Large scale touch system and methods for interacting with same

• US 20060244734A1
• Filed: 05/02/2005
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smart Technologies ULC (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Smart Technologies ULC (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hill, Douglas, Fletcher, Mark, Tallman, Scott, Goodman, Shannon Patricia, Williams, Marilyn, Bill, Shane Edward, Vdovine, Serguei, Beckie, Niel, Ieperen, Taco van, Sirotich, Roberto
• Granted Patent: US 8,487,910 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A touch system comprises a large scale touch surface on which an image is presented and at least two imaging devices looking across the touch surface and having overlapping fields of view. Processing structure communicates with the imaging devices and processes image data acquired by the imaging devices to determine pointer contacts on the touch surface using triangulation. The processing structure further executes at least one application to facilitate user interaction with the touch surface. Methods of interacting with the touch surface are also disclosed

Claims

1. In a large scale touch system having a touch surface on which a displayed image is presented, a method of facilitating user interaction with said displayed image comprising:

displaying a scaled version of at least a portion of said displayed image on said touch surface at a user accessible location; and

mapping the scaled version to the corresponding portion of said displayed image so that user interactions with the scaled version are translated to interactions with said displayed image.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein during displaying, a scaled version of the entire displayed image is presented within a window.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said window is positioned adjacent a lower portion of said touch surface.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the position of said window is user adjustable.

5. In a large scale touch system having a touch surface on which a displayed image is presented, a method of facilitating user interaction with said displayed image comprising:

defining a text input region on said touch surface adjacent a user accessible location;

detecting text input into said text input region; and

displaying the detected input text in a text display region spaced from said text input region.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said text display region is positioned adjacent an upper portion of said touch surface.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said text input region is positioned adjacent a lower portion of said touch surface.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the position of at least one of said text input region and text display region is user adjustable.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the position of each of said text input region and text display region is user adjustable.

10. In a large scale touch system having a touch surface, a method of positioning displayed objects presented on said touch surface comprising:

tracking movement of a user relative to said touch surface; and

positioning one or more displayed objects proximate said user.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the position of the user is tracked by monitoring the position of the last touch input, displayed objects being presented proximate to the position of the last touch input.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein said tracking comprises capturing images of a region surrounding said touch surface and processing the captured images to determine the position of said user relative to said touch surface.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said processing further comprising detecting shadows cast on said touch surface, displayed objects being presented on said touch surface adjacent said user and outside of detected shadows.

14. In a large scale touch system having a touch surface on which a displayed image is presented, a method of facilitating user interaction with said displayed image comprising:

highlighting at least one displayed object which requires user interaction to provide strong visual feedback concerning the existence of said at least one displayed object.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said at least one displayed object is a modal box.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said highlighting comprises applying an overlay to said displayed image, said overlay having an opening therein sized to correspond generally with said modal box and being colored to contrast sharply with said modal box thereby to hightlight said modal box.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said highlighting comprises displaying concentric rings about said modal box.

18. In a large scale touch system having a touch surface on which a displayed image is presented, a method of facilitating user interaction with said displayed image comprising:

reproducing at least one region of said displayed image on said touch surface at a user accessible location; and

mapping the reproduced region to the corresponding portion of said displayed image so that user interactions with the reproduced region are translated to interactions with the corresponding portion of said displayed image.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said at least one region is the upper region of said displayed image.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said upper region of said displayed image is reproduced adjacent the bottom portion of said displayed image.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the opposite side portion of said displayed image is reproduced adjacent each side of said touch surface.

22. In a large scale touch system having a touch surface on which a displayed image is presented, a method of facilitating user interaction with said displayed image comprising:

displaying a mouse object on said touch surface;

detecting pointer interactions on said touch surface within said mouse object; and

processing mouse events corresponding to said pointer interactions in a manner to avoid input focus being shifted to said mouse object.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said processing comprises injecting mouse events into the mouse event queue of the touch system operating system.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said mouse object includes at least one button.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein said mouse object is stationary and resembles a mouse pad.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein said mouse object is moveable across said touch surface in response to pointer interactions with said touch surface.

27. A touch system comprising:

a large scale touch surface on which an image is presented;

at least two imaging devices looking across said touch surface and having overlapping fields of view; and

processing structure communicating with said imaging devices and processing image data acquired by said imaging devices to determine pointer contacts on said touch surface using triangulation, said processing structure further executing at least one application to facilitate user interaction with said touch surface.

28. A touch system according to claim 27 wherein said at least one application is a scaled desktop application, during execution of said desktop application, said processing structure causing a scaled version of said image to be presented in a smaller window, said smaller window being mapped to said touch surface to enable a user to interact with said touch surface via pointer contact within said smaller window.

29. A touch system according to claim 27 wherein said at least one application is a text input application, during execution of said text input application, said processing structure causing a text input region to be presented on said touch surface that is linked to a text display region of said touch surface spaced from said text input region, text entered into said text input region through pointer contacts therein being injected and displayed in said text display region.

30. A touch system according to claim 27 wherein said at least one application is a user tracking application, during execution of said user tracking application, said processing structure tracking movement of said user and causing objects in said image to be displayed proximate to said user location.

31. A touch system according to claim 27 wherein said at least one application is an object highlighting application, during execution of said highlighting application, said processing structure visually highlighting selected displayed objects to make said selected displayed objects visually distinct.

32. A touch system according to claim 27 wherein said at least one application is a displayed image mirror application, during execution of said displayed image mirror application, said processing structure reproducing at least one portion of said displayed image at a user accessible location, said reproduced portion being mapped to a corresponding portion of said displayed image.

33. A touch system according to claim 27 wherein said at least one application is a mouse object application, during execution of said mouse object application, said processing structure displaying a mouse object on said touch surface and detecting pointer interactions on said mouse object and processing resulting mouse events while avoiding input focus shifting to said mouse object.