Easily deployable interactive direct-pointing system and presentation control system and calibration method therefor

• US 20050270494A1
• Filed: 05/24/2005
• Published: 12/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UltimatePointer, LLC
• Original Assignee: Erik Jan Banning
• Inventors: Banning, Erik Jan
• Granted Patent: US 7,746,321 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 353/42
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/00 Projectors or projection-type viewers; Accessories therefor devices for changing pictures G03B23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/006 using LCD's
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• 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 3/03549 Trackballs G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

A method for controlling movement of a computer display cursor based on a point-of-aim of a pointing device within an interaction region includes projecting an image of a computer display to create the interaction region. At least one calibration point having a predetermined relation to said interaction region is established. A pointing line is directed to substantially pass through the calibration point while measuring a position of and an orientation of the pointing device. The pointing line has a predetermined relationship to said pointing device. Movement of the cursor is controlled within the interaction region using measurements of the position of and the orientation of the pointing device.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a parameter related to a position of a computer display cursor based on a point-of-aim of a pointing device within an interaction region, comprising:

projecting an image of a computer display to create the interaction region;

establishing at least one calibration point having a predetermined relation to said interaction region;

directing a pointing line to substantially pass through said calibration point while measuring a position of and an orientation of the pointing device, said pointing line having a predetermined relationship to said pointing device; and

controlling the parameter related to the position of the cursor within the interaction region using measurements of the position of and the orientation of the pointing device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initializing boundaries of the interaction region to substantially coincide with a predetermined interaction structure and

formulating a description of said interaction structure, whereby said description may be used to constrain a position of at least a second calibration point.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said description uses the measurements of orientation and position of the pointing device from said measuring at said calibration point.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said interaction structure is a rectangle, and wherein a side of said interaction structure has a predetermined relation to a device used to, measure the orientation and position of the pointing device.

5. A method for controlling a parameter related to position of a cursor on a projected computer screen image, comprising:

measuring an angle between a pointing line and a first line, said first line being related in a predetermined way to at least one of Earth'"'"'s magnetic field direction and Earth'"'"'s gravity field direction, and said pointing line having a predetermined relation to a pointing device;

using a parameter related to the measured angle to control the parameter of said cursor on said computer screen image.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

first measuring the angle between said pointing line and said first line, said pointing line having a predetermined relation to a point-of-aim;

establishing a calibration point, said calibration point having a predetermined relation to said computer screen image;

directing said pointing line to substantially pass through said calibration point while second measuring the angle between said pointing line and said first line;

using the first measured angle and the second measured angle to constrain a parameter related to said point-of-aim whereby the cursor parameter is controlled by position of said point-of-aim measured relative to said projected computer screen image.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

initializing calculated positions of boundaries of the projected image to substantially coincide with a scaled and parallel version of a predetermined interaction structure; and

formulating a description of said interaction structure relative to a coordinate system, said coordinate system having a predetermined relation to said first line, whereby said description may be used to constrain a coordinate of an intersection point, said intersection point being common to said pointing line during said first measuring and said predetermined interaction structure.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said interaction structure is a rectangle, and wherein a side of said interaction structure has a predetermined relation to said first line.

9. A method for controlling a computer display cursor in an interaction region, comprising:

establishing a calibration point having a predetermined relation to said interaction region;

first measuring at least one of a position and orientation of a pointing line while directing said pointing line to substantially pass through said calibration point, the first measurement used to constrain a parameter of said calibration point, the pointing line having a predetermined relationship to at least one of position and orientation of a pointing device;

using a characteristic feature of said interaction region to establish a property of a common point of said pointing line and said interaction region measured relative to said interaction region;

measuring at least one of position and orientation of the pointing device; and

using the characteristic feature of said interaction region and measurement of the pointing device to control the cursor on a computer display image.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said characteristic feature includes at least one of a position coordinate of said calibration point, a size attribute of said interaction region, a shape of said interaction region, an orientation coordinate of a line that has a predetermined relation to said interaction region, a position coordinate of a point on a line that has a predetermined relation to said interaction region, an orientation coordinate of a plane that has a predetermined relation to said interaction region and a position coordinate of a point on a plane that has a predetermined relation to said interaction region.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising constraining a coordinate of a point-of-aim of said pointing device, measured relative to said interaction region, said point-of-aim substantially lying on said pointing line, the constraining comprising:

second measuring the at least one of a position of a point of and an orientation of said pointing line and

using the second measurement of said pointing line and the first measurement of said pointing line to constrain the coordinate of said point-of-aim, whereby said first measurement is used to constrain the coordinate of said point-of-aim relative to said interaction region.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

initializing said interaction region to have a predetermined relationship with a predetermined interaction structure; and

formulating a description of said interaction structure, whereby said description is used to constrain a parameter of said point-of-aim relative to said interaction region.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

combining said description of said interaction structure with the first measurement of said pointing line and said second measurement of said pointing line to constrain a coordinate of an intersection point of said pointing line and said interaction structure during said second measurement.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising controlling said cursor on said computer display image based on the relation between said intersection point and said description of said interaction structure.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising directionally recording vocalization from at least one viewer of the interaction region, the directionally recording being substantially coaxial with the orientation of the pointing device.

16. A method for controlling a parameter related to position of a cursor on a computer screen image, comprising:

measuring a first angle between a pointing line and a first line;

measuring a second angle between said pointing line and a second line, said first line being related in a predetermined way to a geographic reference, said second line being related in a predetermined way to a geographic reference, said pointing line having a predetermined relation to said pointing device, and

using a first parameter related to the first angle, and a second parameter related to the second angle to control the parameter of said cursor on said computer screen image, whereby said cursor position parameter is controlled by movement of said pointing device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising constraining a parameter of a point-of-aim of said pointing device with respect to an interaction region, the constraining comprising:

first measuring the first angle and the second angle wherein said pointing line has a predetermined relation to said point-of-aim;

establishing a calibration point having a predetermined relation to said interaction region;

second measuring the first angle and the second angle while directing said pointing line to substantially pass through said calibration point; and

using the first measurement and the second measurement of said first and second angles to constrain the coordinate of said point-of-aim, whereby the parameter of said cursor on said computer screen image is controlled by the parameter of said point-of-aim measured relative to said interaction region.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

initializing the interaction region to be a substantially parallel and scaled version of a predetermined interaction structure; and

formulating a description of said interaction structure relative to at least one of said first line and said second line, whereby said description is used to constrain a coordinate of an intersection point common to said pointing line during said first measuring and said predetermined interaction structure.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the formulating said description uses the first angle between said second measuring of said pointing line and said first line and the second angle between said second measuring of said pointing line and said second line.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said interaction structure is a rectangle, and wherein a side of said interaction structure has a predetermined relation to at least one of the first line and the second line.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein the geographic reference for the first line is one of Earth'"'"'s magnetic field direction and Earth'"'"'s gravity field direction, and the geographic reference for the second line is one of Earth'"'"'s magnetic field direction and Earth'"'"'s gravity field direction.