Interactive input system and method of operating the same

• US 8,937,588 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2012
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smart Technologies ULC (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Smart Technologies ULC (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hansen, Jeremy, Forrest, Gregory, Wheatley, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Sanjiv D
• Application Number:
  US13/525,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20120319941A1
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-179, 340/22, 178 1809- 1811
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T

Abstract

A method of operating an interactive input system comprises capturing images of a region of interest at a first frame rate; processing a first pixel subset of images captured at the first frame rate to detect the presence of an object; and if an object is detected, capturing images of the region of interest at a second frame rate.

Claims

1. A method of operating an interactive input system comprising:

capturing images of a region of interest at a first frame rate when the interactive input system is operating in a standby mode;

processing a first pixel subset of images captured at the first frame rate to detect a presence of an object;

if an object is detected, capturing images of the region of interest at a second frame rate;

processing a second pixel subset of images captured at the second frame rate to determine if the object is a pointer;

in the event the object is a pointer, operating the interactive input system in an interactive mode, wherein operating the interactive input system in the interactive mode comprises capturing images of the region of interest at a third frame rate; and

processing a third pixel subset of images captured at the third frame rate to determine the location of the pointer,

wherein the first pixel subset comprises a first number of rows of each image captured at the first frame rate, wherein the second pixel subset comprises a second number of rows of each image captured at the second frame rate and wherein the second number of rows is greater than the first number of rows.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the third pixel subset comprises a greater number of pixels than the first and second pixel subsets.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the third pixel subset includes the first and second pixel subsets.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the location of the pointer is calculated using triangulation.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein capturing images of the region of interest at the first frame rate comprises providing illumination generally across the region of interest.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the illumination is modulated at the first frame rate.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein capturing images of the region of interest at the second frame rate comprises providing illumination generally across the region of interest.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the illumination is modulated at the second frame rate.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein capturing images of the region of interest at the third frame rate comprises providing illumination generally across the region of interest.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the illumination is modulated at the third frame rate.

11. The method of claim 5 wherein the illumination is infrared illumination.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein capturing images of the region of interest at the third frame rate comprising capturing images of the region of interest from different vantages.

13. The method of claim 1 comprising projecting a graphical object onto an interactive surface positioned proximate to the region of interest.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the first pixel subset corresponds to a predetermined location on the interactive surface.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the predetermined location corresponds to the location of the graphical object.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the second pixel subset includes the first pixel subset.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the third pixel subset comprises a third number of rows of each image captured at the third image frame, the third number of rows being greater than the first and second number of rows.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the third pixel subset includes the first and second pixel subsets.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein capturing images at the first frame rate is performed by a single imaging device.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein capturing images at the second frame rate is performed by first and second imaging devices.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein capturing images at the third frame rate is performed by more than two imaging devices.

23. The method of claim 6 wherein capturing images of the region of interest at the second frame rate comprises providing illumination generally across the region of interest.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the illumination is modulated at the second frame rate.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein capturing images of the region of interest at the third frame rate comprises providing illumination generally across the region of interest.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the illumination is modulated at the third frame rate.

27. The method of claim 21 wherein the location of the pointer is calculated using triangulation.

38. The interactive input system of claim 20 wherein more than two imaging devices are configured to capture images at the third frame rate.

39. The interactive input system of claim 20 wherein the location of the pointer is calculated using triangulation.

22. An interactive input system comprising:

an interactive surface;

at least two imaging devices configured to capture images of a region of interest proximate the interactive surface from different vantages; and

processing structure communicating with the imaging devices and configured to;

process a first pixel subset of images captured at a first frame rate to detect a presence of an object;

if an object is detected, process a second pixel subset of images captured at a second frame rate to determine if the object is a pointer;

in the event the object is a pointer, process a third pixel subset of images captured at a third frame rate to determine the location of the pointer, wherein the first pixel subset comprises a first number of rows of each image captured at the first frame rate, wherein the second pixel subset comprises a second number of rows of each image captured at the second frame rate and wherein the second number of rows is greater than the first number of rows.

28. The interactive input system of claim 22 further comprising at least one illumination source configured to provide illumination generally across the region of interest at least when said imaging devices are capturing images.

29. The interactive input system of claim 28 wherein the illumination provided by said at least one illumination source is modulated.

30. The interactive input system of claim 29 wherein the illumination is modulated (i) at the first frame rate when images are being captured at the first frame rate, (ii) at the second frame rate when images are being captured at the second frame rate and (iii) at the third frame rate when images are being captured at the third frame rate.

31. The interactive input system of claim 30 wherein the illumination is infrared illumination.

32. The interactive input system of claim 22 wherein a graphical object is displayed on said interactive surface and wherein the first pixel subset corresponds to a location of the graphical object on the interactive surface.

33. The interactive input system of claim 22 wherein the second pixel subset includes the first pixel subset.

34. The interactive input system of claim 33 wherein the third pixel subset comprises a third number of rows of each image captured at the third image frame, the third number of rows being greater than the first and second number of rows.

35. The interactive input system of claim 34 wherein the third pixel subset includes the first and second pixel subsets.

36. The interactive input system of claim 22 wherein only one of said imaging devices is configured to capture images at the first frame rate.

37. The interactive input system of claim 36 wherein two imaging devices are configured to capture images at the second frame rate.