Interface unit between a user and an electronic device

• US 6,618,035 B1
• Filed: 10/13/2000
• Issued: 09/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yves Jean-Paul Guy Reza
• Original Assignee: Yves Jean-Paul Guy Reza
• Inventors: Reza, Yves Jean-Paul Guy
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, FRANCIS N
• Application Number:
  US09/687,321
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156-158, 345/207, 463/36-38, 348/734
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/04 for aiming at specific areas on the displays, e.g. with photodetecting means
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/20 Input arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03542 Light pens for emitting or receiving light
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/037 using the raster scan of a cathode-ray tube [CRT] for detecting the position of the member, e.g. light pens cooperating with CRT monitors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/68 Circuit details for cathode-ray display tubes deviation circuits H04N3/16

Abstract

Interface unit between a user and an electronic device comprising a control logic and a cathode screen (3) with a scanning facility where the luminous spot successively occupies all the points of the screen according to a predetermined scanning cycle. The control box has at least two lighting sensors of neighbouring and parallel axes which facilitate, by means of a microprocessor, the calculation of the position of a zone which is targeted by the control box on the screen and the transmission of information to the electronic device.

Claims

1. Interface unit between a user and an electronic device comprising a control logic and a rectangular cathode screen with a scanning facility where a luminous spot scans the screen according to a pre-determined scanning cycle, wherein the unit has

a control box including:

at least two lighting sensors adapted to the scanning of the screen by the luminous spot;

a lighting sensor D1 which has a detection field comprising at least the upper left section of the screen;

a lighting sensor D2 which has a detection field limited to a reduced zone Z of the screen;

a wide-band amplifier and a high-pass filter for each of the lighting

means of detection of the appearance of the luminous spot in the detection field of each of the sensors in order to generate a pre-determined logical signal;

means of logical and arithmetical processing of the logical signals in order to calculate the position of the target zone Z on the screen at least on the basis of firstly the instant of appearance of the logical signal corresponding to the lighting sensor D1 whose detection field comprises at least the upper left section of the screen and which corresponds to the start of image-scanning, and secondly the instant of appearance of the logical signal corresponding to the lighting sensor D2 whose detection field is reduced and which corresponds to the passage of the luminous spot in front of the target zone Z;

a transmission chain from the box towards the electronic device, the device having a logic adapted in order to be modified by the information received,

and wherein the control box is placed at a distance from the cathode screen.

2. Interface unit according to claim 1, in which the means of logical and arithmetical processing of the logical signals calculate the position of the target zone Z on the screen on the basis of the time difference existing between firstly the instant of appearance of the logical signal corresponding to the lighting sensor D1 whose detection field comprises at least the upper left section of the screen and which corresponds to the beginning of scanning of the image, and secondly the instant of appearance of the logical signal corresponding to the lighting sensor D2 whose detection field is reduced and which corresponds to the passage of the luminous spot in front of the target zone Z.

3. Interface unit according to claim 1, in which the detection field of the sensor D1 contains the whole screen and the means of logical and arithmetical processing of the logical signals calculate the position of the target zone Z on the screen, on the basis also of the instant of appearance of the logical signal corresponding to the lighting sensor D1 on a line which likewise corresponds to the passage of the luminous spot in front of the target zone Z.

4. Interface unit according to claim 3, in which the means of logical and arithmetical processing are also able to:

memorize the instants of appearance of the logical signals corresponding to the lighting sensor D1 for several lines which correspond to the beginning of the scanning of the screen,

memorize for several lines of scanning the instants of the signals corresponding to the lighting of the sensors D1 and D2 by the passage of the luminous spot on one same line.

5. Interface unit according to claim 1, in which the lighting sensor D1 and the lighting sensor D2 have parallel and close axes.

6. Interface unit according to claim 1, in which the lighting sensor D1 whose detection field comprises at least the upper left section of the screen comprises a lighting detector and a focusing device in order to improve the sensitivity of the sensor.

7. Interface unit according to claim 6, in which the focusing device is chosen between a conical mirror and an optical lens system.

8. Interface unit according to claim 1, in which the lighting sensor D2 whose detection field is reduced comprises a lighting detector and a focusing system in order to focus the light coming from the target zone Z on the active surface of the detector.

9. Interface unit according to claim 1, in which the screen has in its upper left section a portion of reduced surface and which is light in color.

10. Interface unit according to claim 1, in which the electronic device also has means of control of the screen in order to display on the screen a graphic effect in a position in relation to the target zone Z.

11. Interface unit according to claim 10, in which the control box has means which can be selectively activated by the user and of which the result of the action is transmitted to the electronic device by the box.

12. Interface unit according to claim 11, in which the selectively activated means of control are chosen among buttons, potentiometers, pressure sensors, angle sensors, position sensors, gyroscopes, at least one vocal command and at least one joystick.

13. Interface unit according to claim 10, in which the control box transmits information to the electronic device when the position of the target zone Z has changed by a pre-determined minimum value.

14. Interface unit according to claim 10, in which the control box also has means of identification adapted so that the electronic device recognizes the control box, whereby these means of identification selectively generate identification data of the box which is sent to the electronic device.

15. Interface unit according to claim 14, in which several control boxes communicate with the electronic device and the means of control of the device of each control box transmit a certain number of times their information to the electronic device in order to increase the probability of the electronic device receiving the information emitted by each box without interference with the information emitted by the other boxes.

16. Interface unit according to claim 14, in which several control boxes communicate with the electronic device and the means of control of the device of each control box transmit their information to the electronic device, being synchronized in relation to the beginning of the image displayed on the screen, and at instants defined by intervals specific to each box in relation to the beginning of the image.

17. Interface unit according to one claim 15, in which the electronic device has means which cause the transmission of new information by at least one of said control boxes.

18. Interface unit according to claim 17, in which the means causing the transmission of new information consist in that at least one section of the screen displays a pre-determined sequence of luminous intensities.

19. Interface unit according to claim 1, in which the emitter and the receiver communicate by waves.

20. Interface unit according to claim 1, in which the emitter and the receiver are linked by a transmission cable.

21. Interface unit according to one claim 1, in which the control box has means of measuring and memorizing periodically the lighting time of the sensor D2 by the luminous spot in order to facilitate a detection of approaching or distancing of the control box from the screen by measuring the variation of the lighting time of the sensor by said luminous spot.

22. Interface unit according to claim 1, in which the control box has firstly two lighting sensors D2, D3 with parallel, close axes, having detection fields which are each limited to a reduced zone Z, Z′

of the screen, and secondly supplementary means of logical and arithmetical processing in order to measure the position of the two distinct zones Z, Z′

on the screen and to facilitate the calculation of the rotation angle of the control box in relation to the common axis of said lighting sensors D2, D3.