Handheld Pointing Device and Operation Method Thereof

• US 20140092016A1
• Filed: 04/17/2013
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Inventors: KAO, Ming-Tsan, LIANG, Chia-Cheun
• Application Number:
  US13/865,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20140092016A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• 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: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device

Abstract

A handheld pointing device includes a body, an image sensing module and a processing circuit. The image sensing module is disposed in the body and configured to sense a reference light source and thereby capturing an image including of the reference light source. The processing circuit, disposed in the body and electrically connected to the image sensing module, is configured to obtain the image including of the reference light source, calculate a coordinate of the image of the reference light source relative to the image captured by the image sensing module, and correct the coordinate according to a distance or a distance change between the body and the reference light source. An operation method of a handheld pointing device is also provided.

Claims

1. A handheld pointing device, comprising:

a body;

an image sensing module disposed in the body and configured to sense a reference light source and thereby capturing an image including of the reference light source; and

a processing circuit, disposed in the body and electrically connected to the image sensing module, configured to obtain the image including of the reference light source, calculate a coordinate of the image of the reference light source relative to the image captured by the image sensing module, and correct the coordinate according to a distance or a distance change between the body and the reference light source.

2. The handheld pointing device according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuit determines the distance based on an image size of the reference light source.

3. The handheld pointing device according to claim 2, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to determine the reference light source whether or not having an image size matching with one of a plurality of different predetermined sizes;

and the processing circuit, if the reference light source has an image size matched with one of the predetermined sizes or the image size is within an allowable error form the predetermined size, determines the distance according to this one predetermined size.

4. The handheld pointing device according to claim 1, wherein the image sensing module is further configured to sense two reference light sources and thereby capturing an image including of the two reference light sources, wherein the distance change is associated with an imagining distance change of the two reference light sources in the captured image.

5. The handheld pointing device according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuit corrects the coordinate according to an area size change of the image of the reference light source, wherein the distance change is associated with the area size change of the image of the reference light sources.

6. The handheld pointing device according to claim 1, further comprising an acceleration sensing device configured to obtain an acceleration value of the body moving toward or away from the reference light source, and the processing circuit corrects the coordinate according to the acceleration value.

7. The handheld pointing device according to claim 6, wherein the processing circuit calculates a displacement of the body relative to the reference light source according to the acceleration value, and thereby calculating the distance change according to the displacement.

8. The handheld pointing device according to claim 1, further comprising an acceleration sensing module configured to obtain three acceleration values of the body respectively in three dimensions of a space, wherein the processing circuit, if one of the acceleration values represents the acceleration value of the body moving toward or away from the reference light source, calculates a displacement of the body relative to the reference light source according to this acceleration value and thereby calculating the distance change according to the displacement.

9. The handheld pointing device according to claim 1, further comprising a distance measuring device configured to measure the distance between the body and the reference light source and thereby outputting a sensing result to the processing circuit.

10. The handheld pointing device according to claim 9, wherein the distance measuring device comprises a laser distance measuring device.

11. The handheld pointing device according to claim 1, further comprising a light-emitting device configured to emit a striped light on the reference light source or on a plane where the reference light source is and thereby resulting in the image captured by the image sensing module including of the image of the striped light emitting on the reference light source or on the plane where the reference light source is, and the processing circuit determines the distance of the body relative to the reference light source according to the distance between two consecutive stripes in the image captured by the image sensing module.

12. An operation method of a handheld pointing device, the handheld pointing device comprising a body and an image sensing module, the image sensing module being disposed in the body and configured to sense a reference light source and thereby capturing an image including of the reference light source, the operation method comprising:

calculating a coordinate of the image of the reference light source relative to the image captured by the image sensing module; and

correcting the coordinate according to a distance or a distance change between the body and the reference light source.

13. The operation method according to claim 12, further comprising:

determining the distance based on an image size of the reference light source.

14. The operation method according to claim 13, further comprising:

determining the reference light source whether or not having an image size matching with one of a plurality of different predetermined sizes; and

determining, if the reference light source has an image size matched with one of the predetermined sizes or the image size is within an allowable error from the predetermined size, the distance according to this one predetermined size.

15. The operation method according to claim 12, wherein the handheld pointing device further comprises an acceleration sensing device configured to obtain an acceleration value of the body moving toward or away from the reference light source, and the operation method further comprises:

calculating a displacement of the body relative to the reference light source according to the acceleration value; and

calculating the distance according to the displacement.

16. The operation method according to claim 12, wherein the handheld pointing device further comprises an acceleration sensing module configured to obtain three acceleration values of the body respectively in three dimensions of a space, and the operation method further comprises:

calculating, if one of the acceleration values represents the acceleration value of the body moving toward or away from the reference light source, a displacement of the body relative to the reference light source according to this acceleration value; and

calculating the distance according to the displacement.

17. The operation method according to claim 12, wherein the handheld pointing device further comprises a distance measuring device, and the operation method further comprises:

measuring, by the distance measuring device, the distance between the body and the reference light source.

18. The operation method according to claim 12, wherein the handheld pointing device further comprises a light-emitting device configured to emit a striped light on the reference light source or on a plane where the reference light source is and thereby resulting in the image captured by the image sensing module including of the image of the striped light emitting on the reference light source or on the plane where the reference light source is, and the operation method further comprises:

determining the distance of the body relative to the reference light source according to the distance between two consecutive stripes in the image captured by the image sensing module.

19. A handheld pointing device, comprising:

an image sensing module configured to sense at least one reference light source and thereby capturing an image including of the reference light source(s);

a lookup table recording a relationship between an imaging characteristic of the reference light source(s) and a group of coordinate adjustment parameters; and

a processing circuit electrically connected to the image sensing module and configured to obtain the image including of the reference light source(s) and correct a coordinate based on the relationship between the imaging characteristic of the reference light source(s) and the group of coordinate adjustment parameters in the lookup table.

20. The handheld pointing device according to claim 19, wherein the imaging characteristic is an imaging size of the reference light source.

21. The handheld pointing device according to claim 19, wherein the image sensing module is further configured to sense two reference light sources and thereby capturing an image including of the two reference light sources, wherein the distance change is associated with an imagining distance of the two reference light sources in the captured image.