Input device and method and medium for providing movement information of the input device

• US 20080068336A1
• Filed: 09/07/2007
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Bang, Wen-chul, Yoo, Ho-joon, Hong, Sun-gi, Choi, Eun-seok
• Application Number:
  US11/898,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20080068336A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• 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

Abstract

Provided is an input device and method for providing movement information of the input device. The input device includes an image processing module to extract a motion vector with respect to an external image, a motion sensing module to sense motion of a housing of the input device and to estimate the posture of the housing, a control module to correct the motion vector using the estimated posture, if motion of the housing is sensed, and a transmission module to transmit the corrected motion vector.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

an image processing module to extract a motion vector with respect to an external image;

a motion sensing module to sense motion of a housing of the input device and to estimate a posture of the housing;

a control module to correct the motion vector using the estimated posture, if motion of the housing is sensed; and

a transmission module to transmit the corrected motion vector.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the image processing module comprises:

an image reception module to receive the external image;

an image storage module to store the received external image; and

a motion vector extraction module to extract the motion vector from front and rear frames of the stored external image.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the motion sensing module comprises:

an acceleration module to sense an acceleration of the housing;

a posture calculation module to estimate first posture information with respect to the posture of the housing from the sensed acceleration;

an angular velocity module to sense angular velocity of the housing; and

a signal transform module to transform the sensed angular velocity into second posture information with respect to a reference posture of the housing the first posture information, and to provide the second posture information to the control module.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the control module transforms the motion vector in the rotation direction corresponding to the estimated posture, thereby correcting the motion vector.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the control module does not provide the extracted motion vector to the transmission module if the motion of the housing is not sensed.

6. An input device comprising:

an image processing module to extract a motion vector with respect to an external image;

a motion sensing module to sense the motion of a housing of the input unit and to estimate the posture of the housing;

a control module to correct the motion vector using the estimated posture, if motion of the housing is sensed; and

a display unit to move a pointer corresponding to the corrected motion vector.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the image processing module comprises:

an image reception module to receive the external image;

an image storage module to store the received external image; and

a motion vector extraction module to extract the motion vector from front and rear frames of the stored external image.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the motion sensing module comprises:

an acceleration module to sense the acceleration of the housing;

a posture calculation module to estimate first posture information with respect to the posture of the housing from the sensed acceleration;

an angular velocity module to sense the angular velocity of the housing; and

a signal transform module to transform the sensed angular velocity into second posture information with respect to a reference posture of the housing the first posture information, and to provide the second posture information to the control module.

9. The device of claim 6, wherein the control module transforms the motion vector in the rotation direction corresponding to the estimated posture, thereby correcting the motion vector.

10. The device of claim 6, wherein the control module does not provide the extracted motion vector to the transmission module if the motion of the housing is not sensed.

11. A method for providing movement information of an input device, the method comprising:

extracting a motion vector with respect to an external image;

sensing motion of the input device and estimating the posture of the input device;

correcting the extracted motion vector using the estimated posture, if motion of the input device is sensed; and

providing the motion vector.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the extracting of the motion vector comprises:

receiving the external image;

storing the received external image; and

extracting the motion vector from front and rear frames of the stored external image.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the sensing of the motion of the input device and the estimating of the posture of the input device comprises:

sensing acceleration of the input device;

estimating first posture information with respect to the posture of the input device from the sensed acceleration;

sensing angular velocity of the input device; and

estimating second posture information with respect to a reference posture of the input device, using the first posture information and the sensed angular velocity.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein in the correcting of the extracted motion vector, the motion vector is transformed in the rotation direction corresponding to the estimated posture, thereby correcting the motion vector.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein if the motion of the input device is not sensed, the correcting of the extracted motion vector further comprises not correcting the extracted motion vector.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising moving a pointer corresponding to the corrected motion vector.

17. At least one computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions that control at least one processor to implement the method of claim 11.

18. An input device comprising:

an image processing module to extract a motion vector with respect to an external image;

a motion sensing module to sense motion of a housing of the input device and to estimate a posture of the housing; and

a control module to correct the motion vector using the estimated posture and to output the corrected motion vector to a display unit.