Patent ID: 6323837
Filing Date: 2001-11-27
Classification: A61B,B25J,G05B,G16H

Abstract:
A control input device for interfacing the motion of an elongated mechanical object with a computer system, the control input device comprising:a mechanical apparatus including an object receiving portion, said object receiving portion shaped to receive and engage said elongated mechanical object held by and manipulated by a user wherein said object receiving portion is moveable in at least two degrees of freedom with respect to a fixed surface;a transducer coupled to said mechanical apparatus and arranged such that when said elongated mechanical object is at least partially disposed within said object receiving portion, said transducer senses linear displacement of said elongated mechanical object with respect to said object receiving portion and outputs data indicative of said linear displacement; andcontrol electronics coupled to said transducer, said control electronics reporting a representation of said data received from said transducer to said computer system such that said computer system can update a graphical process in response to said data.