Mobile device with on-screen optical navigation
View Patent ↗A mobile computing device, including a main body, a processor and associated memory housed within the main body, a display screen housed within the main body and responsive to signals from the processor, an optical sensor fixed to the main body for capturing successive images and providing image signals representative of the captured images to the processor, and a navigation module associated with the processor for determining, based on the image signals, a relative movement between the main body and a reference surface and moving a pointer on the display screen based on the determined relative movement.
1. A mobile device, comprising:
display means for displaying a pointer;
camera means for capturing successive images and providing image signals representative of the captured images;
a casing having a front face and a back face, and wherein the display means is mounted in the front face and the camera means is mounted in the back face; and
navigation means for receiving the image signals and determining, based on the image signals, a relative movement between the casing and a reference surface and moving the pointer on the display means based on the determined relative movement.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein the navigation means includes means for converting the image signals to lower resolution image signals and determining the relative movement based on the lower resolution image signals.
3. The device of claim 2 wherein the camera means includes means for capturing high resolution color image signals and the means for converting includes means for converting the high resolution color image signals to lower resolution grey scale image signals.
4. The device of claim 1 wherein the navigation means includes means for comparing the successive images captured by the camera means at a predetermined capture rate to determine a relative direction, distance and speed of movement of the casing relative to the reference surface, and means for moving the pointer on the display screen based on the determined relative direction, distance and speed.
5. The device of claim 1 wherein the device further includes an imaging means executable by the processor for displaying the captured images on the display means, the imaging means and the navigation means being selectively operable to cause the captured images to be displayed on the display means in a camera mode of the device and the pointer to be moved on-screen based on the captured images in a navigation mode.
6. The device of claim 5 further comprising a select mode means for selecting between the camera mode and the navigation mode.
7. The device of claim 6 wherein said select mode means receives said captured images and determines, based upon said captured images, whether said optical sensor is within a threshold distance from the reference surface, and wherein said select mode means includes means for automatically selecting between said navigation mode and said camera mode based upon said determination.