EP 0417207 A4 19920115 - COMPUTER INPUT DEVICE USING AN ORIENTATION SENSOR
Title (en)
COMPUTER INPUT DEVICE USING AN ORIENTATION SENSOR
Publication
Application
Priority
US 26741388 A 19881104
Abstract (en)
[origin: WO9005356A1] A device (10) for controlling a cursor on a data terminal display screen (18) is in the form of a headset and includes an orientation sensor (28) which provides an electrical signal related to orientation without being fixed to a surface. The sensor (28) includes a hollow spherical housing (38) having at least one light source/detector pair (70, 72) mounted opposingly in the inner wall (74) along an axis extending through the center point of the housing. The housing (38) is half-filled with a transparent liquid (76) having a specified viscosity and index of refraction and half-filled with air (78). A beam from source (70) is refracted on passing through the boundary between the air and the liquid. As the orientation sensor (38) rotates with respect to the vertical axis, the changing refraction angle of the light beam causes the detector (72) to sense changing intensities of light, which represents angle of rotation.
IPC 1-7
IPC 8 full level
G01B 11/26 (2006.01); G06F 3/00 (2006.01); G06F 3/01 (2006.01); G06F 3/0338 (2013.01); G06F 3/042 (2006.01); G06F 3/16 (2006.01); G09G 5/08 (2006.01)
CPC (source: EP)
G06F 3/012 (2013.01); G06F 3/0312 (2013.01); G06F 3/0338 (2013.01); G06F 3/167 (2013.01)
Citation (search report)
- [XP] US 4862172 A 19890829 - ROSS J DAVID [US]
- See references of WO 9005356A1
Designated contracting state (EPC)
AT BE CH DE FR GB IT LI LU NL SE
DOCDB simple family (publication)
WO 9005356 A1 19900517; AU 4210589 A 19900528; AU 618133 B2 19911212; CA 1325854 C 19940104; EP 0417207 A1 19910320; EP 0417207 A4 19920115; JP H03502262 A 19910523
DOCDB simple family (application)
US 8903766 W 19890831; AU 4210589 A 19890831; CA 610891 A 19890911; EP 89910269 A 19890831; JP 50938089 A 19890831