Optical touch panel system, optical sensing module, and operation method thereof

• US 9,489,077 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2012
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pixart Imaging Incorporation ROC
• Original Assignee: Pixart Imaging Incorporation ROC
• Inventors: Su, Tzung-Min, Lin, Chih-Hsin, Cheng, Han-Ping, Kao, Ming-Tsan, Ko, Yi-Hsien
• Primary Examiner(s): Sasinowski, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Castiaux, Brent D
• Application Number:
  US13/624,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20140085264A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,509 Days
• 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 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

The present invention discloses an optical touch panel system, an optical sensing module, and an operation method using for the same system. The system recognizes a track of an object moving on or above a touch control surface to determine a corresponding gesture function; it includes a touch control surface, at least one image sensor, and a processor. The touch control surface includes at least two touch control areas. The image sensor captures a plurality of continuous pictures including the images of the objects. The processer determines which touch control area the object is moving on or above according to a starting position or a path of the track, and executes a gesture function corresponding to the track and the touch control area.

Claims

1. An optical touch panel system for recognizing a track of an object to determine a corresponding gesture function, comprising:

a touch control surface for the object to move on or above to form the track, the track having a starting point, an ending point and a path connecting the starting point and the end point, the touch control surface including at least two touch control areas, wherein each touch control area does not overlap and is distinguishable from any other touch control area, and the at least two touch control areas are adjacent to each other and there is a boundary between the at least two touch control areas, and the path includes a continuous trajectory which passes the at least two touch control areas and the boundary between the at least two touch control areas;

at least one image sensor for capturing a plurality of continuous pictures including images of the object; and

a processor for determining which touch control area is exclusively active according to all of the track of the object in the pictures, and recognizing all of the track to execute a corresponding single gesture function which is pre-defined in association with the exclusively active touch control area, wherein a plurality of different gesture functions are provided in each touch control area when the touch control area is active, and the corresponding single gesture function is determined according to the path;

wherein the processor determines the touch control area to be exclusively active according to whether all of the track has a higher ratio existing in this touch control area than existing in another touch control area, and wherein at least one gesture function which is pre-defined in association with the exclusively active touch control area is different from at least one gesture which is pre-defined in association with another inactive touch control area.

2. The optical touch panel system of claim 1, wherein the processor determines the touch control area to be exclusively active when a starting point of all of the track is in this touch control area.

3. The optical touch panel system of claim 1, wherein the processor determines the touch control area to be exclusively active according to a location of the image of the object in a first one of the pictures in an image-sensing window of the image sensor.

4. The optical touch panel system of claim 1, wherein the processor determines the touch control area to be exclusively active according to whether all of the track has a higher ratio existing in a corresponding region of an image-sensing window of the image sensor than existing in another region of an image-sensing window of the image sensor.

5. The optical touch panel system of claim 1, wherein the number of the image sensors is two, and the two image sensors are disposed at two ends of one side of the touch control surface.

6. The optical touch panel system of claim 5, further comprising a reflective element and at least one light emitting device disposed on two other sides of the touch control surface respectively.

7. The optical touch panel system of claim 1, wherein the image sensor captures the image of the object and a mirror image formed by the reflective element, and the processor analyzes a sensing path through the image of the object and a sensing path through the mirror image to calculate the coordinates of the object.

18. The optical touch panel system of claim 1, wherein the track has a curve path.

8. An operation method of an optical touch panel system for recognizing a track of an object to determine a corresponding gesture function, comprising:

providing a touch control surface for the object to move on or above to form the track, the track having a starting point, an ending point and a path connecting the starting point and the end point, the touch control surface including at least two touch control areas, wherein each touch control area does not overlap and is distinguishable from any other touch control area, and the at least two touch control areas are adjacent to each other and there is a boundary between the at least two touch control areas, and the path includes a continuous trajectory which passes the at least two touch control areas and the boundary between the at least two touch control areas;

capturing a plurality of continuous pictures including images of the object;

determining which touch control area is exclusively active according to all of the track; and

recognizing all of the track to execute a corresponding single gesture function which is pre-defined in association with the exclusively active touch control area, wherein a plurality of different gesture functions are provided in each touch control area when the touch control area is active, and the corresponding single gesture function is determined according to the path;

wherein the step of determining which touch control area is exclusively active according to all of the track includes;

determining the touch control area to be exclusively active according to whether all of the track has a higher ratio existing in this touch control area than existing in another touch control area, and wherein at least one gesture function which is pre-defined in association with the exclusively active touch control area is different from at least one gesture which is pre-defined in association with another inactive touch control area.

9. The operation method of an optical touch panel system of claim 8, wherein the step of determining which touch control area is exclusively active according to all of the track includes:

calculating a starting point of the track; and

determining the touch control area to be exclusively active when a starting point of all of the track is in this touch control area.

10. The operation method of an optical touch panel system of claim 8, wherein the step of determining which touch control area is exclusively active according to all of the track includes:

determining the touch control area to be active according to a location of the image of the object in a first one of the pictures in an image-sensing window of the image sensor.

11. The operation method of an optical touch panel system of claim 8, wherein the step of determining which touch control area is exclusively active according to all of the track includes:

determining the touch control area to be exclusively active according to whether all of the track has a higher ratio existing in a corresponding region of an image-sensing window of the image sensor than existing in another region of an image-sensing window of the image sensor.

12. The operation method of an optical touch panel system of claim 8, wherein the track has a plurality of sampling points and a plurality of sequential vectors for determining to which active touch control area the track belongs.

19. The operation method of an optical touch panel system of claim 8, wherein the track has a curve path.

13. An optical touch panel system for recognizing a track of an object to determine a corresponding gesture function, comprising:

a touch control surface for the object to move on or above to form the track, the track having a starting point, an ending point and a path connecting the starting point and the end point, the touch control surface including at least two touch control areas, wherein each touch control area does not overlap and is distinguishable from any other touch control area, and the at least two touch control areas are adjacent to each other and there is a boundary between the at least two touch control areas, and the path includes a continuous trajectory which passes the at least two touch control areas and the boundary between the at least two touch control areas;

at least one image sensor for capturing a plurality of continuous pictures including images of the object; and

a processor for recognizing the track according to the images of the object in the pictures, and determining a corresponding single gesture function according to which touch control area the starting point of all of the track exclusively belongs to, and wherein a plurality of different gesture functions are provided in each touch control area when the touch control area is exclusively active, and the corresponding single gesture function is determined according to the path;

wherein the processor determines that the starting point or the path of all of the track exists in a predetermined touch control area of the touch control surface and executes a corresponding gesture function which is pre-defined in association with the exclusively active touch control area.

14. The optical touch panel system of claim 13, wherein the number of the image sensors is two, and the two image sensors are disposed at two ends of one side of the touch control surface;

the system further comprising a reflective element and at least one light emitting device disposed on two other sides of the touch control surface respectively.

15. The optical touch panel system of claim 13, wherein the image sensor captures the image of the object and a mirror image formed by the reflective element, and the processor analyzes a sensing path through the image of the object and a sensing path through the mirror image to calculate the coordinates of the object.

20. The optical touch panel system of claim 13, wherein the track has a curve path.

16. An optical sensing module for use in an optical touch panel system for identifying a track of an object, the optical touch panel system including at least two touch control areas, the track having a starting point, an ending point and a path connecting the starting point and the end point, the optical sensing module comprising:

at least one image sensor for capturing a plurality of continuous pictures including images of the object; and

a processor recognizing the track according to the images of the object in the pictures, and generating an output signal according to whether the starting point or a path of all of the track belongs to one of the touch control areas, wherein the at least two touch control areas are adjacent to each other and there is a boundary between the at least two touch control areas, and the path includes a continuous trajectory which passes the at least two touch control areas and the boundary between the at least two touch control areas;

wherein the output signal of the processor includes information related to the touch control area that the starting point or the path of all of the track belongs to, and wherein the processor determines whether the track belongs to the touch control area by the location of the starting point or by calculating a proportion of the continuous trajectory of all of the track in the touch control area,

wherein a plurality of different gesture functions are provided in each touch control area when the touch control area is active, wherein only one touch control area is exclusively activated by all of the track for executing a corresponding single gesture function, and wherein at least one gesture function which is pre-defined in association with the exclusively active touch control area that the starting point or the path of the track belongs to is different from at least one gesture which is pre-defined in association with another touch control area that the starting point or the path of the track does not belong to, and the corresponding single gesture function is determined according to the path.

17. The optical sensing module of claim 16, wherein the processor determines that the track exclusively belongs to the touch control area according to proportions of the continuous trajectory in regions of an image-sensing window of the image sensor.

21. The optical sensing module of claim 16, wherein the track has a curve path.