Optical unit for detecting object and coordinate input apparatus using same

• US 6,362,468 B1
• Filed: 05/11/2000
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Minato Advanced Technologies Inc. (Minato Holdings Inc.), Xiroku, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Saeilo Japan, Inc.
• Inventors: Murakami, Azuma, Ogawa, Yasuji, Fukuzaki, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta, David P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yun, Jurie
• Application Number:
  US09/569,321
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 250/221, 250/222.1, 250/227.11, 250/227.13, 250/227.14, 356/375, 356/387, 356/386, 340/555, 340/556, 340/557
• US Class Current: 250/221
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/124 plural reflecting elements forming part of a unitary plate or sheet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen

Abstract

An object detecting optical unit for detecting a direction or a position of an object placed on a detecting plane surface is disclosed. The optical unit detects existence or non existence of a retroreflective light reflected by a retroreflective member. A light projection device is formed by a plurality of light sources and corresponding lenses, arranged in to form a fan shaped projection pattern parallel to the detecting plane surface, the projection pattern being as if projected from a virtual one point light source. A light receiving device is included which has a slit or lens and linear photoreceptive group, arranged in such a manner as to form a light receiving pattern with a view field corresponding to the fan shaped projection pattern. A position coordinate input apparatus using the optical unit is also disclosed.

Claims

1. An object detecting optical unit for detecting a direction or a position of an object, which is placed on a detecting plane surface and irradiated by light, by detecting the existence or non-existence of a retroreflective light reflected by a retroreflective member, said optical unit comprising:

a light projection means having a plurality of light sources and a plurality of lenses which correspond to said light sources, wherein said plurality of light sources and said plurality of lenses are arranged in such a manner as to form a fan shaped projection pattern which is substantially parallel to said detecting plane surface, said projection pattern being as if projected from a virtual one point light source; and

a light receiving means having a slit, or a lens and a linear photoreceptive group, wherein said slit or lens and said linear photoreceptive group are arranged in such a manner as to form a light receiving pattern with a view field corresponding to said fan shaped projection pattern formed by said light projection means.

2. An object detecting optical unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said light projection means includes a plurality of light emitting diodes, said plurality of light sources each being formed of the light emitting element in each light emitting diode, and said plurality of lenses are each made integral with the respective light emitting diode.

3. A object detecting optical unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein said plurality of light sources and said plurality of lenses are arranged in a fan shape and disposed on a single plane in such a manner so as to form said fan shaped projection pattern with the center of each light flux projected from each light source via the lens and being focused at one rear point of said plurality of lenses, said fan shaped projection pattern being projected from said one rear point as said virtual one point light source.

4. An object detecting optical unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein said plurality of light sources and said plurality of lenses are arranged in a fan shape and disposed on a single plane in such a manner so as to form said fan shaped projection pattern with the center of each light flux projected from each light source via the lens being and focused at one front point of said plurality of lenses, said fan shaped projection pattern being projected from said one front point as said virtual one point light source.

5. An object detecting optical unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said retroreflective member is disposed at the opposite side from said optical unit with said detecting plane being sandwiched between said object detecting optical unit and said retroreflective member, whereby, when said object interrupts the light path between said light projection means and said light receiving means in which the light travels back and forth, a direction of said object is detected by calculating the direction of the shadow from the distribution of output signals from said linear photoreceptive group.

6. An object detecting optical unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said object carries said retroreflective member thereon, said retroreflective member functioning such that the direction of said object is detected by calculating the direction of the reflected light from the distribution of the output signals from said linear photoreceptive group when said irradiated light from said light projection means returns to said light receiving means by retroreflection from said object.

7. An object detecting optical unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said light projection means is provided with a slight offset to a perpendicular direction to said detecting plane surface, and is located above or below said detecting means.

8. An object detecting optical unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said light projection means is provided with a slight offset to a perpendicular direction to said detecting plane surface, and is located both above and below said detecting means.

9. A position coordinate input apparatus having at lease two sets object detecting optical units provided respectively at predetermined positions, each of said optical units conducting a calculation for the direction of an object placed on a detecting plant surface, thereby calculating the coordinates of said object using the triangulation principle, and then inputting the attained position coordinate information into an information processing device, each of said optical units comprising:

a light projection means having a plurality of light sources and a plurality of lenses which correspond to said light sources, wherein said plurality of light sources and said plurality of lenses are arranged in such a manner as to form a fan shaped projection pattern which is substantially parallel to said detecting plane surface, said projection pattern being as if projected from a virtual one point light source; and

a light receiving means having a slit, or a lens and a linear photoreceptive group, wherein said slit or lens and said linear photoreceptive group are arranged in such a manner as to form a light receiving pattern with a view field corresponding to said fan shaped projection pattern formed by said light projection means.

10. A position coordinate input apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said apparatus further has a display device having a screen for displaying the information outputted from said information processing device, and said detecting plane surface being provided in such a manner so as to overlap the screen of said display device.