Navagation device with fast frame rate upshift and operating method thereof

• US 10,331,244 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2017
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Inventors: Tan, Zi-Hao, Lim, Kevin Len-Li
• Primary Examiner(s): Haley, Joseph R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Frank, Emily J
• Application Number:
  US15/631,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20180373352A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/032 by measuring the displacement of a movable inertial mass
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0891 with indication of predetermined acceleration values G01P15/135 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0312 for tracking the rotation of a spherical or circular member, e.g. optical rotary encoders used in mice or trackballs using a tracking ball or in mouse scroll wheels tracking relative movement in co-operation with a regularly or irregularly patterned surface, e.g. as in optical mice G06F3/0317; constructional details of scroll or thumb-wheels G06F3/0362; optical rotary encoders G01D5/3473
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device

Abstract

A navigation device including an image sensor, a processor and a memory is provided. The memory stores a lookup table of a plurality of moving speeds each corresponding to one frame period. The image sensor captures image frames successively. The processor calculates a current speed according to a current image frame and a previous image frame, reads a frame period from the lookup table according to the calculated current speed, wherein the read frame period is multiplied by a ratio, which is smaller than 1, when an acceleration is confirmed by the processor according to the captured image frames.

Claims

1. A navigation device, configured to detect displacement with respect to a surface, the navigation device comprising:

a memory configured to store a predetermined relationship between a plurality of moving speeds and a plurality of frame periods;

an image sensor configured to successively capture a second previous image frame, a previous image frame and a current image frame; and

a processor electrically coupled to the memory and the image sensor, and configured to

calculate a previous displacement according to the second previous image frame and the previous image frame,

calculate a current displacement and a current speed according to the previous image frame and the current image frame,

read a frame period from the memory according to the calculated current speed,

determine a speed change according to the current displacement and the previous displacement,

set a next frame period as the read frame period when the speed change is smaller than an acceleration threshold, and

set the next frame period as the read frame period multiplied by an acceleration ratio, which is smaller than 1 and calculated according to the previous displacement and the current displacement, when the speed change is larger than the acceleration threshold, wherein

the previous displacement includes a first direction previous displacement and a second direction previous displacement,

the current displacement includes a first direction current displacement and a second direction current displacement,

the calculated current speed includes a first direction speed and a second direction speed, and the read frame period is determined according to a bigger one of the first direction speed and a second direction speed, and

the speed change is a larger absolute value of (i) a first direction difference between the first direction previous displacement and the first direction current displacement, and (ii) a second direction difference between the second direction previous displacement and the second direction current displacement.

2. The navigation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the first direction speed is calculated by dividing the first direction current displacement by a current frame period between the current image frame and the previous image frame;

and

the second direction speed is calculated by dividing the second direction current displacement by the current frame period.

3. The navigation device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the current frame period is another read frame period accessed from the memory or the another read frame period multiplied by another acceleration ratio.

4. The navigation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

when the first direction difference is larger than the second direction difference, the acceleration ratio is a smaller one of (i) the first direction current displacement divided by the first direction previous displacement, and (ii) the first direction previous displacement divided by the first direction current displacement;

and

when the second direction difference is larger than the first direction difference, the acceleration ratio is a smaller one of (i) the second direction current displacement divided by the second direction previous displacement, and (ii) the second direction previous displacement divided by the second direction current displacement.

5. The navigation device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a register electrically coupled to the processor and configured to store a flag indicating whether the speed change is smaller or larger than the acceleration threshold.

6. The navigation device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a light source configured to illuminate the surface, wherein the processor is further configured to adjust an emission period of the light source corresponding to the next frame period.

7. An operating method of a navigation device, the navigation device comprising a memory, an image sensor and a processor electrically coupled to the memory and the image sensor, the operating method comprising:

successively capturing, by the image sensor, a second previous image frame, a previous image frame and a current image frame;

calculating, by the processor, a previous displacement according to the second previous image frame and the previous image frame;

calculating, by the processor, a current displacement and a current speed according to the previous image frame and the current image frame;

reading a frame period from the memory according to the calculated current speed;

determining, by the processor, a speed change according to the current displacement and the previous displacement;

setting a next frame period as the read frame period when the speed change is smaller than an acceleration threshold; and

setting the next frame period as the read frame period multiplied by an acceleration ratio, which is calculated according to the previous displacement and the current displacement, when the speed change is larger than the acceleration threshold, wherein

the previous displacement includes a first direction previous displacement and a second direction previous displacement,

the current displacement includes a first direction current displacement and a second direction current displacement,

the calculated current speed includes a first direction speed and a second direction speed, and the read frame period is determined according to a bigger one of the first direction speed and a second direction speed, and

the speed change is a larger absolute value of (i) a first direction difference between the first direction previous displacement and the first direction current displacement, and (ii) a second direction difference between the second direction previous displacement and the second direction current displacement.

8. The operating method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising:

calculating the first direction speed by dividing the first direction current displacement by a current frame period between the current image frame and the previous image frame; and

calculating the second direction speed by dividing the second direction current displacement by the current frame period.

9. The operating method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the current frame period is another read frame period accessed from the memory or the another read frame period multiplied by another acceleration ratio.

10. The operating method as claimed in claim 7, wherein

when the first direction difference is larger than the second direction difference, the acceleration ratio is a smaller one of (i) the first direction current displacement divided by the first direction previous displacement, and (ii) the first direction previous displacement divided by the first direction current displacement;

and

when the second direction difference is larger than the first direction difference, the acceleration ratio is a smaller one of (i) the second direction current displacement divided by the second direction previous displacement, and (ii) the second direction previous displacement divided by the second direction current displacement.

11. The operating method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the navigation device further comprises a light source illuminating the surface and the operating method further comprising:

adjusting an emission period of the light source corresponding to the next frame period.

12. The operating method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the navigation device further comprises a register storing a flag, and the operating method further comprising:

changing the flag when the speed change is larger than the acceleration threshold.

13. A navigation device, configured to detect displacement with respect to a surface, the navigation device comprising:

a memory configured to store a predetermined relationship between a plurality of moving speeds and a plurality of frame periods;

an image sensor configured to successively capture a second previous image frame, a previous image frame and a current image frame; and

a processor electrically coupled to the memory and the image sensor, and configured to

calculate a previous displacement according to the second previous image frame and the previous image frame,

calculate a current displacement and a current speed according to the previous image frame and the current image frame,

read a frame period from the memory according to the calculated current speed,

determine an acceleration according to the current displacement and the previous displacement; and

set a next frame period as the read frame period multiplied by an acceleration ratio, wherein the acceleration ratio is 1 when the acceleration is smaller than an acceleration threshold while the acceleration ratio is smaller than 1 when the acceleration is larger than the acceleration threshold.

14. The navigation device as claimed in claim 13, wherein

the previous displacement includes a first direction previous displacement and a second direction previous displacement;

the current displacement includes a first direction current displacement and a second direction current displacement;

the calculated current speed includes a first direction speed and a second direction speed, and the read frame period is determined according to a bigger one of the first direction speed and a second direction speed; and

the acceleration is an absolute value of (i) a first direction difference between the first direction previous displacement and the first direction current displacement, and (ii) a second direction difference between the second direction previous displacement and the second direction current displacement.

15. The navigation device as claimed in claim 14, wherein

the first direction speed is calculated by dividing the first direction current displacement by a current frame period between the current image frame and the previous image frame;

and

the second direction speed is calculated by dividing the second direction current displacement by the current frame period.

16. The navigation device as claimed in claim 14, wherein

when the first direction difference is larger than the second direction difference, the acceleration ratio is one of (i) the first direction current displacement divided by the first direction previous displacement, and (ii) the first direction previous displacement divided by the first direction current displacement that is smaller than 1;

and

when the second direction difference is larger than the first direction difference, the acceleration ratio is one of (i) the second direction current displacement divided by the second direction previous displacement, and (ii) the second direction previous displacement divided by the second direction current displacement that is smaller than 1.

17. The navigation device as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a light source configured to illuminate the surface, wherein the processor is further configured to adjust an emission period of the light source corresponding to the next frame period.

18. The navigation device as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a register electrically coupled to the processor and configured to store a flag indicating whether the acceleration is smaller or larger than the acceleration threshold.