Information technology device input systems and associated methods

• US 10,185,406 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 01/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnivision Technologies Incorporated (Will Semiconductor Co., Ltd. Shanghai)
• Original Assignee: Omnivision Technologies Incorporated (Will Semiconductor Co., Ltd. Shanghai)
• Inventors: Li, Jin, Shan, Jizhang
• Primary Examiner(s): Ketema, Benyam
• Application Number:
  US13/830,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20140267033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,140 Days
• Field of Search: 345156, 345158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors

Abstract

A method for generating a control signal to control an information technology device includes the following steps: (1) capturing, using an image sensor, a current control image of a light source of a remote controller positioned within a field of view of the image sensor; (2) identifying, within the current control image, a current location of light emitted from the light source; (3) determining movement between (a) the current location of the light emitted from the light source and (b) a previous location of the light emitted from the light source determined from a previously captured image; (4) generating a movement control signal based upon the movement; and (5) sending the movement control signal to the information technology device. The method is executed, for example, by a movement control module of an information technology device input system.

Claims

1. A method for generating a control signal to control an information technology device, comprising:

periodically capturing, using an image sensor, control images of a light source of a remote controller positioned within a field of view of the image sensor;

identifying, within a previous control image, a previous location of light emitted from the light source;

identifying, within a current control image, a current location of light emitted from the light source;

storing the previous location and the current location in a memory such that the previous location and the current location are simultaneously retained in the memory;

determining a vector representing movement between (a) the current location and (b) the previous location;

generating a movement control signal including at least a magnitude and a direction, based upon the vector representing movement;

sending the movement control signal to the information technology device;

detecting, within the current control image, a current intensity of the light emitted from the light source;

determining a change in intensity of the light emitted from the light source between (a) the current intensity of the light emitted from the light source and (b) a previous intensity of the light emitted from the light source; and

generating a function control signal to control the information technology device based at least partially on the change in intensity of the light emitted from the light source.

2. A method for generating a control signal to control an information technology device, comprising:

periodically capturing, using an image sensor, control images of a light source of a remote controller positioned within a field of view of the image sensor;

identifying, within a previous control image, a previous location of light emitted from the light source;

identifying, within a current control image, a current location of light emitted from the light source;

storing the previous location and the current location in a memory such that the previous location and the current location are simultaneously retained in the memory;

determining a vector representing movement between (a) the current location and (b) the previous location;

generating a movement control signal including at least a magnitude and a direction, based upon the vector representing movement

sending the movement control signal to the information technology device;

detecting, within the current control image, a current intensity of the light emitted from the light source;

determining a change in intensity of the light emitted from the light source between (a) the current intensity of the light emitted from the light source and (b) a previous intensity of the light emitted from the light source; and

generating a function control signal to control the information technology device based at least partially on the change in intensity of the light emitted from the light source; and

detecting, within the previous control image, the previous intensity of the light emitted from the light source.

3. An information technology device input system comprising:

a remote controller including a light source that includes an infrared light source;

a processor;

an image sensor for periodically capturing control images of a field of view including the light source, the image sensor including an infrared detector;

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor for storing (i) a previous location, within a previous control image, of light emitted from the light source, and (ii) a current location, within a current control image, of light emitted from the light source, such that the previous location and the current location are simultaneously retained in the memory;

a movement control module, including machine readable instructions stored in the memory, that when executed by the processor, perform the functions of;

identifying the current location,

determining a vector representing movement between (a) the current location and (b) the previous location,

generating a movement control signal including at least a magnitude and a direction, based upon the vector representing movement, and

sending the movement control signal to the information technology device;

a controller configured with the remote controller to encode a state of an input button of the remote controller by varying the intensity of light emitted from the light source; and

a function control module, including machine readable instructions stored in the memory, that when executed by the processor, perform the functions of;

detecting, within the current control image, a current intensity of the light emitted from the light source,

determining a change in intensity of the light emitted from the light source between (a) the current intensity of the light emitted from the light source and (b) a previous intensity of the light emitted from the light source,

generating a function control signal to control the information technology device based at least partially on the change in intensity of the light emitted from the light source.