Optical object positioning apparatus and positioning method thereof

• US 9,846,491 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2015
• Issued: 12/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Coretronic Corporation, National Chiao Tung University (Government of The Republic of China)
• Original Assignee: Coretronic Corporation, National Chiao Tung University (Government of The Republic of China)
• Inventors: Hsieh, Chi-Tang, Su, Yu-Jie, Chang, Yu-Cheng, Qin, Zong, Huang, Yi-Pai
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jones, Shawna Stepp
• Application Number:
  US14/831,885
• Publication Number:
  US 20160224190A1
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• 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

An optical object positioning apparatus including an optical element, a light sensor and a processing unit and a positioning method thereof are provided. The optical element includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other and perpendicular to a first axis, and has at least two light-passing regions. Light beams from an object to be positioned pass through the light-passing regions from the first surface to the second surface. The light sensor and the optical element are spaced by a predetermined distance on a direction of the first axis. The light sensor senses the light beams from the light-passing regions to generate at least two light-sensing signals. A distance between the object and the optical element is positively correlated to the predetermined distance. The processing unit receives the light-sensing signals and positions the object according to the light-sensing signals and the predetermined distance.

Claims

1. An optical object positioning apparatus, comprising:

an optical element, comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other and perpendicular to a first axis, having at least two light-passing regions, wherein the at least two light-passing regions are capable of letting light beams coming from an object to be positioned pass through from the first surface to the second surface;

a light sensor, spaced by a predetermined distance from the optical element on a direction of the first axis, configured to sense the light beams coming from the light-passing regions to correspondingly generate at least two light-sensing signals, wherein the distance between the object to be positioned and the optical element on the direction of the first axis is positively correlated to the predetermined distance; and

a processing unit, coupled to the light sensor, configured to receive the light-sensing signals and position the object to be positioned according to the light-sensing signals and the predetermined distance,

wherein when a coordinate value of the first surface of the optical element on the first axis is 0, a coordinate value of the object to be positioned on the first axis satisfies;

2. The optical object positioning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to calculate two-dimensional coordinates of the object to be positioned in a two-dimensional space according to the light-sensing signals and the predetermined distance, wherein a coordinate value of the two-dimensional coordinates on the direction of the first axis is correlated to the predetermined distance and a distance between any two of the light-passing regions, a coordinate value of the two-dimensional coordinates on a direction of a second axis is correlated to the coordinate value on the direction of the first axis, and wherein the second axis is perpendicular to the first axis.

3. The optical object positioning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to calculate three-dimensional coordinates of the object to be positioned in a three-dimensional space according to the light-sensing signals and the predetermined distance, wherein a coordinate value of the three-dimensional coordinates on the direction of the first axis is correlated to the predetermined distance and a distance between any two of the light-passing regions, a coordinate value of the three-dimensional coordinates on a direction of a second axis is correlated to the coordinate value on the direction of the first axis, and a coordinate value of the three-dimensional coordinates on a direction of a third axis is correlated to the coordinate value on the direction of the first axis, and wherein the first axis, the second axis and the third axis are perpendicular to each other, and the light-passing regions are located on a plane formed by the second axis and the third axis.

4. The optical object positioning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a coordinate value of the object to be positioned on the second axis satisfies:

5. The optical object positioning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a coordinate value of the object to be positioned on a third axis satisfies:

6. The optical object positioning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical element comprises a slit array element having at least two slits, a hole-like array element having at least two holes, or a lens array element having at least two lenses.

7. The optical object positioning apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the optical element comprises the lens array element having at least two lenses, and the lens comprises at least one of an aspherical lens, a spherical lens, and a zoom lens.

8. The optical object positioning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical element further comprises at least one mark element, and a position of the at least one mark element is different to positions of the light-passing regions.

9. The optical object positioning apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the at least one mark element is configured to shield light or has a light-passing pattern different to light-passing patterns of the light-passing regions.

10. The optical object positioning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a light source, configured to project light to the object to be positioned.

11. The optical object positioning apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to receive the light-sensing signals and position the object to be positioned according to the predetermined distance, coordinates of any two of the light-passing regions, and coordinates of two sensing regions on the light sensor respectively corresponding to the any two of the light-passing regions, and wherein the at least two light-sensing signals are respectively corresponding to the two sensing regions and the two sensing regions are positions of the at least two light beams reaching the light sensor after the at least two light beams pass through the any two of the light-passing regions.

12. An optical object positioning method, comprising:

using a light sensor to sense light beams passing through at least two light-passing regions of an optical element to correspondingly generate at least two light-sensing signals, wherein the light beams coming from an object to be positioned pass through the optical element from a first surface to a second surface through the light-passing regions, the first surface and the second surface located at two opposite sides of the optical element are perpendicular to a first axis, and the light sensor and the optical element are spaced by a predetermined distance; and

using a processing unit to position the object to be positioned according to the light-sensing signals and the predetermined distance, wherein the distance between the object to be positioned and the optical element is positively correlated to the predetermined distance,

wherein when a coordinate value of the first surface of the optical element on the first axis is 0, a coordinate value of the object to be positioned on the first axis satisfies;

13. The optical object positioning method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the step of positioning the object to be positioned further comprises:

calculating two-dimensional coordinates of the object to be positioned in a two-dimensional space according to the light-sensing signals and the predetermined distance, wherein a coordinate value of the two-dimensional coordinates on a direction of the first axis is correlated to the predetermined distance and a distance between any two of the light-passing regions, and a coordinate value of the two-dimensional coordinates on a direction of a second axis is correlated to the coordinate value on the direction of the first axis, wherein the second axis is perpendicular to the first axis.

14. The optical object positioning method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the step of positioning the object to be positioned further comprises:

calculate three-dimensional coordinates of the object to be positioned in a three-dimensional space according to the light-sensing signals and the predetermined distance, wherein a coordinate value of the three-dimensional coordinates on the direction of the first axis is correlated to the predetermined distance and a distance between any two of the light-passing regions, a coordinate value of the three-dimensional coordinates on a direction of a second axis is correlated to the coordinate value on the direction of the first axis, and a coordinate value of the three-dimensional coordinates on a direction of a third axis is correlated to the coordinate value on the direction of the first axis, wherein the first axis, the second axis, and the third axis are perpendicular to each other, and the light-passing regions are located on a plane formed by the second axis and the third axis.

15. The optical object positioning method as claimed in claim 13, wherein a coordinate value of the object to be positioned on the second axis satisfies:

16. The optical object positioning method as claimed in claim 12, wherein a coordinate value of the object to be positioned on a third axis satisfies: