Multi-dimensional image detection apparatus

• US 9,507,462 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2012
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hong Kong Applied Science And Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hong Kong Applied Science And Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lau, Wai Shan, Zhu, Xiuling
• Primary Examiner(s): Ghebretinsae, Temesghen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jansen, II, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US13/495,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20130335334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,630 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• 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

Abstract

According to the present invention, a multi-dimensional image detection apparatus includes a touch surface, at least one two-vision image sensing module located proximally to the touch surface, and a control module coupled to the image sensing module. The multiple-dimensional image detection apparatus can detect a foreign object'"'"'s image with at least two different dimensional modes. A method of multiple-dimensional image detection is also disclosed by reading the image data acquired by the image sensing module and comparing with a pre-stored background data to determine detecting the foreign object under a predetermined dimensional mode.

Claims

1. A multi-dimensional image detection apparatus, said apparatus comprising:

a touch surface on a substrate;

a first image detection module comprising a first image sensing module and a first light screen;

a second image detection module comprising a second image sensing module and a second light screen;

at least one light source for emitting a first predetermined light spectrum being infrared light;

wherein the first image detection module and the second image detection module located proximally to the touch surface on the substrate for capturing image data based on a received light spectrum,

wherein each of the first light screen and second light screen having a first region and a second region, and

wherein a first region of each of the first light screen and the second light screen permits only the first predetermined light spectrum to pass through, and a second region of each of the first light screen and the second light screen permits a second predetermined light spectrum to pass through, the second predetermined light spectrum being visible light; and

a control module coupled to each of the first image sensing module and second image sensing module, wherein the control module;

processes at least a portion of the image data captured by at least one of the first image sensing module and the second image sensing module;

determines a location of a foreign object within a detection region based on the processed image data in comparison; and

switches, automatically, a mode of operation of the first and second image sensing modules between a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation based on the determined location of the foreign object relative to the touch surface, wherein the location of the foreign object is determined based on the first predetermined light spectrum when operating in the first mode of operation, and wherein the location of the foreign object is determined based on the second predetermined light spectrum when operating in the second mode of operation.

2. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein the control module conducts triangulation to locate the foreign object in at least two dimensions based on the image data.

3. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein the first image detection module further comprises a first light focusing device for refracting the received light spectrum onto a first focal plane for imaging by the first image sensing module, and wherein the second image detection module further comprises a second light focusing device for refracting the received light spectrum onto a second focal plane for imaging by the second image sensing module.

4. The apparatus in claim 3, wherein the first light screen is positioned between the first image sensing module and the first light focusing device, and wherein the second light screen is positioned between the second image sensing module and the second light focusing device.

5. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein each of the first light screen and the second light screen has a first surface and a second surface separated by a thickness, wherein, as the received light spectrum passes through the first region or the second region defined by the first light screen or the second light screen, the received light spectrum passes through the first surface and the second surface of the first or second light screens.

6. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein the at least one light source is disposed on the touch surface.

7. The apparatus in claim 3, wherein an axis of at least one of the first light focusing device and the second light focusing device is tilted relative to an axis of the at least one light source.

8. The apparatus in claim 7, wherein the tilt of the axis of at least one of the first light focusing device and the second light focusing device relative the axis of the light source forms an angle between 40 degrees and 60 degrees.

9. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the first region defined by the first light screen is in direct contact with a portion of the second region defined by the first light screen, and wherein at least a portion of the first region defined by the second light screen is in direct contact with a portion of the second region defined by the second light screen.

10. The apparatus in claim 6 further comprising a retroreflector disposed on the touch surface, wherein the retroreflector reflects light emitted from the at least one light source towards at least one of the first image sensing module and the second image sensing module.

11. The apparatus in claim 10, wherein a height of the retroreflector is between 2 millimeters (mm) and 10 mm.

12. The apparatus in claim 11, wherein the retroreflector is a mirror-retroreflector or a mirror.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first image detection module comprises a first housing,

wherein the second image detection module comprises a second housing,

wherein a position of the first light screen within the first housing is fixed relative to a position of the first image sensing module within the first housing, and

wherein a position of the second light screen within the second housing is fixed relative to a position of the second image sensing module within the second housing.

14. The apparatus in claim 13, wherein the first image detection module comprises a first light focusing device, and wherein the second image detection module comprises a second light focusing device.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first light screen is positioned between the first light focusing device and the first image sensing module within the first housing, and wherein the second light screen is positioned between the second light focusing device and the second image sensing module within the second housing.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first light focusing device is positioned between the first light screen and the first image sensing module within the first housing, and wherein the second light focusing device is positioned between the second light screen and the second image sensing module within the second housing.

25. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein the first light screen has a fixed position and orientation relative to the first image sensing module, and wherein the second light screen has a fixed position and orientation relative to the second image sensing module.

17. A multi-dimensional image detection method, said method comprising:

at an electronic device comprising;

a touch surface on a substrate, a first image detection module comprising a first image sensing module and a first light screen, a second image detection module comprising a second image sensing module and a second light screen, and at least one light source for emitting a first predetermined light spectrum being infrared light;

acquiring, by the first image sensing module, first image data based on a first received light spectrum,

wherein the first received light spectrum is passed through the first light screen prior to the first image sensing module acquiring the first image data,

wherein the first light screen defines a first region and a second region,

wherein the first region defined by the first light screen permits only the first predetermined light spectrum to pass through the first region defined by the first light screen, and

wherein the second region permits a second predetermined light spectrum to pass through the second region defined by the first light screen, the second predetermined light spectrum being visible light;

acquiring, by the second image sensing module, second image data based on a second received light spectrum,

wherein the second received light spectrum is passed through the second light screen prior to the second image sensing module acquiring the second image data,

wherein the second light screen defines a first region and a second region,

wherein the first region defined by the second light screen permits only the first predetermined light spectrum to pass through the first region defined by the second light screen, and

wherein the second region defined by the second light screen permits the second predetermined light spectrum to pass through the second region defined by the second light screen;

comparing, by a control module, image data acquired by at least one of the first image sensing module and the second image sensing module to pre-stored background image data;

determining, by the control module, a location of a foreign object based upon the comparing; and

switching automatically, by the control module, a mode of operation of the first image detection module and the second image detection module between a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation based on the location of the foreign object, wherein the location of the foreign object is determined based on the first predetermined light spectrum when operating in the first mode of operation, and wherein the location of the foreign object is determined based on the second predetermined light spectrum when operating in the second mode of operation.

18. The method in claim 17 further comprising:

determining the foreign object'"'"'s two dimensional position using triangulation.

19. The method in claim 17 wherein the first mode of operation is a two-dimensional mode of operation and the second mode of operation is a three-dimensional mode of operation.

20. The method in claim 17 further comprising:

determining, by the control module, the location of the foreign object based on a first portion of the image data when the first and second image sensing modules are operating in the first mode of operation, wherein the first portion of the image data corresponds to pixels of image data captured based on the first predetermined light spectrum; and

determining, by the control module, the location of the foreign object based on a second portion of the image data when the first and second image sensing modules are operating in the second mode of operation, wherein the second portion of the image data corresponds to pixels of image data captured based on the second predetermined light spectrum.

21. The method in claim 20 further comprising determining the foreign object'"'"'s three dimensional position using triangulation.

22. The method in claim 18 further comprising:

continuously recognizing dynamic motion of the foreign object over time; and

recognizing a gesture based on the changes in the location of the foreign object.

23. The method in claim 17 further comprising:

acquiring, during an initialization period, image data without any object present in a detection region, and

generating the pre-stored background image data based on the image data acquired during the initialization period.

24. The method in claim 23 further comprising recognizing a touch of the foreign object to the touch surface based on the location of the foreign object.