Coordinate detection system, information processing apparatus, and recording medium

• US 9,569,013 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2014
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Nishida, En
• Primary Examiner(s): Tzeng, Fred
• Application Number:
  US14/543,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20150153846A1
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 345/175
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/005 coordinate measuring machines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0308 comprising a plurality of distinctive and separately oriented light emitters or reflectors associated to the pointing device, e.g. remote cursor controller with distinct and separately oriented LEDs at the tip whose radiations are captured by a photo-detector associated to the screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0325 using a plurality of light emitters or reflectors or a plurality of detectors forming a reference frame from which to derive the orientation of the object, e.g. by triangulation or on the basis of reference deformation in the picked up image
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03542 Light pens for emitting or receiving light
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0386 for light pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386

Abstract

A coordinate detection system detects coordinates of a position to which an electronic pen points on a surface of a display. The coordinate detection system includes a plurality of detecting elements configured to detect light emitted from each of light emission points of the electronic pen, and a coordinate detection unit configured to detect the coordinates of the position to which the electronic pen points based on a distance relationship between first images of the light emission points in an image formed by the light detected by each of the plurality of detecting elements and second images of the light emission points formed by reflection of the first images on the surface of the display.

Claims

1. A coordinate detection system which detects coordinates of a position to which an electronic pen points on a surface of a display, comprising:

a plurality of detecting elements each configured to detect emitted light rays emitted from light emission points of the electronic pen, and configured to detect reflected light rays formed by reflection of the emitted light rays on the surface of the display; and

a coordinate detection unit configured to detect a position to which the electronic pen points based on the emitted light rays and the reflected light rays detected by each of the plurality of detecting elements, and configured to detect the coordinates of the position to which the electronic pen points relative to the surface of the display based on the positions of the electronic pen detected by using the plurality of detecting elements.

2. The coordinate detection system according to claim 1, wherein the coordinate detection unit is configured to compute an in-image position to which the electronic pen points in each of images formed by the light detected by the plurality of detecting elements, and configured to detect the coordinates of the position by a triangulation method based on the in-image positions computed for the images of the plurality of detecting elements.

3. The coordinate detection system according to claim 2, wherein the coordinate detection unit is configured to compute a centroid of a first image of each of the light emission points and a centroid of a second image of each of the light emission points, and configured to compute the in-image position of the electronic pen by an intersection of an extension line of a line segment which connects the centroids of the first images and an extension line of a line segment which connects the centroids of the second images.

4. The coordinate detection system according to claim 3, further comprising first images of the light emission points and second images of the light emission points,

wherein the coordinate detection unit is configured to perform, prior to the centroid computation, a binarization process on the image output by each of the detecting elements so that each of pixels of the image is converted into a black pixel or a white pixel based on a set threshold value.

5. The coordinate detection system according to claim 4, wherein the coordinate detection unit is configured to detect, after the binarization process and prior to the centroid computation, whether an overlapping portion between the first images of the light emission points and the second images of the light emission points exists, and configured to perform a separation process to separate the overlapping portion when the overlapping portion is detected as existing.

6. The coordinate detection system according to claim 1, further comprising first images of the light emission points and second images of the light emission points,

wherein the first images are real images of the light emission points and the second images are virtual images of the light emission points.

7. An information processing apparatus which detects coordinates of a position to which an electronic pen points on a surface of a display, comprising:

a coordinate detection unit configured to detect a position to which the electronic pen points based on emitted light rays and reflected light rays detected by each of a plurality of detecting elements, and configured to detect the coordinates of the position to which the electronic pen points relative to the surface of the display based on the positions of the electronic pen detected by using the plurality of detecting elements.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the coordinate detection unit is configured to compute an in-image position to which the electronic pen points in each of images formed by the light detected by the plurality of detecting elements, and configured to detect the coordinates of the position by a triangulation method based on the in-image positions computed for the images of the plurality of detecting elements.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the coordinate detection unit is configured to compute a centroid of a first image of each of the light emission points and a centroid of a second image of each of the light emission points, and configured to compute the in-image position of the electronic pen by an intersection of an extension line of a line segment which connects the centroids of the first images and an extension line of a line segment which connects the centroids of the second images.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the coordinate detection unit is configured to perform, prior to the centroid computation, a binarization process on the image output by each of the detecting elements so that each of pixels of the image is converted into a black pixel or a white pixel based on a set threshold value.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the coordinate detection unit is configured to detect, after the binarization process and prior to the centroid computation, whether an overlapping portion between the first images of the light emission points and the second images of the light emission points exists, and configured to perform a separation process to separate the overlapping portion when the overlapping portion is detected as existing.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising first images of the light emission points and second images of the light emission points,

wherein the first images are real images of the light emission points and the second images are virtual images of the light emission points.

13. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing computer readable code that, when executed by a processor of an information processing apparatus which detects coordinates of a position to which an electronic pen points on a surface of a display, configures the processor to perform a coordinate detection method comprising:

detecting the coordinates of the position to which the electronic pen points based on emitted light rays and reflected light rays detected by each of a plurality of detecting elements, and configured to detect the coordinates of the position to which the electronic pen points relative to the surface of the display based on the positions of the electronic pen detected by using the plurality of detecting elements.