This invention provides an optical sensing system for detecting displacements of a slidable frame along an elongated plate of the system and generating corresponding position or displacement signals. The optical sensing system comprises a housing, an elongated plate horizontally installed in the housing having a plurality of positioning holes and a plurality of parallel conductors installed in it, a slidable frame having a sliding hole in its middle for slidably engaging the elongated plate, an optical sensor installed in the frame and slidably wired to the parallel conductors of the elongated plate for detecting the positioning holes of the elongated plate and generating corresponding sensing signals, and a control circuit wired to the parallel conductors of the elongated plate for converting the sensing signals into corresponding position signals or displacement signals.
A computer system for a motion impaired user includes a housing, a processor in the housing, and a display connected to the processor for displaying at least one menu of selectable commands arranged in a sequence. A mouse is connected to the processor for positioning a pointer on the display responsive to movement of the mouse. The computer further includes a mouse template having at least one elongate body having a plurality of stations therealong corresponding to the sequence of selectable commands and cooperates with the mouse for assisting the motion impaired user so that when the mouse is positioned at a station, the pointer on the display is positioned at the corresponding selectable command of the menu.
In one of the illustrative embodiments of the invention disclosed, a hollow roller (21) is rotatably and axially slidably carried on a rail (22) connected with a casing. In the other of the embodiments, a roller (31) is rotatably and axially slidably received in a recessed fitting (32). In either case, the pointing device of this invention is provided with noncontact means (23, 27; 33) such as photoelectric means for detecting the direction in, and the distance by, which the roller is axially moved and for detecting the direction in which the roller is rotated and the number of revolutions thereof.
The present invention provides a computer joystick with high accuracy and stability. The computer joystick comprises a housing, a control stick, two perpendicular sliding channels, two guiding plates, a sliding plate, and two optical encoders. The two guiding plates are horizontally installed in the two sliding channels. The sliding plate is horizontally installed at a bottom end of the control stick in a slidable manner and comprises a recess and two linear sliding holes. Each of the guiding plates comprises a protruding button installed in a corresponding linear sliding hole of the sliding plate. The two optical encoders are used for detecting displacements of the two guiding plates in the two sliding channels and generating corresponding displacement signals. When the control stick is horizontally rotated, it will actuate the sliding plate because the control stick is inserted into the recess of the sliding plate, and the two mutually perpendicular linear sliding holes of the sliding plate will concurrently drive the two guiding plates through the use of protruding buttons of the two guiding plates so that the two optical encoders can generate displacement signals corresponding to the displacement of the control stick.
A mouse is provided with a slider which is used to control the scrolling of an image on a computer screen. The slider is preferably movable in two opposing directions from a rest position with the direction and amount of movement of the slider controlling the direction and rate of image scrolling.
