MAPPING DETECTED MOVEMENT OF AN INTERFERENCE PATTERN OF A COHERENT LIGHT BEAM TO CURSOR MOVEMENT TO EFFECT NAVIGATION OF A USER INTERFACE

• US 20100020011A1
• Filed: 07/23/2008
• Published: 01/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Doumuki, Tohru
• Granted Patent: US 8,451,224 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0384 Wireless input, i.e. hardware and software details of wireless interface arrangements for pointing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1141 One-way transmission

Abstract

A method, system and apparatus provide that movement of an interference pattern of a coherent light beam is mapped to cursor movement to effect navigation of a user interface. A remote controller operable to emit a coherent light beam is in cooperative arrangement with a display device operable to display a user interface, navigable by means of a cursor. A laser diode element and coupled diffuser element of the remote controller generate the coherent light beam. Movement of the remote controller causes movement of an interference pattern of the coherent light beam impinging upon a sensor of the display device; movement of the interference pattern is sensed by the display device and mapped to corresponding movement of the cursor in the user interface. Thus, the remote controller may be used to navigate an on-screen user interface by movement of the remote controller itself.

Claims

1. A method of controlling movement of a cursor in a user interface displayed by a display device, comprising:

sensing an interference pattern caused by a coherent light beam of a remote controller device impinging on a sensor element of the display device;

detecting movement of the interference pattern sufficient to indicate the location of the cursor in the user interface is to be moved from an existing position;

in response to detecting sufficient movement of the interference pattern, mapping the detected movement in the interference pattern to a new position of the cursor within the user interface; and

moving the cursor from the existing position to the new position in the user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the movement in the interference pattern is performed by the sensor element of the display device.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the movement in the interference pattern is caused by moving the remote controller.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the interference pattern is a speckle pattern.

4. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the processing element processes the movement in the interference pattern sensed by the display device and maps movement in the interference pattern to corresponding movement of the cursor in the user interface.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the remote controller further comprises:

a laser diode element operable to emit coherent light; and

a diffuser element coupled to receive the coherent light and operable to generate the coherent light beam output by the remote controller.

8. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

a remote controller operable to emit the coherent light beam.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the laser light emitted by the laser diode is in an infrared range of light.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the light emitted by the laser diode is pulse-driven coherent light.

5-1. A system, comprising:

a display device operable to display a navigable user interface, sense an interference pattern created by a coherent light beam impinging upon a sensor element of the display device, and detect movement of the interference pattern upon the sensor element of the display device, the user interface being navigable by movement of a cursor of the user interface;

a processing element operatively coupled to the display device to process the interference pattern sensed by the sensor element of the display device and the movement of the interference pattern detected by the display device;

wherein movement of the remote controller causes movement of the interference pattern that is sensed by the display device and mapped by the processing element to corresponding movement of the cursor in the user interface.

9. A remote controller operable to emit a coherent light beam, comprising:

a laser diode element operable to emit laser light; and

a diffuser element coupled to receive the laser light from the laser diode element and operable to generate the coherent light beam output by the remote controller,

wherein movement of the remote controller causes movement of the coherent light beam.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

an optics element coupled to receive and collimate the laser light emitted by the laser diode to generate an optic beam shaped from the laser light, wherein the diffuser element receives the optic beam from the optics element.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the remote controller further comprises a motion sensor element operable to detect when the remote controller is in use.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein upon the motion sensor element detecting that the remote controller is in use, the laser diode element emits laser light.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the laser diode element of the remote controller emits laser light upon a user of the remote controller activating a button of the remote controller to activate the laser diode element.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the remote controller further comprises:

a motion sensor element operable to detect when the remote controller is in use.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein upon the motion sensor element detecting that the remote controller is in use, the laser diode element emits laser light.

18. The system of claim 9, wherein the remote controller emits the coherent light beam upon a user of the remote controller activating a button of the remote controller to activate the laser diode element.

19. The system of claim 9, wherein a random interference pattern is generated by the coherent light beam impinging a reflective medium.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the interference pattern is a speckle pattern.