Trajectory-estimation apparatus and method based on pen-type optical mouse

• US 8,928,631 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2008
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Seong-Il, Kim, Kyu-Yong, Bang, Won-Chul, Cho, Sung-Jung
• Primary Examiner(s): MANDEVILLE, JASON M
• Application Number:
  US12/155,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20090027343A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,402 Days
• Field of Search: 345179-183
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0317 in co-operation with a patterned surface, e.g. absolute position or relative movement detection for an optical mouse or pen positioned with respect to a coded surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/333 Preprocessing; Feature extraction
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/08 Cursor circuits

Abstract

A trajectory-estimation apparatus and method that can estimate the trajectory of a pen-type optical mouse in a pen-up state. The trajectory-estimation apparatus includes a timer module calculating time for which an optical input device moves in a first state of the optical input device that produces a trajectory, and a trajectory-estimation module estimating the trajectory of the optical input device in a period where a distance between the optical input device and a work surface exceeds a threshold value, based on at least one of the calculated time and a moving speed of the optical input device.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an optical input device which includes an optical sensor having an optical margin which is a distance from a work surface in which the optical sensor is able to recognize movement of the optical input device, the optical input device movable over a total time, during which the optical input device is not in contact with the work surface, from a first position in which the optical input device is in contact with the work surface to a second position in which the optical input device is in contact with the work surface, the total time including

a first time period extending from a moment that the optical input device becomes no longer in contact with the work surface from being in the first position to a moment a distance between the optical input device and the work surface exceeds the optical margin,

a second time period extending from the moment the distance between the optical input device and the work surface exceeds the optical margin to a moment the optical input device becomes within the optical margin, and

a third time period from the moment the optical input device becomes within the optical margin to a moment the optical input device comes in contact with the work surface to thereby be in the second position; and

a computer processor that calculates an offset by multiplying an average moving speed of the optical input device over the total time by the amount of time of the second time period, and calculates corrected coordinates of the second position by adding the offset to start coordinates of the second position.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a judgment module to judge a state of the optical input device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the optical input device comprises a pen tip, and the judgment module judges that the optical input device is in a second state if the pen tip is in contact with a work surface and receives a pressure of more than a pressure threshold value, and judges that the optical input device is in a first state if the pen tip receives the pressure of less than the pressure threshold value;

wherein the first state is a pen-up state, and the second state is a pen-down state, and the optical input device is in the first state during the total time.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a timer module to calculate the first time period, the second time period and the third time period in accordance with a state of the optical input device as judged by the judgment module.

5. A method for use with an optical input device which includes an optical sensor having an optical margin which is a distance from a work surface in which the optical sensor is able to recognize movement of the optical input device, the optical input device movable over a total time, during which the optical input device is not in contact with the work surface, from a first position in which the optical input device is in contact with the work surface to a second position in which the optical input device is in contact with the work surface, the method comprising:

by at least one computer processor;

calculating a first time period of the total time extending from a moment that the optical input device becomes no longer in contact with the work surface from being in the first position to a moment a distance between the optical input device and the work surface exceeds the optical margin;

calculating a second time period of the total time extending from the moment the distance between the optical input device and the work surface exceeds the optical margin to a moment the optical input device becomes within the optical margin;

calculating a third time period of the total time from the moment the optical input device becomes within the optical margin to a moment the optical input device comes in contact with the work surface to thereby be in the second position;

calculating an offset by multiplying an average moving speed of the optical input device over the total time by the amount of time of the second time period; and

calculating corrected coordinates of the second position by adding the offset to start coordinates of the second position.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

judging a state of the optical input device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the optical input device includes a pen tip, and the judging comprises:

judging that the optical input device is in a second state if the pen tip is in contact with a work surface and receives a pressure of more than a pressure threshold value; and

judging that the optical input device is in a first state if the pen tip receives a pressure of less than the pressure threshold value;

wherein the first state is a pen-up state, and the second state is a pen-down state, and the optical input device is in the first state during the total time.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the optical input device is in the pen-down state at the first position and at the second position.

9. An apparatus comprising:

an optical input device which includes an optical sensor having an optical margin which is a distance from a work surface in which the optical sensor is able to recognize movement of the optical input device, the optical input device movable over a total time, during which the optical input device is not in contact with the work surface, from a first position in which the optical input device is in contact with the work surface to a second position in which the optical input device is in contact with the work surface, the total time including

a first time period extending from a moment that the optical input device becomes no longer in contact with the work surface from being in the first position to a moment a distance between the optical input device and the work surface exceeds the optical margin,

a second time period extending from the moment the distance between the optical input device and the work surface exceeds the optical margin to a moment the optical input device becomes within the optical margin, and

a third time period from the moment the optical input device becomes within the optical margin to a moment the optical input device comes in contact with the work surface to thereby be in the second position, and

means for calculating an offset by multiplying an average moving speed of the optical input device over the total time by the amount of time of the second time period, and for calculating corrected coordinates of the second position by adding the offset to start coordinates of the second position.