the thumb far away, there is a problem that the pointer operation (mouse operation) cannot be performed unless the hand is finally released from the keyboard.

  A mouse that optically reads the direction and amount of movement of the pointer not only allows the pointer to be moved freely, but also has excellent operability because it is provided with a collection of click buttons. Since the touch panel and the mouse are the same in that they must be released, recently, many notebook users prefer to use the mouse.

In this case, if you use a notebook computer on a desk, you can secure a mouse operation space, but if you use it in a small space such as a bullet train or an airplane, secure an operation space. It is difficult.
Further, when a large amount of material is scattered on the desk, it may be difficult to secure an operation space even when used on the desk, and this situation is the same for a desktop computer.
In addition, when the mouse is used, the click button, the scroll switch, or the pointer cannot be moved unless the hand is reached and the mouse is held.
In addition, since the space next to the touch panel is always vacant if it is a notebook type, a small mouse that can be used in that space is also sold, but it must be left in that space when not in use However, the problem of getting in the way also arises.

  Therefore, the present invention has a technical problem to be able to perform a mouse operation without being troubled at the place of placement, without being disturbed at all even when not in use, and without having to reach out to the mouse at the time of use. .

  In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides a pointing device having a mouse function that allows a computer to input a pointer operation signal, a click signal, and a scroll signal. With the left and right end faces facing the thumb and the other end facing the little finger, a stopper for attaching the housing to the palm is attached, and a click button and a scroll switch are arranged on the one end face facing the thumb side. In addition, an optical reading device that reads the moving direction and the moving amount of the pointer is provided on the bottom surface of the housing or the other end surface directed toward the little finger.

According to the pointing device of the present invention, since it can be attached to the palm by the stopper provided on the upper surface of the housing, there is no trouble in the place when not in use.
Since the housing is formed in a size that allows gripping, the housing fits in the palm when the pointing device is mounted on the palm, and does not interfere with keyboard operation.

  In addition, since the click button and scroll switch are arranged on one end face of the housing attached to the palm toward the thumb side, the click operation and the scroll operation can be performed with one thumb while keeping the hand on the keyboard. be able to.

Further, since the optical reading device that reads the moving direction and moving amount of the pointer is provided on the bottom surface of the housing or the other end surface directed toward the little finger side, the pointer can be moved by moving the optical reading device downward in the horizontal direction. Can be moved.
For example, when the optical reading device is provided on the bottom surface of the housing, the pointing device is horizontal and the bottom surface faces downward, and when the optical reading device is provided on the other end surface directed toward the little finger side, the pointing device is What is necessary is just to move it in the horizontal direction while holding it like standing up.
Here, when the light source is an LD, the surface provided with the optical reader is moved in a floating state, and when the light source is an LED, the surface provided with the optical reader is slid on a flat surface. Thus, the pointer can be moved.

  In this way, since the pointer device is attached to the palm, there is no problem with the location of the pointer, it does not get in the way even when not in use, and you can operate the mouse without reaching the mouse when in use. The question that can be done has an excellent effect.

  In this example, in order to achieve the purpose of being able to operate the mouse without reaching out to the mouse at the time of use without being troubled at all when it is not used, without being troubled by the place of placement, A stopper that attaches the housing to the palm is attached to the upper surface of the housing that is sized to grip, with the left and right end faces facing the thumb and the other end facing the little finger. A click button and a scroll switch are arranged on one end face directed to the side, and an optical reading device for reading the movement direction and the movement amount of the pointer is provided on the bottom face of the housing or the other end face directed to the little finger side.

  1 is a perspective view showing a use state of a pointing device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view thereof, FIG. 3 is a rear view showing an example of the pointing device, FIG. 4 is a plan view thereof, and FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the use condition of this Example, FIG. 6 is the perspective view which looked at it from the other end surface side.

The pointing device 1 of this example is used by being connected to a USB terminal or the like of a computer (not shown), and has a mouse function for inputting a pointer operation signal, a click signal, and a scroll signal to the computer.
The pointing device 1 is mounted on a palm with an upper surface 2a of a housing 2 of a grippable size, with the left and right one end faces 2b facing the thumb and the other end face 2c facing the little finger. A stop 3 is attached.
Click buttons 4R and 4L and a scroll switch 5 are arranged on one end surface 2b directed to the thumb side, and an optical reading device 6 for reading the moving direction and moving amount of the pointer is provided on the bottom surface 2d. .
The USB cable 7 extends from the other end surface 2c directed to the little finger side.

The housing 2 is formed in a columnar shape having a substantially semi-elliptical cross section, and its length is substantially equal to the length from the index finger to the ring finger, and is long enough to sandwich both end faces 2b and 2c with the thumb and little finger (in this example, About 65 mm).
The stopper 3 is formed by a ring attached to the approximate center of the upper surface 2a so that it can be attached to the palm by inserting the middle finger, and via an adjuster 8 that adjusts the position in the direction of arrow B in FIG. It is attached to the housing 2.

On one end face 2b, a left click button 4L and a right click button 4R for outputting left and right click signals are arranged on the upper stage side, and a lever and push type encoder switch serving as a scroll switch 5 is arranged on the lower stage side. Has been.
The left click button 4L, which is frequently used, is formed so as to be easy to operate, and is arranged at a position facing the fingertip with the thumb extended.
Further, the right click button 4R, which is less frequently used, is formed to be small and is disposed at a position where the right click button 4R can be operated with the thumb bent to the front side.

  The optical reading device 6 includes an LD (laser diode) serving as a light source and a light receiving element (both not shown) inside the bottom surface 2d of the housing 2, and is opened to the outside through an opening window 9 formed on the bottom surface 2d. It arrange | positions so that the reflected light of the irradiated laser beam can be received with a light receiving element.

The above is an example configuration of the present invention, and its operation will be described next.
After the position of the ring-shaped stopper 3 is adjusted, when it is fitted to the middle finger of the right hand, the pointing device 1 is formed in such a size that the housing 2 can be gripped. Fits in the palm. Since the USB cable 7 is pulled out to the little finger side, it does not get in the way (see FIGS. 3 and 4).
Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the hands when typing are shaped like holding an egg, so that even if the pointing device 1 is attached to the palm, there is no hindrance and the typing can be performed as it is.

Next, when moving the pointer, if you raise your hand over the keyboard and move your hand in the direction you want to move the pointer, the spot position of the laser light moves on the keyboard, and the reflected light is detected by the light receiving element. Thus, the direction and amount of movement of the pointer are read by the optical reader 6.
When an LED (light emitting diode) is used as the light source, the movement direction and movement of the pointer can be achieved by sliding the bottom surface 2d of the housing 2 on the desk or on the plane next to the touch panel of the notebook computer. The quantity is read.
As a result, the pointer moves on the display of the computer.
In any case, since the pointer device 1 is mounted on the palm, the pointer can be moved without reaching the place where the mouse is placed, as in the case of operating with the mouse.

In the case of left-click, left click signal is output by pressing the left click button 4L provided on the upper side of the one end surface 2b in our extended right thumb in FIG arrow A ₁ direction, right-click If, right click signal is output by pressing the right click button 4R provided on the upper side of one end face 2b in a folded state so as to reduce the right thumb in FIG arrow a ₂ direction.

Further, when performing the scroll operation to scroll the page displayed in the browser in the vertical direction, by applying a thumb to scroll switch 5 provided in the lower side of the one end surface 2b, showing the switch 5 in Fig. 4 arrow A ₃ or extending the thumb to tilt in the longitudinal direction, the scroll signal by or contracted is output, further 4 outputs a mode conversion signal by pressing in the direction indicated by the arrow a _4, the scroll speed of the browser is increased thereby Converted to fast scroll mode.

  As described above, the pointer device 1 is mounted on the palm both in the case of performing a click operation and in the case of performing a scroll operation. There is no need to reach out and you can easily operate with your hand on the keyboard.

The pointing device 11 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is provided on the other end surface 2b side of the housing 2 where the optical reading device 6 is directed to the little finger side.
The housing 2 of this example is selected to be 85 to 90 mm so that it can be grasped lightly by four fingers from the index finger to the little finger.
The optical reading device 6 includes an LD (laser diode) serving as a light source and a light receiving element (both not shown) on the inner side of the other end surface 2b, and is opened to the outside through an opening window 12 formed on the other end surface 2b. The USB cable 7 extends from the other end surface 2b side (little finger side) of the front surface 2e so that the reflected light of the irradiated laser light can be received by the light receiving element.
The left click button 4L, the right click button 4R, and the scroll switch 5 are the same as the pointing device of the first embodiment in that they are arranged on the one end face 2a facing the thumb.

According to this pointing device 11, when the ring-shaped stopper 3 is fitted to the middle finger of the right hand, it fits in the palm at the base of the finger as in the device 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Since the USB cable 7 is pulled out from the little finger side, it does not get in the way (see FIG. 5).
And, the hand when typing is in the shape of holding an egg, like the device 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, so even if the pointing device 1 is worn on the palm, it does not get in the way. Typing is possible.

  Next, when moving the pointer, the optical reader 6 is provided on the other end surface 2b on the little finger side, so the palm is returned so that the thumb is up and the little finger is down, as shown in FIG. , Stand up the housing 2 and grab it gently with four fingers from the index finger to the little finger, move the pointer in the direction you want to move the pointer while floating on the keyboard, the spot position of the laser light will move on the keyboard, Regardless of the unevenness of the keyboard surface, the reflected light is detected by the light receiving element, and the movement direction and movement amount of the pointer are read by the optical reader 6.

  The left and right click buttons 4L and 4R and the scroll switch 5 can be operated in the same manner as in the first embodiment. However, as in the case of moving the pointer, return the palm so that the thumb is up and the little finger is down. When the housing 2 is stood up and lightly grasped with four fingers from the index finger to the little finger, the operation is performed with the thumb, so that the housing 2 is firmly fixed and the thumb can be moved easily, so that the usability is further improved.

  The present invention can be applied to a pointing device having a mouse function for inputting a pointer operation signal, a click signal, and a scroll signal to a computer, and is particularly suitable for a pointing device of a notebook computer.

Explanatory drawing which shows the use condition of the pointing device which concerns on this invention. The side view. The rear view which shows an example of a pointing device. The plan view. Explanatory drawing which shows the use condition of another pointing device. The perspective view which looked at it from the other end surface side.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pointing device 2 Housing 2a Upper surface 2b One end surface 2c Other end surface 2d Bottom surface 3 Stopper 4L Left click button 4R Right click button 5 Scroll switch 2d Bottom surface 6 Optical reader 8 Adjuster

Claims (4)

A pointing device having a mouse function that allows a computer to input a pointer operation signal, a click signal, and a scroll signal,
A stopper that attaches the housing to the palm is attached to the upper surface of the housing that is sized to grip, with the left and right end faces facing the thumb and the other end facing the little finger. A click button and a scroll switch are arranged on one end face directed to the side, and an optical reading device for reading the moving direction and amount of movement of the pointer is provided on the bottom face of the housing or the other end face directed to the little finger side. Pointing device.   The pointing device according to claim 1, wherein two click buttons for individually outputting left and right click signals are arranged on the one end surface.   3. The pointing device according to claim 2, wherein the one end face is provided with the two click buttons on the upper side and a lever-and-push encoder switch serving as a scroll switch on the lower side. The pointing device according to claim 1, wherein a light source of the optical reader is a laser beam.

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