JPH10124254A - Optical mouse system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a new wireless and optical mouse system whose use feeling is higher than a conventional one, for an optical mouse. SOLUTION: Light information output by a modulation signal, which is formed based on coordinate information detected by a light-receiving element 16x and operation information of a crick key, is emitted from the light-emitting element 13x of the optical mouse 10. The light information output is transmitted through a transparent substrate 22 in the mouse pad 20 while it is reflected by an X-direction line pattern 23 and a Y-direction line pattern 24. Then, it is taken out from the end face 22a of the transparent substrate 22 and is detected in the light-receiving element 26. The detection signal is demodulated and reproduced as a serial signal and is transmitted to a computer or the like.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical mouse system, and more particularly to a technique suitable for a wireless mouse configured to transmit coordinate information detected by an optical mouse via a mouse pad. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an optical mouse system,
An optical mouse provided with an X-direction optical detection system and a Y-direction optical detection system for detecting coordinate information in the X and Y directions, respectively, and a stripe-shaped X-direction line pattern extending perpendicular to the X direction; A mouse pad on which a stripe-shaped Y-direction line pattern extending perpendicular to the Y-direction is formed, and the optical mouse is slid on the mouse pad so that a line pattern crossed by the optical mouse Is configured to obtain a coordinate output from the number.

There are various methods for distinguishing an X-direction line pattern and a Y-direction line pattern formed on a mouse pad.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9128, both line patterns are formed in a plane separated from each other by a predetermined distance, and the X-direction optical detection system is configured so as to focus on the position of the X-direction line pattern. There is a method of configuring the optical detection system so that the position of the Y-direction line pattern is focused. According to this method, detection can be performed separately without greatly changing the color and reflectance of both line patterns, and the mouse pad can be easily formed by forming both line patterns on the front and back of the light-transmitting substrate. There is an advantage that it can be manufactured.

On the other hand, to a mouse widely used as an input device of a computer, coordinate information detected by the mouse is transmitted by a wireless method in order to eliminate the necessity of drawing out a wiring cord from the mouse and connecting it to a computer main body. A wireless mouse has been proposed. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-205129 discloses a method in which light output from a mechanical mouse is guided to a light receiving element through the inside of a mouse pad. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-59810 discloses a wireless wireless mouse in which a mechanical mouse has a built-in generator to secure power.

[0005]

In the above-mentioned conventional wireless mouse, since it is formed based on a mechanical mouse, it is necessary to newly provide a light source, a radio circuit, and the like. In addition, it is necessary to integrate both the electronic component and a new electronic component for signal transmission, which makes it difficult to reduce the size and increases the manufacturing cost. Further, the one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-205129 has a problem that the production cost is further unavoidable because a dedicated mouse pad must be formed.

On the other hand, an optical mouse can perform coordinate detection in a non-contact manner as compared with a mechanical mouse.
There is an advantage that a mechanical operating unit is not required, mouse slippage or the like does not occur structurally, measurement accuracy can be improved, and a highly durable coordinate input system with little change over time can be configured. However, there has been no wireless optical mouse conventionally, and there is a problem in that the presence of a wiring cord coming out of the mouse does not allow the optical mouse to sufficiently exhibit the high usability by non-contact detection.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel optical mouse system which enables wireless use of an optical mouse and has a higher usability than before.

[0008]

Means taken by the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems include an optically detectable first reflection pattern provided on a first surface for detecting a first direction. And a mouse pad having an optically detectable second reflection pattern provided on a second surface separated from the first plane to detect a second direction different from the first direction. A first optical detection system for detecting the first reflection pattern, a second optical detection system for detecting the second reflection pattern, and illumination for illuminating the first reflection pattern and the second reflection pattern An optical mouse system comprising: an optical mouse having means for modulating the optical mouse based on a coordinate detection signal detected by the first optical detection system and the second optical detection system; or The optical Optical information output means for irradiating the mouse pad with optical information output modulated based on the operation state of a switch provided on a mouse, wherein the mouse pad has the first reflection pattern and the second reflection pattern And an optical information detecting means for detecting the optical information output transmitted as an optical transmission path between the optical information transmission means and receiving information corresponding to the detection signal.

According to this means, at least a part of the optical information output output from the optical information output means of the optical mouse is transmitted through the optical transmission path between the first reflection pattern and the second reflection pattern on the mouse pad. Since it is transmitted and detected by the optical information detecting means, the configuration of the existing optical mouse system, particularly the structure of the mouse pad, is used as it is,
It is possible to build a wireless mouse system.

Here, it is preferable that the optical information output means is constituted by a light emitting element which also serves as the illumination means. According to this means, the illumination means for detecting the line pattern and the optical information output means are constituted by the same light emitting element, so that the number of new components required for wireless communication can be reduced and the light emission can be reduced. The power consumed by the element can be suppressed.

Preferably, the optical information output is modulated in a frequency band that does not affect the detection of the coordinate detection signal. According to this means, since the frequency band of the optical information output propagated to the optical transmission line is modulated in a band that does not affect the detection of the coordinate detection signal, the illumination means and the optical information output means are separated. In this case, even if the optical information output is transmitted through the optical transmission path, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection of coordinates due to interference, while the illumination unit and the optical information output unit are configured by the same light emitting element. In this case, erroneous detection of coordinates can be prevented from occurring due to the illumination light itself of the line pattern.

Further, it is preferable that the optical information output has an output value substantially averaged with respect to a detection cycle of the coordinate detection signal. According to this means, since the optical information output has an output value that is substantially averaged with respect to the detection cycle of the coordinate detection signal, the coordinate detection signal is not affected by the fluctuation of the value of the optical information output. As described above, erroneous detection can be prevented.

Further, the optical information detecting means is configured to detect the optical information output propagating within a predetermined range along the first surface or the second surface outside the optical transmission line. Is preferred. According to this means,
Since the optical information output propagating along the outside of the optical transmission line can also be detected, the line pattern can be detected by detecting both the propagation light inside and outside the optical transmission line separated by the line pattern. Therefore, the fluctuation of the detection value due to the interruption of the optical information output can be reduced, and the optical information can be detected with high accuracy.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of an optical mouse system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the structure of an optical mouse system according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan partial sectional view of the first embodiment. This embodiment includes an optical mouse 10 configured to be movable,
A flat mouse pad 20 configured to slide the optical mouse 10 is schematically included.

In the optical mouse 10, a circuit board 11 is horizontally mounted inside a synthetic resin case, and a battery 12 is mounted on a battery holder provided on the circuit board 11.
Is installed. The circuit board 11 includes an X-direction optical detection system including a light-emitting element 13x such as a light-emitting diode, a condenser lens 14x, a reflector 15x, and a light-receiving element 16x such as a two-part photodiode for detecting an X-direction line pattern. And a Y-direction optical detection system including a light-emitting element 13y, a condenser lens 14y, a reflector 15y, and a light-receiving element 16y for detecting the Y-direction line pattern.

An opening 10a is formed substantially at the center of the bottom surface of the case of the optical mouse 10, and an opening 11a is also formed at the center of the circuit board 11 mounted inside. This allows the light emitting diode 1
The light emitted by 3x and 13y passes through the openings 11a and 10a and irradiates the surface of the mouse pad 20. The light emitted from the light emitting diodes 13x and 13y is preferably infrared light as described later. In this case, an infrared transmitting filter that mainly transmits only infrared light is attached to the opening 10a or 11a. Is desirable.

On the outer surface of the case of the optical mouse 10, two click buttons 17 and 18 are formed. By pressing these click buttons, a microswitch connected to a switch input circuit formed on the circuit board 11 is formed. Is supposed to work. These click buttons 17 and 18 are generally used to issue an operation command using a mouse pointer on a screen of a display device described later or a command to cancel the operation.

The mouse pad 20 is obtained by attaching a pad plate to an upper portion of a box-shaped frame 21 made of synthetic resin. This pad plate has an X-direction line pattern 23 on a surface of a transparent substrate 22 made of a transparent resin such as an acrylic resin.
Is formed, and a Y-direction line pattern 24 extending in a direction orthogonal to the X-direction line pattern 23 is formed on the rear surface of the transparent substrate 22. One end surface 22a of the transparent substrate 22 is formed in a mirror surface, and a light receiving surface of a light receiving element 26 composed of a photodiode or the like is arranged to face the end surface 22a. This light receiving element 26 is
Circuit board 27 arranged in the space between
It is connected to the circuit above. Various circuits described later are formed on the circuit board 27, and a wiring cord 28 formed so as to be connected to a computer is connected to these circuits. The wiring cord 28 accommodates a transmission line for transmitting a serial signal described later, a power supply line for supplying power to a circuit in the mouse pad 20, and the like.

FIG. 14 shows a planar shape of the X-direction line pattern 23 formed on the mouse pad 20. FIG.
(A) is the most common stripe-shaped X-direction line pattern, which is formed by evaporating aluminum on the upper surface of the transparent substrate 22 and performing patterning. The X-direction line pattern 23 is formed so that the resolution of the mouse is 300 cpi (count / inch), the line width is about 170 μm, and the width between the lines is about 170 μm. X direction line pattern 2
If 3 is formed sufficiently thick, its reflectance will be 90% or more in a wide wavelength range from the long wavelength side of visible light to the infrared region.

Here, the transparent substrate 22 is formed for the reason described later.
When the Y-direction line pattern 24 is detected by the X-direction line pattern 23 formed on the upper surface of the image, a shadow may be generated, and the detection of the Y-direction line pattern 24 may be hindered. Therefore, the reflectivity is suppressed to about 50% by forming the X-direction line pattern 23 to be thin. The reflectivity of the X-direction line pattern 23 is 5
By setting it to about 0%, the overall reflectance of the upper surface of the transparent substrate 22 becomes about 25%, and the shadow of the X-direction line pattern 23 becomes thin, so that the Y-direction line pattern 24 can be easily detected. Become like

In the example shown in FIG. 14B, an X-direction line pattern 23 'is formed by arranging a number of minute islands 23a in a direction perpendicular to the X-direction. Each island 23a has a reflectivity of about 9 formed by vapor deposition.
It is composed of a 0% aluminum thin film. FIG.
Compared with the X-direction line pattern shown in FIG.
a is about half the area, and about 5
The same effect as when a striped line pattern having a reflectance of 0% is formed is obtained. According to this method, it is possible to easily lower the reflectance and reduce the influence of shadows only by changing the patterning without precisely controlling the thickness of the thin film as described above.

The example shown in FIG.
Without dividing into individual islands as shown in (b),
This shows a case where an X-direction line pattern 23 ″ is formed in which the covering area is reduced by the interconnected wide portions 23b and narrow portions 23c, and the overall reflectance is reduced. The line pattern has a continuous curved contour with a variable width to overcome the effects of side etching during patterning and the problem of accuracy during printing, maintain line pattern shape accuracy, This produces an effect that a line pattern with a small number of lines can be formed.

FIG. 15A shows a plane structure of a Y-direction line pattern 24 formed on the lower surface of the transparent substrate 22. The Y-direction line pattern 24 is a stripe-shaped black pattern 2 made of black ink on a polyester film having a reflectance of about 90% on which aluminum is entirely deposited.
4 ′ is formed by attaching a print-formed one to the lower surface of the transparent substrate 22. According to this method, the Y-direction line pattern 24 without light leakage can be produced at low cost.

On the surface of the X-direction line pattern 23, a protective layer 25 made of a hard transparent resin is formed. The protective layer 25 is for preventing the X-direction line pattern 23 from being worn by the sliding friction of the optical mouse 10. When the light used in the optical mouse system is infrared light, an infrared filter (visible light is cut off to some extent so as to transmit infrared light) is provided between the X-direction line pattern 23 and the protective layer 25. The protective layer 25 itself may be used as an infrared filter. Note that these infrared filters also have the effect of blocking the reflected light in the visible region by the X-direction line pattern 23 and the Y-direction line pattern 24 made of an aluminum thin film, and thus also act as a so-called string-proof filter.

As shown in FIG. 12, the infrared filter has an effect of blocking light in the visible light region. Therefore, it is possible to prevent light from the illumination such as a fluorescent lamp or sunlight in the environment where the mouse is used, or particularly, light in the visible light region from entering the pad. That is, of the light other than the signal component, at least the noise component in the visible light region can be blocked.

In order to detect the X-direction line pattern 23 and the Y-direction line pattern 24 as described above, the optical mouse 10 has a built-in optical detection system for detecting each line pattern. FIGS. 15B and 15C are diagrams illustrating this principle.

As shown in FIG. 15B, the light emitting element 13
The light emitted from x is applied to the upper surface of the transparent substrate 22,
The light reflected by the X-direction line pattern 23 is condensed by the condenser lens 14x and detected by the light receiving element 16x via the reflection plate 15x. Here, the focal point of the optical system is located on the upper surface of the transparent substrate 22, and an image of the X-direction line pattern 23 is formed on the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 16x. Since the light receiving element 16x is composed of a two-division photodiode divided in the arrangement direction of the X direction line pattern 23, the moving direction of the mouse is identified by the phases of the light amount signals detected on both light receiving surfaces. The moving speed of the mouse is detected by the reversal speed of the magnitude relation of the light amount detected on the light receiving surface of the mouse.

As shown in FIG. 15C, the light emitting element 13
The light emitted from y is applied to the lower surface of the transparent substrate 22,
The light reflected by the Y-direction line pattern 24 is condensed by the condenser lens 14y and detected by the light receiving element 16y via the reflector 15y. Here, the focal point of the optical system is located on the lower surface of the transparent substrate 22, and an image of the Y direction line pattern 24 is formed on the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 16y. In this manner, the moving direction and the moving amount in the X direction and the Y direction are detected from the line patterns in the X direction and the Y direction, respectively.

Here, the effective reflectivity of the X-direction line pattern 23 is reduced while ensuring the discrimination of the X-direction line pattern 23 formed on the upper surface of the transparent substrate 22 as described above. Direction line pattern 24
, The influence of the shadow of the X-direction line pattern 23 can be reduced.

The light spot diameter on the upper surface or the lower surface of the transparent substrate 22 by the light emitting elements 13x and 13y is a size that includes several line patterns, and is transparent regardless of the position of the optical mouse. Part of the irradiation light enters the substrate 22. A part of the incident light is emitted again from the upper surface, and another part is absorbed by the transparent substrate 22 itself and the black pattern 24 '. However,
The remaining part remains inside the transparent substrate 22 while being reflected by the X-direction line pattern 23 and the Y-direction line pattern 24, propagates inside the transparent substrate 22 while being repeatedly reflected, and is emitted from the end face 22 a of the transparent substrate 22. Is done.

In the case of this embodiment, the light emitting elements 13x, 13
Since the light emitted by y enters the surface of the transparent substrate 22 obliquely toward the right side in FIGS. 1 and 2, most of the light propagating inside the transparent substrate 22 propagates to the right side in the figure. . Therefore, the right end surface 2 of the transparent substrate 22 shown in the drawing.
It is preferable to arrange the light receiving element 26 in 2a in order to increase the light receiving efficiency. In general, the location where the light receiving element 26 is arranged is set to the most efficient position according to the incident angle of the light emitting element. Of course, the light receiving elements 26 can be distributed over the entire periphery of the transparent substrate 22 so that the optical mouse 10 can be used in any direction.

In the present embodiment, four light receiving elements 26 are provided to efficiently receive incident light from the light emitting elements. The light emitting elements 13x and 13y emit diffused light from a light emitting diode or the like, and only one light receiving element may be provided as long as the irradiation angle is large and the light receiving angle of the light receiving element is wide.

In this embodiment, the light emitting elements 13x,
A part of the light irradiated by 13y is extracted from the end face 22a of the transparent substrate 22 and is detected by the light receiving element 26. This structure transmits the coordinate information detected by the optical mouse 10 and the operation information of the click buttons 17 and 18 to the mouse pad 20 in the form of irradiation light of the light emitting elements 13x and 13y, and makes the optical mouse 10 wireless. It is a structure for doing. Below, the optical mouse 10
The circuit configuration in the mouse pad 20 and their functions will be described.

FIG. 3 shows an optical mouse 1 according to this embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration in a block 0. The detection signals of the light receiving elements 16x and 16y are two analog signals each of which is proportional to the amount of light received on each of the two divided light receiving surfaces. Each of the two signal potentials is amplified by the amplifier circuit 31. The amplified signal is sent to the CPU 32
The moving direction (positive direction or negative direction) of the optical mouse is determined based on the phase relationship between the signals detected on the two light receiving surfaces at the time when the binary signal is detected. The moving amount (moving speed) is calculated from the number of inversions.

On the other hand, the operation information of the click buttons 17 and 18 of the optical mouse 10 is input to the CPU 32 via a microswitch (not shown) and a switch input circuit. C
The PU 32 controls the light receiving elements 16x and 16y at predetermined time intervals.
Is converted into serial codes and sent to the modulation circuit 33 as a set of serial signals. The serial signal includes, for example, a predetermined start code, an X-direction movement code indicating a movement direction and a movement amount in the X direction, a similar Y-direction movement code, an operation code corresponding to operation / non-operation of the click buttons 17 and 18, and information. This is a serial representation of a series of digital information including a parity code for correcting a code error and a predetermined end code.

The serial signal is modulated in the modulation circuit 33 by a predetermined method based on the clock signal output from the oscillation circuit 34. The modulation signal output from the modulation circuit 33 is supplied to the light-emitting element driving circuit 35, and the light-emitting state of the light-emitting elements 13x and 13y is controlled based on the modulation signal, so that light emission synchronized with the modulation signal occurs.

The light emitted from the light emitting elements 13x and 13y whose light emission is controlled based on the modulation signal is transmitted to the transparent substrate 2 as described above.
Light receiving element 2 disposed at the end of the mouse pad by transmitting light 2
6 is detected. As shown in FIG. 4, the detection signal of the light receiving element 26 is amplified by an amplifier circuit 41 and then binarized by a binarization circuit 42 at a predetermined level potential. Next, the binarized signal is demodulated in the demodulation circuit 43 by the clock signal of the oscillation circuit 44. The demodulation circuit 43 converts the serial signal into the mouse pad 20
It is designed to be played inside.

The serial signal reproduced in this manner is converted in the level conversion circuit 45 into a potential level suitable for the serial port 51 of the personal computer 50. This serial signal is transmitted to the serial port 51 of the personal computer 50 via the wiring code 28 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and is converted into a predetermined operation command by the MPU (microprocessor unit) 52 of the personal computer 50. With this operation command, the position of the mouse pointer on the display 53 changes, and the program processing executed by the MPU 52 is executed.

FIG. 5 shows the modulation circuit 33 and the demodulation circuit 4.
6 is a timing chart for explaining an example of serial signal modulation and demodulation performed in FIG. In the present embodiment, since the modulation signals are transmitted from the light emitting elements 13x and 13y, the system cannot be configured if the detection signals of the line patterns by the light receiving elements 16x and 16y are affected by the modulation signals. . For this reason, the amount of light emitted from the light emitting elements 13x and 13y is made substantially constant with respect to the line pattern measurement cycle regardless of the content of the modulation signal so as not to affect the detection of the line pattern. There is a need.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the serial signal B corresponding to the information code A formed by the optical mouse 10 is frequency-modulated so that the average power is constant, thereby forming a line pattern by the modulated signal. Eliminates impact on detection. Here, for example, a frequency of 152 kHz for code “0” and a frequency of 38 for code “1”
A kHz waveform (pulse waveform) is associated. Each frequency is in a frequency band far apart from a change cycle of the amount of light received by the light receiving elements 16x and 16y when the optical mouse 10 moves across the line pattern. Of the light emitting elements 13x and 13y, there is little change over time in the light emission amount of the light emitting elements 13x and 13y, and the value of the code string has almost no influence on the detection of the line pattern.

If the transmission speed of the serial signal is high (for example, 1200 bps (bits / second)) and the transmission speed is sufficiently high as compared with the detection speed of the line pattern, the power amount corresponding to each code is necessarily increased. Even if they are not equal, they do not need to be much different. For example, a code sequence usually repeats "0" and "1" randomly,
The possibility that only one “0” continues is because the number decreases geometrically as the subsequent number increases.

FIG. 6 is a timing chart for explaining another example of modulation and demodulation of a serial signal. In this example, the modulation signal C is formed by changing the phase of the pulse signal according to the content of two consecutive bits of the serial signal B formed according to the information code A. For example, in the illustrated example, if the content of the two bits is “00”, a pulse is generated in the first section of the signal period divided into four, and if “01”, a pulse is generated in the second section. If "10", a pulse is generated in the third section, and if "11", a pulse is generated in the last section.

Also in this method, a pulse having a width of a quarter section is always generated regardless of what two consecutive bits are, so that the power value of the modulation signal C is always constant every period. Naturally, a constant power is maintained even for the line pattern detection cycle (time or period when the optical mouse 10 crosses the line pattern), so that there is no influence on the detection of the line pattern. That is, in this example, the serial signal is phase-modulated. However, since the signal power is constant in each period, the amount of light emitted from the light emitting elements 13x and 13y is constant. The detection signals detected at 16x and 16y are not affected by the modulation signal C.

In this embodiment, the light emitting elements 13x, 13y
Since the modulation signal is superimposed on the drive signal of the optical mouse 10 and propagated in the transparent substrate 22 and detected by the light receiving element 26, the coordinate information and operation information detected by the optical mouse 10 can be wirelessly transmitted. It can be transmitted to the mouse pad 20. Since the wiring cord 28 is pulled out from the mouse pad 20 and connected to a personal computer, it can be used in the same manner as a normal mouse, and therefore, the optical mouse can be made wireless.

Generally, the coordinate information and operation information detected by the mouse are transmitted at a speed much faster than the reading speed of the coordinate position. Therefore, the information code is transmitted from the light emitting elements 13x and 13y as a serial signal. be able to. In this case, as compared with the conventional optical mouse system, the configuration can be achieved by simply adding a circuit configuration for transmitting optical information and a light receiving element that detects optical information with a mouse pad, so that the cost is slightly increased. can do.

In the present embodiment, the modulation signal is supplied to both of the two light emitting elements 13x and 13y. However, the modulation signal may be supplied to only one of the light emitting elements.
If the light emitted from the light emitting element 13x and the light emitted from the light emitting element 13y can be distinguished from each other, for example, if the light emission wavelength is different or the clock frequency at the time of modulation is different, light emission is performed. Element 13x and light emitting element 1
The light may be emitted in parallel based on modulation signals including different information for 3y.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the detection accuracy can be maintained even if the optical mouse 10 changes its posture in the range of +70 degrees to -70 degrees with respect to the reference posture shown in the figure. And a line pattern can be detected. In this embodiment, the modulation signal is designed so that the modulation signal can be transmitted without any trouble even if the attitude of the optical mouse 10 changes within the above range.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In this embodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. The optical mouse 10 'of this embodiment has the same coordinate detection system and operation detection system as in the first embodiment, and furthermore,
A light-emitting element 19 composed of a light-emitting diode attached to the front surface of the case is provided. In this embodiment, in the circuit configuration of the optical mouse shown in FIG.
The difference is that the light is introduced into the light emitting element 19 instead of being introduced into x and 13y. The light emitting element 19 is an optical mouse 10 '
Is mounted slightly downward so as to have an optical axis inclined slightly downward on the front surface of the optical disk.

On the other hand, the mouse pad 20 'has the first
A transparent substrate 22 'similar to that of the embodiment is provided. One end face 22b of the transparent substrate 22 'is cut obliquely, and its surface is mirror-finished. End face 22b
Varies depending on the area of the mouse pad 20 ', the mounting angle of the light emitting element 19 with respect to the optical mouse 10', and the like, but is preferably formed at an angle of approximately 45 degrees with respect to the horizontal or vertical plane. On the surface of the end face 22b, a reflective layer 22c made of a metal deposited film of aluminum or the like is formed.
Are formed.

At the end of the circuit board 27, just below the end face 22b, a light receiving element 26 'made of a photodiode is arranged. This light receiving element 26 '
The light receiving surface is conductively connected to a circuit formed on the circuit board 27 with the light receiving surface facing substantially upward.

In this embodiment, a serial signal B corresponding to the information code A shown in FIG. 9 is modulated by a circuit equivalent to that shown in FIG. Is output as This optical information output is detected by the light receiving element 26 ', demodulated by a circuit equivalent to that shown in FIG. 4, reproduced as a demodulated signal D by the mouse pad 20', and the transmission code E is transmitted to the personal computer 50. ing.

In the present embodiment, since the modulation signal C is transmitted by the light emitting element 19 which is separate from that for line pattern detection, it is not necessary to stabilize the transmission power. It can be transmitted by a simple modulated signal. When the modulation signal shown in FIG. 10 is used instead of the modulation signal shown in FIG. 9 in which the pulse width (or duty ratio) of the modulation signal is reduced and the pulse height is increased, the light emitting element can be controlled while suppressing power consumption. The light emission intensity of No. 19 can be increased, and the SN ratio (signal / noise ratio) can be increased.

In this embodiment, a modulation method as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 may be employed. In this case, erroneous detection of a line pattern due to stray light can be prevented. Further, simultaneously with the transmission of the modulation signal by the light emitting element 19, the modulation signal may be transmitted by the light emitting elements 13x and 13y in an auxiliary manner or in parallel as shown in the first embodiment. In this case, a plurality of optical information output transmission paths can be provided, and more stable information transmission is possible.

In this embodiment, since the modulation signal C is transmitted by the light emitting element 19 separate from the one for detecting the line pattern, the mounting position, the mounting angle and the like of the light emitting element 19 can be arbitrarily determined. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, it is possible to reduce the number of reflections in the X-direction line pattern and the Y-direction line pattern until the light emitted from the light emitting element 19 reaches the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 26 '. As a result, the degree of attenuation of the signal light can be reduced, so that even low-power transmission can be reliably transmitted. Of course, depending on the position of the mouse on the mouse pad, the light can be directly reflected by the reflection layer 22c and detected by the light receiving element 26 'only once transmitted between the line patterns in the X direction.

(Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment basically has substantially the same structure as that of the above-described second embodiment. However, in the frame 21 of the mouse pad 20 ″, the extension 21 is provided above the end face 22 b of the transparent substrate 22.
a. A semi-transmissive layer 22d is formed on the end face 22b, and guides light entering from inside the transparent substrate 22 to the light receiving element 26 'below, and transmits light irradiated to the outer surface as it is and guides it to the light receiving element 26'. It is formed as follows.

The extension 21a has an opening 2 facing the optical mouse 10 'mounted on the surface of the mouse pad 20 ".
1b is formed, and an infrared filter 21d is attached to the opening 21b. The inside of the opening 21b communicates with the semi-transmissive layer 22d.
And a reflector 21c arranged substantially in parallel with the above. Due to these structures, not only the light propagating in the transparent substrate 22 but also the transparent substrate 22
It can also detect light propagating on the surface of the.

As described above, the light emitted from the light emitting element 19 provided on the optical mouse 10 'is incident on the transparent substrate 22 in accordance with the position of the mouse on the pad, so that the light is emitted. Depending on the positional relationship between the light incident position of the element and the line pattern, there are cases where the amount of light propagating in the transparent substrate 22 is large, and cases where the amount of light passing on the surface of the transparent substrate 22 is large. Therefore, according to the structure as in the present embodiment, light that is not initially incident on the transparent substrate 22 because of being reflected by the line pattern, or light that is emitted from the transparent substrate 22 even if it is incident once is also used. Optical mouse 1
Irrespective of the position of 0 ', the light amount detected by the light receiving element 26' can be increased, and the fluctuation of the detected light amount can be reduced.

Further, in the structure of the present embodiment, even if the mounting angle of the light emitting element 19 with respect to the optical mouse 10 'is made smaller to make the light emitting element 19 closer to horizontal than in the second embodiment, light can be received through the opening 21b. . Therefore, by reducing the mounting angle of the light emitting element 19, it is possible to reduce the number of times light is reflected and attenuated irrespective of the position of the optical mouse 10 'on the mouse pad, and to improve the light receiving sensitivity of the light receiving element 26'. It is possible.

In each of the above embodiments, as shown in FIG. 11, the light emitting element of the optical mouse is a light emitting element that emits infrared light, or an infrared filter 19a is attached to emit only infrared light. Alternatively, by using the light receiving element 26 'as a sensor that detects only infrared light, it is possible to prevent noise from being mixed by visible light.

As described above, in each of the above-described embodiments, the wireless connection between the optical mouse 10 and the mouse pad 20 can be achieved. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 13, only the mouse pad 20 installed on a desk or the like can be used in the same manner as a normal mouse by simply connecting the mouse pad 20 to the personal computer 50 with the wiring cord 28, and the wiring extending from the optical mouse 10 can be used. The code does not reduce the usability. In the above embodiment, the mouse pad 2
0 and the personal computer 50
Although the connection is made at 8, the present invention is not limited to such a connection mode, and the coordinate information and the operation information are transmitted to another device by an arbitrary method, and are further used in an arbitrary usage mode. Is what you can do.

[0062]

As described above, according to the present invention, at least a part of the optical information output outputted from the optical information output means of the optical mouse is formed by the first reflection pattern and the second reflection pattern of the mouse pad. Since the light is transmitted as an optical transmission path and detected by the optical information detection means, a wireless mouse system can be constructed by using the existing optical mouse system configuration, especially the structure of the mouse pad. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a structure of a first embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial plan sectional view of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a configuration block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration in the optical mouse according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a configuration block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration in a mouse pad according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a timing chart of signal waveforms for illustrating a modulation example of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a timing chart of a signal waveform for illustrating another modulation example of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a structure of a second embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a partial plan sectional view of a second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a timing chart of signal waveforms for illustrating a modulation example of the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a timing chart of a signal waveform for illustrating another modulation example of the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a structure of a third embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a graph showing transmission characteristics of an infrared filter.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a use mode in each embodiment.

FIGS. 14A, 14B, and 14C are plan views illustrating the planar shape of an X-direction line pattern. FIGS.

15A is an explanatory diagram illustrating a planar shape of a Y-direction line pattern, FIG. 15B is an explanatory diagram illustrating a detection principle of an X-direction line pattern, and FIG. 15C is an explanatory diagram illustrating a detection principle of a Y-direction line pattern. .

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Optical mouse 13x, 13y Light emitting element 16x, 16y Light receiving element 19 Light emitting element 20 Mouse pad 26 Light receiving element 33 Modulation circuit 43 Demodulation circuit

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An optically detectable first reflection pattern provided on a first surface for detecting a first direction, and a first reflection pattern for detecting a second direction different from the first direction.
A mouse pad provided with a second optically detectable reflection pattern provided on a second surface spaced apart from a plane, a first optical detection system for detecting the first reflection pattern, An optical mouse system comprising: a second optical detection system for detecting a second reflection pattern; and an optical mouse having illumination means for illuminating the first reflection pattern and the second reflection pattern. The mouse has optical information modulated based on coordinate detection signals detected by the first optical detection system and the second optical detection system, or modulated based on an operation state of a switch provided on the optical mouse. Optical information output means for irradiating an output toward the mouse pad, wherein the mouse pad transmits an optical transmission path between the first reflection pattern and the second reflection pattern; An optical mouse system comprising an optical information detecting means for detecting the transmitted optical information output and receiving information corresponding to the detection signal. 2. The optical mouse system according to claim 1, wherein said optical information output means is constituted by a light emitting element which also serves as said lighting means. 3. The optical information output device according to claim 1, wherein:
An optical mouse system characterized by being modulated in a frequency band that does not affect the detection of the coordinate detection signal. 4. The optical information output device according to claim 1, wherein:
An optical mouse system comprising an output value substantially averaged with respect to a detection cycle of the coordinate detection signal. 5. The optical information detection means according to claim 1, wherein the optical information detection means can also detect the optical information output propagating within a predetermined range along the first surface or the second surface outside the optical transmission path. An optical mouse system characterized by being configured as follows.