Portable interactive media presentation system

• US 8,102,377 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2007
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smart Technologies ULC (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Smart Technologies ULC (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sirotich, Robert, Wright, Joe
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARKER, JEFFREY ALAN
• Application Number:
  US11/855,726
• Publication Number:
  US 20090073129A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,593 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/166, 345/173, 345/175, 345/176, 356614-624
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0428 by sensing at the edges of the touch surface the interruption of optical paths, e.g. an illumination plane, parallel to the touch surface which may be virtual sensing beam interruptions in a planar beam grid of an optical touch-screen G06F3/0421

Abstract

A system for providing a portable touch system comprises a bezel having a first and a second end, and a housing that is adapted to receive the first and second end of the bezel such that a display area is bounded by the housing and the bezel. At least one camera system is coupled to the housing and is operable to capture within at least a portion of the display area images of an object located within a field of view of the at least one camera system.

Claims

1. A portable touch system, comprising:

a flexible bezel having a first end and a second end;

a rigid, elongate housing configured to receive the first and second ends of the bezel at spaced locations therealong such that a display area is bounded by the housing and the bezel, wherein said display area is bounded by said housing only along one side thereof, the remainder of said display area being bounded by said flexible bezel; and

at least one camera system coupled to the housing, the at least one camera system being configured to capture within at least a portion of the display area images of an object located within a field of view of the at least one camera system, wherein the housing releasably receives the first and second ends of the flexible bezel facilitating detachment of the flexible bezel from the housing.

2. The portable touch system according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the display area comprises a touch surface area.

3. The portable touch system according to claim 2, wherein the at least one camera system comprises at least two camera systems at spaced locations along said housing, said camera systems having overlapping fields of view encompassing at least the touch surface area.

4. The portable touch system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one camera system comprises at least one first processor located within the housing, the at least one first processor configured to receive captured images and generate pixel data associated with the captured images.

5. The portable touch system according to claim 4, further comprising a second processor operatively coupled to the at least one first processor and located within the housing, wherein the second processor receives the generated pixel data and generates location coordinate information associated with the object within the field of view.

6. The portable touch system according to claim 4, wherein the at least one camera system comprises a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) camera device for capturing images and conveying the captured images to the at least one first processor.

7. The portable touch system according to claim 1, wherein the flexible bezel includes a non-infrared reflection coating on a face thereof that is within the field of view of the at least one camera system.

8. The portable touch system according to claim 1, wherein the flexible bezel includes a retro-reflecting coating on a face thereof that is within the field of view of the at least one camera system.

9. The portable touch system according to claim 1, wherein the flexible bezel is collapsible when detached from the housing.

10. The portable touch system according to claim 9, wherein the flexible bezel comprises:

a plurality of hingedly connected elongate members; and

a cover configured to encapsulate the elongate members.

11. The portable touch system according to claim 10, wherein the cover comprises at least one of a fabric material, a plastic material, and a metallic material.

12. The portable touch system according to claim 1, wherein the housing is collapsible when the flexible bezel is detached from said housing.

13. The portable touch system according to claim 12, wherein the housing comprises at least two sections coupled by a hinge, the at least two sections being moveable relative to one another between an extended condition where said housing is configured to receive the ends of said bezel and a collapsed condition where said sections overlie one another.

14. The portable touch system according to claim 8, further comprising at least one optical source located within the housing, the at least one optical source configured to illuminate at least the portion of the display area.

15. The portable touch system according to claim 14, wherein the at least one optical source comprises an infrared source.

16. The portable touch system according to claim 14, further comprising at least one lens located within the housing, the at least one lens configured to diffuse illumination emitted by said at least one optical source over at least the portion of the display area.

17. The portable touch system according to claim 16, wherein the at least one lens comprises a Fresnel lens.

18. The portable touch system according to claim 14, further comprising a power supply located within the housing, the power supply configured to provide electrical power to the at least one optical source.

19. The portable touch system according to claim 5, further comprising a power supply located within the housing, the power supply configured to provide electrical power to the at least one first processor and the second processor.

20. The portable touch system according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a base that is configured to provide cable management.

21. The portable touch system according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes a casing encapsulating a plurality of electrical devices within the housing and providing electromagnetic interference shielding thereto.

22. The portable touch system according to claim 10, wherein the cover comprises webbing.

23. The portable touch system according to claim 1 wherein said flexible bezel is generally arch-shaped when the ends thereof are inserted into said housing.

24. A method of providing media presentations using a portable touch system, the method comprising:

positioning a rigid, elongate housing that accommodates touch system components therein substantially adjacent a surface; and

releasably coupling first and second ends of a flexible bezel to the housing at spaced locations therealong thereby to form a touch surface on at least a portion of the surface bound within the bezel and the housing, wherein the housing bounds only one side of said surface, the remainder of the surface being bounded by said flexible bezel.

25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising illuminating the touch surface with an infrared signal, wherein the infrared signal is generated from within the housing.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the flexible bezel absorbs the infrared signal and wherein the method further comprises capturing an image looking generally across the touch surface and detecting an object interacting with the touch surface as an illuminated region within the captured image.

27. The method according to claim 25, wherein the flexible bezel retro-reflects the infrared signal and wherein the method further comprises capturing an image looking generally across the touch surface and detecting an object interacting with the touch surface as a dark region within the captured image.

28. The method according to claim 26, further comprising determining a coordinate position associated with the detected illuminated region.

29. The method according to claim 28, further comprising processing the determined coordinate position associated with the detected illuminated region and updating an image presented on said touch surface.

30. The method according to claim 27, further comprising determining a coordinate position associated with the detected dark region.

31. The method according to claim 30, further comprising processing the determined coordinate position associated with the detected dark region and updating an image presented on said touch surface.

32. A portable touch system comprising:

a rigid, elongate housing having laterally spaced camera devices therein; and

a flexible bezel having opposite ends, each end of said bezel having formations thereon, the formations being releasably inserted into complimentary formations in said housing adjacent a respective end thereof so that the housing and bezel bound a region of interest, wherein said housing bounds only one side of said region of interest, the remainder of said region of interest being bounded by said flexible bezel, said camera devices capturing images of said region of interest from different vantages.

33. The portable touch system according to claim 32 wherein said housing is collapsible when the ends of said flexible bezel are removed from said housing.

34. The portable touch system according to claim 33 wherein the camera devices are positioned adjacent opposite ends of said housing.

35. The portable touch system according to claim 34, wherein the housing comprises at least two sections coupled by a hinge, the at least two sections being moveable relative to one another between an extended condition where said housing is configured to receive the ends of said flexible bezel and a collapsed condition where said sections overlie one another.

36. The portable touch system according to claim 35 wherein said housing comprises at least three sections coupled by hinges.

37. The portable touch system according to claim 33, wherein the flexible bezel includes a non-infrared reflection coating on a face thereof that is within the fields of view of the camera devices.

38. The portable touch system according to claim 33, wherein the flexible bezel includes a retro-reflecting coating on a face thereof that is within the fields of view of the camera devices.

39. The portable touch system according to claim 33, wherein the flexible bezel is collapsible when detached from the housing.

40. The portable touch system according to claim 39, wherein the flexible bezel comprises:

a plurality of hingedly connected elongate members; and

a cover configured to encapsulate the elongate members.

41. The portable touch system according to claim 40, wherein the cover comprises at least one of a fabric material, a plastic material, and a metallic material.

42. The portable touch system according to claim 33, further comprising a power supply located within the housing, the power supply configured to provide electrical power to the camera devices.

43. The portable touch system according to claim 33, wherein the housing comprises a base that is configured to provide cable management.

44. The portable touch system according to claim 33, wherein the housing comprises a casing encapsulating a plurality of electrical devices within the housing and providing electromagnetic interference shielding thereto.

45. The portable touch system according to claim 32 wherein each camera device comprises an image sensor and associated processor, each processor processing image data acquired by the associated image sensor to identify an object appearing in captured image frames.

46. The portable touch system according to claim 45 further comprising processing structure receiving object data from the camera device processors and generating coordinates representing the position of the object within the region of interest.

47. The portable touch system according to claim 32 wherein said flexible bezel comprises pins at its ends that are received by complimentary holes in said housing.

48. The portable touch system according to claim 47 wherein said housing is collapsible when the ends of said flexible bezel are removed from said housing.

49. The portable touch system according to claim 48 wherein the camera devices are positioned adjacent opposite ends of said housing.

50. The portable touch system according to claim 46, wherein the flexible bezel includes a non-infrared reflection coating on a face thereof that is within the fields of view of the camera devices.

51. The portable touch system according to claim 46, wherein the flexible bezel includes a retro-reflecting coating on a face thereof that is within the fields of view of the camera devices.

52. The portable touch system according to claim 46, wherein the flexible bezel is collapsible when detached from the housing.

53. The portable touch system according to claim 49 wherein each camera device comprises an image sensor and associated processor, each processor processing image data acquired by the associated image sensor to identify an object appearing in captured image frames.

54. The portable touch system according to claim 53 further comprising processing structure receiving object data from the camera device processors and generating coordinates representing the position of the object within the region of interest.