KR200389840Y1 - Pointing apparatus using laser and camera - Google Patents

Abstract

A pointing device using a laser and a camera according to the present invention is a device for calculating a position coordinate of a pointer moving on a GUI screen of a computer, comprising: a laser light source capable of emitting a laser beam while changing a position and a direction by a computer user's operation; A reflection plate attached to the monitor so as to cover the front surface of the computer monitor and scattering the laser beam emitted from the laser light source; A camera which is installed at at least two places around the reflector and at least two are not facing each other to photograph light scattered from the reflector and the reflector; And image processing means for processing the image photographed by the camera to detect a position on the reflecting plate from which the beam is scattered and to calculate the position coordinates of the pointer. According to the pointing device using a laser and a camera according to the present invention, the position of the pointer can be moved by the laser beam projected on the monitor from the outside of the computer monitor, so that the efficiency of computer work can be improved. It is possible.

Description

Pointing apparatus using laser and camera

The present invention relates to a pointing device using a laser and a camera. More specifically, two or more cameras attached to the monitor capture and image the laser beam emitted from the laser light source directed toward the monitor screen to scatter the scattered and scattered position of the scattered spot. The present invention relates to a pointing device capable of moving a pointer on a GUI screen by processing by a program.

The pointing device is one of the computer input means. The user can input the corresponding selection menu by selecting the position of the pointer while moving the pointer on the screen of the computer monitor, such as a mouse used as an input means in a graphical user interface (GUI) environment. Generic device is a generic term.

Representative examples of the pointing device include a ball mouse widely used in a desktop computer and a track ball used in a notebook computer. The basic principle of a ball mouse or a trackball is similar. It rotates the ball by friction with an external object according to the movement of the user's hand, detects the vertical and horizontal movement of the ball, converts it into an electrical signal, and sends it to the computer. This is to control the position of the cursor displayed in.

These ball mice or trackballs can only be used within a limited range because they are connected to the computer by cable or attached to the computer itself, and they must be operated using either the right hand or the left hand. Its efficiency is inferior and it is inconvenient. In particular, when briefing using a beam projector or the like that projects a computer monitor onto a screen, it is necessary to move the pointer and execute a program at a relatively long distance. In addition, when a home appliance such as a TV is integrated with a computer, a remote control having a mouse function is required.

Conventional techniques similar to the present invention include Patent Application No. 195-0065995 and Registration No. 071847. In the case of application No. 195-0065995, a plurality of photodiodes attached to the periphery of the monitor are used to detect the intensity of the light of the laser beam scattered from the monitor and obtain the scattered position from the intensity. In this case, when the angle at which the laser beam is incident on the monitor is changed, even if the scattered points are the same, the intensity of the scattered light detected by each photodiode is changed and malfunctions. In other words, this device is difficult to implement accurate pointing function because the intensity of light detected by the photodiode changes not only by the scattered position of the laser beam but also by the incident angle of the laser beam. . However, by using the technique of the present invention, it is possible to accurately find the scattered point in the image taken by the camera regardless of the incident angle of the laser beam, thereby realizing an accurate pointing function. In other words, when the angle of incidence changes, the brightness of the scattered spot changes, but because of the brightness rather than its surroundings.

In addition, in the conventional device, the light incident on the photodiode includes not only light emitted from the pointing device but also light from an ambient light or an infrared remote controller, thereby causing malfunction. That is, the photodiode cannot distinguish whether the light incident on itself is light by a pointing device or light by noise. However, in the case of the device according to the present invention, the influence of noise caused by the illumination or the infrared remote controller only changes the brightness of the entire captured image, so there is no difficulty in finding the spot where the laser beam is scattered in the image. That is, light due to noise does not affect the relative brightness of the background of the captured image and the scattered point of the laser beam.

In addition, in the case of a conventional device, as the screen is enlarged, it is inconvenient to finely adjust the sensitivity of the photodiode or increase the output of the laser light so that the intensity of the scattered light can be measured at a long distance. However, in the device of the present invention, even if the scattered light is blurred due to the large screen, the device can be operated more stably because its position can be found by only relatively brightness than the background.

And in the case of registration No. 0171847 there is an inconvenience to install a camera by providing a separate space at an appropriate distance in front of the monitor. If the relative position of the monitor and the camera changes even a little, the monitor moves in the captured image, so accurate pointing is difficult. Here, fine adjustment refers to adjusting the internal parameters of the pointing device so that when the user points a point on the monitor with the pointing device, the mouse pointer points exactly to it. However, by using the technology of the present invention, the camera can be permanently attached to the monitor so that it does not occupy a separate space and can be used without a separate camera installation or fine adjustment and can be easily used in a portable computer.

The present invention overcomes the limitations of a mouse or trackball pointing device as described above, and as the laser beam shines on the monitor from outside the computer monitor, the pointing device according to the present invention can detect the movement and move the pointer. It is an object of the present invention to provide a pointing device capable of operating a pointer on a GUI screen for various purposes. In addition, it is possible to solve the malfunction of the laser beam, which is a disadvantage of the prior art, and to be sensitive to noise and screen size, and the inconvenience of having a separate camera installation space in front of the monitor and the relative position change between the camera and the monitor. This can eliminate the inconvenience of fine adjustment. In addition, the present invention can realize not only the two-dimensional pointing function but also the three-dimensional pointing function by measuring the incident angle and rotation angle of the laser beam and the distance between the laser light source and the reflector.

Overview of the devise

A pointing device using a laser and a camera according to the present invention is a pointing device for calculating a position coordinate of a pointer moving on a GUI screen of a computer.

Laser light source that can emit a laser beam while changing the position and direction by the computer user's operation,

A reflector attached to the monitor so as to cover the front surface of the computer monitor and scattering the laser beam emitted from the laser light source,

A camera which is installed at at least two places around the reflector, at least two of which are not facing each other, to photograph light scattered from the reflector and the reflector,

And image processing means for processing the image photographed by the camera to detect a position on the reflecting plate from which the beam is scattered and to calculate the position coordinates of the pointer.

The laser light source may be manufactured in a pen shape or may be attached to a part of a user's body and used. When attached to the body it is appropriate that the laser light source is always attached to the eyeglasses of the face facing the monitor, but is not limited thereto.

At least two of the two or more cameras installed in the monitor should be arranged so that they do not face each other. For example, the installation in the upper left corner and the lower right corner of the monitor is where the two cameras are facing each other, and the installation in the upper left corner and the upper right corner of the monitor is not opposite.

When the photographed image is sent to the image processing means, the image processing means can function as a pointing device by estimating the pointing position according to an internal algorithm and displaying it on the GUI screen.

Example 1

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings a specific embodiment of a pointing device using a camera according to the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of a basic embodiment according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a side view.

Reflector 20 is implemented by installing a glass or acrylic plate having a rectangular shape in front of the computer monitor (50). This may be in the form of a monitor security device. In the case of flat panel monitors, the monitor itself may serve as a reflector without a separate reflector.

In this embodiment, two cameras were used, the first camera 40 was attached to the upper left of the monitor, and the second camera 41 was attached to the upper right of the monitor. 2, the cameras 40 and 41 are attached at an appropriate angle so that the entire surface of the monitor 50 can be photographed. That is, in the photographed image, four vertices A, B, C, and D of the monitor screen should appear as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. In the case of a camera with a narrow recordable area, A, B, C, and D may not appear on one screen. In this case, an additional concave lens must be attached in front of the camera to widen the shooting area.

The captured image is transmitted to the image processing and pointer coordinate calculator 60. The image processing and pointer coordinate calculation unit 60 processes the transmitted image to detect the position of the light source to calculate the position coordinates of the pointer. The specific process is as follows.

When the laser beam reaches the reflecting plate and is scattered, the scattered points appear as bright spots as shown in F of FIGS. 3A and 3B in the photographed image. From the X coordinate values X1 and X2 of the bright point F shown in Figs. 3A and 3B, the positions f (X1) and f (X2) of F on the monitor shown in Fig. 4 can be obtained. Here, f (X1) is an angle measured from the horizontal line H to F with respect to the first camera 40 shown in FIG. 4 and is generally proportional to X1, and f (X2) is the second camera 41 shown in FIG. The angle from the vertical line V to the point F with respect to) is generally proportional to X2. That is, the angle f (X) is a proper function of the coordinate value X and the pointer f calculator calculates the angle f (X) through the function f from the coordinate value X. The shape of the function f can be calculated geometrically by projecting the reflector at the camera's point of view, or by radiating a beam individually at each point on the reflector, the bright spots of the coordinates of the point and the scattering of the laser beam in the image taken at that time. It can also be found by making the coordinates of.

The calculated angle data is input to the computer to move the position of the pointer according to the calculated position coordinates. Specifically, the image processing means may be software stored in a computer or stored inside a microcontroller in a separate device connected to the computer.

Example 2

FIG. 5A illustrates two reflecting plates 80 in which two reflecting plates 80 and 81 with two cameras described in Embodiment 1 are disposed in parallel with each other and radiate a laser beam with a laser light source. , 81) shows scattering, respectively, and FIG. 5B is a side view thereof. In this case, the cameras 90 and 91 attached to each of the reflecting plates 80 and 81 may photograph the reflecting plates 80 and 81 to which they are attached and determine the scattering position of the laser beam in the image. That is, it is possible to find the scattered positions (xd1, yd1) and (xd2, yd2) in the two reflectors 80 and 81, respectively, and obtain an equation of a straight line in three dimensions passing through the two points. The direction of the straight line then represents the angle at which the laser beam is incident on the reflector.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5B, the camera 90 may photograph light scattered at the points xd1 and yd1 on the reflecting plate 80 to which it is attached, but the other reflecting plate 81 is not attached thereto. Scattered light at this point (xd2, yd2) cannot be photographed. The method includes attaching the polarizing film 100 to the back of the reflecting plate 80 between the first reflecting plate 80 and the second reflecting plate 81 so that the polarizing film 100 and the polarizing plane are 90 degrees in front of the camera 90. The polarizing film 101 is attached and the laser light source is possible by using a visible light laser. That is, the light scattered from the reflector 81 is blocked by the polarizing films 100 and 101 and is not photographed by the camera 90.

When the incident angle measuring method is applied to a wide-screen shooting game, when a user shoots a gun at a screen while holding a pistol-type pointing device, the person in the game cannot recognize in which direction the bullet is flying toward the monitor. Can fire a corresponding fire in that direction.

Example 3

Figure 6 shows another embodiment according to the present invention, according to the present embodiment can measure the rotation angle of the laser beam. Here, the rotation angle of the pointing device 71 corresponds to the rotation direction of the screw when the advancing direction of the laser beam is the advancing direction of the screw. In this case, the pointing device 71 is a laser light source arranged in parallel with each other at appropriate intervals so that when the laser beam is emitted to the reflector plate 73, the laser beam is scattered at two points on the reflector plate 73. At this time, the images captured by the cameras 75 and 75 'may be analyzed to obtain coordinates (xr1, yr1) and (xr2, yr2) of the two points. If the equation of a straight line on the plane passing through the two points obtained is found, the slope of the equation corresponds to the rotation angle of the pointing device 71.

When the rotation angle measurement method is applied to the game, the object in the game can be simply rotated by rotating the pointing device.

Example 4

7A is a view for explaining a method of measuring the distance between the laser light source 76 and the reflector plate 77 as another embodiment according to the present invention. In this case, the laser light source 76 is composed of two laser light sources arranged not parallel to each other. That is, the two laser beams have a V shape as shown in FIG. 7A. When the laser beam is emitted to the reflector 77 by the laser light source 76, the laser beam is scattered at two points on the reflector 77. The distance between the two points is proportional to the distance between the pointing device 76 and the reflector plate 77. That is, the distance between the pointing device 76 and the reflecting plate 77 is obtained by analyzing the image taken by the camera attached to the reflecting plate 77 to obtain the distance between the two scattered points (xt1, yt1) and (xt2, yt2). You can get it. In this case, in order to simultaneously measure the incident angle of the beam, three laser light sources may be arranged such that the laser beam is triangular pyramid as shown in FIG. 7B. The angle of incidence can be obtained by measuring the distance between three points (xt1, yt1) (xt2, yt2) and (xt3, yt3).

When applying this method to a game, a user can push or pull an object in the game away from the user or toward the user by bringing the pointing device closer to the screen or away from the user.

Application example of this invention

The present invention can be applied as follows.

(1) In combination with the voice recognition module as shown in FIG. 8, both hands can be completely free from the pointing device. That is, as described above, the position of the pointer is calculated by the laser light source 10, the reflector 20, the first camera 40, the second camera 41 and the image processor 60, and the computer user A microphone 70 and a microphone signal processor 73 for converting and amplifying an audio signal into an electrical signal and amplifying the voice signal, and analyzing the microphone signal to recognize predetermined command data and transmitting the command data to a computer. The recognition unit 75 may further include. In this way, when the computer user speaks a predetermined command according to the human voice to the microphone 70 without using a separate mouse or keyboard, the microphone signal processor 73 converts the voice into an electrical signal. The voice recognition unit 75 recognizes the voice, extracts the command data, and transfers the command data to the computer, thereby allowing the computer to execute the command. For example, by attaching the laser light source 10 to the glasses to move the position of the pointer on the computer GUI by moving the head, and say "double-click" to the microphone 70, the voice recognition unit 75 The recognition process may cause the computer to execute a command corresponding to a double click of the mouse on the coordinate where the current pointer is located. In addition, voice commands such as "left button" or "right button" may be implemented.

(2) The pointing device according to the present invention can be manufactured in the form of a TV remote control and applied to a presentation PC, an entertainment PC such as a home appliance such as a TV or a home theater, and an integrated PC. To this end, the position coordinates of the pointer are calculated according to the movement of the light source, and execution buttons (including not only the execution button but also the left and right buttons of the mouse) must be implemented on the remote controller. The execution button can be implemented by sending an infrared signal to an infrared LED like a conventional TV remote control and sensing the signal using an infrared photo transistor attached to a monitor.

(3) Shooting game can be executed according to the position and lighting of the camera with the camera installed on the monitor by using the gun equipped with the laser light source installed in the muzzle and flashing the light source with the trigger.

(4) Attach the first camera and the second camera to the whiteboard so that the surface of the whiteboard can be photographed, project the image of the computer screen onto the whiteboard with a beam projector, and point the mouse pointer there with the pointing device of the present invention. You can use it as a computer blackboard by moving it.

The embodiments described above are only specific embodiments of the technical idea in the present invention, and therefore, in determining the technical scope of the present invention, they should not be construed as being limited to this embodiment. The technical scope of the present invention should be reasonably determined by the method of interpretation of the utility model registration claims.

According to the pointing device using the camera according to the present invention, unlike when using a mouse, the user can easily move the position of the pointer with both hands free, thereby improving the efficiency of computer work, and remotely operating the computer. It can be applied to various fields such as game with 3D pointing function.

1 is a perspective view of one embodiment according to the present invention

Figure 2 is a side view of one embodiment according to the present invention

Figure 3a is an image taken with the first camera

Figure 3b is an image taken with a second camera

4 shows the relative position of the point where the camera and the laser beam are scattered in the reflector.

5A is an explanatory diagram for explaining a method for measuring an incident angle of a laser beam;

5B is a side view illustrating a method of measuring an incident angle of a laser beam.

6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method of measuring a rotation angle of a laser beam;

7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method of measuring a distance between a laser light source and a reflecting plate;

8 is an application example of the present invention

<Description of Major Reference Drawings>

10 Laser light source, 20 Reflector, Point where the F laser beam scatters from the reflector, 40 First camera, 41 Second camera, 50 monitor, A top left corner of A monitor screen, B top corner of B monitor screen, C monitor screen Lower left corner, D Lower corner of monitor screen, 80, 81 reflector, 90, 91 camera, 100, 101 polarizer

Claims (7)

A pointing device for calculating the position coordinates of a pointer moving on a GUI screen of a computer monitor, A laser light source that emits a laser beam while changing its position and direction by a computer user's operation, A reflector attached to the monitor so as to cover the front of the computer monitor and scattering the laser beam emitted from the laser light source, A camera installed in at least two places around the reflector, at least two of which are not facing each other to photograph laser light scattered from the reflector and the reflector; By processing the image taken by the camera, it detects the position on the reflector where the beam is scattered, calculates the position coordinate of the pointer, and transfers the position coordinate to the computer, which causes the computer to move the pointer on the GUI screen to the calculated position coordinate. Pointing device using a laser and a camera comprising an image processing means to make. The method of claim 1, The laser light source is a pointing device using a laser and a camera, characterized in that an infrared filter for emitting an infrared laser beam and transmitting only infrared light in front of the camera. The method of claim 1, The laser light source emits a visible laser beam, and a polarization filter is inserted between the reflector and the monitor, and a polarization filter selected with a polarization plane is attached to the front of the camera to block the image of the monitor screen. Pointing device using a laser and a camera, characterized in that it can shoot only the scattered light of the laser beam. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A mouse button is additionally attached to the laser light source, and the click signal of the mouse button is transmitted to a computer, which causes the computer to execute a command corresponding to the mouse button click signal. . The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, Different reflectors are installed in parallel with each other at appropriate intervals in front of the reflector, and a camera is attached to photograph the reflector at two or more locations around each reflector, and a polarizing film is attached to the back of the reflector in front of the reflector. Pointing device using a laser and a camera, characterized in that the polarizing film is attached so that the polarizing film and the polarizing plane is 90 degrees in front of the camera. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The laser light source is a pointing device using a laser and a camera, characterized in that the two light sources are arranged in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The laser light source is a pointing device using a laser and a camera, characterized in that the two or more laser beams are configured to be emitted in the form of a V, triangular pyramid or polygonal pyramid.