Gesture detection device for detecting hovering and click

• US 10,296,111 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2017
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Inventors: Yang, Shu-Sian, Cheng, Han-Ping
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosario, Nelson M
• Application Number:
  US15/828,620
• Publication Number:
  US 20180081459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 536 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• 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 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

There is provided a gesture detection device including two linear image sensor arrays and a processing unit. The processing unit is configured to compare sizes of pointer images in the image frames captured by the two linear image sensor arrays in the same period or different periods so as to identify a click event.

Claims

1. A gesture detection device, comprising:

a detection surface having a normal direction;

an infrared light source configured to emit light and turn off, alternatively;

a first image sensor disposed on the detection surface, the first image sensor configured to capture a first bright image at a first time when the infrared light source is emitting light and capture, along a direction deviating a predetermined angle from the normal direction, a first dark image at a second time when the same infrared light source is being turned off; and

a second image sensor disposed on the detection surface, offset by a predetermined distance from the first image sensor along a Z-axis, the second image sensor configured to capture a second bright image at the first time when the same infrared light source is emitting light and capture, along a direction deviating a negative predetermined angle from the normal direction, a second dark image at the second time when the same infrared light source is being turned off,

wherein the detection surface has two opposite long edges along an X-axis and two opposite short edges along the Z-axis, and the first image sensor and the second image sensor are distanced by a distance along the X-axis.

2. The gesture detection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first image sensor and the second image sensor comprise a linear image sensor array.

3. The gesture detection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a width of the first image sensor and the second image sensor includes 1 to 6 pixels.

4. The gesture detection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the first image sensor has a sensing surface, which rotates with respect to the detection surface by the predetermined angle, and

the second image sensor has a sensing surface, which rotates with respect to the detection surface by the negative predetermined angle.

5. The gesture detection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined angle is between 30 to 60 degrees.

6. The gesture detection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the infrared light source is arranged between the first image sensor and the second image sensor in the X-axis.

7. The gesture detection device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the infrared light source is arranged parallel to one of the first image sensor and the second image sensor in the X-axis.

8. A gesture detection device, comprising:

a detection surface having a normal direction;

an infrared light source configured to emit light and turn off, alternatively;

a first image sensor disposed on the detection surface, the first image sensor configured to capture first bright images when the infrared light source is emitting light and capture first dark images, along a direction deviating a predetermined angle from the normal direction, when the same infrared light source is being turned off; and

a second image sensor disposed on the detection surface parallel to the first image sensor in an X-axis, the second image sensor configured to capture second bright images when the same infrared light source is emitting light and capture, along a direction deviating a negative predetermined angle from the normal direction, second dark images when the same infrared light source is being turned off,

wherein the detection surface has two opposite long edges along the X-axis and two opposite short edges along a Z-axis, and the first image sensor and the second image sensor are distanced by a distance along the X-axis.

9. The gesture detection device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first image sensor and the second image sensor comprise a linear image sensor array.

10. The gesture detection device as claimed in claim 8, wherein a width of the first image sensor and the second image sensor includes 1 to 6 pixels.

11. The gesture detection device as claimed in claim 8, wherein

the first image sensor has a sensing surface, which rotates with respect to the detection surface by the predetermined angle, and

the second image sensor has a sensing surface, which rotates with respect to the detection surface by the negative predetermined angle.

12. The gesture detection device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the predetermined angle is between 30 to 60 degrees.

13. The gesture detection device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the infrared light source is arranged between the first image sensor and the second image sensor in the X-axis.

14. The gesture detection device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the infrared light source is arranged not to parallel to the first image sensor and the second image sensor in the X-axis.

15. A gesture detection device, comprising:

a detection surface having a normal direction;

an infrared light source configured to emit light and turn off, alternatively;

a first image sensor disposed on the detection surface, the first image sensor configured to capture a first bright image at a first time when the infrared light source is emitting light and capture, along a direction deviating a predetermined angle from the normal direction, a first dark image at a second time when the same infrared light source is being turned off;

a second image sensor disposed on the detection surface parallel to the first image sensor in an X-axis, the second image sensor configured to capture a second bright image at the first time when the same infrared light source is emitting light and capture, along a direction deviating a negative predetermined angle from the normal direction, a second dark image at the second time when the same infrared light source is being turned off; and

a third image sensor disposed on the detection surface, offset by a predetermined distance from the first image sensor and the second image sensor along a Z-axis, the third image sensor configured to capture a third bright image at the first time when the same infrared light source is emitting light and capture, along the normal direction, a third dark image at the second time when the same infrared light source is being turned off,

wherein the detection surface has two opposite long edges along the X-axis and two opposite short edges along the Z-axis, and the first image sensor and the second image sensor are distanced by a distance along the X-axis.

16. The gesture detection device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the first image sensor, the second image sensor and the third image sensor comprise a linear image sensor array.

17. The gesture detection device as claimed in claim 15, wherein a width of the first image sensor, the second image sensor and the third image sensor includes 1 to 6 pixels.

18. The gesture detection device as claimed in claim 15, wherein

the first image sensor has a sensing surface, which rotates with respect to the detection surface by the predetermined angle, and

the second image sensor has a sensing surface, which rotates with respect to the detection surface by the negative predetermined angle.

19. The gesture detection device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the predetermined angle is between 30 to 60 degrees.

20. The gesture detection device as claimed in claim 15, wherein

the infrared light source is arranged between the first image sensor and the second image sensor in the X-axis.

21. The gesture detection device as claimed in claim 20, wherein the infrared light source is arranged not to parallel to the first image sensor and the second image sensor in the X-axis.