Input device, information device, and control information generation method

• US 20040101174A1
• Filed: 09/04/2003
• Published: 05/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 138 East LCD Advancements Limited (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Sato, Daisuke, Ikegami, Tomio
• Granted Patent: US 7,257,240 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/13 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1365 Matching; Classification

Abstract

An input device, which generates control information by capturing an image of a detection object, comprises: a registered image storage section which stores a registered image in which a parameter value is associated with at least a part of the registered image; an image capture section which captures an image of the detection object; and a control information output section which outputs control information corresponding to the parameter value associated with an area of the registered image corresponding to the image of the detection object.

Claims

1. An input device which generates control information by capturing an image of a detection object, comprising:

a registered image storage section which stores a registered image in which a parameter value is associated with at least a part of the registered image;

an image capture section which captures an image of the detection object; and

a control information output section which outputs control information corresponding to the parameter value associated with an area of the registered image corresponding to the image of the detection object.

2. The input device as defined in claim 1, comprising:

an image registration section which connects images of respective regions of the detection object and registers a registered image in which the parameter value corresponding to each of the regions of the detection object is associated with each of the images.

3. The input device as defined in claim 1,

wherein the parameter value is associated with a feature point extracted from the registered image.

4. The input device as defined in claim 1,

wherein the image capture section includes a detection surface and captures an image of the detection object when the detection object is in contact with the detection surface, and

wherein the control information output section outputs the control information corresponding to movement of the detection object in an axis direction perpendicular to the detection surface based on area of the registered image and area of the image of the detection object captured by the image capture section.

5. The input device as defined in claim 4,

wherein the control information corresponding to the movement of the detection object in the axis direction perpendicular to the detection surface is information corrected by using a rotation angle around at least one of a first axis and a second axis which intersect each other at right angles on the detection surface.

6. The input device as defined in claim 4,

wherein the parameter value includes rotation angles around a first axis and a second axis which intersect each other at right angles on the detection surface, and

wherein the control information output section outputs control information corresponding to the rotation angle of the detection object around the first axis or the second axis based on a comparison result of the registered image and the image of the detection object.

7. The input device as defined in claim 6,

wherein the control information output section outputs control information corresponding to a rotation angle of the detection object around a third axis perpendicular to the detection surface based on the comparison result of the registered image and the image of the detection object.

8. The input device as defined in claim 1,

wherein the detection object is a fingerprint.

9. An information device comprising:

the input device as defined in claim 1;

and

a processing section which performs control processing based on the control information from the input device.

10. A control information generation method for generating control information by using a captured image of a detection object, the control information generation method comprising:

comparing a captured image of the detection object with a registered image in which a parameter value is associated with at least a part of the registered image; and

outputting control information corresponding to the parameter value associated with an area of the registered image corresponding to the image of the detection object.

11. The control information generation method as defined in claim 10, comprising:

outputting the control information corresponding to movement of the detection object in an axis direction perpendicular to a detection surface for the image of the detection object based on area of the registered image and area of the captured image of the detection object.

12. The control information generation method as defined in claim 10,

wherein the parameter value includes rotation angles around a first axis and a second axis which intersect each other at right angles on a detection surface, and

wherein the method comprises outputting the control information corresponding to the rotation angle of the detection object around the first axis or the second axis on a detection surface for the image of the detection object based on a comparative result of the registered image and the image of the detection object.

13. The control information generation method as defined in claim 11,

wherein the parameter value includes rotation angles around a first axis and a second axis which intersect each other at right angles on a detection surface, and

wherein the method comprises outputting the control information corresponding to the rotation angle of the detection object around the first axis or the second axis on a detection surface for the image of the detection object based on a comparative result of the registered image and the image of the detection object.

14. The control information generation method as defined in claim 10, comprising:

outputting the control information corresponding to a rotation angle of the detection object around a third axis perpendicular to a detection surface for the image of the detection object based on the comparison result of the registered image and the image of the detection object.

15. The control information generation method as defined in claim 10,

wherein the detection object is a fingerprint.