Remote input device

• US 8,427,426 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2006
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Corson, Gregory A., Zalewski, Gary Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kevin M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Jr., Kenneth B
• Application Number:
  US12/513,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20100214214A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,524 Days
• Field of Search: 345157-158
• US Class Current: 345/157
• 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

An input device providing users with a pointing capability includes a sender portion and a receiver portion. The sender portion is adapted to be manipulated by a user to specify a target point within a target area. The sender portion projects a light beam including a pattern onto the target area. A receiver portion includes one or more sensor units located in or near the target area. At least some of the sensor units receive a portion of the light beam regardless of the location of the target point within the target area. A processing unit in the receiver portion analyzes the portions of the light beam received by one or more sensor units to determine an attribute of the target point. The attribute can be the location or relative motion of the target point. The receiver portion may be integrated with a display device.

Claims

1. A system for providing a positional input value to an electronic device, the system comprising:

a sender portion adapted to be manipulated by a user to specify a target point within a target area, the sender portion including a light projecting system adapted to project a pattern of light including a predefined spatially varying characteristic at the target area; and

a receiver portion including at least one sensor unit, the sensor unit is adapted to measure at least one value of the spatially varying characteristic of the pattern of light at the location of the sensor unit, wherein the receiver portion includes logic adapted to determine a positional input value associated with the target point from the value of the spatially varying characteristic at the location of the sensor unit,

wherein the predefined spatially varying characteristic of the pattern of light is an intensity pattern, and wherein the sensor unit is part of a plurality of sensor units, each sensor unit at a different location and adapted to measure the value of the spatially varying characteristic of the pattern of light at its respective location, wherein the value of the spatially varying characteristic is an intensity of light received from the sender portion, and wherein the receiver portion includes logic adapted to determine the positional input value associated with the target point from intensity of the pattern of light measured by the plurality of sensor unit locations.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the light projecting system is adapted to disperse the pattern of light such that at least a portion of the pattern of light is received by at least one sensor unit of the receiver portion regardless of the location of the target point within the target area.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver portion includes logic adapted to determine a plurality of distance values corresponding with at least a portion of one or more intensity values measured by the plurality of sensor units, each distance value representing the distance between the location of its respective sensor unit and the target point.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the receiver portion includes logic adapted to determine the position of the target point from the plurality of distance values.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the positional input value is the position of the target point.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the receiver portion includes logic adapted to compare the position of the target point with a previously determined position of the target point to determine a positional input value representing the relative motion of the target point.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the predefined spatially varying characteristic of the pattern of light is a pattern including a plurality of intensity transitions adapted to indicate motion of the target point.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the pattern includes a plurality of concentric circles.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the pattern includes a plurality of speckles.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the value of the spatially varying characteristic of the beam of light at the location of the sensor unit includes the presence of an intensity transition at the location of the sensor unit.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the value of the spatially varying characteristic of the beam of light includes a direction of pattern motion.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the sensor unit includes a plurality of sensors arranged to detect a direction of pattern motion along at least one axis.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the receiver portion includes logic adapted to compare changes in intensity received by each sensor over time to determine a direction of pattern motion.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the positional input value is a relative motion of the target point and the receiver portion includes logic to determine a magnitude of the relative motion of the target point by detecting a change in the presence of an intensity transition at the location of the sensor unit.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the positional input value is a relative motion of the target point and the receiver portion includes logic to determine a direction of the relative motion of the target point from the direction of pattern motion.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the positional input value is used to manipulate a pointer in a graphical user interface.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the pattern of light is in the infrared spectrum.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein light projecting system is adapted to modulate the beam of light to reduce interference from other light sources, and wherein the receiver portion is adapted to demodulate the beam of light received by the sensor unit.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the sender portion includes a switch to activate the light projecting system.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver portion is integrated with a display device, the display device adapted to provide visual feedback to the user in response to receiving the pattern of light from the sender portion.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the logic is adapted to determine the positional input value in the form of a position and/or orientation of the sender portion.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is attached to a user-moveable object.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the sender portion is removably attached to the user-movable object.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein the user-movable object includes at least one of the game controller or an article mounted to a body of the game controller.

25. The system of claim 22, further comprising one or more of a sound source, a light source and an inertial sensor attached to the body of the user-movable object.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the sender and/or sound source and/or light source and/or inertial sensor is removably attached to the user-movable object.

27. A system for determining a positional input value associated with a target point specified by a user, the system comprising:

at least one sensor unit, wherein the sensor unit is adapted to measure at least one value of a spatially varying characteristic of a pattern of light projected towards the sensor unit;

a processing unit connected with the at least one sensor unit and including logic adapted to determine a positional input value associated with a target point specified by a user from the value of the spatially varying characteristic from the at least one sensor unit,

wherein the predefined spatially varying characteristic of the pattern of light is an intensity pattern, and wherein the sensor unit is part of a plurality of sensor units, each sensor unit at a different location and adapted to measure the value of the spatially varying characteristic of the pattern of light at its respective location, wherein the value of the spatially varying characteristic is an intensity of light received from the sender portion, and wherein the processing unit includes logic adapted to determine the positional input value associated with the target point from intensity of the pattern of light measured by the plurality of sensor unit locations.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the processing unit includes logic adapted to determine a plurality of distance values corresponding with at least a portion of the intensity values measured by the plurality of sensor units, each distance value representing the distance between the location of its respective sensor unit and the target point, and logic adapted to determine the position of the target point from the plurality of distance values.