Agilent's New Optical Mouse Sensor

Whether or not you care what's in your mouse's innards, you do care how well it works and its functionality is directly related to its components. Agilent Technologies thinks its new optical mouse sensor can build a better mouse by giving it smoother, faster, and more precise navigation over a wider variety of surfaces. Agilent says its ADNS-2051 optical mouse sensor scans at nearly twice the resolution rate of current sensors, which could help you get to your clicking destination more easily. The Agilent ADNS-2051 sensor contains an image acquisition system (IAS), a digital signal processor (DSP), a two-channel quadrature output, and a two-wire serial port. The ADNS-2051 is designed to be used with the Agilent HDNS-2100 Lens and HDNS-2200 Clip with HLMP-ED80 light emitting diode (LED). If you've ever wondered how an optical mouse works, slight or rapid movement of the mouse triggers the sensor's IAS to grab microscopic surface images via the lens and illumination system. The images are processed by the DSP to determine the direction and distance of motion. The DSP generates position values that are converted into two-channel quadrature signals. The computer then accesses the motion information either through the quadrature output or two-wire serial port, directing the position of the on-screen cursor. The Agilent ADNS-2051 sensor is programmable to give mouse builders 400 or 800 CPI resolution, a motion rate of 14 inches per second, and frame rates up to 2,300 frames per second. It operates on a single 5 V power supply and has an on-chip LED drive and power conservation mode that kicks in when the mouse is at rest. The Agilent ADNS-2051 optical navigation sensor is available now and is priced at less than $5 in high-volume quantities. It's delivered in a 16-pin staggered DIP (dual inline package). The combination of the HDNS-2100 lens and HDNS-2200 clip with the HLMP-ED80 LED is priced at $0.56 in high-volume quantities. Even our mice are getting faster.