Patent ID: 7142198

Claim:
A remote pointing method comprising: projecting an optical signal that is periodically expanded and/or reduced around an origin; detecting whether the optical signal is received using a plurality of optical sensors that are two-dimensionally disposed; detecting the position of the origin, which exists within a position recognition range including at least a polygon having the optical sensors as vertexes, based on the results of detection of the optical sensors; radiating a visible laser beam at the origin of the optical signal to allow a user to visibly recognize the origin; and generating an infrared signal indicating a time instant when an area of the optical signal projected on the position recognition range starts to increase around the origin and an infrared signal indicating a time instant when the area of the optical signal is a maximum, wherein the detecting of the position of the origin comprises receiving the infrared signals, recognizing the time instant when the area of the optical signal projected on the position recognition range starts to increase, and comparing the recognized time instant with a time instant when each optical sensor receives the optical signal to calculate the position of the origin.