System for virtually drawing on a physical surface

• US 8,253,744 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2007
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Philips Lighting Holding BV (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Macura, Marko, Marzano, Thomas, Mama, Kyriakos
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phu K
• Application Number:
  US12/442,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20100149191A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,797 Days
• Field of Search: 345/473, 345/474, 345/475, 345/179, 345/581, 434/155
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386

Abstract

The system (13, 15) for virtually drawing on a physical surface of the invention comprises electronic circuitry, wherein the electronic circuitry is operative to detect movements of a physical object over the physical surface and project a drawing (11) corresponding to the movements on the physical surface. The computer program product of the invention enables a programmable device to function as the system of the invention.

Claims

1. A system for virtually drawing on a physical surface, comprising:

electronic circuitry, the electronic circuitry being operative to;

detect, via an input, movements of a physical object over the physical surface, wherein the physical object comprises a wireless digital paint brush with LED'"'"'s, wherein responsive to the wireless digital paint brush being picked up, the LED'"'"'s of the wireless digital paint brush glow;

select a color for projecting in response to the wireless digital paint brush being dipped into a wireless digital paint bucket having LED'"'"'s of a given color and the LED'"'"'s of the wireless digital paint brush being configured to glow in the given color of the LED'"'"'s of the wireless digital paint bucket; and

project, via a projector operatively coupled with the wireless digital paint bucket, a virtual drawing on the physical surface, wherein the virtual drawing comprises shapes and colors corresponding to (i) movements of the wireless digital paint brush on the physical surface and (ii) a color of the wireless digital paint brush LED'"'"'s at the time of respective movements.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the wireless digital paint bucket, the wireless digital paint bucket further for holding the physical object.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the wireless digital paint bucket further comprises the projector for projecting the virtual drawing on the physical surface.

4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the projector comprises a laser projector.

5. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the wireless digital paint bucket still further comprises a plurality of sensors for detecting a stirring gesture being performed with the physical object in the wireless digital paint bucket, wherein the electronic circuitry is further operative, in response to the stirring gesture, to select a color and to use that color during projecting of the virtual drawing corresponding to movements performed after the color has been selected.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

means for determining a position of the physical surface on which the virtual drawing is currently being projected; and

a memory for storing and retrieving the virtual drawing associated with said position.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic circuitry is operative to animate the virtual drawing.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodied with a computer program comprising instructions executable by a programmable device for enabling the programmable device to function as the system of claim 1.