Touch detection apparatus, touch detection method and recording medium

• US 9,690,430 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2013
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Kiwamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): YANG, NIEN
• Application Number:
  US13/936,923
• Publication Number:
  US 20140015950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,450 Days
• Field of Search: 348 77
• 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
• 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

A touch detection method executed by a touch detection apparatus projects light that does not include a wavelength component of visible light onto a screen, has a sensitivity in a wavelength component of the light projected by the projecting, takes an image on the screen in a state where light is projected by the projecting, and performs detection pertaining to a touch, based on image data taken by the image-sensing.

Claims

1. A touch detection apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of lighting units configured to emit light including invisible wavelength components onto a screen;

a control unit configured to control the emission of light from the plurality of lighting units according to a plurality of lighting patterns including;

a first lighting pattern to cause one or more of the plurality of lighting units associated with a first group to emit light such that a shadow of an object is formed at a first position on the screen; and

a second lighting pattern to cause one or more of the plurality of lighting units associated with a second group to emit light such that the shadow of the object is formed at a second position on the screen, the second position being different from the first position,

wherein at least one of the plurality of lighting units associated with the second group is different from the plurality of lighting units associated with the first group;

an image sensing unit configured to obtain, according to control by the control unit, a plurality of captured images of the screen including;

a first captured image of the screen, where the shadow of the object is formed at the first position, being lighted by the one or more of the plurality of lighting units associated with the first group; and

a second captured image of the screen, where the shadow of the object is formed at the second position, being lighted by the one or more of the plurality of lighting units associated with the second group,

wherein the image sensing unit is configured to have a sensitivity to the invisible wavelength components of the light emitted from the plurality of lighting units; and

a detection unit configured to detect a touch to the screen by the object based on the plurality of captured images including the first captured image of the screen, where the shadow of the object is formed at the first position, being lighted by the one or more of the plurality of lighting units associated with the first group and the second captured image of the screen, where the shadow of the object is formed at the second position, being lighted by the one or more of the plurality of lighting units associated with the second group.

2. The touch detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects a touch to the screen based on the plurality of captured images of the screen respectively obtained by a plurality of the image sensing units.

3. The touch detection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a shadow image data generation unit configured to generate shadow image data by performing subtraction between the plurality of captured images, including the first captured image and the second captured image, obtained by the image sensing unit with the light being emitted onto the screen from at least one of the plurality of lighting units, and image data obtained by the image sensing unit without the light being emitted onto the screen from any of the plurality of lighting units,

wherein the detection unit detects a touch to the screen based on the shadow image data.

4. The touch detection apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a reference image data generation unit configured to generate reference image data by performing subtraction between image data obtained by the image sensing unit without the light being emitted onto the screen from the plurality of lighting units or an object to be detected by the detection unit on the screen, and image data obtained by the image sensing unit with the light being emitted onto the screen from the plurality of lighting units and without the object on the screen; and

a normalization unit configured to generate normalized shadow image data by normalizing the shadow image data using the reference image data,

wherein the detection unit detects a touch to the screen based on the normalized shadow image data.

5. The touch detection apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a shadow region image data generation unit configured to generate shadow region image data by binarizing the normalized shadow image data,

wherein the detection unit detects a touch to the screen based on the shadow region image data.

6. The touch detection apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

an OR shadow region image data generation unit configured to generate OR shadow region image data by applying an OR operation to plural pieces of the shadow region image data,

wherein the detection unit detects a touch to the screen based on the OR shadow region image data.

7. The touch detection apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a calculation unit configured to calculate a distance between end points of two protruding shapes from the OR shadow region image data,

wherein the detection unit detects a touch to the screen based on the distance calculated by the calculation unit.

8. The touch detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects at least any one of a touched position and a touchdown on the screen.

9. A touch detection method, comprising:

instructing a plurality of lighting units to emit light including invisible wavelength components onto a screen;

controlling the emission of light from the plurality of lighting units according to a plurality of lighting patterns including;

a first lighting pattern to cause one or more of the plurality of lighting units associated with a first group to emit light such that a shadow of an object is formed at a first position on the screen; and

a second lighting pattern to cause one or more of the plurality of lighting units associated with a second group to emit light such that the shadow of the object is formed at a second position on the screen, the second position being a position different from the first position,

wherein at least one of the plurality of lighting units associated with the second group is different from the plurality of lighting units associated with the first group;

image-sensing, according to control by the controlling, a plurality of captured images of the screen including;

a first captured image of the screen, where the shadow of the object is formed at the first position, being lighted by the one or more of the plurality of lighting units associated with the first group; and

a second captured image of the screen, wherein the shadow of the object is formed at the second position, being lighted by the one or more of the plurality of lighting units associated with the second group,

the image-sensing further including sensing the invisible wavelength components of the light emitted from the plurality of lighting units; and

detecting a touch to the screen by the object based on the plurality of captured images including the first captured image of the screen, where the shadow of the object is formed at the first position, being lighted by the one or more of the plurality of lighting units associated with the first group and the second captured image of the screen, where the shadow of the object is formed at the second position, being lighted by the one or more of the plurality of lighting units associated with the second group.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded therein a program for causing a computer to execute:

instructing a plurality of lighting units to emit light including invisible wavelength components onto a screen;

controlling the emission of light from the plurality of lighting units according to a plurality of lighting patterns including;

a first lighting pattern to cause one or more of the plurality of lighting units associated with a first group to emit light such that a shadow of an object is formed at a first position on the screen; and

a second lighting pattern to cause one or more of the plurality of lighting units associated with a second group to emit light such that the shadow of the object is formed at a second position on the screen, the second position being a position different from the first position,

wherein at least one of the plurality of lighting units associated with the second group is different from the plurality of lighting units associated with the first group;

image-sensing, according to control by the controlling, a plurality of captured images of the screen including;

a first captured image of the screen, where the shadow of the object is formed at the first position, being lighted by the one or more of the plurality of lighting units associated with the first group; and

a second captured image of the screen, where the shadow of the object is formed at the second position, being lighted by the one or more of the plurality of lighting units associated with the second group,

the image-sensing further including sensing the invisible wavelength components of the light emitted from the plurality of lighting units; and

detecting a touch to the screen by the object based on the plurality of captured images including the first captured image of the screen, where the shadow of the object is formed a the first position, being lighted by the one or more of the plurality of lighting units associated with the first group and the second captured image of the screen, where the shadow of the object is formed at the second position, being lighted by the one or more of the plurality of lighting units associated with the second group.