Investigations into the effects of illumination and acceleration on optical mouse sensors as contact-free 2D measurement devices

Since its introduction in 2000, there has been much interest in the use of optical mouse technology for displacement sensing and motion tracking. A conventional optical mouse configuration uses a single source of illumination but tests have shown that this can result in differences in sensor sensitivity in the x- and y-axes. This paper presents an investigation into the use of an optical mouse sensor for a two-dimensional, contact-free measurement device. It has been found that two-axis illumination can improve the accuracy of position measurement in two dimensions when compared with single-axis illumination. The effects of acceleration and deceleration on sensor accuracy have also been considered and it has been shown that sensor sensitivity is higher under conditions of acceleration than when decelerating.