Coordinate input apparatus

• US 8,838,410 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2011
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yoshimura, Yuichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, John H
• Application Number:
  US13/210,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20120065929A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: 702/94, 702/95, 702/150, 702/151, 702/158, 702/159, 345/173, 345/177, 345/178, 345/179, 345/175, 178/18.01, 178/18.04
• US Class Current: 702/150
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• 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

Position information of a first sensor unit and a second sensor unit is calculated using angle information of peaks calculated from a light amount distribution having a plurality of peaks detected by light-receiving unit of the second sensor unit from light emitted by light-emitting unit of the first sensor unit. The coordinates of a pointed position are calculated based on the position information of the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit and a change in a received light amount distribution that occurs due to a pointing to a coordinate input region detected by the light-receiving units. Here, the light-emitting units of the respective multiple sensor units are arranged in known positions relative to the light-receiving units.

Claims

1. A coordinate input apparatus that calculates coordinates of a pointed position using four sensor units placed around a coordinate input region and constructed to emit light toward the coordinate input region and to receive light of the coordinate input region, the apparatus comprising:

an input unit constructed to input signals according to the received light; and

a calculation unit constructed to calculate placement information of the four sensor units, using angle information of light received by the four sensor units,

wherein the calculation unit is constructed to calculate the coordinates of the pointed position based on the placement information of the four sensor units and the light received by the four sensor units when the position in the coordinate input region is pointed.

2. The coordinate input apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein three or more of the light-emitting units are arranged in each of the four sensor units;

and

the calculation unit calculates the placement information of the four sensor units using angle information of the light received by the four sensor units, each of the four sensor units receives light emitted from the three or more light-emitting units in the sensor units other than the sensor unit which receives the light.

3. The coordinate input apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the three or more of the light-emitting units are arranged in each of the four sensor units at even internals in a direction vertical to the emitted light and in parallel to the coordinated input region.

4. The coordinate input apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein two or more light-receiving units are arranged in each of the four sensor units;

and

the calculation unit calculates the placement information of the four sensor units using angle information of light received by the two or more light-receiving units in each of the four sensor units based on the light emitted from the sensor units other than the sensor unit in which the two or more light-receiving units receiving the light are arranged.

5. The coordinate input apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein each of the four sensor units comprises a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit positioned at a corresponding position on a planar coordinate system;

and

the apparatus operates a first light-emitting mode for calculating the placement information of the four sensor units and a second light-emitting mode for calculating the coordinates of the pointed position in the coordinate input region.

6. The coordinate input apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein each of the four sensor units comprises a diffusing unit that diffuses light emitted by a plurality of light-emitting units of the four sensor units;

the apparatus further comprises a switching unit constructed to switch the light-emitting unit between point light emission for calculating the placement information of the four sensor units and planar light emission for calculating the coordinates of the pointed position in the coordinate input region.

7. The coordinate input apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a detection unit constructed to detect that no pointing has been made in the coordinate input region for a set amount of time; and

a switching unit constructed to switch from the second light-emitting mode to the first light-emitting mode when the detection unit has detected that no pointing has been made for the set amount of time,

wherein in the first light-emitting mode following the switch performed by the switching unit, the calculation unit is constructed to calculate placement information of the four sensor units.

8. The coordinate input apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein retroreflecting members are provided for each of two groups of opposing sides in a quadrangle formed by the four sensor units at four corners around the coordinate input region and the four sensor units, and

the calculation unit is constructed to calculate the coordinates of the pointed position based on the light retroreflected from the retroreflecting members when the position in the coordinate input region is pointed.

9. The coordinate input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit is constructed to calculate the placement information of the four sensor units using the angle information of peaks in a received light amount distribution detected by each of the four sensor units.

10. The coordinate input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit is constructed to calculate the coordinates of the pointed position based on the placement information of the four sensor units and a change in a received light amount distribution when the position in the coordinate input region is pointed.

11. The coordinate input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the four sensor units comprises a light emitting unit and a light-receiving unit, and the calculation unit is constructed to calculate the placement information of the four sensor units using the angle information and placement of the light emitting unit and light-receiving unit in each of the sensor units.

12. A coordinate input apparatus that calculates coordinates of a pointed position, comprising:

four sensor units placed around a coordinate input region and constructed to emit light toward the coordinate input region and to receive light of the coordinate input region; and

a calculation unit constructed to calculate placement information of the four sensor units using angle information of light received by the four sensor units,

wherein the calculation unit is constructed to calculate the coordinates of the pointed position based on the placement information of the four sensor units and the light received by the four sensor units when the position in the coordinate input region is pointed.

13. The coordinate input apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein three or more of light-emitting units are arranged in each of the four sensor units;

and

the calculation unit calculates the placement information of the four sensor units using angle information of the light received by the four sensor units, each of the four sensor units receives light emitted from the three or more light-emitting units in the sensor units other than the sensor unit which receives the light.

14. The coordinate input apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein each of the four sensor units comprises a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit positioned at a corresponding position on a planar coordinate system;

and

the apparatus operates in a first light-emitting mode for calculating the placement information of the four sensor units and a second light-emitting mode for calculating the coordinates of the pointed position in the coordinate input region.

15. The coordinate input apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein retroreflecting members are provided for each of two groups of opposing sides in a quadrangle formed by the four sensor units at four corners around the coordinate input region and for the four sensor units, and

the calculation unit is constructed to calculate the coordinates of the pointed position based on the light retroreflected from the retroreflecting members when the position in the coordinate input region is pointed.

16. The coordinate input apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein each of the four sensor units comprises a diffusing unit that diffuses light emitted by a plurality of light-emitting units of each of the four sensor units;

and

the apparatus further comprises a switching unit constructed to switch the light-emitting unit between point light emission for calculating the placement information of the four sensor units and planar light emission for calculating the coordinates of the pointed position in the coordinated input region.

17. A method for calculating coordinates of a pointed position using four sensor units placed around a coordinate input region and constructed to emit light toward the coordinate input region and to receive light of the coordinate input region, the method comprising:

calculating placement information of the four sensor units using angle information of light received by the four sensor units; and

calculating the coordinates of the pointed position based on the placement information of the four sensor units and the light received by the four sensor units when the position in the coordinate input region is pointed.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein three or more of light-emitting units are arranged in each of the four sensor units;

and

the placement information of the four sensor units is calculated using angle information of the light received by the four sensor units, each of the four sensor units receives light emitted from the three or more light-emitting units in the sensor units other than the sensor unit which receives the light.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein each of the four sensor units comprises a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit positioned at a corresponding position on a planar coordinate system;

and

the method is operated in a first light-emitting mode for calculating the placement information of the four sensor units and a second light-emitting mode for calculating the coordinates of the pointed position in the coordinate input region.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein retroreflecting members are provided for each of two groups of opposing sides in a quadrangle formed by the four sensor units at four corners around the coordinate input region and for the four sensor units, and

the coordinates of the pointed position are calculated based on the light retroreflected from the retroreflecting members when the position in the coordinate input region is pointed.