Information Technology Device Input Systems And Associated Methods

• US 20140267033A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnivision Technologies Incorporated (Will Semiconductor Co., Ltd. Shanghai)
• Original Assignee: Omnivision Technologies Incorporated (Will Semiconductor Co., Ltd. Shanghai)
• Inventors: Li, Jin, Shan, Jizhang
• Granted Patent: US 10,185,406 B2
• 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

Abstract

A method for generating a control signal to control an information technology device includes the following steps: (1) capturing, using an image sensor, a current control image of a light source of a remote controller positioned within a field of view of the image sensor; (2) identifying, within the current control image, a current location of light emitted from the light source; (3) determining movement between (a) the current location of the light emitted from the light source and (b) a previous location of the light emitted from the light source determined from a previously captured image; (4) generating a movement control signal based upon the movement; and (5) sending the movement control signal to the information technology device. The method is executed, for example, by a movement control module of an information technology device input system.

Claims

1. A method for generating a control signal to control an information technology device, comprising:

capturing, using an image sensor, a current control image of a light source of a remote controller positioned within a field of view of the image sensor;

identifying, within the current control image, a current location of light emitted from the light source;

determining movement between (a) the current location of the light emitted from the light source and (b) a previous location of the light emitted from the light source determined from a previously captured image;

generating a movement control signal based upon the movement; and

sending the movement control signal to the information technology device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the current location of the light emitted from the light source as the previous location of the light emitted from the light source.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least partially controlling the information technology device based upon the movement control signal.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising controlling a position of a cursor on an output image of the information technology device, based at least partially on the movement control signal.

5. The method of claim 4, the light source comprising an infrared light source.

6. The method of claim 5, the image sensor being integrated with the information technology device.

7. The method of claim 6, the information technology device being selected from the group consisting of a computing device, a television, and a telecommunications device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, within the current control image, a current intensity of the light emitted from the light source;

determining a change in intensity of the light emitted from the light source between (a) the current intensity of the light emitted from the light source and (b) a previous intensity of the light emitted from the light source; and

generating a function control signal to control the information technology device based at least partially on the change in intensity of the light emitted from the light source.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising detecting, within the previous captured image, the previous intensity of the light emitted from the light source.

10. An information technology device input system, comprising:

a remote controller including a light source;

a processor;

an image sensor for capturing a current control image of a field of view including the light source;

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor for storing at least the current control image; and

a movement control module, including machine readable instructions stored in the memory, that when executed by the processor, perform the functions of;

identifying, within the current control image, a current location of light emitted from the light source,

determining movement between (a) the current location of the light emitted from the light source and (b) a previous location of the light emitted from the light source determined from a previously captured image,

generating a movement control signal based upon the movement, and

sending the movement control signal to the information technology device.

11. The information technology device input system of claim 10, the light source comprising an infrared light source and the image sensor comprising an infrared detector.

12. The information technology device input system of claim 11, further comprising:

a controller configured with the remote controller to encode a state of an input button of the remote controller by varying the intensity of light emitted from the light source; and

a function control module, including machine readable instructions stored in the memory, that when executed by the processor, perform the functions of;

detecting, within the current control image, a current intensity of the light emitted from the light source,

determining a change in intensity of the light emitted from the light source between (a) the current intensity of the light emitted from the light source and (b) a previous intensity of the light emitted from the light source,

generating a function control signal to control the information technology device based at least partially on the change in intensity of the light emitted from the light source.

13. The information technology device input system of claim 10, the information technology device being selected from the group consisting of a computing device, a television, and a telecommunications device.

14. The information technology device input system of claim 13, the image sensor being integrated with the information technology device.

15. An information technology device, comprising:

a display for displaying an output image;

a remote controller including a light source;

a processor;

an image sensor for capturing a current control image of a field of view including the light source;

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor for storing at least the current control image;

a movement control module, including machine readable instructions stored in the memory, that when executed by the processor, perform the functions of;

identifying, within the current control image, a current location of light emitted from the light source,

determining movement between (a) the current location of the light emitted from the light source and (b) a previous location of the light emitted from the light source determined from a previously captured image,

generating a movement control signal based upon the movement, and

sending the movement control signal to the information technology device; and

a control subsystem adapted to control a position of a cursor on the output image at least partially based on the movement control signal.

16. The information technology device of claim 15, the light source comprising an infrared light source and the image sensor comprising an infrared detector.

17. The information technology device of claim 15, the information technology device being selected from the group consisting of a computing device, a television, and a telecommunications device.