Pointing system, control device, and control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9740303-B2
Application number	US-201113155595-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2011
Priority date	Jun 17, 2010
Publication date	Aug 22, 2017
Grant date	Aug 22, 2017

Abstract

A pointing system including: a pointing device including an operation portion and a light-emitting portion that emits light according to an operation to the operation portion; and a control device including an image pickup portion that picks up light from the light-emitting portion when the light-emitting portion emits light and outputs an image including information on a light spot of the light, a display portion that includes a screen and displays a pointer on the screen, and a control portion that judges, as well as judge a movement of the light spot based on the information on the light spot in the image and move the pointer on the screen based on the movement of the light spot, whether the light spot is turned off based on the information on the light spot in the image and executes processing related to a click when the light spot is turned off.

First claim

The application is claimed as follows:

1. A pointing system, comprising:
a pointing device including
an operation portion, and
a light-emitting portion that emits light in accordance with an operation to the operation portion; and

a control device including
an image pickup portion that picks up light from the light-emitting portion at a time the light-emitting portion emits light and outputs an image including information on a light spot of the light,
a display portion that includes a screen and displays a pointer on the screen, and
a control portion that sets a base frame, the base frame is set in a size corresponding to a distance between the pointing device and the display portion,

wherein the control portion that judges, as well as judges a movement of the light spot based on the information on the light spot in the image and moves the pointer on the screen based on the movement of the light spot, whether the light of the light spot is turned off based on the information on the light spot in the image and executes processing related to a click at a time the light of the light spot is turned off,
wherein the control portion is configured to judge whether the movement of the light spot is smaller or larger than a predetermined movement amount within a certain time and switch a processing mode based on the movement and turn-off of the light spot to move the pointer on the screen,
wherein the light spot is located within the base frame and the light spot is configured to move with respect to the base frame,
wherein the control portion is configured to set a light spot search frame, the light spot search frame is moveable along with the base frame and always surrounds the base frame, and wherein the light spot search frame is larger than the base frame and the light spot search frame is smaller than the image pickup portion.

2. The pointing system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control portion judges whether the movement of the light spot satisfies a predetermined condition and switches, when the movement of the light spot satisfies the predetermined condition, between a left-click processing mode in which processing related to a left-click is executed at the time the light of the light spot is turned off and a right-click processing mode in which processing related to a right-click is executed at the time the light of the light spot is turned off.

3. The pointing system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control portion judges whether the movement of the light spot satisfies a predetermined condition and switches, when the movement of the light spot satisfies the predetermined condition, a click processing mode in which the pointer is moved in accordance with the movement of the light spot and the processing related to a click is executed at the time the light of the light spot is turned off to a drag processing mode in which drag is executed in accordance with the movement of the light spot and drop is executed at the time the light of the light spot is turned off.

4. The pointing system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control portion judges whether the movement of the light spot satisfies a predetermined condition and switches, when the movement of the light spot satisfies the predetermined condition, a click processing mode in which the pointer is moved in accordance with the movement of the light spot and the processing related to a click is executed at the time the light of the light spot is turned off to a scroll processing mode in which scroll is executed in accordance with the movement of the light spot.

5. The pointing system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the light-emitting portion outputs periodical emission of the light when the operation portion is operated,
wherein the control portion is configured to judge whether turn-off of the light from the light-emitting portion is due to the periodical emission or is due to a cancellation of the operation to the operation portion, and
wherein the control portion does not execute a click related processing when the turn-off of the light from the light-emitting portion is due to the periodical emission, and the control portion executes the click related processing when the turn-off of the light from the light-emitting portion is due to the cancellation of the operation to the operation portion.

6. The pointing system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control portion judges a size of the light spot in the image, the size of the base frame corresponding to the size of the light spot, and moves the pointer on the screen in accordance with the movement of the light spot in the base frame.

7. The pointing system according to claim 6 ,
wherein the control portion sets a light spot search frame around the base frame in the image and judges the movement of the light spot and the turn-off of the light of the light spot in the light spot search frame.

8. The pointing system according to claim 1 , wherein the base frame is always inside of the light spot search frame.

9. The pointing system according to claim 1 , wherein the control portion is configured to set a base frame setting range frame and the base frame is within the base frame setting range frame.

10. The pointing system according to claim 1 ,
wherein a ratio of a first movement distance of the pointer on the screen with respect to the base frame at a first distance between the pointing device and the display portion is always same as a ratio of a second movement distance of the pointer on the screen with respect to the base frame at a second distance between the pointing device and the display portion.

11. The pointing system according to claim 10 , wherein the first distance and the second distance are different.

12. The pointing system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the light-emitting portion is configured to output periodical emission of the light, and wherein the control portion does not execute a click related processing during the periodical emission of the light.

13. The pointing system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control portion is configured to calculate a movement amount of the light spot with respect to the base frame and when the movement amount of the light is smaller than a predetermined threshold value, the control portion reduces a movement rate of the pointer.

14. The pointing system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control portion is configured to calculate a movement amount of the light spot with respect to the base frame and when the movement amount of the light is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold value, the control portion increases a movement rate of the pointer.

15. A control device picking up light from a light-emitting portion of a pointing device including an operation portion and the light-emitting portion that emits light in accordance with an operation to the operation portion and moves a pointer on a screen based on information on a light spot of the light included in the pickup image, the control device comprising:
an image pickup portion configured to pick up light from the light-emitting portion at a time the light-emitting portion emits light and output the image including information on the light spot;
a display portion including the screen and configured to display the pointer on the screen; and
a control portion that sets a base frame, the base frame is set in a size corresponding to a distance between the pointing device and the display portion,
wherein the control portion configured to judge, as well as judge a movement of the light spot based on the information on the light spot in the image and move the poi

Assignees

• Ueno Masatoshi
• Ito Osamu
• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Ueno Masatoshi
• Ito Osamu

Classifications

• G06F3/0304

  Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means (constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042) · CPC title

• G06F3/0346 Primary

  with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a three-dimensional [3D] space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors · CPC title