Patent ID: 7006079
Filing Date: 2006-02-28
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. An information input system for receiving an information inputted by an operator as an input information, comprising: photographing means for picking up an image of a specified detection area including an operable object and a touchable object touchable by the operable object as a photographed image, said photographing means including an infrared image pickup means for producing an infrared image as a photographed image of the specified detection area including the operable object and the touchable object, contact discriminating means for identifying the operable object and the touchable object from the photographed image and discriminating whether or not the operable object and the touchable object are in contact with each other, detecting means for detecting a relative position of the operable object with respect to the touchable object if the contact discriminating means judges that the operable object and the touchable object are in contact with each other, and receiving means for receiving a trace of the operable object on the touchable object as the input information by repeatedly detecting the relative position of the operable object with respect to the touchable object, and wherein the contact discriminating means generates a differential histogram by applying a differential processing to the luminance values of pixels of the infrared image to calculate differential values of the respective pixels and discriminates whether or not the operable object and the touchable object are in contact with each other based on a variance value of the generated differential histogram.