Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US6587092?dq=7800613
Timestamp: 2017-02-25 13:50:38
Document Index: 543243820

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 35', 'art 5', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'art 5', 'art 5', 'art 35', 'art 35', 'art 35', 'art 35']

Patent US6587092 - Remote coordinate input device and remote coordinate input method - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inPatentsThe invention prevents an audience from being distracted by movements of a demonstrator that are not related to movements of a pointer on a screen, and by the demonstrator moving away from the screen, during a presentation which is performed by enlarging and projecting the display of a personal computer...http://www.google.com/patents/US6587092?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6587092 - Remote coordinate input device and remote coordinate input methodAdvanced Patent SearchTry the new Google Patents, with machine-classified Google Scholar results, and Japanese and South Korean patents.Publication numberUS6587092 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 09/949,663Publication dateJul 1, 2003Filing dateSep 12, 2001Priority dateNov 7, 1997Fee statusLapsedAlso published asUS6317118, US20020027548Publication number09949663, 949663, US 6587092 B2, US 6587092B2, US-B2-6587092, US6587092 B2, US6587092B2InventorsKunio YonenoOriginal AssigneeSeiko Epson CorporationExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (19), Referenced by (6), Classifications (7), Legal Events (5) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetRemote coordinate input device and remote coordinate input method
US 6587092 B2Abstract
What is claimed is: 1. A remote coordinate input system for use with a screen, comprising:
a designator including a first surface on which at least three first reflecting elements are arranged in a plane, and a second reflecting element arranged on an orthogonal axis to the plane, said second reflecting element arranged on a second surface different from said first surface; an imaging device that images relative positional relationship between the first reflecting elements and the second reflecting element; an irradiating device that irradiates the at least three first reflecting elements and the second reflecting element; a coordinate converter that obtains an orientation of the designator with respect to said imaging device from an image that is imaged by said imaging device and converts the image into planar coordinates; an output device that outputs the planar coordinates that are obtained by the coordinate converter; and a display that displays designation information on the screen based on the planar coordinates that are obtained from said output device. 2. The remote coordinate input system of claim 1, each of the at least three first reflecting elements being respectively disposed at each vertex of an isosceles triangle, and a base of the isosceles triangle that is formed by connecting two of the at least three reflecting elements is substantially horizontally arranged.
3. The remote coordinate input system of claim 1, each of the at least three first reflecting elements being respectively arranged at each vertex of a rhombus, one diagonal line of said rhombus being substantially horizontally arranged.
4. A remote coordinate input system for use with a screen, comprising:
a designator including a first surface on which a hollow disk-shaped first light reflecting element is arranged on a plane and a second light reflecting element arranged on an orthogonal axis to the plane said second reflecting element arranged on a second surface on a plane different from said first surface; an imaging device that images relative positional relationship between the hollow disk-shaped first light reflecting element and the second light reflecting element; an irradiating device that irradiates the hollow disk-shaped first light reflecting element and the second light reflecting element; a coordinate converter that obtains an orientation of the designator with respect to said imaging device from an image which is imaged by said imaging device and converts the image to planar coordinates; an output device that outputs the planar coordinates that are obtained by the coordinate converter; and a display that displays designating information on the screen based on the planar coordinates that are obtained from said output device. 5. A remote coordinate input method, comprising the steps of:
obtaining a first image from a first reflecting element; obtaining a second image from a second reflecting element; obtaining a reference coordinate from a coordinate of said first image; obtaining an orientation of a designator with respect to an imaging device from a positional relationship between the second image and the reference coordinate; and specifying a designating position on a display according to said orientation. 6. The remote coordinate input method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of:
obtaining independent designating tool images in which an image of a plurality of designators are separated into independent images; obtaining an orientation of each designator with respect to the imaging device for each independent designating tool image; and specifying designated positions on the display according to said orientations.
This application is a Division of Application Ser. No. 09/188,146 filed Nov. 9, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,317,118.
FIG. 3 is a three-face-view which shows details of the front face of the designating tool 1. The infrared LEDs 21A, 21B and 21C, which are the first light emitting elements, are disposed in the same plane at vertices of an isosceles triangle. The infrared LEDs 21A and 21B are separated by a distance “a”. The line connecting LEDs 21A and 21B is parallel to the top surface of the designating tool 1. The infrared LED 21C is separated by a distance “b” in the vertical direction from the center of the line which connects LEDs 21A and 21B. An infrared LED 21E, which is the second light emitting element, is separated by a distance “b/2” in the vertical direction from 21C in the front face, and is disposed at a position which is recessed by a distance “d” inside the designating tool 1. It is not necessary for LED 21 E to be disposed at a position on a line which is perpendicular to the plane which is delineated by LEDs 21A, 21B and 21C. However, compactness of the device can be obtained by arranging it as shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 7 is a side view of the LEDs 21 of the designating tool 1. The center line 26 connects a midpoint between the infrarad LEDs 21A, 21B and 21C and the lens 32. FIG. 7 shows a case when the designating tool 1 faces a downward diagonal direction at an angle “m” from center line 26. When the projection plane 24 is assumed along lines extending perpendicularly from the center line 26, in the projection plane 24, the space between the infrared LEDs 21A, 21B and 21C becomes “y”, and the infrared LED 21E is projected as being shifted upward by a distance “v” from the center line.
Here, the images 41 which have been imaged by the CCD camera 31 can be considered as images which have been imaged at an arbitrary magnification at the projection plane 24 of FIGS. 6 and 7. Therefore, the images 41 of FIG. 5 have the same geometrical relationships as the projected images in the projection plane 24. In FIG. 5, images 41A, 41B, 41C and 41E are the images of infrared LEDs 21A, 21B, 21C and 21E, respectively. Moreover, the distance between the images 41A and 41B is “X”, the distance from the center of a line which connects 41A and 41B to the image 41C in the vertical direction is “Y”, the position which is a distance Y/2 above the image 41C is a reference point 42, the horizontal component of the distance between the image 41E and the reference point 42 is H, and the vertical component of the distance between the image 41E and the reference point 42 is V. Since the reference point 42 lies on an extension of the center line 26, each value of x, h, y and v of FIGS. 6 and 7 becomes proportional to the respective value of X, H, Y or V of FIG. 5. Accordingly, when the relationships between images 41A, 41B, 41C and 41E of the images 41 are checked, it is possible to find out how much the designating tool 1 is inclined horizontally and vertically with respect to the lens 32.
x=a cos l
h=d sin l ∴ h x = d a  tan   l  ∴ l = tan - 1  ( a d   h x ) [Equation 2]
y=b cos m
v=d sin m ∴ v y = d b  tan   m  ∴  m = tan - 1  ( b d   v y ) Equation 1 is an equation which shows the relationship of a horizontal direction of the projection plane 24. Moreover, equation 2 is an equation which shows the relationship of a vertical direction of the projection plane 24. As described above, each value of x, h, y and is v is proportional to each respective value of X, H, Y and V. Therefore Equations 1 and 2 can be described as Equation 3 as follows:
[Equation 3] l = tan - 1  ( a d   H X ) m = tan - 1  ( b d   V Y ) Here, since the values of a, b and d are already known values of the designating tool 1, the angles l and m can be obtained from the images 41 of FIG. 5.
Moreover, the data which is output to the computer 10 from the output part 35 provides horizontal and vertical orthogonal coordinates of the plane which is projected onto the screen 7. Therefore, when the center of the screen is the point of origin, as shown in Equation 4, the angles l and m can be converted into the coordinates Xs, Ys.
[Equation 4] Xs = K   tan   l = K   a d   H X Ys = K   tan   m = K   b d   V Y Here, K of Equation 4 is a proportional constant and is a value to determine an inclination of the designating tool 1 and the sensitivity of the output. This value can be fixed as an appropriate value which is easy to use, or can be set corresponding to the preference of the demonstrator 9. Moreover, as demonstrated by Equation 4, the values of the angles l and m do not need to be obtained in the actual calculation.
FIG. 13 is a side view in which the LED 51 of the designating tool 1 is viewed from the side. The center line 56 connects a midpoint between the infrared LEDs 51A and 51C, and the lens 32. FIG. 13 shows a case when the designating tool 1 faces a downward diagonal direction at an angle “m” from the center line 56. When the projection plane 54 is assumed along lines extending perpendicularly from the center line 56, in the projection plane 54, the space between the infrared LEDs 51A and 51C becomes “y”. Moreover, the infrared LED 51E is projected as being shifted upward by a distance “y” from the center line.
One example of the imaging part 5 and the illuminating part 6 is shown in FIG. 17. The illuminating part 6 has a structure in which many infrared LEDs 36 are disposed around the lens 32 of the CCD camera 31, and irradiates in the direction which is imaged by the imaging part 5. Moreover, the imaging part 5 includes the CCD camera 31, the lens 32, the infrared ray filter 33, the image processor 34, and the output part 35. The lens 32 and the infrared ray filter 33 are disposed on the CCD camera 31, and an image of the reflecting member 71 of the designating tool 2 is imaged. The output of the CCD camera 31 is connected to the image processor 3,4. The image processor 34 calculates the planar coordinates on the screen 8 based on the image of the reflecting member 71 of the designating tool 2 which has been imaged by the CCD camera 31, and sends it to the computer 10 via the output part 35.
Here, the images 41 which have been imaged by the CCD camera 31 can be considered as images which are imaged at an arbitrary magnification at projection plane 74 of FIGS. 18 and 19. Thus, the images 41 of FIG. 5 have the same geometrical relationship as the projected images in the projection plane 74. In FIG. 5, the images 41A, 41B, 41C, and 41E are the images of the reflecting members 71A, 71B, 71C, and 71E, respectively. Furthermore, the distance between the image 41A and 41B is defined as “X”, the distance between the center of the line connecting 41A with 41B and the image 41C in a vertical direction is defined as “Y”, and the position which is above the image 41C by Y/2 is defined as a reference point 42. The horizontal component of the distance between the reference point 42 and the image 41E is defined as “H”, and the vertical component of the distance between the image 41E and the reference point 42 is defined as “V”. Because the reference point 42 lies on an extension of the center line 76, each value of x, h, y and v of FIGS. 18 and 19 has a proportional relationship to the respective value of X, H, Y or V of FIG. 5. Therefore, if the relationships of the images 41A, 41B, 41C, and 41E to the images 41 are checked, it is possible to determine how much designating tool 2 is inclined in the horizontal and vertical directions with respect to the CCD camera 31.
h=d sin l ∴ h x = d a  tan   l  ∴ l = tan - 1  ( a d   h x ) [Equation 6]
v=d sin m ∴ v y = d b  tan   m  ∴  m = tan - 1  ( b d   v y ) Equation 5 is a formula showing the relationship in the horizontal direction in the projection plane 74. Furthermore, Equation 6 is a formula showing the relationship in the vertical direction in the projection plane 74. As described earlier, each value of x, h, y, and v has a proportional relationship with the respective value of X, H, Y, or V, so Equations 5 and 6 can be defined as Equation 7, which will be shown as follows.
[Equation 7] l = tan - 1  ( a d   H X ) m = tan - 1  ( b d   V Y ) Here, because the values of a, b, and d of the designating tool 1 are already-known values, angles l and m can be obtained from the images 41 of FIG. 5.
Furthermore, the data which is output to the computer 10 from the output part 35 provide horizontally and vertically orthogonal coordinates of the plane which is projected onto the screen 8. Therefore, if the center of the screen is the point of origin, as shown in Equation 8, the angles l and m can be converted to the coordinates Xs, Ys.
[Equation 8] Xs = K   tan   l = K   a d   H X Ys = K   tan   m = K   b d   V Y Here, K of Equation 8 is a proportional constant and is a value to determine sensitivity of output and the inclination of the designating tool 1. This value can be fixed at an appropriate value which can be easily used, or can be set in response to the preference of the demonstrator 9. Furthermore, as understood from Equation 8, the values of angles l and m do not need to be obtained in the actual calculation.
FIG. 24 is a plan view of the reflecting members 81, as seen from the top by cutting the designating tool 3 in a horizontal plane through its center. The center line 86 is a line connecting the center of the reflecting member 81A with the lens 32. FIG. 24 shows the case when the designating tool 3 is inclined from the center line 86 at an angle l in the left diagonal direction. If the projection plane 84 is assumed along lines extending perpendicularly from the center line 86, the interval of the reflecting member 81A in the projection plane 84 in the diameter direction is “x”, and the reflecting member 81B is shifted to the left from the center line by a distance “h” and s projected.
FIG. 25 is a side view of the reflecting members 81 by cutting the designating tool 3 along a vertical plane through its center. The center line 86 is a line connecting the center of the reflecting member 81A with the lens 32. FIG. 25 shows the case when the designating tool 3 faces a downward diagonal direction from the center line 86 at an angle m. If the projection plane 84 is assumed along lines extending perpendicularly from the center line 86, the interval of the reflecting member 81A in the diameter direction is “y” in the projection plane 84, and the reflecting member 81B is shifted in an upper direction by a distance “y” from the center line and is projected.
Here, the images 91 which are imaged by the CCD camera 31 can be considered as images which are imaged at an arbitrary magnification at the projection plane 84 of FIGS. 24 and 25. So the images 91 of FIGS. 23 have the same geometrical relationship as the projected images in the projection plane 84. In FIG. 23, the images 91A and 91B are images of the reflecting members 81A and 81B, respectively. Furthermore, the maximum interval of the image 91A in the horizontal direction is defined as “X”, the maximum interval in the vertical direction is defined as “Y”, and the crossing point of vertical and horizontal lines which travel through the center of the respective intervals is defined as the reference point 92. Furthermore, the horizontal component of the distance between the reference point 92 and the image 91B is defined as “H”, and the vertical component is defined as “V”. Because the reference point 92 lies on an extension of the center line 86, each value of x, h, y, and v of FIGS. 24 and 25 has a substantially proportional relationship to the respective value of X, H, Y, or V of FIG. 23. Accordingly, if the relationships of images 91A and 91B of the images 91 are checked, it is possible to determine how much the designating tool is inclined in the horizontal and vertical directions with respect to the CCD camera 31.
h=d sin l ∴ h x = d a  tan   l  ∴ l = tan - 1  ( a d   h x ) [Equation 10]
y=a cos m
v=d sin m ∴ v y = d b  tan   m  ∴  m = tan - 1  ( b d   v y ) Equation 9 is a formula showing the relationship in the horizontal direction of the projection plane 84. Furthermore, Equation 10 is a formula showing the relationship in the vertical direction of the projection plane 84. As described earlier, each value of x, h, y, and v has a substantially proportional relationship to the respective value of X, H, Y, or V of FIG. 23, so Equations 9 and 10 can be defined as Equation 11 which will be shown below.
[Equation 11] l = tan - 1  ( a d  H X ) m = tan - 1  ( a d  V Y ) Here, the values of a, d are already-known values of the designating tool 3, so the angles l and m can be obtained from the images 91 of FIG. 23.
Furthermore, the data which is output to the computer 10 from the output part 35 provides horizontally and vertically orthogonal coordinates of the plane which is projected onto the screen 8. Therefore, if the center of the screen is the point of origin, it is possible to convert the angles l and m to the coordinates Xs, Ys, as shown in Equation 12.
[Equation 12] Xs = K   tan   l = K  a d  H X Ys = K   tan   m = K  a d  V Y Here, K of Equation 12 is a proportional constant and is a value to determine the sensitivity of output and the inclination of the designating tool 3. This value can be fixed at an appropriate value which can be easily used, or can be set in response to the preference of the demonstrator 9. Furthermore, as understood from Equation 12, the values of angles l, m do not need to be obtained in the actual calculation.
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