Keyboard-Integrated Pointing Device with Rotating Sleeve
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pointing devices require a predefined desk space and necessitate users to remove their hands from the keyboard, leading to ergonomic issues and potential injuries due to awkward reaching and incorrect mouse positioning.
Innovation Solution
A pointing device with a central housing and a rotatable, slidable sleeve that includes sensors to detect movement, allowing for control without removing hands from the keyboard, minimizing wrist and shoulder strain while providing precise positioning functions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional pointing devices are used, then positioning control is achieved, but users must remove hands from keyboard causing ergonomic strain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the keyboard and pointing device into a single integrated unit, allowing both typing and pointing operations to be performed simultaneously from the same hand position. The pointing device is mounted on the keyboard surface, enabling users to access both functions without moving their hands between separate devices, thereby eliminating ergonomic strain from hand relocation.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated device serves multiple functions: it acts as both a keyboard for text input and a pointing device for cursor control. The keyboard surface itself becomes the operational surface for the pointing device, allowing users to perform both typing and pointing operations from a single ergonomic position, maximizing ease of operation while minimizing harmful ergonomic factors.
2Ease of operation
If conventional pointing devices are used, then positioning control is achieved, but predefined desk space is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the pointing device with the keyboard, eliminating the need for separate desk space allocation. The pointing device utilizes the keyboard's existing surface area, so no additional desk space is required beyond what is already needed for the keyboard itself. This integration solves the problem of predefined desk space requirements while maintaining full accessibility.
3Measurement precision
If sleeve is made rotatable and slidable, then positioning precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pointing device is divided into separate functional components: a rotatable sleeve for one-dimensional positioning and a slidable mechanism for the second dimension. This segmentation allows each component to handle a specific directional movement, achieving two-dimensional positioning precision through simpler, specialized mechanisms rather than a single complex mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic mechanisms where the sleeve can rotate and the mounting structure can slide, allowing the device to adapt its configuration based on operational needs. These dynamic elements provide precise positioning control through controlled movement rather than fixed structures, achieving high measurement precision while maintaining manageable device complexity through flexible, multi-degree-of-freedom design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables hands-on keyboard control with reduced ergonomic strain and precise positioning, addressing the limitations of conventional pointing devices by integrating sensors and adjustable mechanisms for comfortable use.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor capable of detecting movement of the sleeve relative to the central housing
Data Source
AI summary
An inner-sensor based pointing device is presented. The pointing device includes a central housing having an aperture and a sleeve disposed surrounding a portion of the central housing. The sleeve is rotatable about the portion of the central housing and slideable along a portion of the central housing. The pointing device further includes a sensor disposed along a surface of the central housing. The sensor is capable of detecting rotational movement of the sleeve relative to the central housing and axial movement of the sleeve relative to the central housing. Additionally, the pointing device has a circuit in communication with the sensor, the circuit capable of transmitting data to a computer regarding the movement of the sleeve.