Optical Computer Mice
Computer mice have made steady advances and optical technology within the mouse is a fairly recent one that does away with the use of the base ball. Whilst there are variations in the way this technology works between manufacturers the principle remains the same.
The main partof the optical mouse is the light or optical "eye". Microsoft were the first, naming theirs the Intellieye. The eye is a single LED (Light Emitting Diode) which scans under the mouse bouncing light off the desk or mat surface taking small pictures as it moves. Scanning speeds have increased with the latest models.
The DSP (digital signal processor) receives the images taken from the scanning and analyses the differences. From these fine differences it can determine how far the mouse has moved and at what speed. Coordinates are then sent to the computer which moves the cursor on the screen. The DSP can analyse at a very high speed.
