Classification of types of computer mice. Choosing a computer mouse. As easy as pie

In this article we will look at ball mice. A computer mouse is one of the most important parts, thanks to which a person comes into direct contact with the computer itself. That is why it is very important that this contact with the computer is convenient for a person.

Today, the simplest in design and already quite rare mice are ball mice. Their technology is very simple and very old: the ball rotates on the surface and spins two more rollers behind it - vertical and horizontal; on these rollers there are disks with slots, thanks to which the LED is interrupted. This type of mouse has only one plus - it’s not very expensive. Previously, they were convenient because with enough fast movement There were no various “glitches”, but now any AMD mice do not encounter a similar problem.

The mouse is a device that helps people work with a computer successfully, conveniently and quickly, despite the fact that the mouse as a manipulator is already surviving last years, the need for it still remains high level. Modern people it is still difficult to work without computer manipulator. Even those who are this moment When they purchase laptops and touchpads, they soon begin to understand that working without a mouse is not so convenient and not so pleasant. It, of course, creates unnecessary fuss, but everyone has long been accustomed to it. The full-fledged creator and developer of the computer mouse is Douglas Engelbart.

At this point, the mouse has existed as a computer user's third hand for more than forty years. Engineer Douglas Engelbart presented the very first mouse back in 1968 on December 9 at a demonstration of an interactive computer technology. The name “mouse” itself appeared only three years after the appearance of this device, due to the fact that the wire coming out of the structure looked like a mouse’s tail. In the nineties, a rubber-coated steel ball was the main motor element of a computer mouse. Unfortunately or fortunately, these mice have already been replaced by optical manipulators in our time, and the ball mouse is considered an outdated model. The rubber-coated steel ball in the ball mouse slid across the surface and thus created movement.

Kinds computer mice. Which ones computer mice No. Such diversity can even make your head spin. But just recently there was practically no choice. It would seem, what else can you come up with? But it turns out it is possible. Each company that produces these small and so necessary “animals” finds more and more new designs and functions for them.

Which There are types of computer mice?

There are just not that many species. Here they are:

• Mechanical or ball (almost no longer used);
• Optical;
• Laser;
• Trackball mice.
• Induction;
• Gyroscopic.

Read other articles on computer mice:

Mechanical or ball mice can only be found among collectors. Although just seven years ago it was the only species. It was not very comfortable to work with it, but not having any other types, we thought it was a super mouse.

She was a bit heavy in weight and didn’t want to work without a mat. And her positioning left much to be desired. This was especially noticeable in graphics programs and games. And I had to clean it very often. What didn't fit under this ball? And if there were still animals living at home, then this process was repeated at least once a week.

I always had tweezers near my computer, because... my furry friends always tried to sleep near the computer, and their fluff clung to the rug, making it shaggy. Now I no longer have such a problem. The ball-shaped “rodent” was replaced by a more modern mouse – an optical one.

Optical led mouse - it works on a different principle. It uses an LED and a sensor. It already works like a small camera that scans the surface of the table with its LED and photographs it. An optical mouse can take about a thousand such photos per second, and some types even more.

The data from these images is processed by a special microprocessor and sends a signal to the computer. The advantages of such a mouse are obvious. It doesn't require a mat, is very light in weight and can easily scan almost any surface.

Optical laser mouse - very similar to optical, but its operating principle differs in that instead of a camera with an LED, a laser is already used. That’s why it’s called laser.

This is a more advanced model optical mouse. It requires much less energy. The accuracy of reading data from the working surface is much higher than that of an optical mouse. It can even work on glass and mirror surfaces.

Trackball mouse – a device that uses a convex ball (trackball). The trackball is an inverted ball mouse. The ball is on top or side. It can be rotated with your palm or fingers, and the device itself remains in place. The ball causes a pair of rollers to rotate. New trackballs use optical motion sensors.

Induction mice – use a special mat that works on the principle graphics tablet.

Gyroscopic mice – using a gyroscope, it recognizes movement not only on the surface, but also in space. You can take it from the table and control the movement of the brush in the air.

These types of computer mice still exist in our markets.

Nowadays there is a very wide variety of such devices. Some designs deserve special attention. And I will describe them. Follow site updates.

Hello, dear readers of the blog site. Computer mice or mice, as they are called differently, exist great amount. According to their functional purpose, they can be divided into classes: some are intended for games, others are for regular work, the third - for drawing in graphic editors. In this article I will try to talk about the types and design of computer mice.

But first, I propose to go back a few decades, just at the time when this complex device was invented. First computer mouse appeared back in 1968, and was invented by an American scientist named Douglas Engelbart. The mouse was developed by the American Space Research Agency (NASA), which gave a patent for the invention to Douglas, but at one point lost all interest in the development. Why - read on.

The world's first mouse was a heavy wooden box with a wire, which, in addition to its weight, was also extremely inconvenient to use. For obvious reasons, they decided to call it “mouse”, and a little later they artificially came up with a decoding of this abbreviation. Yeah, now mouse is nothing more than a "Manually Operated User Signal Encoder", that is, a device with which the user can manually encode a signal.

Without exception, all computer mice include a number of components: a housing, printed circuit board with contacts, microphones (buttons), scroll wheel(s) - all of them are present in one form or another in any modern mouse. But you are probably tormented by the question - what then distinguishes them from each other (besides the fact that there are gaming, non-gaming, office, etc.), why they came up with so many different types, take a look for yourself:

1. Mechanical
2. Optical
3. Laser
4. Trackball mice
5. Induction
6. Gyroscopic

The fact is that each of the above types of computer mice appeared in different time and uses different laws of physics. Accordingly, each of them has its own disadvantages and advantages, which will certainly be discussed further in the text. It should be noted that only the first three types will be considered in more detail, the rest - not in so much detail, due to the fact that they are less popular.

Mechanical mice

Mechanical mice are traditional ball models, relatively big size, requiring constant cleaning of the ball for efficient work. Dirt and small particles may become trapped between the rotating ball and the housing and will need to be cleaned. It won't work without a mat. About 15 years ago it was the only one in the world. I will write about it in the past tense, because it is already a rarity.

At the bottom of the mechanical mouse there was a hole that was covered by a rotating plastic ring. Beneath it was a heavy ball. This ball was made of metal and covered with rubber. Under the ball there were two plastic rollers and a roller, which pressed the ball against the rollers. When the mouse moved, the ball rotated the roller. Up or down - one roller rotated, right or left - the other. Since gravity played a crucial role in such models, such a device did not work in zero gravity, so NASA abandoned it.

If the movement was complex, both rollers rotated. At the end of each plastic roller an impeller was installed, like on a mill, only many times smaller. On one side of the impeller there was a light source (LED), on the other there was a photocell. When you move the mouse, the impeller rotates, the photocell reads the number of light pulses that hit it, and then transmits this information to the computer.

Since the impeller had many blades, the movement of the pointer on the screen was perceived as smooth. Optical-mechanical mice (they are simply “mechanical”) suffered from great inconvenience; the fact is that they periodically had to be disassembled and cleaned. During operation, the ball dragged all sorts of debris inside the case; often the rubber surface of the ball became so dirty that the movement rollers simply slipped and the mouse malfunctioned.

For the same reason, such a mouse simply needed a mouse pad. correct operation, otherwise the ball would slip and become dirty faster.

Optical and laser mice

There is no need to disassemble or clean anything in optical mice., since they do not have a rotating ball, they work on a different principle. IN optical mouse an LED sensor is used. Such a mouse works like a small camera that scans the surface of the table and “photographs” it; the camera manages to take about a thousand such photos per second, and some models even more.

The data from these images is processed by a special microprocessor on the mouse itself and sends a signal to the computer. The advantages are obvious - such a mouse does not need a mouse pad, it is light in weight and can scan almost any surface. Almost? Yes, everything except glass and mirror surfaces, as well as velvet (velvet absorbs light very strongly).

A laser mouse is very similar to an optical mouse, but its operating principle differs in that Laser is used instead of LED. This is a more advanced model of an optical mouse; it requires much less energy to operate, and the accuracy of reading data from the working surface is much higher than that of an optical mouse. It can even work on glass and mirror surfaces.

In fact, a laser mouse is a type of optical mouse, since in both cases an LED is used, it’s just that in the second case it emits invisible spectrum.

So, the operating principle of an optical mouse differs from that of a ball mouse. .

The process begins with a laser or optical (in the case of an optical mouse) diode. The diode emits invisible light, the lens focuses it to a point equal in thickness to a human hair, the beam is reflected from the surface, then the sensor catches this light. The sensor is so precise that it can detect even small surface irregularities.

The secret is that precisely the unevenness allow the mouse to notice even the slightest movements. The pictures taken by the camera are compared, the microprocessor compares each subsequent picture with the previous one. If the mouse moves, the difference between the pictures will be noted.

By analyzing these differences, the mouse determines the direction and speed of any movement. If the difference between the pictures is significant, the cursor moves quickly. But even when stationary, the mouse continues to take pictures.

Trackball mice

Trackball mouse is a device that uses a convex ball - "Trackball". The trackball device is very similar to the device mechanical mouse, only the ball in it is on top or on the side. The ball can be rotated, but the device itself remains in place. The ball causes a pair of rollers to rotate. New trackballs use optical motion sensors.

Not everyone may need a device called “Trackball”; in addition, its cost cannot be called low; it seems that the minimum starts from 1,400 rubles.

Induction mice

Induction models use a special mat that works like a graphics tablet. Induction mice have good accuracy and do not need to be oriented correctly. An induction mouse can be wireless or inductively powered, in which case it does not require a battery like a regular wireless mouse.

I have no idea who might need such devices, which are expensive and difficult to find on the open market. And why, who knows? Maybe there are some advantages compared to ordinary "rodents"?

Gyroscopic mice

Well, we have quietly approached the final type of computer mice- gyroscopic mice. Gyroscopic mice use a gyroscope to recognize movement not only on the surface, but also in space. You can take it from the table and control the movements with your hand. The gyroscopic mouse can be used as a pointer big screen. However, if you put it on the table, it will work like a regular optical one.

But this type of mouse can really be useful and popular in certain situations. For example, at some presentation it will be very useful.

And finally: For normal operation With a mouse, it is very important that the surface on which it moves is level. Usually, special mats are used for this. An optical mouse is more demanding on the surface; you can use it without a mouse pad, but it will glitch on surfaces with potholes or glass. A laser mouse can work even on your knee or on a mirror.

I think this article helped you better understand the design of a computer mouse, as well as find out what types of computer mice there are.

Today the mouse is required device input for everyone modern computers. But just recently everything was different. Computers did not have graphical commands and data could only be entered using the keyboard. And when the very first one appeared, you will be surprised to see what kind of evolution this familiar object has gone through.

Who invented the first computer mouse?

Douglas Engelbart is considered the father of this device. He was one of those scientists who try to bring science even closer to ordinary people and make progress accessible to everyone. He invented the first computer mice in the early 1960s in his laboratory at Stanford Research Institute (now SRI International). The first prototype was created in 1964, and the patent application for this invention, filed in 1967, referred to it as an "XY Position Indicator for a Display System." But the official document number 3541541 was received only in 1970.

But is it really that simple?

It would seem that everyone knows who created the first computer mouse. But trackball technology was first used much earlier by the Canadian Navy. Back in 1952, the mouse was just a bowling ball attached to a complex hardware system that could sense the ball's movement and simulate its movements on the screen. But the world learned about it only years later - after all, it was a secret military invention that was never patented or attempted to be mass-produced. 11 years later it was already known, but D. Engelbart recognized it as ineffective. At that moment, he did not yet know how to connect his vision of the mouse and this device.

How did the idea come about?

The main ideas about the invention first occurred to D. Engelbart in 1961, when he was at a conference on computer graphics and pondered the problem of increasing the efficiency of interactive computing. It occurred to him that by using two small wheels that move on the tabletop (one wheel rotates horizontally, the other vertically), the computer can track the combination of their rotation and, accordingly, move the cursor on the display. To some extent, the principle of operation is similar to a planimeter - an instrument used by engineers and geographers to measure distances on a map or drawing, etc. The scientist then wrote down this idea in his notebook for future use.

Step into the Future

A little over a year later, D. Engelbart received a grant from the institute to launch his research initiative called "Enhancing the Human Mind." By this, he envisioned a system where knowledge workers, working on high-performance computer stations with interactive displays, had access to a vast online information space. With its help, they can collaborate to solve particularly important problems. But this system sorely lacked modern technology. After all, in order to comfortably interact with objects on the screen, you need to be able to quickly select them. NASA became interested in the project and provided a grant for the construction of a computer mouse. The first version of this device is similar to the modern one except in size. At the same time, the team of researchers came up with other devices that made it possible to control the cursor by pressing a pedal with your feet or moving a special clamp under the table with your knee. These inventions never caught on, but the joystick, invented at the same time, was later improved and is still in use today.

In 1965, D. Engelbart's team published the final report on their research and various methods selecting objects on the screen. There were even volunteers who took part in the testing. It went something like this: the program showed objects in different parts screen and volunteers tried to click on them as quickly as possible different devices. According to test results, the first computer mice were clearly superior to all other devices and were included as standard equipment for further research.

What did the first computer mouse look like?

It was made of wood and was the first input device that fit into the user's hand. Knowing the principle of its operation, you should no longer be surprised by what the first computer mouse looked like. Under the body there were two metal disks-wheels, diagram. There was only one button, and the wire went under the wrist of the person holding the device. The prototype was assembled by one of the members of D. Engelbart’s team, his assistant William (Bill) English. Initially, he worked in another laboratory, but soon joined a project to create input devices, developed and implemented the design of a new device.

By tilting and rocking the mouse, you could draw perfectly straight vertical and horizontal lines.

In 1967 the body became plastic.

Where did the name come from?

No one remembers for sure who was the first to call this device a mouse. It was tested by 5-6 people, it is possible that one of them voiced the similarities. Moreover, the world's first computer mouse had a tail wire on the back.

Further improvements

Of course, the prototypes were far from ideal.

In 1968, at a computer conference in San Francisco, D. Engelbart presented the first improved computer mice. They had three buttons; in addition to them, the keyboard was equipped with a device for the left hand.

The idea was this: the right hand works with the mouse, selecting and activating objects. And the left one conveniently calls the necessary commands using a small keyboard with five long keys like a piano. Then it became clear that the wire under the operator’s hand was getting tangled when using the device, and that it needed to be routed to the opposite side. Of course, the left-handed console did not catch on, but Douglas Engelbart used it on his computers until his last days.

Continuing to improve

At further stages of mouse development, other scientists entered the scene. The most interesting thing is that D. Engelbart never received royalties from his invention. Since he patented it as a specialist from the Stanford Institute, it was the institute that controlled the rights to the device.

So, in 1972, Bill English replaced the wheels with a trackball, which made it possible to detect mouse movement in any direction. Since he was then working at Xerox PARC, this new product became part of the Xerox Alto system, which was advanced by those standards. It was a minicomputer with graphical interface. Therefore, many people mistakenly believe that the first computer mice were invented by Xerox.

The next round of development occurred with the mouse in 1983, when the game came into play Apple company. The enterprising person calculated the cost of mass production of the device, which amounted to approximately $300. This was too expensive for the average consumer, so the decision was made to simplify the design of the mouse and replace the three buttons with one. The price dropped to $15. And although this decision is still considered controversial, Apple is in no hurry to change its iconic design.

The first computer mice were rectangular or square in shape; the anatomical round design appeared only in 1991. It was introduced by Logitech. In addition to its interesting shape, the new product was wireless: communication with the computer was provided using radio waves.

The first appeared in 1982. She needed a special mat with a printed mesh to work. And although the ball in the trackball quickly became dirty and caused inconvenience because it had to be cleaned regularly, the optical mouse was not commercially viable until 1998.

What's next?

As you already know, “tailed” devices with a trackball are practically not used anymore. Technologies and ergonomics of computer mice are constantly improving. And even today, when devices with touchscreens are becoming more and more popular, their sales are not falling.

A modern computer (which can be assembled) includes a mouse. Now it is difficult to imagine how without it it would be possible to easily and simply “communicate” with a computer. There are many mice - good and different. For every taste and color. size and weight...

The computer mouse was created by Douglas Engelbart in 1964, 6 years later he received a patent for this invention. On the computer screen, the mouse is displayed as an arrow; by moving it across the table, we control the movement of the arrow on the screen. This way you can select objects on your computer screen and work with them.

The market offers a large number of computer mice, they differ in shape, color and internal structure. How to choose the one that will be the most convenient?

Known today the following types mice: mechanical(ball), optical, trackball mice, laser, gyroscopic.

1. Ball mice- rarity. The technology of their work was simple. The ball, moving along the surface inside the mouse, rotated two rollers. The rotation of the horizontal roller was converted into a signal for moving the arrow on the screen horizontally, and the rotation of the vertical roller was a signal for moving vertically. Two signals, acting simultaneously, moved the arrow on the screen in the desired direction. Because of the ball, these mice were a little heavy, they did not work without a mousepad, and my hand got tired. Dust got inside the mouse, which caused bad work, I had to often take out the ball and clean the entire structure.

2.Optical LED mice work without balls. Inside these there is an LED and a sensor. The surface on which the mouse moves is scanned. The LED illuminates, and the camera sensor takes frames at a frequency of 1 kHz. The surface has uneven surfaces, so when moving, the pictures will turn out different. The built-in microcircuit analyzes the images, generates a movement signal and transmits it to the computer. No optical mouse pad needed, no cleaning required. The main advantage of an optical mouse is greater accuracy and a decent service life.

3. IN laser mouse Instead of an LED, a laser is used, the accuracy of operation is even higher than that of an LED mouse. The laser mouse will work on any surface, even smooth ones, such as glass. For a laser beam, any smooth surface will still not be ideal, that is, the frames of the surface when moving the mouse are different.

4. Trackball mice are used less frequently. This device looks like an upside down mouse. The difference from a ball mouse is that the trackball does not move, but the ball, which is located on the side of the device, is rotated with your finger. This design is used to work with graphic programs, with programs computer-aided design and others where it is necessary to control the movement of the cursor more accurately than a regular computer mouse can.

With or without wire

Depending on the type of connection, computer mice can be wired or wireless.
Wired mice can be connected by wire to the computer via two inputs: USB, PS/2. The second option is considered obsolete.

Connection types wireless mice: radio frequency, infrared, induction, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi. Wireless mice are most often used for laptops. Radio frequency and infrared types are considered yesterday. If it is an infrared mouse, then there should be no obstacles between it and the computer, otherwise the connection will be disrupted. Radio frequency communication between the mouse and the computer is carried out at a frequency of 27 MHz and 2.4 GHz. The difference in frequencies affects the range and price of the mouse.

Induction mice do not have a “tail”, but work on a pad-tablet, which is connected to the computer with a wire.

The most popular connection for wireless mice is Bluetooth. This connection is used for computers and laptops. This device is small in size, can be built-in or can be purchased. There is another type of communication - Wi-Fi.

Infrared and inductive coupling act on a short distance from the computer. All other types of communication make it easy to work within the room. We must remember that wireless mice They require autonomous power supplies for their operation.

The design, the number of buttons, the size of the mouse - everyone can choose it to their liking. Choosing a mouse based on your hand size should probably be put first. You spend a lot of time at the computer and your hand gets less tired if the computer mouse is comfortable and light. Incorrect choice the size of the mouse can lead to diseases of the hand and fingers.

There are mice with two buttons and a scroll wheel, and there may be two additional buttons. Special mice have been developed for gaming. When choosing a mouse, you should not choose multifunctionality, flashy appearance And low cost. Reliability and quality are guaranteed by proven brands Microsoft and Logitech. A little cheaper Genius mice, Mitsumi.