Apparatus for inputting information and computer product

• US 6,728,395 B1
• Filed: 06/26/2000
• Issued: 04/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Komori, Shinji, Takeda, Akihiro, Kage, Hiroshi, Kyuma, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): AHMED, SAMIR ANWAR
• Application Number:
  US09/604,695
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• Field of Search: 382/107, 734/88, 348/154, 348/155, 356/27, 345/157, 345/156, 345/158, 345/169, 345/467, 345/468, 345/469, 345/469.1, 345/470
• US Class Current: 382/107
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• 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 3/0317 in co-operation with a patterned surface, e.g. absolute position or relative movement detection for an optical mouse or pen positioned with respect to a coded surface
• 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

An apparatus for inputting information includes an image input section which acquires the image information through an image sensor, a motion calculation section which calculates a distance of movement based on the image information, an information selection section which selects symbol information from a symbol table in operatively interlocked relation with the calculated distance of movement, and an information display section which displays the symbol table and the selected symbol information.

Claims

1. An apparatus for inputting information comprising:

an image input section having an image sensor, the image sensor acquiring image information;

a motion calculation section which calculates a distance of movement of input image information acquired by the image input section;

a converting section that converts the distance of movement of the input image information into a distance of movement of the apparatus;

an information selection section which selects symbol information from a symbol table in operatively interlocked relation with the distance of movement of the apparatus output from the converting section; and

an information display section for displaying the symbol table and the symbol information selected.

2. The apparatus for inputting information according to claim 1, wherein said information selection section includes:

a symbol area selection unit which selects an area in a table containing a desired symbol; and

a symbol information selection unit which selects the desired symbol from the area selected by said symbol area selection unit, wherein the symbol table, the area selected, and the symbol information selected are displayed on said information display section.

3. The apparatus for inputting information according to claim 1, wherein said information selection section holds a covered distance and selects the symbol information in the symbol table in operatively interlocked relation with the distance of movement of the apparatus calculated by said motion calculation section, in addition to the covered distance.

4. The apparatus for inputting information according to claim 1, wherein said motion calculation section calculates an optical flow using projection data in directions along rows and columns of the image information, and thereby calculates the distance of movement of the input image information based on a motion vector having an X component and a Y component.

5. The apparatus for inputting information according to claim 1, wherein said motion calculation section calculates an optical flow using two-dimensional image data of the image information, and calculates a mean vector of the two-dimensional image data as a covered distance.

6. The apparatus for inputting information according to claim 1, wherein said information selection section further includes a data base, selects information corresponding to the symbol information selected from the data base, and displays the information on said information display section.

7. The apparatus for inputting information according to claim 1, wherein said information display section displays the symbol table one-dimensionally.

8. The apparatus for inputting information according to claim 1, wherein said information display section displays a part of the symbol table.

9. The apparatus for inputting information according to claim 1, wherein said information display section displays upper and lower ends or left and right ends of peripheral portions of the symbol table virtually coupled to each other.

10. The apparatus for inputting information according to claim 1, further comprising a sound effect output section which produces a sound effect in accordance with a symbol held in said information selection section.

11. The apparatus for inputting information according to claim 1, further comprising an image registration section which registers the image information of said image input section.

12. A readable medium for storing instructions, which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to acquire image information, calculate a distance of movement of input image information, convert the distance of movement of the input image information into a distance of movement of the computer, hold a symbol selection area on a symbol table, and update the symbol selection area in operatively interlocked relation with the distance of movement of the computer.