ESTIMATING CONTROL FEATURE FROM REMOTE CONTROL WITH CAMERA

• US 20130314560A1
• Filed: 02/17/2012
• Published: 11/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Gritti, Tommaso, Van Grinsven, Petrus Augustinus Maria
• Granted Patent: US 9,332,169 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/211.99
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/32 Remote control based on movements, attitude of remote control device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices

Abstract

An apparatus (1) estimates control features of remote controls (10) comprising cameras (11) for detecting light points (51, 52) from beacons (31, 32) located at or near devices (20) that are to be controlled via the remote controls (10) by letting the cameras (11) further detect light points (61, 62) from non-beacons (41, 42). Processors (2) estimate the control features in response to information from the detections of the light points (51, 52, 61, 62). The non-beacons (41, 42) comprise noise sources or any other sources different from the beacons (31, 32). Memories (3) store per time-interval the information per detection. The light coming from the beacons (31, 32) may be modulated light and the light coming from the non-beacons (41, 42) may be other light. The information may comprise coordinates, sizes and intensities of light points (51, 52, 61, 62) per detection and per time-interval. The control feature may comprise a pointing position, a distance, a rotation, a tilt, a location, a speed, an acceleration, a movement and/or a zoom of the remote control (10).

Claims

1. An apparatus for estimating at least one control feature of a remote control, the remote control comprising a camera for detecting at least one light point originating from at least one beacon located at or near a device that is to be controlled via the remote control and for detecting at least one light point originating from at least one non-beacon comprising any other light source different from the at least one beacon the apparatus comprising

a processor for estimating the at least one control feature in response to information from detections of both the at least one light point from the at least one beacon and the at least one light point originating from the at least one non-beacon.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, the at least one light point originating from the at least one beacon comprising first and/or second light points originating from first and/or second beacons, and the at least one light point originating from the at least one non-beacon comprising third and/or fourth light points originating from first and/or second non-beacons, the camera being arranged for detecting the first and/or second light points per time-interval and the third and/or fourth light points per time-interval, the information comprising first and/or second information from first and/or second detections of the first and/or second light points per time-interval and third and/or fourth information from third and/or fourth detections of the third and/or fourth light points per time-interval, and the apparatus further comprising

a memory for storing per time-interval the first and/or second information and the third and/or fourth information.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 2, whereby of the first and/or second beacons only the first beacon is present and whereby of the first and/or second non-beacons only the first non-beacon is present, the processor being arranged for, in case the first light point cannot be detected in a time-interval, estimating the first information for this time-interval by processing the third information from this time-interval and the first and third information from a previous time-interval.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 2, whereby of the first and/or second beacons the first beacon and the second beacon are present and whereby of the first and/or second non-beacons only the first non-beacon is present, the processor being arranged for, in case the first light point cannot be detected in a time-interval, estimating the first information for this time-interval by processing the second and third information from this time-interval and the first and second and third information from a previous time-interval.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 2, whereby of the first and/or second beacons the first beacon and the second beacon are present and whereby of the first and/or second non-beacons the first non-beacon and the second non-beacon are present, the processor being arranged for, in case the first light point cannot be detected in a time-interval, estimating the first information for this time-interval by processing the second and third and fourth information from this time-interval and the first and second and third and fourth information from a previous time-interval.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 2, whereby of the first and/or second beacons the first beacon and the second beacon are present and whereby of the first and/or second non-beacons the first non-beacon and the second non-beacon are present, the processor being arranged for improving an estimation of the at least one control feature in response to the first and second and third and fourth information from this time-interval and/or the first and second and third and fourth information from a previous time-interval.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, the light coming from the at least one beacon being modulated light and the light coming from the at least one non-beacon being other light.

8. The apparatus as defined in claim 2, the information comprising a coordinate and/or a size and/or an intensity per detection and per time-interval.

9. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, the at least one control feature comprising a pointing position on the device and/or a distance between the remote control and the device and/or a rotation of the remote control and/or a tilt of the remote control and/or a location of the remote control with respect to the device.

10. The apparatus as defined in claim 2, the at least one control feature comprising a speed of the remote control and/or an acceleration of the remote control and/or a movement of the remote control and/or a zoom of the remote control.

11. A remote control comprising the apparatus as defined in claim 1.

16. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the information comprises at least one of:

a coordinate, a size, or an intensity of the corresponding light point.

12. (canceled)

13. A method for estimating at least one control feature of a remote control, the remote control comprising a camera for detecting at least one light point originating from at least one beacon located at or near a device that is to be controlled via the remote control and for detecting at least one light point originating from at least one non-beacon being any other light source different from the at least one beacon, the method comprising

a step of estimating the at least one control feature in response to information from detections of both the at least one light point from the at least one beacon and the at least one light point originating from the at least one non-beacon.

14. A computer program product for performing the step of the method as defined in claim 13.

15. A medium for storing and comprising the computer program product as defined in claim 14.