WIRELESS TRACKING SYSTEM

• US 20010015717A1
• Filed: 12/29/1998
• Published: 08/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: SHI, JUN, MISHRA, ANIMESH, MAURITZ, KARL H.
• Granted Patent: US 6,473,070 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0384 Wireless input, i.e. hardware and software details of wireless interface arrangements for pointing devices
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/32 Remote control based on movements, attitude of remote control device

Abstract

A tracking system for tracking one or more wireless input devices includes a receiver to receive wireless signals from the input devices and a tracking circuit to detect movements of the wireless input devices. The input devices may be either infrared (IR) or radio-frequency (RF) input devices.

Claims

1. A tracking system for tracking a plurality of wireless input devices, comprising:

a receiver to receive wireless signals from the input devices; and

a tracking circuit to detect movements of the wireless input devices.

2. The tracking system of

claim 1

, further comprising a processor to generate queries to poll the wireless input devices.

3. The tracking system of

claim 2

, wherein each query includes an identifier of one of the wireless input devices.

4. The tracking system of

claim 1

, wherein the receiver includes an infrared receiver.

5. The tracking system of

claim 1

, wherein the receiver includes a matrix of detectors to detect motion of the input devices in at least two directions.

6. The tracking system of

claim 5

, wherein the matrix includes a row of detectors to detect movement of the input devices in a generally horizontal direction and a column of detectors to detect movement of the input devices in a generally vertical direction.

7. The tracking system of

claim 5

, wherein the receiver detects amplitudes of signals from the wireless input devices to determine distances of the input devices from the tracking system.

8. A method of communicating with wireless input devices, comprising:

receiving wireless signals from the input devices;

determining motion of the input devices based on the wireless signals; and

updating a display based on the determined motion of the input devices.

9. The method of

claim 8

, further comprising issuing queries to the plurality of input devices one at a time to sequentially obtain responses from the input devices.

11. The system of

claim 9

, wherein each query includes an identifier of one of the input devices.

10. A system comprising:

wireless input devices;

a receiver coupled to receive wireless signals from the input devices; and

a processor adapted to generate queries to the input devices in a time-multiplexed manner to obtain responses from the input devices one at a time.

12. An article including a machine-readable storage medium containing instructions for causing a system to track wireless input devices, the instructions when executed causing the system to:

receive wireless signals from the input devices;

determine motion of the input devices based on the wireless signals; and

update a display based on the determined motion of the input devices.

13. The article of

claim 12

, wherein the storage medium contains instructions for further causing the system to issue queries to the plurality of input devices one at a time to sequentially obtain responses from the input devices.

14. A system, comprising:

a bus;

a host processor operatively coupled to the bus; and

a first wireless unit operatively coupled to the bus, the first wireless unit including a receiver to receive signals from a wireless input device, and an analysis circuit, operatively coupled to the receiver to determine a characteristic of the input device.

15. The system of

claim 14

further comprising a second wireless unit operatively coupled to the bus.

16. The system of

claim 14

wherein the signals are radio-frequency signals.

17. A system comprising:

a wireless input device;

a receiver coupled to receive a wireless signal from the input device; and

a tracking circuit adapted to determine movement of the input device in at least two dimensions based on the received wireless signal.

18. The system of

claim 17

, wherein the receiver includes first sensors to detect movement of the input device in a first dimension and second sensors to detect movement of the input device in a second dimension.

19. The system of

claim 17

, wherein the tracking circuit is adapted to determine movement of the input device in a third dimension.

20. The system of

claim 19

, further comprising a display containing graphical representations that are adjusted based on movement of the input device.

21. The system of

claim 20

, wherein the graphical representations are rendered in three-dimensional space.