DISPLACEMENT DETECTION APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20130301880A1
• Filed: 07/16/2013
• Published: 11/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Inventors: CHEN, Chun-Wei, GU, Ren-Hau, KUO, Shih-Wei
• Granted Patent: US 9,092,864 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• 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 3/0317 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 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/74 involving reference images or patches

Abstract

A displacement detection method includes the steps of: capturing a first frame and a second frame; selecting a first block with a predetermined size in the first frame and selecting a second block with the predetermined size in the second frame; determining a displacement according to the first block and the second block; comparing the displacement with at least one threshold; and adjusting the predetermined size according to a comparison result of comparing the displacement and the threshold. The present invention further provides a displacement detection apparatus.

Claims

1. A displacement detection apparatus, for being operated on a working surface, the displacement detection apparatus comprising:

an image sensing unit capturing a reference frame and a current frame;

a storage unit configured to save at least one displacement threshold; and

a processing unit configured to

select a first block in the reference frame and a second block in the current frame, wherein the first block and the second block have a block size;

calculate a displacement according to the first block and the second block;

compare the displacement with the at least one displacement threshold to accordingly adjust the block size;

calculate a quality parameter of the current frame; and

determine a sub block size associated with the block size adjusted according to at least one of the quality parameter and an exposure parameter.

2. The displacement detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein an adjustable pixel step of the sub block size is smaller than an adjustable pixel step of the block size.

3. The displacement detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a light source configured to emit a main beam illuminating the working surface to form a main reflection optical path, wherein the image sensing unit is located on the main reflection optical path and captures the current frame with the exposure parameter.

4. The displacement detection apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the sub block size is increased when at least one of (i) the quality parameter being smaller than a quality threshold and (ii) the exposure parameter being smaller than an exposure threshold.

5. The displacement detection apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the sub block size is decreased when at least one of (i) the quality parameter being larger than a quality threshold and (ii) the exposure parameter being larger than an exposure threshold.

6. The displacement detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a light source configured to emit a main beam illuminating the working surface to form a main reflection optical path, wherein the image sensing unit is located outside the main reflection optical path and captures the current frame with the exposure parameter.

7. The displacement detection apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the sub block size is increased when at least one of (i) the quality parameter being smaller than a quality threshold and (ii) the exposure parameter being larger than an exposure threshold.

8. The displacement detection apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the sub block size is increased when a quotient of the quality parameter divided by the exposure parameter is smaller than a ratio threshold.

9. The displacement detection apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the sub block size is decreased when at least one of (i) the quality parameter being larger than a quality threshold and (ii) the exposure parameter being smaller than an exposure threshold.

10. The displacement detection apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the block size is a first size or a second size, and the second size is smaller than the first size;

the at least one displacement threshold comprises an upper threshold and a lower threshold, and the lower threshold is lower than the upper threshold,

for the block size being the first size, the processing unit adjusts the block size to the second size when the displacement is larger than the upper threshold;

for the block size being the first size, the processing unit maintains the block size as the first size when the displacement is smaller than the upper threshold;

for the block size being the second size, the processing unit adjusts the block size to the first size when the displacement is smaller than the lower threshold; and

for the block size being the second size, the processing unit maintains the block size as the second size when the displacement is larger than the lower threshold.

11. A displacement detection apparatus, for being operated on a working surface, the displacement detection apparatus comprising:

an image sensing unit capturing a reference frame and a current frame;

a storage unit configured to save at least one displacement threshold; and

a processing unit configured to

select a first block in the reference frame and a second block in the current frame, wherein the first block and the second block have a block size;

calculate a quality parameter of the current frame;

adjust the block size according to at least one of the quality parameter and an exposure parameter;

calculate a displacement according to the first block having the block size adjusted and the second block having the block size adjusted; and

compare the displacement with the at least one displacement threshold to accordingly determine a sub block size associated with the block size adjusted.

12. The displacement detection apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein an adjustable pixel step of the sub block size is smaller than an adjustable pixel step of the block size.

13. The displacement detection apparatus as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a light source configured to emit a main beam illuminating the working surface to form a main reflection optical path, wherein the image sensing unit is located on the main reflection optical path and captures the current frame with the exposure parameter.

14. The displacement detection apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the block size is increased when at least one of (i) the quality parameter being smaller than a quality threshold and (ii) the exposure parameter being smaller than an exposure threshold.

15. The displacement detection apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the block size is decreased when at least one of (i) the quality parameter being larger than a quality threshold and (ii) the exposure parameter being larger than an exposure threshold.

16. The displacement detection apparatus as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a light source configured to emit a main beam illuminating the working surface to form a main reflection optical path, wherein the image sensing unit is located outside the main reflection optical path and captures the current frame with the exposure parameter.

17. The displacement detection apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the block size is increased when at least one of (i) the quality parameter being smaller than a quality threshold and (ii) the exposure parameter being larger than an exposure threshold.

18. The displacement detection apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the block size is increased when a quotient of the quality parameter divided by the exposure parameter is smaller than a ratio threshold.

19. The displacement detection apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the block size is decreased when at least one of (i) the quality parameter being larger than a quality threshold and (ii) the exposure parameter being smaller than an exposure threshold.

20. The displacement detection apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the sub block size is a first size or a second size, and the second size is smaller than the first size;

the at least one displacement threshold comprises an upper threshold and a lower threshold, and the lower threshold is lower than the upper threshold,

for the sub block size being the first size, the processing unit adjusts the sub block size to the second size when the displacement is larger than the upper threshold;

for the sub block size being the first size, the processing unit maintains the sub block size as the first size when the displacement is smaller than the upper threshold;

for the sub block size being the second size, the processing unit adjusts the sub block size to the first size when the displacement is smaller than the lower threshold; and

for the sub block size being the second size, the processing unit maintains the sub block size as the second size when the displacement is larger than the lower threshold.