INPUT APPARATUS, CONTROL SYSTEM, HANDHELD APPARATUS, AND CALIBRATION METHOD

• US 20090295722A1
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Kazuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 9,207,781 B2
• 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

An input apparatus includes a casing, an output section, a processing section, a judgment section, and a calibration section. The output section includes a reference potential and outputs, as a detection signal, a fluctuation of a potential with respect to the reference potential, that corresponds to a movement of the casing. The processing section executes processing for generating a control command for controlling a screen based on an output value of the output section. The judgment section judges an operational state of the input apparatus. The calibration section executes, when it is judged that the input apparatus is moving, a calibration mode as processing for correcting the reference potential by obtaining the output value over a data obtainment period that is a sampling period of the output value and calculating a correction value of the reference potential based on the obtained output value.

Claims

1. An input apparatus, comprising:

a casing;

an output means including a reference potential, for outputting, as a detection signal, a fluctuation of a potential with respect to the reference potential, that corresponds to a movement of the casing;

a processing means for executing processing for generating a control command for controlling a screen based on an output value of the output means;

a judgment means for judging an operational state of the input apparatus; and

a calibration means for executing, when it is judged by the judgment means that the input apparatus is moving, a calibration mode as processing for correcting the reference potential by obtaining the output value over a data obtainment period that is a sampling period of the output value and calculating a correction value of the reference potential based on the obtained output value.

2. The input apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a setting means for setting the calibration mode executed by the calibration means based on the operational state of the input apparatus judged by the judgment means.

3. The input apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the setting means sets the data obtainment period of the calibration mode based on the operational state of the input apparatus judged by the judgment means.

4. The input apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the judgment means judges the operational state of the input apparatus based on the output value.

5. The input apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the setting means sets a shorter time period for the data obtainment period as the output value becomes smaller.

6. The input apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the calibration means does not execute the calibration mode when a change amount of the output value exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

7. The input apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the output means includes an angular velocity sensor to detect an angular velocity that acts on the casing,

wherein the judgment means judges the operational state of the input apparatus based on an output value of the angular velocity sensor, and

wherein the calibration means corrects a reference potential of the angular velocity sensor using the output value of the angular velocity sensor obtained over the data obtainment period.

8. The input apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the calibration means includes a lowpass filter to extract a signal of a predetermined frequency band from a detection signal of the angular velocity sensor, and

wherein the data obtainment period is set based on a cutoff frequency of the lowpass filter.

9. The input apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the output means includes an angular velocity sensor to detect an angular velocity that acts on the casing and an acceleration sensor to detect an acceleration that acts on the casing,

wherein the judgment means judges the operational state of the input apparatus based on an output value of the acceleration sensor, and

wherein the calibration means corrects a reference potential of the angular velocity sensor using an output value of the angular velocity sensor obtained over the data obtainment period.

10. The input apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the judgment means judges the operational state of the input apparatus based on a lapse time since an activation of the input apparatus.

11. The input apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein the setting means sets a longer time period for the data obtainment period depending on the lapse time since the activation of the input apparatus.

12. The input apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein the processing means executes processing in which the generation of the control command is stopped when a difference between the output value of the output means and the correction value of the reference potential is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value.

13. The input apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein the processing means decrements the predetermined value every time the reference potential is corrected.

14. The input apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the processing means includes a first processing mode as processing for generating the control command for controlling the screen based on the output value of the output means, and a second processing mode as processing in which the control of the screen is stopped, and

wherein the judgment means judges that the operational state is a screen-controlled state when the processing means is executing the first processing mode, and judges that the operational state is a screen-uncontrolled state when the processing means is executing the second processing mode.

15. The input apparatus according to claim 14,

wherein the setting means sets a first time period for the data obtainment period when the judgment means judges that the operational state is the screen-controlled state, and sets a second time period shorter than the first time period for the data obtainment period when the judgment means judges that the operational state is the screen-uncontrolled state.

16. The input apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising

a selection switch for causing the processing means to select one of the first processing mode and the second processing mode.

17. The input apparatus according to claim 15,

wherein the setting means includes processing for changing the second time period in accordance with a magnitude of the output value.

18. A control system, comprising:

an input apparatus including

a casing,

an output means including a reference potential, for outputting, as a detection signal, a fluctuation of a potential with respect to the reference potential, that corresponds to a movement of the casing,

a processing means for executing processing for generating a control command for controlling a screen based on an output value of the output means,

a transmission means for transmitting the control command generated by the processing means,

a judgment means for judging an operational state of the input apparatus, and

a calibration means for executing, when it is judged by the judgment means that the input apparatus is moving, a calibration mode as processing for correcting the reference potential by obtaining the output value over a data obtainment period that is a sampling period of the output value and calculating a correction value of the reference potential based on the obtained output value; and

a control apparatus including

a reception means for receiving the control command transmitted by the transmission means, and

a display control means for controlling display of the screen in response to the control command received by the reception means.

19. A handheld apparatus, comprising:

a casing;

a display section;

an output means including a reference potential, for outputting, as a detection signal, a fluctuation of a potential with respect to the reference potential, that corresponds to a movement of the casing;

a processing means for executing processing for generating a control command for controlling a screen displayed on the display section based on an output value of the output means;

a judgment means for judging an operational state of the handheld apparatus; and

a calibration means for executing, when it is judged by the judgment means that the handheld apparatus is moving, a calibration mode as processing for correcting the reference potential by obtaining the output value over a data obtainment period that is a sampling period of the output value and calculating a correction value of the reference potential based on the obtained output value.

20. A calibration method, comprising:

outputting, as a detection signal, a fluctuation of a potential with respect to a reference potential, that corresponds to a movement of a casing of an electronic apparatus;

judging an operational state of the electronic apparatus;

obtaining, when it is judged that the electronic apparatus is moving, an output value of the detection signal over a data obtainment period that is a sampling period of the output value, and calculating a correction value of the reference potential based on the obtained output value; and

updating the reference potential using the calculated correction value.