Position determination utilizing a cordless device

• US 7,609,249 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2005
• Issued: 10/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies ECBU IP Singapore Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wenstrand, John Stewart, Haven, Richard Earl, Fouquet, Julie E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Duc Q
• Application Number:
  US11/111,444
• Publication Number:
  US 20060238492A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,650 Days
• Field of Search: 346156-181, 345156-181
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0312 for tracking the rotation of a spherical or circular member, e.g. optical rotary encoders used in mice or trackballs using a tracking ball or in mouse scroll wheels tracking relative movement in co-operation with a regularly or irregularly patterned surface, e.g. as in optical mice G06F3/0317; constructional details of scroll or thumb-wheels G06F3/0362; optical rotary encoders G01D5/3473
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0325 using a plurality of light emitters or reflectors or a plurality of detectors forming a reference frame from which to derive the orientation of the object, e.g. by triangulation or on the basis of reference deformation in the picked up image
• 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

A system for generating position information includes a reflector, an image collection system, and a processor. The image collection system is configured to collect at least two sets of image data, where one set of image data includes a stronger indication of the reflector than the other set of image data. The two sets of image data can be collected in many different ways and may include using a retroreflector as the reflector. The two sets of image data are used to generate position information related to the reflector. In particular, position information related to the reflector is generated by taking the difference between the two set of image data. Because one set of image data includes a stronger indication of the reflector than the other set of image data, the difference between the two sets of image data gives a definitive indication of the reflector'"'"'s position.

Claims

1. A system for generating position information, the system comprising:

a reflector;

an image collection system configured to generate a first set of image data and a second set of image data, wherein the first set of image data includes a stronger indication of the reflector than the second set of image data; and

a processor configured to use the first set of image data and the second set of image data to generate position information related to the reflector, wherein the processor is configured to take the difference between the first set of image data and the second set of image data;

wherein the reflector is a retroreflector that is integrated into a pointing device;

wherein taking the difference between the first set of image data and the second set of image data comprises taking the difference between corresponding data points of the first and second sets of image data such that most of the corresponding data points from the first and second sets of image data cancel each other out except for data points that correspond to the retroreflector.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein taking the difference between the first set of image data and the second set of image data comprises comparing difference values to a difference threshold and including in difference image data only those values which exceed the difference threshold.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to compare a difference image, which results from taking the difference between the first set of image data and the second set of image data, to known image information.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the first set of image data is on-axis image data and the second set of image data is off-axis image data.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the image collection system comprises a light source and an imager.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the reflector, the light source, and the imager are oriented with respect to each other such that a portion of the light generated by the light source is reflected by the reflector and detected by the imager.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to use the first set of image data and the second set of image data to generate orientation information related to the reflector.

8. A method for generating position information, the method comprising:

illuminating a retroreflector that is integrated into a pointing device;

generating a first set of image data and a second set of image data, wherein the first set of image data includes a stronger indication of the reflector than the second set of image data; and

generating position information related to the reflector using the first set of image data and the second set of image data, wherein generating position information comprises taking the difference between the first set of image data and the second set of image data, wherein taking the difference between the first set of image data and the second set of image data comprises taking the difference between corresponding data points of the first and second sets of image data such that most of the corresponding data points from the first and second sets of image data cancel each other out except for data points that correspond to the retroreflector.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein taking the difference between the first set of image data and the second set of image data comprises comparing difference values to a difference threshold and including in difference image data only those values which exceed the difference threshold.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising comparing a difference image, which results from taking the difference between the first set of image data and the second set of image data, to known image information.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein illuminating the reflector comprises illuminating the reflector with on-axis light and off-axis light.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the wavelength of the on-axis light is different from the wavelength of the off-axis light.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising generating orientation information related to the reflector using the first set of image data and the second set of image data.

14. A system for generating position information, the system comprising:

a pointing device comprising a retroreflector;

means for generating on-axis image data and off-axis image data; and

a processor configured to generate position information related to the pointing device from the on-axis image data and the off-axis image data, wherein the processor is configured to find the difference between the on-axis image data and off-axis image data, wherein taking the difference between the first set of image data and the second set of image data comprises taking the difference between corresponding data points of the first and second sets of image data such that most of the corresponding data points from the first and second sets of image data cancel each other out except for data points that correspond to the retroreflector.

15. A method for generating position information, the method comprising:

illuminating a retroreflector that is integrated into a pointing device;

generating on-axis image data in response to the illumination;

generating off-axis image data in response to the illumination; and

generating position information related to the retroreflector from the on-axis image data and the off-axis image data, wherein generating position information comprises taking the difference between the on-axis and off-axis image data, wherein taking the difference between the on-axis image data and the off-axis image data comprises taking the difference between corresponding data points of the on-axis and off-axis image data which results in a difference image such that most of the corresponding data points from the on-axis and off-axis image data cancel each other out in the difference image except for data points that correspond to the retroreflector.