Patent ID: 8225226

Claim:
A system that enables a user to interact with a virtual control panel for controlling an industrial device or system, the system comprising: a pointing object carried and manipulated by the user for interacting with the virtual control panel to control the industrial device or system, a first tracking unit adapted to capture data representing a position of the pointing object, a portable identification element carried and manipulated by the user, the portable identification element being configured to define a position and orientation of the virtual control panel, a second tracking unit adapted to capture data representing a position of the portable identification element, a storage unit configured to store at least one pre-defined graphical interface representing a control panel of the industrial device or system, a graphics unit configured to generate a graphical representation of the control panel based on said stored graphical interface, a registering unit configured to register said graphical representation of the control panel in a fixed relation to said portable identification element, based on said data representing the position of the portable identification element, to produce the virtual control panel, a display unit configured to show the user a view comprising the real world and the virtual control panel projected in a fixed relation to said portable identification element, and an application unit configured communicate with the industrial device or system to perform actions to control the industrial device or system in response to the interactions of the user with the virtual control panel, and configured to determine which actions to control the industrial device or system to perform based on the position of said user controlled pointing object in relation to the identification element.