Compact Interactive Tabletop with Projection-Vision

• US 20110254832A1
• Filed: 05/18/2011
• Published: 10/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bathiche, Steven N., Wilson, Andrew D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,611,667 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/418
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0025 Automatic or semi-automatic music composition, e.g. producing random music, applying rules from music theory or modifying a musical piece automatically producing a series of tones G10H1/26
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/36 Accompaniment arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/383 Chord detection and/or recognition, e.g. for correction, or automatic bass generation
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/066 for pitch analysis as part of wider processing for musical purposes, e.g. transcription, musical performance evaluation; Pitch recognition, e.g. in polyphonic sounds; Estimation or use of missing fundamental
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/111 Automatic composing, i.e. using predefined musical rules
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/015 Markov chains, e.g. hidden Markov models [HMM], for musical processing, e.g. musical analysis or musical composition
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 31/02 with automatic musical instruments

Abstract

The subject application relates to a system(s) and/or methodology that facilitate vision-based projection of any image (still or moving) onto any surface. In particular, a front-projected computer vision-based interactive surface system is provided which uses a new commercially available projection technology to obtain a compact, self-contained form factor. The subject configuration addresses installation, calibration, and portability issues that are primary concerns in most vision-based table systems. The subject application also relates to determining whether an object is touching or hovering over an interactive surface based on an analysis of a shadow image.

Claims

1. A system for sensing touch detection, the system comprising:

a memory;

a processing unit coupled to the memory;

an object sensing component executed by the processing unit and configured to sense and to detect an object over an interactive surface, the interactive surface being illuminated with an infrared source;

a shadow analysis component executed by the processing unit and configured to track a shadow of the object appearing on the interactive surface based on the interactive surface reflecting infrared when the object is moving; and

the shadow analysis component executed by the processing unit and further configured to enable touch detection by examining the shadow of the object to determine if the object is hovering over or touching the interactive surface based on an analysis of the shadow of the object.

2. The system of claim 1, the object sensing component executed by the processing unit and further configured to trigger content to appear on the interactive surface based on the object being determined as hovering or touching the interactive surface.

3. The system of claim 1, the object sensing component executed by the processing unit and further configured to trigger content to appear on the interactive surface to enable the object to interact with the content on the interactive surface via touching the interactive surface.

4. The system of claim 1, the object sensing component executed by the processing unit and further configured to trigger a menu to appear on the interactive surface based on the object being determined as hovering, and the object selects menu options by using touch on the interactive surface.

5. The system of claim 1, the system configured to be integrated into a laptop, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant, or a cellular telephone.

6. A method implemented at least partially by a processor, the method comprising:

illuminating an interactive surface using an infrared source;

detecting a finger over the interactive surface being illuminated with the infrared source;

observing a shadow of the finger appearing on the interactive surface based on the finger being detected;

reflecting infrared by the interactive surface based on the shadow of the finger; and

enabling touch detection by determining whether the finger is hovering or touching the interactive surface based on an analysis of the shadow of the finger.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the determining the finger is touching the interactive surface based at least in part on the finger and the shadow of the finger are binarized to yield one image.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining the finger is not touching the interactive surface based at least in part on the finger and the shadow of the finger yielding two images.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising calculating a height of the finger over the interactive surface when the finger and the shadow of the finger are matched to yield one image, the height serves as a signal for cursor control.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the determining the finger is hovering over the interactive surface, the hovering finger triggers a button panel or a window to appear.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising enabling a touch to press the button or the window in the interactive surface.

12. A method implemented at least partially by a processor, the method comprising:

detecting a presence of at least one page;

capturing the at least one page as an image; and

subsequently projecting the image as a virtual representation onto a projection surface.

13. The method of claim 12, detecting at least one page comprises detecting two pairs of parallel strong edge lines that are perpendicular to each other.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising detecting overlapping pages.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising projecting the image onto at least one of a real or a virtual page on the projection surface in real time.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising projecting at least one of a movie or a different image onto the image in real-time.

17. A projection-vision system that facilitates sensing and projecting objects as images comprising:

a memory;

a processing unit coupled to the memory;

a camera-projection component executed by processing unit and configured to capture an input image using a projector and at least one camera attached to an illuminant; and

an image processor component executed by processing unit and configured to process the input image to yield a display image that is projected onto a projection surface upon which the system is placed.

18. The system of claim 17, the system being self-contained and portable.

19. The system of claim 17, the illuminant being an infrared source.

20. The system of claim 17, the illuminant being positioned off axis from the at least one camera.