Pointing apparatus, pointer control apparatus, pointing method, and pointer control method

• US 20090066646A1
• Filed: 03/19/2008
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Bang, Won-chul, Choi, Eun-seok, Choi, Mun-cheol, Choi, Sang-on
• Granted Patent: US 8,451,223 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• 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 3/0346 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 a pointing apparatus, a pointer control apparatus, a pointing method, and a pointer control method to a pointing apparatus, a pointer control apparatus, a pointing method, and a pointer control method capable of recognizing image codes included in an image frame using an image sensor to determine a pointing direction, and continuously updating the gain between the displacement of the motion of the pointing apparatus and the displacement of the motion of a displayed pointer. The pointing apparatus includes an image receiving unit sensing image patterns that exist in a sensed region, among all of the image patterns arranged in a display region; an inertial sensor sensing an input motion using at least one of the acceleration and angular velocity that are generated due to the motion; and a coordinate determining unit determining moving coordinates that are moved from the central coordinates of the sensed image pattern by coordinate displacement corresponding to the sensed motion.

Claims

1. A pointing apparatus comprising:

an image receiving unit sensing image patterns that exist in a sensed region, among all of the image patterns arranged in a display region;

an inertial sensor sensing an input motion using at least one of the acceleration and angular velocity that are generated due to the motion; and

a coordinate determining unit determining moving coordinates that are moved from the central coordinates of the sensed image pattern by coordinate displacement corresponding to the sensed motion.

2. The pointing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image pattern is formed by at least one of a visible ray, an infrared ray, and an ultraviolet ray.

3. The pointing apparatus of claim 1, wherein all of the image patterns are arranged in image frames that are displayed at predetermined time intervals, among the image frames displayed on the display region.

4. The pointing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image pattern is composed of one or more different image codes.

5. The pointing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a gain calculating unit comparing the displacement between the coordinates of two image patterns that are sensed at a predetermined time interval among the sensed image patterns with inertial coordinate displacement corresponding to a motion that is sensed by using at least one of the acceleration and the angular velocity for the predetermined time, and calculating a gain for synchronizing the inertial coordinate displacement with the displacement of the moving coordinates on the display region.

6. The pointing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the coordinate determining unit determines the moving coordinates that are moved from the central coordinates of the image pattern sensed after the predetermined time by the inertial coordinate displacement to which the gain is applied.

7. A pointer control apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit receiving image patterns that exist in a sensed region among all of the image patterns arranged in a display region and a motion that is sensed by an inertial sensor; and

a coordinate determining unit determining moving coordinates that are moved from the central coordinates of the image pattern by coordinate displacement corresponding to the sensed motion.

8. The pointer control apparatus of claim 7, further comprising;

an image generating unit generating an image frame that includes all of the image patterns.

9. The pointer control apparatus of claim 7, wherein all of the image patterns are arranged in image frames that are displayed at predetermined time intervals, among the image frames displayed on the display region.

10. The pointer control apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a gain calculating unit comparing the displacement between the coordinates of two image patterns that are sensed at a predetermined time interval among the image patterns with inertial coordinate displacement corresponding to a motion that is sensed by the inertial sensor for the predetermined time, and calculating a gain for synchronizing the inertial coordinate displacement with the displacement of the moving coordinates on the display region.

11. The pointer control apparatus of claim 10, wherein the coordinate determining unit determines the moving coordinates that are moved from the central coordinates of the image pattern received after the predetermined time by the inertial coordinate displacement to which the gain is applied.

12. The pointer control apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a pointer operating unit moving a mouse pointer to absolute coordinates on the display region that correspond to the moving coordinates.

13. The pointer control apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a displaying unit displaying the mouse pointer at the absolute coordinates on the display region.

14. A pointing method comprising:

sensing image patterns that exist in a sensed region, among all of the image patterns arranged in a display region;

sensing an input motion using at least one of the acceleration and angular velocity that are generated due to the motion; and

determining moving coordinates that are moved from the central coordinates of the sensed image pattern by coordinate displacement corresponding to the sensed motion.

15. The pointing method of claim 14, wherein the image pattern is formed by at least one of a visible ray, an infrared ray, and an ultraviolet ray.

16. The pointing method of claim 14, wherein all of the image patterns are arranged in image frames that are displayed at predetermined time intervals, among the image frames displayed on the display region.

17. The pointing method of claim 14, wherein the image pattern is composed of one or more different image codes.

18. The pointing method of claim 14, further comprising:

calculating the displacement between the coordinates of two image patterns that are sensed at a predetermined time interval, among the sensed image patterns;

comparing the displacement between the coordinates of the image patterns with inertial coordinate displacement corresponding to the sensed motion using at least one of the acceleration and the angular velocity for the predetermined time; and

calculating a gain for synchronizing the inertial coordinate displacement with the displacement of the moving coordinates on the display region according to the result of the comparison.

19. The pointing method of claim 18, wherein the determining of the moving coordinates comprises determining the moving coordinates that are moved from the central coordinates of the image pattern sensed after the predetermined time by the inertial coordinate displacement to which the gain is applied.

20. A pointer control method comprising:

receiving image patterns that exist in a sensed region among all of the image patterns arranged in a display region and a motion that is sensed by an inertial sensor; and

determining moving coordinates that are moved from the central coordinates of the image pattern by coordinate displacement corresponding to the sensed motion.

21. The pointer control method of claim 20, further comprising;

generating an image frame that includes all of the image patterns.

22. The pointer control method of claim 20, wherein all of the image patterns are arranged in image frames that are displayed at predetermined time intervals, among the image frames displayed on the display region.

23. The pointer control method of claim 20, further comprising:

calculating the displacement between the coordinates of two image patterns that are sensed at a predetermined time interval among the image patterns;

comparing the displacement between the coordinates of the two image patterns with inertial coordinate displacement corresponding to a motion that is sensed by the inertial sensor for the predetermined time; and

calculating a gain for synchronizing the inertial coordinate displacement with the displacement of the moving coordinates on the display region, according to the result of the comparison.

24. The pointer control method of claim 23, wherein the determining of the moving coordinates comprises determining the moving coordinates that are moved from the central coordinates of the image pattern received after the predetermined time by the inertial coordinate displacement to which the gain is applied.

25. The pointer control method of claim 20, further comprising:

moving a mouse pointer to the absolute coordinates on the display region that correspond to the moving coordinates.