Methods and apparatuses for compound tracking systems

• US 20060012562A1
• Filed: 07/15/2004
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Badyal, Rajeev, Larsen, Glen, Oliver, Thomas C., Pope, Jeremiah, Crane, Randall T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,656,395 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0317 in co-operation with a patterned surface, e.g. absolute position or relative movement detection for an optical mouse or pen positioned with respect to a coded surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0321 by optically sensing the absolute position with respect to a regularly patterned surface forming a passive digitiser, e.g. pen optically detecting position indicative tags printed on a paper sheet constructional details of pen-shaped pointing devices G06F3/03545, G06F3/03542, G06F3/037
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and system for tracking movement of a device are described. The method includes steps of implementing a first tracking subsystem for tracking positions of a device against a surface, determining whether to implement a second tracking subsystem for tracking positions of the device against the surface, capturing data corresponding to a location on the surface, and determining a position of the device against the surface based on the captured data. The position of the device can then be transmitted to a host computer and used in an application program. The first and second tracking subsystems may be a relative and an absolute tracking subsystem respectively.

Claims

1. A method for tracking movement of a device, the method comprising steps of:

implementing a first tracking subsystem for tracking positions of a device with reference to a surface;

determining whether to implement a second tracking subsystem for tracking positions of the device with reference to the surface;

capturing data corresponding to a location on the surface; and

determining a position of the device with reference to the surface based on the captured data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of transmitting the position of the device to a computer.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising a step of applying the position of the device as an input to an application operating on the computer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the application determines a cursor position.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising a step of displaying the cursor position on a display responsive to the applying step.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of determining whether the position of the device has changed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first tracking subsystem is a relative tracking subsystem and the second tracking subsystem is an absolute tracking subsystem.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the position of the device with reference to the surface is based on the implemented first tracking subsystem.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the position of the device with reference to the surface is based on the implemented second tracking subsystem.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the position of the device with reference to the surface is based on the implemented first and second tracking subsystems.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first tracking subsystem is a default tracking subsystem.

12. The method of claim 1, upon determining to implement the second tracking subsystem, the method further comprising a step of disabling implementation of the first tracking subsystem, wherein the step of determining the position of the device with reference to the surface is based on the implemented second tracking subsystem.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of transmitting the captured data to a computer, wherein the step of determining the position of the device with reference to the surface is performed by the computer.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of comparing the efficiency of the first tracking subsystem to the second tracking subsystem.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of comparing the efficiency of the first tracking subsystem to the second tracking subsystem is based on a setting.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether to implement the second tracking subsystem includes determining whether the first tracking subsystem has failed to track the position of the device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first tracking subsystem has failed to track the position of the device when the data corresponding to the location on the surface is missing or occluded.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of capturing data includes steps of:

outputting a light from the device;

capturing a portion of data encoded upon the surface; and

decoding the encoded data.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the encoded data includes position data and additional data.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the surface is a watermark surface.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of storing the captured data in a memory.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the memory is located within the device.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the device is an electronic pen-type device.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether to implement the second tracking subsystem includes a step of triggering the second tracking subsystem to implement responsive to data captured by the first tracking subsystem.

25. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of claim 1.

26. A device, comprising:

a relative tracking subsystem;

an absolute tracking subsystem; and

a control system configured to transmit signals to and receive signals from the relative tracking subsystem and the absolute tracking subsystem.

27. The device of claim 26, further comprising a sensor, wherein the relative tracking subsystem includes a relative tracking engine and the sensor provides data to the relative tracking engine for determination of relative position data.

28. The device of claim 26, further comprising a sensor, wherein the absolute tracking subsystem includes an absolute tracking engine and the sensor provides data to the absolute tracking engine for determination of absolute position data.

29. The device of claim 26, further comprising at least two sensors, wherein a first sensor provides data to the relative tracking subsystem and a second sensor provides data to the absolute tracking subsystem.

30. The device of claim 26, wherein the signals received from the relative tracking subsystem and the absolute tracking subsystem include position data.

31. The device of claim 26, wherein the control system is further configured to transmit position data to a host computer.

32. The device of claim 31, further comprising a memory configured to store the position data.

33. The device of claim 26, wherein the relative tracking subsystem, the absolute tracking subsystem, and the control system are at least partially implemented by firmware.

34. A system for tracking movement of a device, the system comprising:

a device, the device including;

a sensor, configured to capture data corresponding to a position of the device, and

a first tracking subsystem, configured to receive the captured data and output determined position data of the device; and

a host computer including a second tracking subsystem, the second tracking subsystem configured to output representative position data,

wherein the host computer is in communication with the device and is configured to receive the determined position data, to compute representative position data of the device, and to apply the representative position data as an input to an application.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the host computer is configured to compute the representative position data based on the received determined position data.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein the first tracking subsystem is a relative tracking subsystem and the second tracking subsystem is an absolute tracking subsystem.

37. The system of claim 34, wherein the device is a handheld device.

38. The system of claim 34, wherein the device is an electronic pen-type device.

39. A software architecture for processing data representative of movement of a device, comprising:

at least one component configured to receive relative position data and to compute absolute position data based on the relative position data; and

at least one application program interface to access the component.