Abstract:
An optical touch locating system and method thereof is disclosed herein. The method includes the following steps. A step is used for activating the coordinate detecting module. A step is used for calculating the distance between two optical touch apparatuses. A step is used for sequentially locating a plurality of anchor points. When indicating to detect a first anchor point, a step is used to touch one of four corners on a display device by a touch object. A step is used for sequentially detecting and locating the remaining anchor points. At final step, according to the distance between two optical touch apparatuses and the coordinates of the anchor points, the touch working area. is confirmed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The entire contents of Taiwan Patent Application No. 099127390, filed on Aug. 17, 2010, from which this application claims priority, are incorporated herein by reference. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention is related to an optical touch locating system and method thereof, and more particularly to a locating system and method thereof used to enhance the touch accuracy of the optical touch device. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    Touch function is one of the most significant functions which customers want to have in their electronic devices. Because customers can use their instinct to operate the electronic devices to lower the difficulty operation of the electronic devices, those electronic devices with touch function are easy to sell in the market. 
         [0006]    However, in the large scale monitor or projection screen, the portable touch module is required for the large scale monitor or projection screen to include the touch function. Because the conventional portable touch module or large size touch apparatus is disposed in the fixed location near the touch active area, the detective touch region is predefined and realized by the touch module. If the portable touch module is not disposed at the fixed location, the portable touch module is not able to detect the different size touch active area or display device exactly and the error detection of the touch point coordinate would occur and the accuracy of the touch detection is affected. 
         [0007]    Therefore, there is a need to develop a locating method, which is capable for the portable touch module to use in different size display device and the portable touch module can realize the size of the touch active area and the accuracy of the touch detection is enhanced. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    One object of the present invention is to provide an optical touch locating system, and the optical touch apparatus is capable to use in different size display device without decreasing the accuracy of the touch detection. 
         [0009]    Another object of the present invention is to provide an optical touch locating method, and the locating method is able to determine a touch active area where the touch optical apparatus needs to recognize the touch detection so as to enhance the accuracy of the touch detection. 
         [0010]    According to the objects described above, an optical touch locating system is disclosed in the present invention and includes two optical touch apparatuses and a coordinate detecting module. Each of the optical touch apparatuses includes an optical transmitting module and an optical receiving module. The optical transmitting module is configured to transmit a plurality of optical signals and the optical receiving module is configured to receive the reflected optical signals. The coordinate detecting module is configured to determine a touch active area in accordance with the reflected optical signals. The coordinate detecting module detects a plurality of touch point coordinates in accordance with the optical signals reflected from a pointer so as to identify the touch active area. 
         [0011]    The present invention also discloses an optical touch system locating method which includes the following steps: activating a coordinate detecting module; calculating a distance between two optical touch apparatuses; sequentially locating a plurality of touch point coordinates; touching one of four corners in a display device by a pointer when indicating to detect the first touch point coordinate and sequentially detecting the remaining touch point coordinates; and identifying a touch active area in accordance with the distance between two optical touch apparatuses and the touch point coordinates. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a view illustrating an optical touch locating system in an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a view illustrating an optical touch locating system in another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  are schematic block diagrams illustrating the optical touch apparatus of the locating system in one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIGS. 4A-4D  are block diagrams of the optical touch apparatus in another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating the locating method of the optical touch apparatus in the present invention; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a schematic block diagram illustrating an optical touch apparatus in another embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0019]    The detailed description of the present invention will be discussed in the following embodiments, which are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and can be adapted for other applications. While drawings are illustrated in detail, it is appreciated that the quantity of the disclosed components may be greater or less than that disclosed, except where expressly restricting the amount of the components. 
         [0020]      FIG. 1  is a view illustrating an optical touch locating system  10  in the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 1 , there are two optical touch apparatuses  102  in the present embodiment, and the two optical touch apparatuses  102  are disposed at the top-right and top-left sides of the display device (such as large scale panel or projection screen) or the touch active area. The optical touch apparatus  102  is a detective device configured to detect the directional light source (such as infrared ray or laser light). The optical touch apparatus  102  includes an optical transmitting module  1022  and an optical receiving module  1024 . After the two optical touch apparatuses  102  are disposed at the fixed positions, the optical transmitting module  1022  in one of the optical touch apparatuses  102  will transmit optical signals and the optical receiving module  1024  in another one of the optical touch apparatuses  102  will receive the optical signals so as to determine the distance between the two optical touch apparatuses  102 . It should be noted that both of the optical touch apparatuses  102  are respectively configured to include an optical transmitting module  1022  and an optical receiving module  1024  and it is not necessary to specify which one optical transmitting modules  1022  in one of the two optical touch apparatuses  102  to transmit the optical signals or which one of the optical receiving modules  1024  in another one of the optical touch apparatuses  102  to receive the optical signals. Subsequently, a coordinate detecting module  104  is configured to detect the touch point coordinate. For example, when the coordinate detecting module  104  is going to detect the touch point  1 , a pointer  106  (such as a stylus) will touch the display device or the touch active area, and the optical touch apparatus  102  disposed at right and left hand side will detect the touch point coordinate of the pointer  106  and mark it as top-left. After that, the touch point  2 , the touch point  3  and the touch point  4  are sequentially marked as top-right, bottom-right and bottom-left. After these four touch points are detected, the region surrounded by these four touch points is the touch active area. 
         [0021]    It should be noted that the coordinate detecting module  104  can be a software application or a firmware (not shown) installed inside or outside the electronic device. The electronic device will detect the touch active area by turning on the coordinate detecting module  104 . In addition, the order of detecting these touch points by the coordinate detecting module  104  is not all the same, and the user can change the order by himself. According to the detection of the touch points, the electronic device is able to realize that the optical touch apparatuses  102  are perpendicularly or horizontally disposed in accordance with the signal strength and the detective sequence of the optical touch apparatuses  102 . In a different embodiment, in order to enhance the accuracy of the distance detection of the two optical touch apparatuses  102 , the optical touch apparatus  102  further includes a distance-deciding receiving module  1026 , and the distance-deciding receiving module  1026  will receive the optical signal from the optical transmitting module  1022  to accurately determine the distance between two optical touch apparatuses  102  so as to enhance the detective accuracy of the touch active area. 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  is a view illustrating an optical touch locating system  10  in another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the two optical touch apparatuses  102  are disposed at the top-right and bottom-right of the display device. As the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the optical transmitting module  1022  in one of the optical touch apparatuses  102  will transmit the optical signals and the optical receiving module  1024  in another one of the optical touch apparatuses  102  will receive the optical signals so as to determine the distance between these two optical touch apparatuses  102 . Subsequently, the pointer  106  will sequentially detect the touch points at four corners to confirm the touch active area. It should be noted that, according to the embodiment in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the two optical touch apparatuses  102  are able to switch the disposed location and the locating system  10  in the present invention can determine the touch active area. 
         [0023]      FIG. 3A  is a schematic block diagram illustrating the optical touch apparatus of the locating system in the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 3A , the optical touch apparatus  302  includes an optical transmitting module  3021 , an optical receiving module  3022 , a controller  3023  and a signal processing circuit  3024 . The optical transmitting module  3021  is configured to transmit the directional light source (such as infrared ray or laser light) and the optical receiving module  3022  is configured to receive the reflected light source. The controller  3023  is respectively and electrically connected to the optical transmitting module  3021 , the optical receiving module  3022  and the signal processing circuit  3024  and configured to output signals to control the signal transmitting and receiving in the optical transmitting module  3021 , the optical receiving module  3022  and the signal processing circuit  3024 . The signal processing circuit  3024  is electrically connected to the optical receiving module  3022  and configured to collect the reflected optical signal so as to determine the touch position. The signal processing circuit  3024  further converts the touch position signal to be a coordinate data and transmits the coordinate data to the electronic device through a transmitting interface  3025  (such as a universal serial bus, or USB) to determine the touch active area. However, in a different embodiment, the optical touch apparatus  302  directly transmits the touch coordinate data without the transmitting interface  3025  (wireless communication such as bluetooth and so on), as shown in  FIG. 3B  and the touch active area can also be determined. Moreover, the optical touch apparatus  302  further includes a distance-deciding receiving module  3026 . The distance-deciding receiving module  3026  can receive the reflected optical signal from the optical touch apparatus  302  to accurately determine the distance between the two optical touch apparatuses  302  so as to enhance the detective accuracy of the touch active area. 
         [0024]      FIG. 4A  is a block diagram of the optical touch apparatus in another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 4A , the optical touch apparatus  402  also includes an optical transmitting module  4021 , an optical receiving module  4022 , a controller  4023  and a signal processing circuit  4024 . Because the composition and the function of the optical touch apparatus  402  is similar to the optical touch apparatus  302  in  FIG. 3 , the detailed description of the function and the connection relationship of the optical touch apparatus  402  is omitted herein. The optical touch apparatus  402  is also able to work with a transmitting interface  4025  (as shown in  FIG. 4A ) or without a transmitting interface  4025  (as shown in  FIG. 4B ), and further includes a distance-deciding receiving module  4026 . The difference between the optical touch apparatus  402  and the optical touch apparatus  302  in  FIG. 3A  is that the optical touch apparatus  402  further includes a gain control amplifier  4027 . The gain control amplifier  4027  is disposed between the controller  4023  and the optical transmitting module  4021 , and is configured to gain and amplify the signal strength transmitted from the optical transmitting module  4021 . 
         [0025]      FIG. 4C  is a schematic block diagram illustrating one other optical touch apparatus in the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 4C , the gain control amplifier  4027  of the optical touch apparatus  402  in the embodiment is configured to gain control the reflected optical signal received from the optical receiving module  4022  and transmits the gain reflected signal to the signal processing circuit  4024  for the next process. In addition, in a different embodiment, the optical touch apparatus  402  in  FIG. 4C  is also able to work without a transmitting interface  4025 , as shown in  4 D. 
         [0026]      FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating the locating method of the optical touch apparatus in the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the locating method includes the following steps. In step  502 , a coordinate detecting module is activated. In step  504 , the distance between two optical touch apparatuses is calculated. In step  506 , a pointer is used to sequentially locate the touch point coordinate. In step  508 , when the coordinate locating module is indicated to detect the touch point  1 , the pointer will touch one of four corners of the display device. In step  510 , the remaining touch points are sequentially detected. In step  512 , the touch active area is determined. It should be noted that the detective order of the touch points can be clockwise, counter-clockwise or any other sequences, and it is not limited herein. 
         [0027]      FIG. 6  is a schematic block diagram illustrating an optical touch apparatus in another embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, a locating system  60  also includes two optical touch apparatuses  602 , a coordinate detecting module  604  and a pointer  606 . However, because the optical touch apparatuses  602  are disposed on the display device, the two optical touch apparatuses  602  are difficult to dispose at the same horizontal line to cause the error detection of the angle of the touch object, and the accuracy of the touch detection is reduced or the optical touch apparatus  602  is shaking to cause the detective error. In order to dispose the two optical touch apparatuses  602  at the same horizontal line and avoid the shaking, there is a horizontal rod  608  disposed between two optical touch apparatuses  602  to increase the disposed stability of the optical touch apparatuses  602 . Moreover, it is able to make sure that the two optical touch apparatuses  602  are disposed at the same horizontal line because of the horizontal rod  608 . In addition, the two optical touch apparatuses  602  are able to move horizontally over the horizontal rod  608  to fit with different size of the display device. If the optical touch apparatuses  602  are disposed on a larger scale panel, the distance between the optical touch apparatuses  602  is larger, and if the optical touch apparatuses  602  are disposed on a smaller scale panel, the distance between the optical touch apparatuses  602  is smaller. Because the fundamental principle of the locating system  60  in the present embodiment is similar to the previous embodiment, the detailed description is omitted herein. 
         [0028]    Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention, which is intended to be limited solely by the appended claims.