Philips twin-eye laser sensor puts speed and agility into A4Tech’s high-performance gaming mouse

Royal Philips Electronics (AEX: PHI, NYSE: PHG) Eindhoven, The Netherlands – Philips Laser Sensors today announced that its revolutionary twin-eye laser sensor technology has been chosen by leading computer peripherals manufacturer A4Tech to power A4Tech’s latest high-performance gaming mouse products.

Selected for its exceptional tracking, positional resolution, fast acceleration capability and ability to work on virtually any surface, the PLN2030 twin-eye laser sensor at the center of A4Tech’s latest gaming mouse products will give avid gamers a whole new level of precision when controlling slow and fast-moving game action. A4Tech’s new twin-eye based gaming mouse products can be seen in action at this year’s CeBIT exhibition (Hannover, Germany, 15 - 21 March 2007).

“Our goal is to give gamers the ultimate action-packed experience,” said A4Tech President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Cheng. “Twin-eye laser technology from Philips simply proved the most practical and cost-effective way of achieving the extremely high performance that we required.”

The PLN2030, which is the latest addition to Philips Laser Sensors’ twin-eye laser portfolio, delivers positional resolutions as high as 3200 counts per inch, independently programmable in both the X and Y direction, and can track accelerations up to 50g. Like all other sensors in the twin-eye laser range, it also features low power consumption and fully integrated laser eye-protection.

“Building on the success of our previous laser sensors, the new generation PLN2030, with its very high speed and accuracy, has been extremely well received by manufacturers of high-end, high-performance computer products for applications such as gaming, graphics and CAD,” said Ralph Gudde, Director Marketing & Sales at Philips Laser Sensors. “In common with our other twin-eye laser sensors, its small-footprint system-in-package construction and easy design-in have proved to be a real winner.”

Twin-eye laser sensors

Philips twin-eye laser technology exploits a phenomenon known as laser self-mixing, in which laser light reflected from the target surface re-enters the illuminating laser where it optically interferes with the emitted laser light. Compared to other optical sensors like LED and CCD based devices, twin-eye laser sensors achieve greater positional resolution and consume less power. In addition, they work on virtually all surfaces, achieving positional resolutions similar to far more expensive laser Doppler interferometers.

Produced as highly integrated System-in-Package (SiP) solutions that incorporate all the required optics, electronics and analog and digital signal processing, twin-eye laser sensors meet the requirements needed for use in professional test and measurement equipment and consumer products such as computer mice, identification devices, printers and mobile phones. Their low power consumption and very small form factor make them ideal for use in cordless and highly compact products such as slot-storable mice for notebook computers.

With the addition of the PLN2030, the twin-eye laser range now includes solutions for both high-end and mainstream computer products.