Ambient correction in rolling image capture system

• US 8,289,300 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2009
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Keam, Nigel
• Primary Examiner(s): Giesy, Adam R
• Application Number:
  US12/617,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20110012866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/175, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178/18.11
• US Class Current: 345/175
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• 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

Embodiments are disclosed that relate to the correction of an image acquired in a rolling image capture system for ambient light. One embodiment provides a device comprising a screen, a rolling image capture system, a local light source, and a controller. The controller is configured to operate the local light source while acquiring first and second frames of image data to integrate each field of image sensor pixels for a duration of local+ambient light and for a duration of ambient light such that a sum t_{local+ambient}+t_ambient for the first frame is different than a sum t_{local+ambient}+t_ambient for the second frame for each field of pixels. The controller is further configured to determine an ambient light value, and to adjust one or more pixels based upon the ambient light value.

Claims

1. An optical touch-sensitive device, comprising:

a screen;

a rolling image capture system configured to acquire an image of the screen, the rolling image capture system comprising one or more fields of pixels;

a local light source configured to illuminate the screen with local light; and

a controller in electrical communication with the rolling image capture system and the local light source, wherein the controller is configured to;

acquire a first frame of image data with the rolling image capture system;

acquire a second frame of image data with the rolling image capture system;

while acquiring the first frame of image data and the second frame of image data, operate the local light source such that each field of pixels integrates local+ambient light for a duration t_{local+ambient} and ambient light for a duration t_ambient, and such that a sum t_{local+ambient}+t_ambient for the first frame of image data is different than a sum t_{local+ambient}+t_ambient for the second frame of image data for each field of pixels;

determine an ambient light value for a pixel in the image data by one or more of

comparing a value of the pixel in the first frame with a value of the pixel in the second frame, and

comparing the value of the pixel in the first frame with a value of another pixel in the first frame; and

adjust one or more pixels for ambient light based upon the ambient light value.

2. The optical touch-sensitive device of claim 1, wherein the local light source comprises a global local light source, and wherein the controller is configured to:

acquire the first frame of image data and the second frame of image data with the rolling image capture system via a same rolling pattern; and

control the global local light source to expose the screen with local light prior to starting a readout cycle for the first frame of image data, and not to expose the screen with local light prior to starting a readout cycle for the second frame of image data.

3. The optical touch-sensitive device of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to determine the ambient light value by subtracting the value of the pixel in the second frame from the value of the pixel in the first frame.

4. The optical touch-sensitive device of claim 1, wherein the local light source comprises a rolling local light source configured to provide local lighting in a spatially rolling pattern synchronized with the rolling image capture system.

5. The optical touch-sensitive device of claim 4, wherein the rolling image capture system comprises a single field of pixels, and wherein the controller is configured to:

acquire the first frame of image data and the second frame of image data via a same rolling pattern, and

control the rolling local light source to expose the screen to local light while acquiring the first frame of image data, and not to expose the screen to local light while acquiring the second frame of image data.

6. The optical touch-sensitive device of claim 4, wherein the rolling image capture system comprises a first field of pixels and a second field of pixels, and wherein the controller is configured to:

acquire the first frame of image data by progressively reading the first field of pixels while illuminating the screen with the rolling local light source and then progressively reading the second field of pixels while not illuminating the screen with the rolling local light source; and

acquire the second frame of image data by progressively reading the second field of pixels while illuminating the screen with the rolling local light source and then progressively reading the first field of pixels while not illuminating the screen with the rolling local light source.

7. The optical touch-sensitive device of claim 6, wherein the first field of pixels comprises odd rows of pixels, and wherein the second field of pixels comprises even rows of pixels.

8. The optical touch-sensitive device of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to detect whether any movement of any objects located on the screen has occurred, and then select an ambient adjustment method depending upon whether any movement of any objects is detected.

9. The optical touch-sensitive device of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to determine whether the ambient light value exceeds a threshold level, and then to adjust the one or more pixels for ambient light if the ambient light value exceeds the threshold level.

10. The optical touch-sensitive device of claim 4, wherein the rolling local light source comprises a plurality of individually controllable light sources, where each light source is configured to illuminate a portion of the screen.

11. The optical touch-sensitive device of claim 4, where the rolling local light source comprises a mechanically scannable light source.

12. The optical touch-sensitive device of claim 1, wherein the rolling local light source is configured to emit infrared light.

13. An optical touch-sensitive device, comprising:

a screen;

a rolling image capture system configured to acquire an image of the screen, the rolling image capture system comprising one or more fields of pixels;

a rolling local light source configured to provide local lighting in a spatially rolling pattern synchronized with the rolling image capture system; and

a controller in electrical communication with the rolling image capture system and the rolling local light source, wherein the controller is configured to;

acquire a first frame of image data with the rolling image capture system;

acquire a second frame of image data with the rolling image capture system;

while acquiring the first frame of image data and the second frame of image data, operate the rolling local light source such that each field of rolling image capture system pixels integrates local+ambient light for a duration t_{local+ambient} and ambient light for a duration t_ambient, and such that a sum t_{local+ambient}+t_ambient for the first frame of image data is different than a sum t_{local+ambient}+t_ambient for the second frame of image data for each field of pixels;

determine an ambient light value for a pixel in the image data by one or more of

comparing a value of the pixel in the first frame and a value of the pixel in the second frame, and

comparing a the value of the pixel in the first frame and a value of another pixel in the first frame; and

adjust one or more pixels of the data frame for ambient light based upon the ambient light value.

14. The optical touch-sensitive device of claim 13, wherein the rolling image capture system comprises a single field of pixels, and wherein the controller is configured to:

acquire the first frame of image data and the second frame of image data via a same rolling pattern, and

control the rolling local light source to expose the screen to local light while acquiring the first frame of image data, and not to expose the screen to local light while acquiring the second frame of image data.

15. The optical touch-sensitive device of claim 13, wherein the rolling image capture system comprises a first field of pixels comprising odd rows of pixels and a second field of pixels comprising even rows of pixels, and wherein the controller is configured to:

acquire the first frame of image data by progressively reading the first field of pixels while illuminating the screen with the rolling local light source and then progressively reading the second field of pixels while not illuminating the screen with the rolling local light source; and

acquire the second frame of image data by progressively reading the second field of pixels while illuminating the screen with the rolling local light source and then progressively reading the first field of pixels while not illuminating the screen with the rolling local light source.

16. The optical touch-sensitive device of claim 13, wherein the rolling local light source comprises a plurality of individually controllable light sources, wherein each light source is configured to illuminate a portion of the screen.

17. The optical touch-sensitive device of claim 13, where the rolling local light source comprises a mechanically scannable light source.

18. In an optical touch-sensitive device comprising a screen, a rolling image capture system comprising a first field of pixels and a second field of pixels, a rolling local light source configured to provide local lighting in a spatially rolling pattern synchronized with the rolling image capture system, and a controller in electrical communication with the rolling image capture system and the rolling local light source, a method of correcting for ambient light, the method comprising:

acquiring a first frame of image data by progressively reading the first field of pixels while illuminating the screen with the rolling local light source and then progressively reading the second field of pixels while not illuminating the screen with the rolling local light source; and

after acquiring the first frame of image data, acquiring a second frame of image data by progressively reading the second field of pixels while illuminating the screen with the rolling local light source and then progressively reading the first field of pixels while not illuminating the screen with the rolling local light source;

determining an ambient light value for a selected pixel by one or more of comparing a value of the selected pixel in the first frame of image data and a value of the selected pixel in the second frame of image data and comparing the value of the selected pixel in the first frame of image data and a value of another pixel in the first frame of image data; and

adjusting one or more pixels of image data for ambient light based upon the ambient light value.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein illuminating the screen with the rolling local light source comprises illuminating the screen with infrared light.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein illuminating the screen with the rolling local light source comprises illuminating the screen by toggling a plurality of individually controllable light sources in a rolling manner, where each light source is configured to illuminate a portion of the screen.