Coordinate input apparatus, its control method, and program

• US 7,432,914 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2005
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Atsushi, Sato, Hajime, Kobayashi, Katsuyuki, Kobayashi, Kiwamu, Hasegawa, Masahide, Yoshimura, Yuichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar; Vijay
• Application Number:
  US11/076,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20050200613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,308 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179, 178 1801- 1807, 178 1901- 1906
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/124 plural reflecting elements forming part of a unitary plate or sheet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0423 using sweeping light beams, e.g. using rotating or vibrating mirror

Abstract

Angle information corresponding to a specified point is calculated on the basis of a change in light amount distribution obtained from at least two sensor units which are arranged on the corner portions of a coordinate input region and receive incoming light. The coordinates of a pointed position on the coordinate input region are calculated on the basis of the calculated angle information. Each of the at least two sensor units includes two light-receiving units being first and second light-receiving units.

Claims

1. A coordinate input apparatus for detecting a pointed position on a coordinate input region, comprising:

at least two sensor means arranged on corner portions of the coordinate input region wherein each of said at least two sensor means comprises first light-projecting means, second light-projecting means, first light-receiving means and second light-receiving means;

reflection means, arranged on a surrounding portion of the coordinate input region, for retroreflecting light projected by said sensor means;

angle calculation means for calculating angle information corresponding to the pointed position on the coordinate input region on the basis of a change in light amount distribution obtained from said at least two sensor means which receive light retroreflected from said reflection means; and

calculation means for calculating coordinates of the pointed position on the basis of the angle information calculated by said angle calculation means.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a horizontal direction of the coordinate input region is defined as an X-axis, a vertical direction of the coordinate input region is defined as a Y-axis, and a distance between symmetric axes of the two light-receiving units is defined by d, an X-axis projected distance dx obtained by projecting the distance d on the X-axis or a Y-axis projected distance dy obtained by projecting the distance d on the Y-axis is set to be substantially equal to a diameter of a pointer used to input on the coordinate input region.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an effective visual field of at least the first light-receiving means of the first and second light-receiving means covers the full coordinate input region.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

determination means for determining, on the basis of the light amount distribution output from the first light-receiving means of the first and second light-receiving means, if a plurality of pointed positions are present in the coordinate input region; and

control means for controlling an operation of the second light-receiving means on the basis of the determination result of said determination means.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

detection means for detecting a state in which a plurality of pointed positions are present outside the effective visual field of the first light-receiving means and an effective visual field of the second light-receiving means.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said angle calculation means comprises:

end portion information detection means for detecting end portion information as angle information corresponding to end portions of a range of a change in light amount distribution output from the light-receiving means before and after coordinate input sampling, and

said calculation means calculates coordinates of the pointed position on the coordinate input region on the basis of one end portion information corresponding to two pieces of end portion information for the first and second light-receiving means of the first sensor means, and two pieces of end portion information for the first and second light-receiving means of the second sensor means.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a light-projecting unit which is arranged on a surrounding portion of the coordinate input region, and projects light toward the coordinate input region.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

reflection means, arranged on a surrounding portion of the coordinate input region, for retroreflecting incident light; and

a pointer having a light-emitting unit.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coordinate input region is used as a display surface of a display apparatus or is overlaid on the display surface of the display apparatus.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display apparatus,

wherein said coordinate input apparatus is overlaid on said display apparatus.

11. A display apparatus having a coordinate input apparatus of claim 1, wherein the said coordinate input apparatus is overlaid on a display surface of said display apparatus.

12. A method of controlling a coordinate input apparatus which comprises at least two sensor units which are arranged on corner portions of a coordinate input region, wherein each of said at least two sensor means comprises first light-projecting means, second light-projecting means, first light-receiving means and second light-receiving means, reflection means, arranged on a surrounding portion of the coordinate input region, for retroreflecting light projected by said sensor means, and detects a pointed position on the coordinate input region, comprising:

an angle calculation step of calculating angle information corresponding to the pointed position on the coordinate input region on the basis of a change in light amount distribution obtained from the at least two sensor units which receives light retroreflected by said reflection means; and

a calculation step of calculating coordinates of the pointed position on the basis of the angle information calculated in the angle calculation step.