Patent ID: 6153836
Filing Date: 2000-11-28
Classification: G01B,G01S,G06F

Abstract:
A system for capturing coordinate path data from a stylus moving across a surface of arbitrary size and shape, characterized by:(a) first receiver means mountable to the surface for receiving a first light beam from the stylus, the first light beam having a first angle with respect to a two-dimensional coordinate system defined within the surface, the first receiver means having means for determining the first angle;(b) second receiver means mountable to the surface for receiving a second light beam from the stylus, the second light beam having a second angle with respect to the two-dimensional coordinate system, the second receiver means having means for determining the second angle, wherein the first and second receiver means respectively include first and second solid state incident angle detectors (IADs) mounted closely together in a common housing on a single corner of a rectangle within the two-dimensional coordinate system;(c) means for determining the position of the stylus given the first and second angles and the locations of the first and second receiver means in the two-dimensional coordinate system; and(d) means for determining a stylus characteristic.