Coordinate input apparatus, control method therefor, and computer-readable medium

• US 9,335,865 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2013
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Matsushita, Akihiro, Kobayashi, Katsuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Danielsen, Nathan
• Application Number:
  US13/973,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20140062963A1
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 345/175
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041661 using detection at multiple resolutions, e.g. coarse and fine scanning; using detection within a limited area, e.g. object tracking window
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen

Abstract

Angle information indicating the direction in which one sensor unit of at least two sensor units is positioned is detected by directly receiving light from a light projecting unit of the other sensor unit at the light receiving unit of the one sensor unit. The coordinate values of the designated position are calculated based on the detected angle information.

Claims

1. A coordinate input apparatus comprising:

first, second, third and fourth sensor units disposed corresponding to four corners of a coordinate input region and each comprising a light projecting unit configured to project light toward the coordinate input region, and a light receiving unit configured to receive incoming light, and the first and second sensor units are set to a first retroreflecting unit, the third and fourth sensor units are set to a second retroreflecting unit, and the first and second retroreflecting units are disposed corresponding to two sides of the coordinate input region;

a determination unit configured to detect first angle information between a direction corresponding to the third sensor unit detected by the first sensor unit and a direction from the second sensor unit to the first sensor unit disposed corresponding to a first corner of the coordinate input region, to detect at least three pieces of angle information in second angle information between the direction corresponding to the third sensor unit detected by the first sensor unit and a direction corresponding to the fourth sensor unit detected by the first sensor unit disposed corresponding to the first corner of the coordinate input region, third angle information between a direction corresponding to the third sensor unit detected by the second sensor unit and a direction corresponding to the fourth sensor unit detected by the second sensor unit, fourth angle information between a direction corresponding to the first sensor unit detected by the third sensor unit and a direction corresponding to the second sensor unit detected by the third sensor unit disposed corresponding to a third corner of the coordinate input region, and fifth angle information between a direction corresponding to the first sensor unit detected by the fourth sensor unit and a direction corresponding to the second sensor unit detected by the fourth sensor unit disposed corresponding to a fourth corner of the coordinate input region, by directly receiving light from the light projecting unit of one sensor unit at the light receiving unit of the other sensor unit, and to determine a positional relationship among the first, second, third and fourth sensor units in accordance with the first angle information and the at least three pieces of angle information in the second, third, fourth and fifth angle information; and

a coordinate calculation unit configured to calculate coordinate values of a designated position based on the position relationship determined by the determination unit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit detects angle information indicating a direction in which the one sensor unit is positioned, based on a light amount distribution obtained when the light is directly received by the light receiving unit of the other sensor unit from the light projecting unit of the one sensor unit.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coordinate calculation unit calculates coordinate values of the designated position by calculating relative coordinate values of the designated position based on the positional relationship and a light shielding portion detected from a light amount distribution detected by the light receiving units.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit configured to store relative coordinate values of a plurality of known positions in a display coordinate system of a display region, calculated by the coordinate calculation unit, in accordance with the angle information detected by the determination unit in accordance with designation of the plurality of known positions in the display coordinate system of the display region, and

wherein the coordinate calculation unit converts the relative coordinate values of the designated position into coordinate values of the display coordinate system, based on the relative coordinate values stored in the storage unit.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a position change unit configured to change positions of the sensor unit and the retroreflecting unit.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit are set at positions of two end portions of a first housing including a stretching/contraction mechanism and the first retroreflecting unit, and

the third sensor unit and the fourth sensor unit are set at positions of two end portions of a second housing including a stretching/contraction mechanism and the second retroreflecting unit.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reference angle information storage unit configured to store reference angle information, and

wherein the determination unit detect the first angle information between the direction corresponding to the third sensor unit and the direction from the second sensor unit to the first sensor unit based on the reference angle information and the direction corresponding to the third sensor unit.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the determination unit detects the first angle information between the direction corresponding to the third sensor unit and the direction corresponding to the second sensor unit detected by the first sensor unit by directly receiving light from the light projecting unit of the third sensor unit at the light receiving unit of the first sensor unit and by directly receiving light from the light projecting unit of the second sensor unit at the light receiving unit of the first sensor unit.

9. A method of controlling a coordinate input apparatus comprising first, second, third, and fourth sensor units disposed corresponding to four corners of a coordinate input region and each comprising a light projecting unit configured to project light toward the coordinate input region, and a light receiving unit configured to receive incoming light, and the first and second sensor units are set to a first retroreflecting unit, the third and fourth sensor units are set to a second retroreflecting unit, and the first and second retroreflecting units are disposed corresponding to two sides of the coordinate input region, the method comprising:

detecting first angle information between a direction corresponding to the third sensor unit detected by the first sensor unit and a direction from the second sensor unit to the first sensor unit disposed corresponding to a first corner of the coordinate input region;

detecting at least three pieces of angle information in second angle information between the direction corresponding to the third sensor unit detected by the first sensor unit and a direction corresponding to the fourth sensor unit detected by the first sensor unit disposed corresponding to a first corner of a coordinate input region, third angle information between a direction corresponding to the third sensor unit detected by the second sensor unit and a direction corresponding to the fourth sensor unit detected by the second sensor unit disposed corresponding to a second corner of a coordinate input region, fourth angle information between a direction corresponding to the first sensor unit detected by the third sensor unit and a direction corresponding to the second sensor unit detected by the third sensor unit disposed corresponding to a third corner of a coordinate input region, and fifth angle information between a direction corresponding to the first sensor unit detected by the fourth sensor unit and a direction corresponding to the second sensor unit detected by the fourth sensor unit disposed corresponding to a fourth corner of the coordinate input region, by directly receiving light from the light projecting unit of the one sensor unit at the light receiving unit of the other sensor unit determining a positional relationship among the first, second, third and fourth sensor units in accordance with the first angle information and the at least three pieces of angle information in the second, third, fourth and fifth angle information; and

a coordinate calculation step of calculating coordinate values of the designated position based on the determined positional relationship.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein

the first angle information between the direction corresponding to the third sensor unit and the direction from the second sensor unit to the first sensor unit is detected based on the reference angle information stored in a memory and the direction corresponding to the third sensor unit.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein

the first angle information between the direction corresponding to the third sensor unit and the direction corresponding to the second sensor unit detected by the first sensor unit is detected by directly receiving light from the light projecting unit of the third sensor unit at the light receiving unit of the first sensor unit and by directly receiving light from the light projecting unit of the second sensor unit at the light receiving unit of the first sensor unit.

12. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function to control a coordinate input apparatus comprising first, second, third and fourth sensor units disposed corresponding to four corners of a coordinate input region and each comprising a light projecting unit configured to project light toward the coordinate input region, and a light receiving unit configured to receive incoming light and the first and second sensor units are set to a first retroreflecting unit, the third and fourth sensor units are set to a second retroreflecting unit and the first and second retroreflecting units are disposed corresponding to two sides of the coordinate input region, the medium storing a program for causing the computer to

detect first angle information between a direction corresponding to the third sensor unit detected by the first sensor unit and a direction from the second sensor unit to the first sensor unit disposed corresponding to a first corner of a coordinate input region;

detect at least three pieces of angle information in second angle information between the direction corresponding to the third sensor unit detected by the first sensor unit and a direction corresponding to the fourth sensor unit detected by the first sensor unit disposed corresponding to the first corner of a coordinate input region, third angle information between a direction corresponding to the third sensor unit detected by the second sensor unit and a direction corresponding to the fourth sensor unit detected by the second sensor unit disposed corresponding to a second corner of a coordinate input region, fourth angle information between a direction corresponding to the first sensor unit detected by the third sensor unit and a direction corresponding to the second sensor unit detected by the third sensor unit disposed corresponding to a third corner of a coordinate input region, and fifth angle information between a direction corresponding to the first sensor unit detected by the fourth sensor unit and a direction corresponding to the second sensor unit detected by the fourth sensor unit disposed corresponding to a fourth corner of a coordinate input region and, by directly receiving light from the light projecting unit of one sensor unit at the light receiving unit of the other sensor unit;

determine a positional relationship among the first, second, third and fourth sensor units in accordance with the first angle information and the at least three pieces of angle information in the second, third, fourth and fifth angle information; and

a coordinate calculation unit configured to calculate coordinate values of the designated position based on the determined positional relationship.

13. The storage medium according to claim 12, wherein

the first angle information between the direction corresponding to the third sensor unit and the direction from the second sensor unit to the first sensor unit is detected based on the reference angle information stored in a memory and the direction corresponding to the third sensor unit.

14. The storage medium according to claim 12, wherein

the first angle information between the direction corresponding to the third sensor unit and the direction corresponding to the second sensor unit detected by the first sensor unit is detected by directly receiving light from the light projecting unit of the third sensor unit at the light receiving unit of the first sensor unit and by directly receiving light from the light projecting unit of the second sensor unit at the light receiving unit of the first sensor unit.