Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02339289 2001-02-02
Input device for control siginals for controlling the movement of an
obiect represented on a displayr device and 4raphic display having
said input device
The present invention refers to an input device for control signals for
controlling
the movement of an object represented on a display device and to a display
device, the representation of which is controlled by a control signal input
device.
Control signal input devices are known, e.g., in the form of mouse devices.
Using such input devices one may control and influence, for example, the
cursor movement on a monitor or - in case of a user program - for example,
the representation on a display device, e.g. a monitor. It would be
advantageous
in a plurality of applications to have representation-specific input devices
available that, due to their structure, make it easier for a user to readily
control
representations, in particular stereographic representations, on a display
device,
e.g. a monitor.
From US-A-5 734 370, an input device for a display device is known, with
which an object may be displaced on the display device. The known input
device comprises a rod that can be pivoted within the housing of the input
device about two mutually parallel axes and can be displaced about its
longitudinal axis. The known input device serves to control a virtual pool
application. Further, from US-A-5 729 249, a cubic input device is known the
side surfaces of which have sensitive regions or actuating elements for
manipulating an object displayed on a display device. This known input device
is disadvantageous in that the arrangement and orientation of its actuating
elements do not correspond to the directions in which the object can be moved
by the actuating elements or in which the representation can be manipulated.
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It is the object of the present invention to provide a control signal input
device
of the type mentioned above, as well as a graphic representation using this
input device, allowing for a more user-friendly handling.
To solve the object, the invention provides a control signal input device for
a display device, the input device being provided with
- a housing,
- three control signal generating devices for generating first control
signals to the display device,
- three mutually orthogonal actuating elements, each being supported
at or in the housing for linear displacement along one of three orthogonal
spatial axes and projecting outward beyond the housing within at least
one oftwo opposite portions ofthe housing, respectively, each actuating
element respectively cooperating with a different one of the control
signal generating devices, and wherein, in dependence on the
displacement position of the actuating elements, the control signal
generating devices generate the first control signals for displacement
ofthe object on the display device along three directions corresponding
to the spatial axes of the housing on the display device, and
- a position detection sensor arrangement provided in or at the housing,
the position detection arrangement sensing the orientation and/or the
position of the housing and generating a corresponding control signal
to the display device for orienting the object on the display device
according to the orientation and position of the housing.
In a variant, the present input device comprises
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- a housing,
- three control signal generating devices for generating first control
signals to the display device,
- three pairs of actuating elements, both actuating elements in each
pair being arranged at different, in particular opposite, portions of the
housing lying on a respective one of three orthogonal spatial axes
extending through the housing, each pair of actuating elements
respectively cooperating with a different one of the control signal
generating devices, and wherein, in dependence on the actuating
condition (e.g., actuating time and/or actuating pressure) of the
actuating elements, the control signal generating devices generate
the first control signals for displacement of the object on the display
device along three directions corresponding to the spatial axes of the
housing on the display device, and
- a position detection sensor arrangement provided in or at the housing,
the position detection arrangement sensing the orientation and/orthe
position of the housing and generating a corresponding control signal
to the display device for orienting the object on the display device
according to the orientation and position of the housing.
A display system of the present invention comprises
- a display device and
- an input device for generating control signals for displacing and/or
orienting and/or positioning the object to be represented and/or
displacing the sectional views along the axes, the input device being
configured according to one of the previously described variants.
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In the present input device, actuating elements, which when actuated generate
first control signals for controlling the display device, are arranged on the
three mutually orthogonal spatial axes extending through the housing. These
actuating elements project from the housing at at least three locations,
preferably at six locations. These actuating elements are either linear
displacement elements such as rods or the like, or actuating element pairs
such as feelers/key switches located in pairs within opposite portions of the
houses on the three orthogonal axes. Such a control signal input device is
particularly useful for three-dimensionally influencing a stereographic
representation on a display or for controlling a perspective representation
on a display along three axes corresponding to the perspective or for
displacing,
positioning or orienting an object to be represented on the display.
"Displacement of the object" should be understood in a broad sense in the
context of this invention. Generally, it refers to a manipulation of the
object
representation in the direction of the three spatial axes. For example, the
present input device allows to comfortably "pass" through bodies displayed
on the display device along three axes so as to have, e.g., the different
sectional
views along the three axes displayed. In the present case, the sectional views
are the object and are "displaced" when passing through the body. This may
be advantageous, for example, in the field of medicine and in planning surgery
so as to pass through a body part such as the head along several axes, thereby
making it "transparent" to the doctor or surgeon. A further alternative of the
"displacement of the object" is moving the object within its environment
represented on the display device.
The exact positional orientation of the input device relative to the
representation
on the display such that the three axes on which the actuating elements of
the input device are located correspond to the three axes ofthe representation
on the display, is realized in the present invention by providing the input
device,
e.g., with an inertia position and orientation detector arrangement or an
orientation and/or position detector arrangement. Such a sensor arrangement
CA 02339289 2001-02-02
should be sensitive about the three spatial axes. One additional such sensor
thus guarantees that the change of representation on the display expected
by the user can actually take place according to the pivoting of the input
device.
Through this sensor, the input device is quasi coupled to the representation
5 on the display or vice versa.
The advantage of the present input device is the simplicity of the control of
the representation on the display device. Due to the automatic positionally
exact orientation of the input device with the representation (object) on the
display, the actuation of the actuating elements corresponds to a
corresponding
change in the representation (object) on the display. Through the coupling
of the orientation of the input device and the represented object, the
arrangement of the actuating elements at or in the housing ofthe input device
corresponds to the axes along or about which the representation can be
manipulated (e.g. displacement of the sectional planes of an object or
displacement of the object itself along three orthogonal axes).
The principal idea of the invention is to provide the user with an input
device
representing a three-dimensional coordinate system. In the simplest form,
the input device is a housing through which three orthogonal three
displaceable,
and possibly rotatable, rods extend that represent the three coordinate axes.
By means of a position detector arrangement integrated in the input device,
a coordinate system of a three-dimensional application is always maintained
synchronous with the orientation of the input device. Thus, a displacement
or rotation of the rods results in a displacement or rotation of a graphic
object
in the corresponding direction. When the input device is held such that the
z axis points upward, for example, the graphic object is also represented with
its z axis pointing upward. When the rod corresponding to the z axis is pushed
downward, the graphical object also moves downward. When the input device
is turned to the right through 90°, the graphical object is also turned
to the
right through 90°; and a displacement of the z axis rod, now pointing
to the
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right, results in a displacement of the graphical object to the left or the
right.
This direct relationship between the manipulation of the input device and the
graphical output resulting therefrom, makes using the input device very easy
and intuitively comprehensible for the user.
In an advantageous development of the invention, it is further provided that
the housing has a parallelepiped shape, in particular a cubic shape, with six
side walls and that the actuating elements, when supported at or in
the~housing
for linear displacement, extend from all side walls, the ends of each
actuating
element projecting from two opposite parallel side walls of the housing. When
three pairs of actuating elements, such as three pairs of key switches, are
provided, these actuating elements are located at all side walls of the cubic
housing. As an alternative, the housing may be spherical. It is also
conceivable
to give the housing an outer contour that is the same as the outer contour
of the object to be represented. For example, the housing has the shape of
a human head when such a head is represented on the display. The
arrangement of the actuating elements then corresponds to the possible
manipulation of the representation of the head on the display.
Through additional actuating elements or by a rotatable or otherwise further
movable support of the actuating elements, which may also be arranged on
the linearly displaceable actuating elements, for example, it is possible to
generate further control signals with the present input device. Additional key
switches or other switches could be used, for example, to realize
representation
functions such as scaling the represented body or object or rotating the same.
Eventually, it is also conceivable that such additional actuating elements can
be used to realize display functions like a slight tilting of the represented
sectional plane about an axis. This application may be of interest in
structural
technology or teaching.
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As a structural embodiment of these additional actuating elements, on a may
contemplate rockers or knurled wheels besides key switches and other switches.
Generally speaking, the present input device can be equipped with all of the
conventional actuating elements known per se from electrical apparatus.
When using displaceable actuating elements projecting from the housing of
the input device, such as rods or the like, it is advantageous in terms of
comfortable use when the rods are centered and are automatically returned
to this centered position (e.g. by restoring springs) when they have been
deflected (displaced) from this rest position. By moving the ends of the rods
more or less into the housing, the speed of the change of the representation
on the display can be controlled. This control function is the same with
actuating
elements formed as key switches where the speed of the change of the
representation is controlled through the actuation time.
The following is a detailed description of the invention with reference to the
drawing. In the figures
Fig. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of a display control input device,
and
Fig. 2 illustrates a second embodiment of an input device.
Fig. 1 illustrates a display device 10 in the form of a monitor, the screen 12
thereof displaying a body 14. Upon input of the corresponding control
instructions by the user, the body 14 can be passed through along the x, y
and z axes. In other words, sectional views through the body 14 can be
represented that ly in the planes 16, 18 and 20.
The required control signals are inputted via an input device 22 with a cube-
shaped housing 24. Accordingly, the housing 24 has three pairs of parallel
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g
side walls 26, 28, 30. Three rods 32, 34, 36 extend through the housing 24
that are orthogonal with respect to each other and protrude from the side
surfaces 26, 28, 30 with their ends. The rods 32, 34, 35 are supported at
the housing 24 for linear displacement; depending on the displaced position,
control signals are generated in signal generating devices 38, 40, 42
associated
with the rods, which, in the present case, serve to displace the sectional
planes
16, 18, 20 via the drive device 44 of the display device 10. A position and
orientation sensor46 detects the position and orientation ofthe input device
22. The output signal of this optical, acoustic or electromagnetic sensor 46
is also used to control the representation on the display device 10 through
the drive device 44. As a consequence, the coordinate system of the
representation on the~display device 10 turns with the orientation ofthe rods
32, 34, 36 of the input device 22 in space (input device coordinate system).
Further functions of the representation, such as the displacement of the
object
14 along the three axes of the coordinate system of the representation, can
be realized through additional actuating elements 48 located at the housing
24. Through these actuating elements 28, a fine tuning of the position of the
respective plane and/or a slight inclination of the representation of the
sectional
plane about a respective one of the three axes may be effected and/or the
representation may be scaled. Through another of these additional actuating
elements 48, the above mentioned "coupling" of the input device 22 with the
representation on th display 12 can selectively be interrupted or restored,
for example. Thus, it is possible, similar to taking a mouse from a pad and
placing the mouse on another location, to displace the body 14 on the~screen
by reciprocating the input device 22 several times. The rotation of the
actuating
elements 32, 34, 36 may be used, e.g., for the linear fine positioning of the
planes 16, 18, 20.
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Eventually, the rods 32, 34, 36 are supported for rotation about their
longitudinal axis so as to allow fro further display or movement functions of
the object on the screen 12 that can be controlled via the input device 22.
Fig. 2 illustrates an alternative embodiment of an input device 22', wherein
similar parts of the input device 22' have been given the same reference
numerals as in Fig. 1. The input device 22' differs from the input device 22
of Fig. 1 in that it further comprises rotatably supported rotary actuating
elements formed as turn knobs 50, 52, 54 or turn sleeves and concentrically
arranged about the rods 32, 34, 36. The rotation of the turn knobs 50, 52,
54 is detected in the units 56, 58, 60 and converted into drive signals for
influencing the movement and/or the representation ofthe object, in particular
the rotation of the object. Due to the separate rotary elements, the rotation
of a graphical object can be entirely separated from the displacement, which
may be desirable. With rotatable rods, a displacement of the rod most often
also results in a slight rotation ofthe rod. This is no problem when the
rotation
of the rods is used, e.g., for a fine adjustment of the displacement.
Moreover, the input device 22' has a means 62 for manipulating the movement
of the rods 32, 34, 36 and the turn knobs 50, 52, 54. This means 62 is
controlled or activated depending on the position of the object on the screen
12. When the object is moved against an obstacle while actuating the rods
32, 34, 36, for example, the means 62 prevents a further movement of the
respective rod or rods and turn knob or knobs. Thus, the representation on
the screen is coupled with the freedom of movement of the rods 32, 34, 36
and the turn knobs 50, 52, 54. The means 62 may comprise drive means,
e.g. stepper motors, cinematically coupled to the rods and turn knobs. While
the braking device prevents further movement of the rods 32, 34, 36 and
the turn knobs 50, 52; 54, the drive means is able to move the the rods 32,
34, 36 and the turn knobs 50, 52, 54 (back) when this is possible and desired
for the given type of representation on the display.
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It should be noted that an active movement and/or blocking of the rod-shaped
actuating elements 32, 34, 26 in dependence on the position of the object
within its environment represented on the display device can be realized
independent of the presence of the position detector arrangement and,
S therefore, justifies legal protection by itself within the scope of the
present
invention.
