Agilent goes global with laser mouse license
Agilent Technologies has made its laser navigation sensor technology, which was previously available to Logitech exclusively, available to mouse manufacturers worldwide.
The company's LaserStream technology is claimed to enable the tracking of surfaces that cannot be "seen" by LED-based optical mice.
US-based Agilent is now offering three versions of its laser-based optical mouse sensors, which are also available in bundles that include a VCSEL, round or rectangular lens, and a VCSEL assembly chip.
The ADNS-6000 laser navigation sensor, which is used in Logitech's MX 1000 Cordless Laser Mouse, is said to be suitable for high-end mice. The sensor features 800 counts per inch (cpi) resolution and a maximum velocity of 20 inches per second (ips).
Agilent's two other laser navigation sensors, the ADNS-6010, with a 2,000 cpi resolution and a maximum velocity of 45 ips, and the ADNS-6030, are targeted at mice used in gaming applications and low-power cordless mice, respectively.
"We expect this revolutionary LaserStream technology to ultimately replace the LED-based mouse sensor in virtually every application," remarked Hgoh Kee Hane, VP of Agilent's Navigation Products Division.
The company says that a key component of its LaserStream technology is its 842 nm VCSEL, which maintains singlemode operation over a wide range of output powers.
Agilent, which launched its first LED-based navigation sensor in 1999, says that it has now shipped over 400 million optical mouse sensors.