US 12,282,616 B2
Multiple optical-sensor pointing device systems
Marco Vito Maria Laurenzano, Wilmington, DE (US)
Assigned to Contour Innovations LLC, Wilmington, DE (US)
Appl. No. 18/262,011
Filed by Contour Innovations LLC, Wilmington, DE (US)
PCT Filed Jan. 19, 2022, PCT No. PCT/US2022/012890
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 19, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/159434, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 28, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/139,105, filed on Jan. 19, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0319805 A1, Sep. 26, 2024
Int. Cl. G06F 3/0362 (2013.01)
CPC G06F 3/0362 (2013.01) 29 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A positioning device, comprising:
an elongate base member;
a sleeve disposed to fit over a portion of the elongate base member, the sleeve configured to rotate about the elongate base member in a first (Y) direction and slide about the elongate base member in a second (X) direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction; and
at least two optical sensors disposed along a surface of the elongate base member and positioned to detect a position reading of the sleeve from at least one of a rotational movement of the sleeve relative to the multiple optical sensors and an axial movement of the sleeve relative to the at least two optical sensors, based at least in part on a variation of at least one signal received by the at least one of the at least two optical sensors signals from an inner surface of the sleeve within a field of view of at least one sensor of the at least two optical sensors; and
wherein the position reading is based on a signal received by only one of the optical sensors.