Freely rotating trackball providing additional control parameter modalities

Abstract

A freely-rotating trackball for simultaneously detecting one, two, or three independent directions of its non-rotational displacement, and as many as three independent directions (roll, pitch, and yaw) of its rotation. In various implementations, non-rotational displacement of the trackball may be measured or interpreted as a widely-varying user interface parameter or as a discrete “click” event. Signal processing may be used to derive three independent rotation components (roll, pitch, and yaw) from more primitive sensor measurements of the trackball. The invention provides for trackball displacement and rotation to be sensed by a variety of sensing techniques including optical, magnetic, electromagnetic, capacitive, resistive, acoustic, resonance, and polarization sensor. The system may be used to provide an extended number of simultaneously interactive user interface parameters, and may itself be incorporated into larger user interface structures, such as a mouse body.

1 . A user interface device comprising: 
 a housing;    a freely-rotating trackball configured to be displaceable within said housing and responsive to pressure applied to said trackball;    a displacement sensor generating a sensor signal responsive to displacement of said trackball relative to said housing; and    signal circuitry producing an outgoing displacement signal responsive to said sensor signal.    
   
   
       2 . The user interface device of  claim 1 , wherein said trackball is displaceable in two independent directions, wherein 
 said displacement sensor generates said sensor signal responsive to said two independent directions of said displacement of said trackball.    
   
   
       3 . The user interface device of  claim 1 , wherein said trackball is displaceable in three independent directions, wherein 
 said displacement sensor generates said sensor signal responsive to said three independent directions of said displacement of said trackball.    
   
   
       4 . The user interface device of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a rotation sensor generating a rotation sensor signal responsive to a component of rotation applied to said trackball, wherein    said signal circuitry further producing an outgoing rotational signal responsive to said rotational sensor signal.    
   
   
       5 . The user interface device of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a rotation sensor generating a rotation sensor signal responsive to two independent components of rotation applied to said trackball, wherein    said signal circuitry further producing an outgoing rotational signal responsive to said rotational sensor signal.    
   
   
       6 . The user interface device of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a rotation sensor generating a rotation sensor signal responsive to three independent components of rotation applied to said trackball, wherein    said signal circuitry further producing an outgoing rotational signal responsive to said rotational sensor signal.    
   
   
       7 . The user interface device of  claim 1 , wherein said displacement sensor comprises a variable resistive element.  
   
   
       8 . The user interface device of  claim 1 , wherein said displacement sensor comprises a variable capacitive element.  
   
   
       9 . The user interface device of  claim 1 , wherein said displacement sensor comprises an electromagnetic element.  
   
   
       10 . The user interface device of  claim 1 , wherein said displacement sensor comprises an optical element.  
   
   
       11 . The user interface device of  claim 1 , wherein said displacement sensor comprises at least one switch.  
   
   
       12 . The user interface device of  claim 1 , wherein said displacement sensor comprises a pressure sensor.  
   
   
       13 . The user interface device of  claim 1 , wherein said outgoing displacement signal defines a click event.  
   
   
       14 . The user interface device of  claim 1 , wherein said outgoing displacement signal is one parameter of a widely-varying adjustable parameter.  
   
   
       15 . A user interface device comprising: 
 a housing;    a freely-rotating trackball configured to be displaceable within said housing and responsive to pressure applied to said trackball;    a rotation sensor generating a sensor signal responsive to one or more of said three independent directions of rotation of said trackball; and    signal circuitry producing an outgoing rotational signal responsive to said sensor signal, said outgoing rotational signal comprising three rotational component signals, each uniquely associated with one of said three independent directions of rotation of said trackball.    
   
   
       16 . The user interface device of  claim 15 , wherein each of said three independent directions of rotation of said trackball respectively comprise roll, pitch, and yaw of said trackball.  
   
   
       17 . The user interface device of  claim 15 , wherein said signal circuitry comprises a signal processor.  
   
   
       18 . The user interface device of  claim 15 , wherein a first of said three rotation component signals is generated in response to rotational roll of said trackball, a second of said three rotation component signals is generated in response to rotational pitch of said trackball, and a third of said three rotation component signals is generated in response to rotational yaw of said trackball.  
   
   
       19 . The user interface device of  claim 15 , wherein said rotation sensor comprises a capacitance sensor.  
   
   
       20 . The user interface device of  claim 15 , wherein said rotation sensor comprises an optical sensor.  
   
   
       21 . The user interface device of  claim 15 , wherein said rotation sensor comprises a magnetic sensor.  
   
   
       22 . The user interface device of  claim 15 , wherein said rotation sensor comprises an electromagnetic sensor.  
   
   
       23 . The user interface device of  claim 15  wherein said rotation sensor comprises an acoustic sensor.  
   
   
       24 . The user interface device of  claim 15 , wherein said rotation sensor detects at least one resonance.  
   
   
       25 . The user interface device of  claim 15 , wherein said rotation sensor detects at least one polarization component.  
   
   
       26 . The user interface device of  claim 15 , wherein one direction of said three independent directions of rotation defines a click event.  
   
   
       27 . The user interface device of  claim 15 , said housing further comprising: 
 a saddle assembly configured to be displaceable within said housing responsive to pressure applied to said trackball;    a displacement sensor generating a displacement sensor signal responsive to said displacement of said saddle assembly relative to said housing; and    said sensor signal circuitry further producing an outgoing displacement signal responsive to said displacement sensor signal.    
   
   
       28 . The user interface device of  claim 27 , wherein said displacement sensor comprises at least one switch.  
   
   
       29 . The user interface device of  claim 27 , wherein said displacement sensor comprises a pressure sensor.  
   
   
       30 . The user interface device of  claim 27 , wherein said outgoing displacement signal defines a click event.  
   
   
       31 . The user interface device of  claim 27 , wherein said outgoing displacement signal is one parameter of a widely-varying adjustable parameter.  
   
   
       32 . The user interface device of  claim 27 , wherein said saddle assembly is displaceable in two independent directions, wherein 
 said displacement sensor generates said displacement sensor signal responsive to said two independent directions of said displacement of said saddle assembly.    
   
   
       33 . The user interface device of  claim 27 , wherein said saddle assembly is displaceable in three independent directions, wherein 
 said displacement sensor generates said displacement sensor signal responsive to said three independent directions of said displacement of said saddle assembly.