Optical mouse and method for removing contaminants in an optical mouse
View Patent ↗Optical device and a method for cleaning an optical surface on an optical device. An optical device has a device body and at least one optical surface on the device body. At least one access port on the device body is at a location on the device body laterally spaced from the at least one optical surface. At least one guide channel extends through the device body from the at least one access port toward the at least one optical surface for guiding a cleaning fluid injected into the device body through the at least one access port through the device body to the at least one optical surface to clean the at least one optical surface. The optical device can be an optical pointing device such as an optical computer mouse, or another device having an optical surface to be cleaned.
1. An optical device, comprising:
a device body;
at least one optical surface on the device body;
at least one access port on the device body at a location on the device body laterally spaced from the at least one optical surface; and
at least one guide channel in the device body extending from the at least one access port toward the at least one optical surface for guiding a cleaning fluid injected into the device body through the at least one access port through the device body to the at least one optical surface to clean the at least one optical surface.
2. The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one guide channel guides the cleaning fluid substantially transversely across the at least one optical surface.
3. The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the at least one guide channel includes channel narrowing structure for narrowing a portion of the guide channel for increasing a velocity of the cleaning fluid guided through the guide channel.
4. The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one access port comprises a plurality of access ports at different locations on the device body laterally spaced from the at least one optical surface, and wherein the at least one guide channel comprises a plurality of guide channels, each extending from one of the plurality of access ports to at least one of the at least one optical surface.
5. The optical device according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of guide channels guide cleaning fluid from the plurality of access ports to at least one of the at least one optical surface from different directions.
6. The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one optical surface comprises at least one lens surface.
7. The optical device according to claim 6 , wherein the optical device comprises an optical pointing device.
8. The optical device according to claim 7 , wherein the optical pointing device comprises an optical computer mouse.
9. The optical device according to claim 8 , wherein the at least one optical surface comprises at least one of an illuminating lens and an imaging lens.
10. The optical device according to claim 1 , and further including a seal for normally closing each at least one access port.
11. The optical device according to claim 8 , wherein the optical computer mouse further includes a light path opening in a bottom surface of the device body, and wherein at least one of the at least one access port is in the bottom surface of the optical computer mouse at a location laterally spaced from the light path opening.
12. A method for cleaning an optical surface on an optical device, comprising:
injecting a cleaning fluid into the device at at least one location on the device that is laterally spaced from at least one optical surface; and
guiding the cleaning fluid through the optical device from the at least one location to the at least one optical surface to clean the at least one optical surface.
13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein guiding the cleaning fluid through the optical device from the at least one location to the at least one optical surface to clean the at least one optical surface comprises:
guiding the cleaning fluid through the optical device from the at least one location to the at least one optical surface in a direction substantially transverse to the at least one optical surface.
14. The method according to claim 12 , wherein injecting a cleaning fluid into the optical device at at least one location on the device that is laterally spaced from the at least one optical surface comprises:
injecting 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane into the optical device.
15. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the optical device comprises an optical computer mouse, and wherein guiding the cleaning fluid through the optical device from the at least one location to the at least one optical surface to clean the at least one optical surface comprises:
guiding the cleaning fluid substantially transversely across at least one lens surface on the optical mouse to clean the at least one lens surface.
16. An optical computer mouse, comprising:
a mouse body;
at least one optical surface on the mouse body;
at least one access port in the mouse body at a location on the mouse body laterally spaced from the at least one optical surface; and
at least one guide channel in the mouse body for guiding a cleaning fluid injected into the mouse body through the at least one access port through the mouse body to the at least one optical surface to clean the at least one optical surface.
17. The optical computer mouse according to claim 16 , wherein the at least one optical surface comprises at least one lens surface.
18. The optical computer mouse according to claim 16 , wherein the at least one lens surface comprises at least one of an illuminating lens and an imaging lens.
19. The optical computer mouse according to claim 16 , wherein the at least one guide channel includes a narrowed portion for increasing the velocity of the cleaning fluid guided through the guide channel.
20. The optical computer mouse according to claim 16 , wherein the optical computer mouse further includes a light path opening in a bottom surface of the device body, and wherein at least one of the at least one access port is in the bottom surface of the optical computer mouse at a location laterally spaced from the light path opening.
21. A system for cleaning an optical surface on an optical device, comprising: an optical device, comprising:
a device body;
at least one optical surface on the device body;
at least one access port in the device at a location on the device body laterally spaced from the at least one optical surface; and
at least one guide channel in the device body extending from the at least one access port toward the at least one optical surface for guiding a cleaning fluid injected into the device body through the at least one access port through the device body to the at least one optical surface to clean the at least one optical surface; and
a container of cleaning fluid for injecting cleaning fluid into the at least one guide channel through the at least one access port.
22. The system according to claim 21 , wherein the container of cleaning fluid comprises 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane.