Electronic pen input device and coordinate detecting method therefor

• US 6,897,854 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2002
• Issued: 05/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Yong-chul, Lee, Jae-won, Lee, Suk-han, Roh, Kyoung-sig
• Primary Examiner(s): Lamarre, Guy J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alphonse, Fritz
• Application Number:
  US10/102,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20020148655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/175, 345/179, 345/180, 178/19.01, 178/19.03, 178/19.04, 178/19.05
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03542 Light pens for emitting or receiving light
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/228 of three-dimensional handwriting, e.g. writing in the air

Abstract

A electronic pen input device and a coordinate determining method are provided. The electronic pen input device includes an optical 3-dimensional detecting device for detecting orientation angles of a centerline of the pen relative to a ground and a height of the pen over a writing surface, a 3-axis accelerometer for detecting a movement of the pen, and a communication means for sending the detected information to a post processing device.

Claims

1. An electronic pen input comprising:

an optical 3-dimensional detecting device that radiates light and detects reflections of the radiated light for detecting orientation angles of a centerline of the pen relative to a ground and a height of the pen over a writing surface;

a 3-axis accelerometer for detecting a movement of the pen; and

a communication means for sending the detected information to a post processing device.

2. The electronic pen as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical 3-dimensional detecting device includes a beam radiating portion for radiating beam onto the writing surface so as to form beam spots, and a detecting portion for detecting the beam spots.

3. The electronic pen input device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the beam radiating portion includes a light source, a first lens for making a beam radiated from the light source go parallel, a lattice dividing the beam through the first lens, and a second lens for directing the beam through the lattice onto the writing surface.

4. The electronic pen input device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the detecting portion includes a camera lens for condensing the beam spots on the waiting surface and a position detector detecting the beam coming through the camera lens.

5. The electronic pen input device as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a signal processor for detecting positions of the beam spots detected by the position detector, and a calculator for determining the height of the pen over the writing surface and the orientation angles thereof relative to the ground using the positions of the beam spats.

6. The electronic pen input device as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a controller for controlling an on/off operation of the light source.

7. The electronic pen input device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the beam radiated from the beam radiating portion is offset in centerline thereof relative to the centerline of the pen.

8. The electronic pen input device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a storing means for storing a movement information of the pen obtained from the processing device.

9. The electronic pen input device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication means includes a radio-frequency(RF) communication device.

10. The electronic pen input device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a battery for operation.

11. The electronic pen input device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a data processing means for determining the absolute position of the pen tip using data from the 3-axis accelerometer and the optical 3-dimensional detecting device.

12. The electronic pen input device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a stress sensor connected with the tip portion of the pen for detecting whether the tip portion contacts the writing surface.

13. The electronic pen input device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an ink bottle connected with the tip portion so as to inject ink when the pen operates while contacting with a predetermined writing paper.

14. A coordinate detecting method comprising:

(a) detecting three-directional orientation angles of a pen with respect to a writing surface and a height therebetween and detecting a movement of the pen, based on light reflected off the writing surface;

(b) transmitting the orientation angles, the height and the movement information to a signal processor so as to determining a position of a tip portion of the pen; and

(c) sending the position information to a terminal device by using a communication means.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein step (a) includes the substeps of:

(a1) emitting a beam;

(a2) directing the beam onto the writing surface so as to form at least five spots;

(a3) collecting a reflected beam from the writing surface; and

(a4) determining three-directional orientation angles of the pen relative to the writing surface and height thereof over the writing surface.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein step (a) includes the substeps of:

(a11) determining the orientation angles and the height over the writing surface by using an ellipsoidal equation formed with at least five spots collected; and

(a12) differentiating the result orientation angles and the height of the pen so as to find an angular velocity and a vertical velocity from initial values thereof.

17. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein step (b) includes the substeps of:

(b1) subtracting a gravity portion from an acceleration signal;

(b2) integrating the gravity-free acceleration signal so as to determine the velocity of the accelerometer of the pen;

(b3) compensating an accumulated error in velocity of the accelerometer by using the vertical velocity against the ground;

(b4) integrating the velocity so as to determine a position of the accelerometer of the pen;

(b5) compensating an accumulated error in the position of the accelerometer so as to determine the position of the pen thereof; and

(b6) converting the position of the pen into an absolute position of the pen tip using a geometry of the pen and the obtained orientation angles.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

lowpass filtering to an acceleration signal from a 3 axis acceleration sensor provided inside the pen.

19. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein step (c) is performed by a radio frequency (RF) communication method.

20. A coordinate determining method comprising:

(a) measuring orientation angles of a pen relative to a writing surface and a height thereof over the writing surface and measuring acceleration signals of the pen, based on light reflected off the writing surface;

(b) sending the measured signals to a terminal through a communication means; and

(c) transforming the orientation angle, the height and the acceleration signals by a processor in the terminal so as to determine a position of the pen.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein step (a) includes the substeps of:

(a1) directing an emitted beam onto the writing surface so as to form beam spots thereon;

(a2) collecting a reflected beam from the spots; and

(a3) detecting the collected beam.

22. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein step (c) includes the substeps of:

(c1) subtracting a gravity portion from the acceleration signals;

(c2) integrating the gravity deleted acceleration signal so as to determine the velocity of the accelerometer of the pen;

(c3) compensating an accumulated error in velocity of the accelerometer by using the vertical velocity information against the ground;

(c4) integrating the velocity so as to determine a position of the accelerometer of the pen;

(c5) compensating an accumulated error in the position of the accelerometer so as to determine the position of the pen thereof; and

(c6) converting the position of the pen into an absolute position of the pen tip using a geometry of the pen and the obtained orientation angles.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22, further comprising the steps of:

lowpass filtering to an acceleration signal from a 3-axis acceleration sensor provided inside the pen.

24. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein step (c) is performed by a radio frequency (RF) communication method.