An optical mouse images as an array of pixels the spatial features of generally any micro textured or micro detailed work surface below the mouse. The photo detector responses are digitized and stored as a frame into memory. Motion produces successive frames of translated patterns of pixel information, which are compared by autocorrelation to ascertain the direction and amount of movement. A hold feature suspends the production of movement signals to the computer, allowing the mouse to be physically relocated on the work surface without disturbing the position on the screen of the pointer. This may be needed if the operator runs out of room to physically move the mouse further, but the screen pointer still needs to go further. The hold feature may be implemented with an actual button, a separate proximity detector or by detecting the presence of a characteristic condition in the digitized data, such as loss of correlation or velocity in excess of a selected limit. A convenient place for an actual hold button is along the sides of the mouse near the bottom, where the thumb and the opposing ring finger grip the mouse. The gripping force used to lift the mouse engages the hold function. Hold may incorporate a brief delay upon either the release of the hold button, detection of proper proximity or the return of reasonable digitized values. During that delay any illumination control or AGC servo loops stabilize. A new reference frame is taken prior to the resumption of motion detection.

"Seeing eye" mouse for a computer system

An apparatus and a method for resolving locations of two or more substantially simultaneous touches on a touch-sensor device. The method may include detecting presences of two or more substantially simultaneous touches on a touch-sensor device at respective locations on the touch-sensor device, and resolving locations of two or more substantially simultaneous touches on the touch-sensor device. The apparatus may include a first set of sensor elements disposed in a first axis, a second set of sensor elements disposed in a second axis, and a third set of sensor elements disposed in a third axis.

Multi-axial touch-sensor device with multi-touch resolution

A semiconductor integrated circuit has a central processing unit and a rewritable nonvolatile memory area disposed in an address space of the central processing unit. The nonvolatile memory area has a first nonvolatile memory area and a second nonvolatile memory area, which memorize information depending on the difference of threshold voltages. The first nonvolatile memory area has the maximum variation width of a threshold voltage for memorizing information set larger than that of the second nonvolatile memory area. When the maximum variation width of the threshold voltage for memorizing information is larger, since stress to a memory cell owing to a rewrite operation of memory information becomes larger, it is inferior in a point of guaranteeing the number of times of rewrite operation; however, since a read current becomes larger, a read speed of memory information can be expedited. The first nonvolatile memory area can be prioritized to expedite a read speed of the memory information and the second nonvolatile memory area can be prioritized in guaranteeing the number of times of rewrite operation of memory information more.

Semiconductor Integrated circuit

An optical sensor and method of using the same is provided for sensing relative movement between the sensor and a surface by detecting changes in optical features of light reflected from the surface. In one embodiment, the sensor includes a two dimensional array of photosensitive elements, the array including at least a first plurality of photosensitive elements arranged and coupled to sense a first combined movement along a first set of at least two non-parallel axes, and a second plurality of photosensitive elements arranged and coupled to sense a second combined movement along a second set of at least two non-parallel axes.

Two-dimensional motion sensor

A retrieval device with releasably attached loops is disclosed. Attachment portions on one or both ends of the shaft of the snare device may allow one or more loops to be coupled or de-coupled from the shaft. The retrieval device may further comprise a delivery conduit configured to receive both a snare shaft and a guidewire in one or more lumens.

Releasably attached snare loop retrieval device and method of using the same

Interpolation along an axis is performed on a Correlation Surface Array that was created from counting the instances of difference (XOR) between corresponding pixels of single bit resolution images having trial displacements. The interpolation is performed by finding the intersection of two straight line segments that are identified by the shape of the cross section of the Correlation Surface along the axis of interest. In the case of nine trial shifts there are three values in such a cross section, and they may seen as representing three points whose abscissas are the pixel shift amounts minus one, no shift, and plus one, and whose ordinates are the corresponding correlation values. In situations where navigation (and interpolation) is possible, these three points will have certain properties. The ususal case is that two of the points determine one line having a slope m, and the other point determines the other line (assumed to have slope −m). The three points may also lie along the same line, although this represents an exceptional case that may be handled differently. The three points might also describe other conditions that are associated with Correlation Surfaces that are not suitable for navigation, and these are ignored. In the usual case the point of intersection for the two lines is found and its abscissa is the interpolated value for motion along the axis of interest.

Simplified interpolation for an optical navigation system that correlates images of one bit resolution

A linear PLL includes a VCO with first and second tuning elements. The first tuning element is adjusted in proportion to the phase error between an input signal and a VCO signal and the second tuning element is adjusted by an integral function of the phase error. By configuring the VCO with separate tuning elements that are separately adjusted in proportion to the phase error and by an integral function of the phase error, the 3dB bandwidth frequency of the linear PLL depends primarily on the phase detector gain and the VCO gain that is contributed from the proportional adjustment. A linear PLL with separate proportional and integral tuning elements can be designed to exhibit a relatively constant gain over a relatively large frequency range.

Linear phase-locked loop with dual tuning elements

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the size and complexity of an interpolation mechanism. SOLUTION: Interpolation along an axis is performed on a correlation surface array that is created by counting the instances of difference (XOR) between corresponding pixels of single bit resolution images having trial displacements. The interpolation is performed by finding the intersection of two straight line segments that are identified by the shape of the cross section of the correlation surface along the axis of interest. In nine trial shifts, there are three values in such a cross section. Their abscissas are the pixel shift amounts minus one, no shift and plus one and their ordinates are the corresponding correlation values. In situations where navigation (and interpolation) is possible, these three points have certain properties. The usual case is that two of the points determine one line having a slope (m) and the other point determines the other line assumed to have slope -m. The intersection of the two lines is found and its abscissa is the interpolated value for motion along the axis of interest.

Interpolation method for optical navigation system

A linear PLL includes a VCO with first and second tuning elements. The first tuning element is adjusted in proportion to the phase error between an input signal and a VCO signal and the second tuning element is adjusted by an integral function of the phase error. By configuring the VCO with separate tuning elements that are separately adjusted in proportion to the phase error and by an integral function of the phase error, the 3 dB bandwidth frequency of the linear PLL depends primarily on the phase detector gain and the VCO gain that is contributed from the proportional adjustment. A linear PLL with separate proportional and integral tuning elements can be designed to exhibit a relatively constant gain over a relatively large frequency range.

Linear phase-locked loop with dual tuning elements and method for operating linear locked loop

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a linear PLL showing a relatively constant gain and a wide frequency tuning range. SOLUTION: The linear PLL includes a VCO having a first and a second tuning elements. The first tuning element is adjusted in proportion to a phase error between an input signal and a VCO signal, while the second tuning element is adjusted by an integral function of the above phase error. By configuring the VCO using a different tuning element being separately adjusted in proportion to the phase error and by an integral function of the phase error, the 3 dB bandwidth frequency of the linear PLL comes to be mainly dependent on a phase detector gain and a VCO gain provided by the proportional adjustment. The linear PLL having the different proportion tuning element and the integral tuning element can be designed to show a relatively constant gain over a relatively wide frequency range. COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Charles E Moore

Papers

Simplified interpolation for an optical navigation system that correlates images of one bit resolution

Linear phase-locked loop with dual tuning elements

Interpolation method for optical navigation system

Linear phase-locked loop with dual tuning elements and method for operating linear locked loop

Linear phase-locked loop having double tuning element