Trajectory-estimation apparatus and method based on pen-type optical mouse

• US 20090027343A1
• Filed: 06/09/2008
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Bang, Won-Chul, Kim, Kyu-Yong, Cho, Sung-Jung, Cho, Seong-Il
• Granted Patent: US 8,928,631 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/166
• 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 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/333 Preprocessing; Feature extraction
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/08 Cursor circuits

Abstract

A trajectory-estimation apparatus and method that can estimate the trajectory of a pen-type optical mouse in a pen-up state. The trajectory-estimation apparatus includes a timer module calculating time for which an optical input device moves in a first state of the optical input device that produces a trajectory, and a trajectory-estimation module estimating the trajectory of the optical input device in a period where a distance between the optical input device and a work surface exceeds a threshold value, based on at least one of the calculated time and a moving speed of the optical input device.

Claims

1. A trajectory-estimation apparatus comprising:

a timer module calculating time for a first state of a moving optical input device that produces a trajectory; and

a trajectory-estimation module estimating the trajectory of the optical input device in a time period where a distance between the optical input device and a work surface exceeds a threshold value, based on at least one of the calculated time and a moving speed of the optical input device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optical input device comprises:

an optical module sensing a moving distance and a moving direction of the optical input device; and

a judgment module judging a state of the optical input device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the judgment module judges that the optical input device is in a second state if a pen tip that is in contact with a work surface receives a pressure of more than a threshold value, and that the optical input device is in a first state if the pen tip receives the pressure of less than the threshold value;

wherein the first state is a pen-up state, and the second state is a pen-down state.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the timer module calculates a first time beginning from when the state of the optical input device is changed from the pen-down state to the pen-up state and ending when a distance between the optical input device and the work surface reaches the threshold value, a second time during when the distance between the optical input device and the work surface continuously exceeds the threshold value, and a third time beginning from when the distance between the optical input device and the work surface becomes less than the threshold value and ending when the state of the optical input device is changed to the pen-down state.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first time is calculated based on a moment the trajectory of the optical input device is not detected by the optical module.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second time is calculated based on the moment the trajectory of the optical input device is not detected by the optical module and a moment the trajectory of the optical input device is detected again.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the third time is calculated based on a moment the trajectory of the optical input device is detected by the optical module.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the trajectory-estimation module calculates an offset that corresponds to a moving distance of the optical input device for the second time by multiplying an average moving speed of the optical input device by the second time in the pen-up state.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the trajectory-estimation module calculates corrected coordinates by adding the offset to start coordinates in the pen-down state when the state of the optical input device is changed from the pen-up state to the pen-down state.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the threshold value is an optical margin of the optical module.

11. A trajectory-estimation method comprising:

calculating time for which an optical input device moves in a first state of the optical input device that produces a trajectory; and

estimating the trajectory of the optical input device in a period where a distance between the optical input device and a work surface exceeds a threshold value, based on at least one of the calculated time and a moving speed of the optical input device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

sensing a moving distance and a moving direction of the optical input device; and

judging a state of the optical input device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the judging comprises:

judging that the optical input device is in a second state if a pen tip that is in contact with a work surface receives a pressure of more than a threshold value; and

judging that the optical input device is in a first state if the pen tip receives a pressure of less than the threshold value;

wherein the first state is a pen-up state, and the second state is a pen-down state.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the calculating comprises:

calculating a first time beginning from when the state of the optical input device is changed from the pen-down state to the pen-up state and ending when a distance between the optical input device and the work surface reaches the threshold value;

calculating a second time during which the distance between the optical input device and the work surface exceeds the threshold value; and

calculating a third time beginning from when the distance between the optical input device and the work surface becomes less than the threshold value and ending when the state of the optical input device is changed to the pen-down state.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the calculating the first time is based on a moment the trajectory of the optical input device is not detected.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the calculating the second time is based on the moment the trajectory of the optical input device is not detected and a moment the trajectory of the optical input device is detected again.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the calculating the third time is based on a moment the trajectory of the optical input device is detected.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the estimating comprises calculating an offset that corresponds to a moving distance of the optical input device for the second time by multiplying an average moving speed of the optical input device by the second time in the pen-up state.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the estimating further comprises calculating corrected coordinates by adding the offset to start coordinates in the pen-down state when the state of the optical input device is changed from the pen-up state to the pen-down state.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the threshold value is an optical margin of the optical module.