Pointer control method, pointing apparatus, and host apparatus therefor

• US 20030063065A1
• Filed: 09/11/2002
• Published: 04/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Chul-woo, Cho, Woo-jong, Lee, Sung-jin, Lee, Woo-jong, Hong, Soon-kyo
• Granted Patent: US 7,301,530 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves

Abstract

A host apparatus includes an ultrasound receiving unit receiving an ultrasound signal from a pointing apparatus and outputting an electric signal. A controlling unit calculates a position of a pointer on a display screen corresponding to a position of the pointing apparatus based on the electric signal from the ultrasound receiving unit, and outputs a control signal to the display screen to position the pointer at the calculated position of the display screen.

Claims

1. A pointing apparatus, comprising:

a user input unit receiving a user command; and

an ultrasound transmitting unit receiving the user command to transmit an ultrasound signal, generating the ultrasound signal, and transmitting the ultrasound signal continuously or exclusively when a command is given to transmit the ultrasound signal to a host apparatus.

2. The pointing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user input unit comprises a mode selection button to set a relative mode where the ultrasound transmitting unit continuously generates the ultrasound signal at predetermined intervals of time and transmits the ultrasound signal to the host apparatus.

3. The pointing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user input unit comprises a mode selection button to set an absolute mode and an ultrasound transmission button, where the ultrasound transmitting unit generates the ultrasound signal and sends the ultrasound signal to the host apparatus when a command to transmit the ultrasound signal via the ultrasound transmission button is received and the absolute mode is selected.

4. A host apparatus, comprising:

a display screen;

an ultrasound receiving unit receiving an ultrasound signal from a pointing apparatus and outputting an electric signal; and

a controlling unit calculating a position of a pointer on the display screen corresponding to a position of the pointing apparatus based on the electric signal from the ultrasound receiving unit, and outputting a control signal to the display screen to position the pointer at the calculated position of the display screen.

5. The host apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

a display unit displaying the pointer on the display screen.

6. The host apparatus of claim 5, wherein the ultrasound receiving unit receives the ultrasound signal from at least three vertices of the display screen, generates the electric signal from the ultrasound signal, and sends the electric signal to the controlling unit, and

the controlling unit outputs the control signal from the electric signal to move the pointer to the position of the display screen corresponding to the position of the pointing apparatus which moves on a virtual plane.

7. The host apparatus of claim 5, wherein

the ultrasound receiving unit comprises ultrasound sensors installed on at least three different points, to receive the ultrasound signal from the pointing apparatus and to output electrical signals based on the ultrasound signal, and

the controlling unit comprises a displacement calculator measuring a time the ultrasound signal is received using the electrical signals from the ultrasound sensors, determining the position of the pointer at the time the electrical signals are received, and calculating a displacement between a current position and the determined position of the pointer;

and

a pointer controller outputting a control signal to the display unit to position the pointer according to the displacement calculated by the displacement calculator.

8. The host apparatus of claim 7, wherein the displacement calculator calculates a difference between the time when one of the ultrasound sensors that first received the ultrasound signal receives the ultrasound signal and the times when the other ultrasound sensors receive the ultrasound signal, and determines the position of the pointer based on the difference.

9. The host apparatus of claim 8, wherein the displacement calculator sets one point on each of the first and second axes and determines an intersection of lines, which are respectively extended from a set two points in a horizontal direction of the first axis and a vertical direction of the second axis, as the position of the pointer to be positioned.

10. A pointing apparatus, comprising:

a user input unit receiving a user command; and

an ultrasound transmitting unit comprising an optical generator generating a light signal and sending the light signal to a host apparatus, and an ultrasound generator generating an ultrasound signal and sending the ultrasound signal to the host apparatus when receiving a command to transmit the ultrasound signal via the user input unit.

11. The pointing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the user input unit comprises a mode selection button, and, when a relative mode is set, the ultrasound generator and the optical generator generate and output the ultrasound signal and the light signal at predetermined intervals of time substantially at a same time to the host apparatus.

12. The pointing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the user input unit comprises a mode selection button and an ultrasound transmission button, and when an absolute mode is set using the mode selection button and the ultrasound transmission button outputs a command to transmit the ultrasound signal, the ultrasound generator and the optical generator generate and output the ultrasound signal and the light signal substantially at a same time to the host apparatus.

13. A host apparatus, comprising:

a display screen;

an ultrasound receiving unit receiving an ultrasound signal and a light signal from a pointing apparatus and outputting electric signals; and

a controlling unit calculating a position of a pointer on the display screen corresponding to a position of the pointing apparatus based on the electric signals from the ultrasound receiving unit, and outputting a control signal to the display screen to move the pointer to the calculated point.

14. The host apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

a display unit displaying the pointer at the display screen.

15. The host apparatus of claim 14, wherein the ultrasound receiving unit comprises:

ultrasound sensors installed on at least three different points to receive the ultrasound signal from the pointing apparatus and to output electric signals based on the ultrasound signal; and

an optical sensor receiving the light signal from the pointing apparatus and outputting an electric signal based on the light signal, and

the controlling unit comprises a displacement calculator measuring an absolute position of the pointing apparatus with the electric signals from the ultrasound sensors and the optical sensor, determining the position of the pointer with the absolute position of the pointing apparatus, and calculating a displacement between a current position and the determined position of the pointer; and

a pointer controller outputting a control signal to the display unit to position the pointer according to the displacement calculated by the displacement calculator.

16. The host apparatus of claim 15, wherein the ultrasound sensors are installed on at least three vertices of the rectangular display screen, and

the displacement calculator measures times when the light signal and the ultrasound signal are received, respectively, calculates distances between the pointing apparatus and the three vertices with the measured times, calculates the absolute position of the pointing apparatus with the calculated distances, and determines a point of the display screen on which the pointer is to be positioned, to correspond to the absolute position.

17. A pointer control method, comprising:

receiving an ultrasound signal from a pointing apparatus;

determining a first point on a display screen on which a pointer is to be positioned using a time when the ultrasound signal is received; and

displaying the pointer at the determined point.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the receiving of the ultrasound signal from the pointing apparatus comprises:

receiving the ultrasound signal from at least three points; and

calculating a second point on the display screen corresponding to a point of the pointing apparatus, which moves on a virtual plane parallel to the display screen, using the time when the ultrasound signal is received.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the receiving of the ultrasound signal from the at least three points comprises:

receiving the ultrasound signal from at least three vertices of the display screen; and

setting one point on each of a first axis and a second axis of the display screen using a difference between a time when the ultrasound signal is first received from one of the three vertices and times when the ultrasound signal is received from the other two of the three vertices, and determining an intersection of lines, which are extended from the set points in a horizontal direction of the first axis and a vertical direction of the second axis, as a point of the display screen on which the pointer is to be positioned.

20. A pointer control method, comprising:

receiving an ultrasound signal and a light signal from a pointing apparatus;

determining a point on a display screen on which a pointer is to be positioned, using times when the ultrasound signal and the light signal are received; and

displaying the pointer at the determined point.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the receiving of the ultrasound signal comprises:

receiving the ultrasound signal and the light signal from at least three different points at which ultrasound sensors are installed;

determining an absolute position of the pointing apparatus by using the times when the ultrasound signal and the light signal are received, respectively; and

calculating a point on the display screen on which the pointer is to be positioned to correspond to the determined absolute position.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the determining of the absolute position of the pointing apparatus comprises:

calculating distances between the pointing apparatus and the at least three points; and

determining an intersection of at least three spheres having the at least three points as centers and the calculated distances as radii, as the absolute position of the pointing apparatus.