Coordinate input device working with at least display screen and desk-top surface as the pointing areas thereof

• US 20070152986A1
• Filed: 03/05/2007
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EIT Co. Ltd. (Minato Holdings Inc.), Xirouku Incorporated
• Original Assignee: EIT Co. Ltd. (Minato Holdings Inc.), Xirouku Incorporated
• Inventors: Ogawa, Yasuji
• Granted Patent: US 7,414,617 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen

Abstract

A coordinate input device includes a pair of cameras positioned in an upper left position and an upper right position of a display screen of a monitor lying close to a plane extending from the display screen of the monitor and views both a side face of an object in contact with a position on the display screen and a predetermined desk-top coordinate detection area to capture the image of the object with the field of view. The coordinate input device also included a control circuit which calculates the coordinate value of a pointing tool, pointing to a position within a coordinate detection field, based on video signals output from the pair of cameras, and transfers the coordinate value to a program of a computer.

Claims

1. A coordinate input device for generating a coordinate value pointed on a coordinate detection field by a positioning tool including a user'"'"'s finger and a pen which has a retroreflection member at its tip, said coordinate input device comprising:

a pair of cameras positioned in an upper left position and an upper right position of a display screen of a monitor lying close to a plane extending from the display screen of the monitor and view a side face of said positioning tool in contact with said display screen to capture an image of said positioning tool within a field of view, each of said pair of cameras including infrared emitting diodes in the vicinity of an imaging lens for illuminating said coordinate detection field;

a reflective outline frame formed of a member having a retroreflection and a member having a low reflectance running side by side along three sides of the display screen except a top side of the display screen so that a border line providing a sharp white and black contrast between the two members comes within the field of the two cameras, said member having the retroreflection and said member having the low reflectance being arranged at an inner and an outer position respectively from said display screen; and

a control circuit which calculates the coordinate value of said positioning tool pointed within the coordinate detection field, based on video signals output from said pair of cameras, and transfers the coordinate value to a program of a computer,

wherein, when said user'"'"'s finger crosses said border line so as to be in contact with the display screen, the user'"'"'s finger is detected based on a sharp contrast between the user'"'"'s finger and the inner retroreflectin member of the outline frame and, when said pen having the retroreflection member at its tip crosses said border line so as to be in contact with the display screen, the pen is detected based on a sharp contrast between the retroreflection member of the pen and the outer low reflection member of the outline frame.

2. The coordinate input device according to claim 1, in which said display screen is integrated with said pair of cameras in a unitary structure.

3. The coordinate input device according to claim 1, which further comprises a touch detector in said control circuit for detecting a touch input on the display screen when the pointing tool crosses the border line.

4. The coordinate input device according to claim 1, in which said pair of cameras receive light reflected from the retroreflection member of the pen and the retroreflection member of the reflective outline frame in response to light emitted from said infrared emitting diodes.