HALIOS® Optical 3D Input Device
One of the most innovative applications of the HALIOS® principle is the realization of the Optical 3D Input Device. This optical input system is able to recognize movements of objects in all three dimensions, whereas the sensor is not bigger than a 1 Eurocent coin.
The functioning of the Optical 3D Input Device is as simple as it is intuitive: a finger operates the curser by simply rolling or bending on a translucent surface.
By moving the finger away from the surface within a range of three centimeters, the system is able to perform a further operating option, namely to zoom in and out of a small display.
Furthermore the system is able to perform a switch function, which is activated via a tap on the sensitive area.
The complete sensor system consists of five common LEDs and one photodiode. These are situated behind a closed surface.
This reduces production costs considerably and makes the system insensitive to mechanical interferences. The distance between the sensor system and the surface can be chosen freely within a certain scope.
Due to its minimal power consumption the usage of the sensor in battery driven portable devices is possible without any problems (mobile/cell phones, PDAs, game pads, etc.).
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