POINTING DEVICE HAVING IMPROVED AUTOMATIC GAIN CONTROL AND INFORMATION REPORTING

摘要

An improved optical pointing device (40') utilizing a moveable unit (100) having a voltage-to-frequency converter (VFC) (61). The VFC emits pulses with separation proportional to the angular rotative and/or translational position of the moveable unit (100) which pulses are applied to an LED (57') of the moveable unit (100). A microcomputer (5') in a base unit (41) measures separation of the pulses received by a photodetector (43') to determine the components of the angular rotative and/or translational position of the moveable unit (100). In accordance with another aspect, automatic gain control circuitry (60) is located in the moveable unit (100), thereby eliminating the need for two-way communication to achieve consistency of operation in a prescribed space.