Coordinate input apparatus and method

• US 8,957,864 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2008
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sato, Hajime
• Primary Examiner(s): Boddie, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): ENGLISH, ALECIA DIANE
• Application Number:
  US12/190,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20090044989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,380 Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/124 plural reflecting elements forming part of a unitary plate or sheet
• 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

Abstract

A coordinate input apparatus inputs detection signals output from a plurality of detection units configured to detect an input coordinate position on a coordinate input region. In a case where a plurality of signal change ranges occur in each of detection signals output from the plurality of detection units, the coordinate input apparatus selects one of a plurality of coordinate positions corresponding to the plurality of signal change ranges according to which hand an operator uses to input a coordinate position.

Claims

1. A coordinate input apparatus to select a coordinate position in a coordinate input region due to a true input according to an operator'"'"'s dominant arm, the coordinate input apparatus comprising:

a plurality of detection units including a first sensor unit and a second sensor unit, wherein the first sensor unit is positioned to a right of a person who faces the coordinate input region and the second sensor unit is positioned to a left of a person who faces the coordinate input region;

a memory in which dominant arm information, specifying whether the operator is right-handed or left-handed, is registered for the operator prior to the coordinate input region receiving input from the operator;

an obtaining unit configured to obtain a plurality of coordinate positions, wherein the obtained coordinate positions are those coordinate positions detected by each sensor unit of the plurality of detection units, wherein the obtained plurality of coordinate positions includes a true input coordinate position input from the operator and at least one erroneous input coordinate position input from the operator, and wherein virtual coordinate positions for the true input coordinate position and the at least one erroneous input coordinate position are obtained;

a reading unit configured to read the memory to obtain dominant arm information specifying weather the operator is specified as right-handed or specified as left-handed;

a selection unit configured to select, as coordinate position data, coordinate positions obtained by the obtaining unit,

wherein, in response to the memory specifying that the operator is right-handed, the selection unit selects, as the coordinate position data, coordinate positions obtained from inputs detected by the first sensor unit such that the coordinate position data includes the true input coordinate position and does not include the at least one erroneous input coordinate position, and

wherein, in response to the memory specifying that the operator is left-handed, the selection unit selects, as the coordinate position data, coordinate positions obtained from inputs detected by the second sensor unit such that the coordinate position data includes the true input coordinate position and does not include the at least one erroneous input coordinate position;

a determining unit configured to determine the true input coordinate position from the coordinate position data selected by the selection unit; and

an output unit configured to output data indicating the determined true input coordinate position as an input coordinate position input from the operator.

2. The coordinate input apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a retroreflective unit located on peripheral portions of the coordinate input region and configured to recursively reflect incident light, wherein the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit are part of a plurality of sensor units that projects light to the coordinate input region and receives light reflected by the retroreflective unit, and wherein the obtaining unit calculates a pointing tool input coordinate position in the coordinate input region based on light amount distribution obtained using the plurality of sensor units.

3. The coordinate input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining unit further is configured to determine whether there is an input into the coordinate input region and, in response to determining that there is an input into the coordinate input region, the determining unit determines whether the obtaining unit obtained one coordinate position or a plurality of coordinate positions.

4. The coordinate input apparatus according to claim 3, in response to the determining unit determining that one coordinate position is obtained, the output unit outputs the one coordinate position as the true input coordinate position without the reading unit reading the memory to obtain information specifying weather the pointing tool operator is specified as right-handed or specified as left-handed.

5. The coordinate input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a number of the first sensor coordinate positions obtained from inputs detected by the first sensor unit are numerically less than a number of the obtained plurality of coordinate positions.

6. The coordinate input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of coordinate positions obtained by the obtaining unit are stored in the memory.

7. The coordinate input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one erroneous input coordinate position is received simultaneously with the true input coordinate position and the at least one erroneous input coordinate position from other than the tip of the pointing tool is received from a part of a body other than a pointing tool.

8. The coordinate input apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the at least one erroneous input coordinate position from other than the tip of the pointing tool is received from a sleeve, palm, or elbow of the pointing tool operator or a finger of the pointing tool operator other than a finger being used by the pointing tool operator as the pointing tool.

9. The coordinate input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the true input coordinate position and a first virtual image coordinate position form a first combination associated with only one of the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit and the erroneous input coordinate position and a second virtual image coordinate position form a second combination associated with only one of the other of the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit.

10. A method for a coordinate input apparatus to select a coordinate position in a coordinate input region due to a true input according to an operator'"'"'s dominant arm, wherein the coordinate input apparatus includes a plurality of detection units including a first sensor unit and a second sensor unit, wherein the first sensor unit is positioned to a right of a person who faces the coordinate input region and the second sensor unit is positioned to a left of a person who faces the coordinate input region, the method comprising:

registering dominant arm information, specifying whether the operator is right-handed or left-handed, for the operator in a memory prior to the coordinate input region receiving input from the operator;

obtaining a plurality of coordinate positions, wherein the obtained coordinate positions are those coordinate positions detected by each sensor unit of the plurality of detection units, wherein the obtained plurality of coordinate positions includes a true input coordinate position input from the operator and at least one erroneous input coordinate position input from the operator, and wherein virtual coordinate positions for the true input coordinate position and the at least one erroneous input coordinate position are obtained;

reading the memory to obtain dominant arm information specifying weather the operator is specified as right-handed or specified as left-handed;

selecting, as coordinate position data, obtained coordinate positions,

wherein, in response to the memory specifying that the operator is right-handed, selecting includes selecting, as the coordinate position data, coordinate positions obtained from inputs detected by the first sensor unit such that the coordinate position data includes the true input coordinate position and does not include the at least one erroneous input coordinate position, and

wherein, in response to the memory specifying that the operator is left-handed, selecting includes selecting, as the coordinate position data, coordinate positions obtained from inputs detected by the second sensor unit such that the coordinate position data includes the true input coordinate position and does not include the at least one erroneous input coordinate position;

determining the true input coordinate position from the selected coordinate position data; and

outputting data indicating the determined true input coordinate position as an input coordinate position input from the operator.