Abstract:
A computer mouse uses an optical sensor to detect movement and thereby generate signals to control movement of an on-screen icon. The optical mouse also includes circuitry or a processor to detect bar codes and demodulate data encoded therein.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates to the well-known computer control device that is commonly referred to, and known as a mouse.  
           [0002]    Those familiar with personal computers know that a “mouse” is actually a computer input device that is used for a variety of tasks. Among other things, a mouse provides a pointing device metaphor that is used to identify (and initiate) executable programs, locate or place an insertion point icon in a document, discard files by “dragging and dropping” a file icon into a metaphorical trash can. A mouse can also be used to control the scrolling action of a screen and the images displayed thereon by software executing on a computer&#39;s processor. A mouse can also be used to select files to open or close; delete or retrieve files as well as shut down the computer to which it is coupled. A mouse and the on-screen icon it uses, is sometimes referred to as a pointing device in that it&#39;s on-screen icon is usually used to identify (or point to) one or more icons representing file or program metaphors (icons).  
           [0003]    A computer mouse on-screen icon moves about the screen in response to the physical movement of the mouse across a surface, such as a table or desk. In other words, if a computer mouse is moved left, computer software causes its on-screen icon to also move left, generally in an amount directly related to the distance that the mouse moved across the surface. Moving a mouse right across a surface usually causes the onscreen mouse icon to also move right.  
           [0004]    On-screen mouse icon movement is typically achieved by way of electrical signals that are output from a mouse device in response to its actual physical movement. Signals from the mouse can be made to change in response to physical movement by using either a track ball mechanism that rotates small potentiometers or using more sophisticated optical position sensors that can “see” movement of a surface with respect to the mouse.  
           [0005]    An optical mouse is known art and is disclosed in at least U.S. Pat. No. 5,994,710 for a “Scanning Mouse for a Computer System,” which is incorporated herein by reference. In particular, however, the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 5,994,710 that relate to optically sensing (detecting) movement of the mouse and the optical scanning of images thereon is incorporated herein by reference. An optical mouse which detects movement over a surface and which is also capable of reading optically encoded information would be an improvement over the prior art. A mouse having an optical scanning and bar code reading capability might prove to be valuable in the Internet age.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    There is provided an optical mouse (for use as a pointing device with a computer) that is combined with a bar code scanner. One or more optical image sensors in combination with electronic circuitry, detects physical movement of the mouse and also detects the lines and spaces that comprise a bar code. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a combination optical mouse and bar code scanner.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 2 depicts a simplified representation of a bar code detector circuit.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 3 shows another simplified representation of a bar code detector circuit. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0010]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,994,710 to Knee et al, for a “Scanning Mouse for a Computer System” (the &#39;710 patent) discloses a combination optical mouse and optical scanner. A charge coupled device (CCD) or contact image sensor (CIS) is used to sense movement of the mouse over a surface as well as “read” (scan) images into a digital representation of them. Images on a surface are scanned by a linear CIS mounted within a mouse and read into a computer a line at a time (the scanned line “width” corresponding to the length of the CIS) such that by repetitively sweeping the CIS over an image, successive passes of the mouse/scanner enables an entire image to eventually be scanned into the computer. The teachings of the &#39;710 patent are incorporated herein by reference, particularly the teachings with respect to optically detecting movement and scanning images and as enabled by the apparatus depicted in FIG. 3 (of the &#39;710 patent) thereof.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 of the instant application shows a simplified block diagram of the functional elements of an example of a combined optical mouse and bar code scanner  100 . Like the &#39;710 patent, a light source  102 , provides a source of light that illuminates images (not shown) on a surface  104  over which the mouse is moved. Light waves from the light source  102  are reflected from the surface  104  and focused by a lens  106  onto an analog image detector array  108 .  
         [0012]    The image array  108  produces an analog output voltage that is representative of the reflected and focused image. An analog-to-digital converter (A/D)  110  produces digital scan data that is representative of an image that was scanned.  
         [0013]    Digital output from the A/D  110  is routed to an optical navigation circuit  114 , which detects physical movement of the mouse over a surface. Digital output from the A/D  110  is also routed to a bar code line and space detector  112  (hereafter “bar code detector”).  
         [0014]    A simplified example of a bar code detector circuit  200  is shown in FIG. 2. Row-by-row and column-by-column pixel data  202  from the A/D converter  110  (or other source of pixel data) is latched in a data latch  204 . A latch enable signal  206  can be used to clock data into the latch  204  by the controller  124  so that a data value  208  can be read at some later time for subsequent processing.  
         [0015]    In one embodiment, the controller  124  can latch all of the pixels from the image array  108  (after being digitized) and write both the pixel data and the pixel data row and column address information into an array such that the value of each pixel can be recovered by the stored row and column address of each pixel. As a new image is acquired by the image array  108  (as the mouse is moved across a surface) a new value for each pixel, at each address can also be stored. By comparing successive values for one or more pixels, the presence or absence of a bar code line can be determined.  
         [0016]    In an alternate embodiment, one pixel (or a subset or a closely spaced cluster of all pixels) can read from the image array  108  for analysis to determine if the mouse is over (and therefore scanning) a bar code. As that particular pixel data (or the pixels of the chosen subset or cluster are read) is read, it can be latched in the data latch  204 . As successive data values for that one pixel (or for successive values for the pixels of the chosen subset) are read, they can be tested (for values representing dark and light area) to determine if they represent the presence or absence of a bar code line. In yet another embodiment, pixel data values might be averaged over time or distance (movement of the mouse) in the process of deciding if a bar code line or space is being detected. Averaging or using clusters of pixels can effectively degrade the detected contrast between light and dark image regions. Whether to use or calculate pixel data averages or to use clusters of pixels is a design choice as well as is methodology employed in the calculations thereof. Optimum values and methods will be subject to some experimentation.  
         [0017]    By using a data latch  204  and reading data from it into memory, image data processing, which might be done by the computer to which the mouse is coupled or the controller  124  within the mouse, can be deferred. For purposes of claim construction, pixel data processing that is done by either a computer (to which the mouse is coupled) or the controller  124 , is considered to be equivalent.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 shows another simplified embodiment of a bar code detector circuit  300  for use in a combination optical mouse and bar code scanner. Like the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, pixel data values  308  stored in a data latch  302  (latch enable omitted for clarity) that are obtained  304  from the image sensor  108  are compared in a comparator  310  to determine if the latched pixel data value represents a bar code line or space. The reference values  312  against which latched pixel data is compared can be empirically determined such that if the latched pixel data is greater or less than the comparison values a determination can be made with reasonable certainty that the image array of the mouse is likely acquiring the image of a bar code line or space. Reference pixel data values can be dynamically determined to compensate for, among other things, light source  102  intensity variations, ambient light conditions, lens  106  cleanliness or clarity and scanned surface/scanned image conditions.  
         [0019]    The comparison results  314  can be stored in a data latch or even a memory array  316  under the control of the controller  124  or even a PC to which the mouse is connected. In such an embodiment, the data stored in the latch/array  316  can represent a number of pixel data values that were greater than, less than or equal to a reference value, enhancing the calculated determination of whether the scanned image was a bar code line or space.  
         [0020]    Regardless of how the determination of a bar code line or space is made, the width of both the lines and spaces must also be determined. Any of the foregoing embodiments can be used to determine bar code line and space width, in part, by correlating the acquired data values with the detected movement (and velocity) of the mouse.  
         [0021]    As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and  3 , pixel data processing can be performed within the controller  124  within the mouse. Such processing can include the determination of a bar code line or space, as well as width, but can also include the demodulation of encoded bar code data. In other words, data that is encoded into the bar code lines and spaces can be extracted within the controller  124 . In an alternate embodiment, raw data (simply the line and space data) can be sent to the personal computer to which the mouse is attached. Such an embodiment will require that more data be passed up to the PC for processing. The relative limited processing power of most microcontrollers that are presently available however, as compared to the processing power of most personal computer CPUs might yield an overall speed improvement even if large amounts of pixel data must be sent up to the PC CPU for processing instead of within the mouse.  
         [0022]    Those skilled in the art will recognize that at least some of the functionality provided by a hardware embodiment, such as those shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, can almost always be accomplished in software. By appropriately programming an appropriately capable microprocessor, microcontroller or combinations thereof, pixel data from the image array  108  (or from the A/D converter  110 ) can be latched, compared and processed to detect a bar code line or space as well as the relative widths thereof. In at least one embodiment, pixel data processing is performed within the controller  124 , assisted by the various hardware components set forth above. With reference to FIG. 1, controller  124  sends control signals  118 ,  122  to the bar code detector  112  and optical navigation detector  114  respectively and also receives data  116 ,  120  (respectively) there from. Data  120  read from the navigation detector  114  under the control signals  122  to the navigation detector  114  are used to sense movement. Whenever data from the navigation detector  114  indicates movement, control signals  118  to the bar code detector  1   12  can be used to read whether a line or space was read by the data  116  returned from the bar code detector  11   2 .  
         [0023]    The controller  124 , which might include a microcontroller or other processor, (which preferably also includes the functionality of the bar code detector  112 ) formats the detected bar code data (encoded into the bar code symbol) and writes the data to an interface  126  for a computer. Three output lines  128 ,  130  and  132 , corresponding to mouse button input/output signals  128 , light source ( 102 ) control line  130  and demodulated data output  132 , either carry data from the combination mouse/bar code scanner back to a computer for subsequent processing, or carry data from the computer to the combination mouse/bar code scanner.  
         [0024]    In embodiments that include bar code demodulation capability, the demodulated data output  132  preferably carries demodulated data or information that was recovered from a scanned bar code. In embodiments that only read or detect a bar code line and space, the demodulated data output  132  might carry only the line and space information to the PC for subsequent processing and information recovery.  
         [0025]    In the preferred embodiment, the light source control line  102  is used to alter the brightness of the light source. In at least one embodiment, the light source is turned off when the mouse hasn&#39;t seen motion for a while thereby saving power and lengthening the lifetime of the light source. However, if the light source is turned off, the mouse can&#39;t detect motion so the mouse is occasionally “awakened” by turning the light back on long enough to take another picture. If the new image looks like the previous one, the mouse returns to “sleep” for a while with the light off. If on awakening the new image is different, the light will be kept on as the mouse responds to movement. In addition to turning the light on or off, the light source signal line  102  can also control the intensity of the light source. If the mouse were on bright white paper, the light intensity can be reduced as compared to the intensity it might be set at if it&#39;s used on paper that is less reflective.  
         [0026]    In the preferred embodiment, the combination optical mouse and bar code scanner is employed to “read” Internet web address data that is encoded into bar codes printed onto various media. In such an embodiment, the combination optical mouse and bar code scanner is used to “read” the universal resource locator (URL) of a web site directly into a computer and an Internet browser. By way of example, an advertisement printed in a newspaper or magazine might include a bar code or other graphical symbol, the characteristics of which represent certain data. By reading the bar code or graphical symbol, encoded data can be immediately transferred into a user&#39;s computer. If the encoded data is a web site address, an advertiser in a newspaper or magazine can quickly route prospective customers (or other individuals) to a particular web site. Alternate (and equivalent) embodiments would be used to read UPC bar codes or other as-yet determined bar codes used to track inventory, track documents marked with bar codes and so forth.  
         [0027]    The inclusion of additional functionality of an optical bar code reader into an optical mouse can enhance the value of such an optical mouse pointing device by enabling the optical mouse/bar code scanner to provide a convenient mechanism to read encoded data directly into a computer. An Internet web site address can be quickly and reliably entered into a web browser. Inventory marked with bar codes can be scanned using the same apparatus used to control a PC. Other items marked or identified by bar codes can also be tracked by the PC using an optical mouse.