Method for controlling light source and optical input device using the same

• US 7,701,503 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2005
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Discovery Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ATLab, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Bang-Won, Shin, Young-Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye; Lin
• Assistant Examiner(s): ADEYIGA, TEMITOPE A
• Application Number:
  US11/042,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20050161582A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,911 Days
• Field of Search: 348/252, 348/370, 348/371, 348/372, 348/297, 396/180, 345163-166
• US Class Current: 348/362
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/32 adapted for automatic variation of the measured or reference value regulation of light intensity G05D25/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14627 Microlenses

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for controlling a light source and optical input device using the same. The light source controlling method includes setting a shutter ON time of an image sensor using a statistical value of an image obtained through the image sensor, and setting a light source ON time in accordance with the shutter ON time and turning on/off the light source and the shutter in response to the set light source ON time and the set shutter ON time.

Thus, undesired consumption of electric power of the light source is prevented to increase energy efficiency by actively setting an ON/OFF period of the light source consuming the maximum electric current in the optical input device according to a shutter ON/OFF period. Further, availability of the light source and its electric current is enhanced by controlling the light source for the shutter OFF period and by allowing the light source to be used as a source for the data transmission.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a light source in an optical input device for controlling an indicating position on a graphic display, comprising:

setting a shutter ON time of an image sensor using a statistical value of an image obtained through the image sensor;

setting a light source ON time in accordance with the shutter ON time and turning on/off the light source in response to the set light source ON time and turning on/off the shutter in response to the set shutter ON time and setting a light source ON period to be relatively longer than a shutter ON period; and

when the image sensor becomes a shutter OFF state and data to be transmitted are present, controlling the light source to transmit the data from the optical input device to outside,

wherein turning on/off the light source includes;

turning on the light source first according to the light source ON time and then turning on the shutter according to the shutter ON time; and

turning off the light source when the shutter is turned off,

wherein setting the shutter ON time includes;

calculating the statistical value of output signals of the image sensor, and comparing the calculated statistical value with a set statistical value.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the statistical value is an average value of the image obtained through the image sensor, as a setting means.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein setting the shutter ON time includes:

setting an average value of output signals of the image sensor requiring to obtain an exact image;

calculating an average value of output signals of the image sensor outputting currently, and comparing the calculated average value with the set average value; and

decreasing the shutter ON time when the calculated average value is greater than the set average value, and increasing the shutter ON time when the calculated average value is smaller than the set average value.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein the output signals are outputted from each of all the pixels within the image sensor.

5. The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein the output signals are outputted from a part of pixel array within the image sensor.

6. The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein the output signals are outputted from a designated pixel or designated pixels within the image sensor.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the statistical value is the number having maximum and minimum values from among the statistical value of the image obtained through the mage sensor, as a means of setting the shutter ON time.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein setting the shutter ON time includes:

setting maximum and minimum values of output signals of the image sensor requiring to obtain an exact image, a first allowable number of the output signals having a value greater than the maximum value, and a second allowable number of the output signals having a value smaller than the minimum value;

comparing the output signal of each pixel within the image sensor with the set maximum and minimum values, and calculating the first number of the output signals having the value greater than the maximum value and the second number of the output signals having the value smaller than the minimum value; and

decreasing the shutter ON time when the calculated first number is greater than the first allowable number and the second number is greater than the second allowable number, or when the calculated first number is greater than the first allowable number and the second number is smaller than the second allowable number, and increasing the shutter ON time when the calculated first number is smaller than the first allowable number and the second number is greater than the second allowable number.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the statistical value is the number of edges of the image obtained through the image sensor, as a means of setting the shutter ON time.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein setting the shutter ON time includes:

setting the number of edges of the image of the image sensor requiring to obtain an exact image;

calculating the edge number of the current image inputted through the image sensor, getting the calculated edge number on the accumulative average, and comparing the current accumulative average with a previous accumulative average;

as a result of the comparison, when the current accumulative average is greater than the previous accumulative average, reversing and controlling a state of controlling the current shutter ON time, and when the current accumulative average is smaller than the previous accumulative average, comparing the current accumulative average with the set edge number; and

as a result of the comparison, when the current accumulative average is greater than the set edge number, maintaining the current shutter ON time, and when the current accumulative average is smaller than the set edge number, maintaining the state of controlling the current shutter ON time.

11. An optical input device using a method for controlling a light source, comprising:

an image sensor for collecting incident light when becoming a shutter ON state;

a movement calculator for calculating and outputting a value of movement using a quantity of the incident light collected on the image sensor;

a shutter controller for setting a shutter ON time according to brightness of a subject to be shot by the incident light and controlling the image sensor according to the set shutter ON time; and

a light source controller for setting a light source ON time to correspond to the shutter ON time of the shutter controller, controlling the light source according to the set light source ON time and setting a light source ON period to be relatively longer than a shutter ON period, and when the image sensor becomes a shutter OFF state and the movement value of the optical input device is received from the movement calculator, controlling the light source to transmit the movement value from the optical input device to outside,

wherein the light source ON time is set to turn on the light source before the shutter is ON and to turn off the light source when the shutter ON time is terminated.

12. The optical input device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the light source makes use of an infrared light emitting diode.

13. The optical input device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the shutter ON time is set using an average value of output signals of the image sensor.

14. The optical input device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the shutter ON time is set using maximum and minimum values of output signals of the image sensor.

15. The optical input device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the shutter ON time is set using the number of edges of an image obtained through the image sensor.

16. An optical input device using a method for controlling a light source, comprising:

an image sensor for collecting incident light when becoming a shutter ON state;

a movement calculator for calculating and outputting a value of movement using a quantity of the incident light collected on the image sensor;

a shutter controller for setting a shutter ON time according to brightness of a subject to be shot by the incident light and controlling the image sensor according to the set shutter ON time;

a light source controller for setting a light source ON time to correspond to the shutter ON time of the shutter controller and controlling the light source according to the set light source ON time and setting a light source ON period to be relatively longer than a shutter ON period;

a transmission light source controller for transmitting the movement value of the optical input device to outside when the image sensor becomes a shutter OFF state and the movement value is received from the movement calculator; and

a transmission light source for performing self ON/OFF operation in response to a transmission light source control signal transmitted from the transmission light source controller,

wherein the light source ON time is set to turn on the light source before the shutter is ON and to turn off the light source when the shutter ON time is terminated.

17. The optical input device as set forth in claim 16, wherein the shutter ON time is set using an average value of output signals of the image sensor.

18. The optical input device as set forth in claim 16, wherein the shutter ON time is set using maximum and minimum values of output signals of the image sensor.

19. The optical input device as set forth in claim 16, wherein the shutter ON time is set using the number of edges of an image obtained through the image sensor.