TW201349056A - High resolution and high sensitivity optically activated cursor maneuvering device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to the portable electronic products, more particularly to a cursor-maneuvering device which is optically activated by a touching mean such as a finger to control the functionalities of electronic devices or the cursor maneuvering act in the displaying device of electronic products. The present invention provides a portable electronic device with high sensitivity and high resolution motion sensing capability. Said high sensitivity feature facilitates the cursors on the displaying device with high agility maneuvering actions. The high resolution feature provides the users with positional accuracy. Tasks such as entering data into a professional program like WORD or AUTOCAD, or video gaming programs, etc. shall be benefited by the high resolution feature of the present invention. The present invention can be formed as an embedded or standalone device. To non-mobile devices (e.g. Flat panel TV), the present invention may work as a standalone remote controller.

Description

Optically driven high resolution and high sensitivity cursor controller

The invention provides a high sensitivity and high resolution optical cursor controller, and the cursor controller can also be used as a touch sensing controller, wherein the cursor controller has a cavity (Cavity) therein. The empty chamber is covered with a half transparent plate, and the translucent plate has a light diffusing surface, and the empty chamber still has a light source and an image detector. By detecting that an indicator touches the translucent plate, an image having a high diffusion and a low diffusion is generated, and an indication is made to contact the translucent plate, and the indicator is detected and the half is detected. When the transparent plates are in contact, the relative motion between each other gives a signal to change the function of an electronic instrument or the movement of the cursor on its display.

In today's computers and electronic products, many products rely on the cursor movement controller (referred to as cursor controller) to perform the function of communication and interaction between people and machines. These products include notebook computers, cell phones, global positioning systems (GPS), and gaming devices. In the field of touch-type cursor controllers, the entire industrial technology can be roughly divided into two types: Resistive type and Capacitive type. The technical connotations are different, but the purpose is to provide the user. a method not found in traditional mouse It is necessary to remove the USB cable (Universal Serial Bus Cable) or the wireless channel (Wireless channel), which are the items that the traditional mouse must use to connect to the computer; the touch screen does not need this. However, the touch screen has a congenital defect: when a finger touches the surface of the touch screen, the touch sensor connected to the touch screen lacks the positioning accuracy of the touch position; Due to the inability to effectively overcome this shortcoming, current touch screen products cannot be used in office or professional electronic drawing environments. Based on the above limitations, today's mobile electronic devices provide the convenience of users to carry mobile, but they can not input data to office software (such as WORD, Microsoft paperwork software), PowerPoint (Microsoft newsletter software), Or Spreadsheet (Microsoft trial software) and so on, so it is quite limited in professional office use, and the root cause is the lack of location accuracy.

Figure 1 shows a traditional mobile phone (Cell Phone) with a touch display screen. Some people who use this type of equipment call it a Smart Phone (8). Note that there are many icons (Icon) on the touch display screen, and the area of each icon is much larger than the icon on the general computer display screen (relative to the size of the screen) to represent some Program or feature. For the user of the touch display screen, the size of the icon (Icon) affects the extent to which the user can activate these icons. However, the number of icons displayed on the screen of a mobile phone can represent how many different functions (i.e., convenience) the mobile phone can provide to the user at the same time. However, for today's touch display screens, the number of these icons cannot be very large (for example, no more than fifteen). This is because designers must design both the number of icons and the number of people. The size of the finger. As shown in Figure 1, when a Fingertip 9 touches an undesired position, it may cause four programs to be triggered at a time. Figure 1 of Smart Phone (8) is a capacitive touch screen. Such designs typically place a transparent film capacitor on top of the touch screen and place a sensor on each of the four corners of the touch screen. When the Smart phone (8) is touched by a foreign object, the amount of charge stored in the capacitor changes, and the sensor can sense that the current flowing on it changes. By measuring the current in each The change in the sensor, the traditional mobile phone can know the approximate location of the finger touching its touch screen. In general, the accuracy of the results calculated using this method is not high, but fortunately it only needs to meet the requirements of the user when selecting the icon without error; as shown in Figure 1, due to the size of the icons They are quite large and their dimensions are relatively rough. Due to this design limitation, small-sized electronic devices such as Smart Phone face great difficulties in encountering the need to input data to the word processing software WORD, or the spreadsheet (Spreadsheet), resulting in Smart Phone (8) There are few practical uses for such applications. The end result of the limitation of this technology is that when these electronic devices are in use, the operating state or function of the application software of the entire system is often presented to the user by only a few simple icons (or, such as Some of the Smart Phone manufacturers' expediency practices use a sharp-pointed needle bar instead of a finger. Compared to the finger, because the contact area of the needle bar is small, the affected area is naturally reduced, so the calculated contact position. The error will also be reduced to a smaller extent than the fingertip contact range, so that although some of the problems can be solved, the original design goal of the touch screen is also mutated - the convenience of using the finger to manipulate the cursor Has ceased to exist). As for the notebook PC, there are similar problems. The device that the notebook uses to move the cursor is usually a touch pad or mouse pad. The problem with this type of touchpad (mouse board) is that its sensitivity and resolution are not high. The performance of such touchpads has barely improved over the years as manufacturing technologies for flat panel displays have changed. Therefore, with today Compared to the resolution, speed, and multi-touch functions of the display, the traditional touchpad is too simplistic, which has caused many users of notebook computers to dispose of them and use traditional mice instead. It does not need to change the usage habits, and still transfers the vector value of the hand movement back to the notebook computer via USB or other transmission media for controlling the cursor. In essence, the problems of the above traditional touchpads are mostly due to their lack of resolution and sensitivity; this is actually a fundamental problem of traditional technology: although there are still some users on the market, learning to adapt to the tradition The touchpad features and tries to accept the traditional touchpad, but the above problems still exist. For example, when the user wants to move an object in the display screen from one end to the other end, if the distance is not short, the user usually scores several steps and draws on the touch panel several times to achieve the goal. Looking at the above, whether it is the touchpad of a notebook computer or the touch screen of mobile electronic devices, the entire electronics industry still needs to find a fast and accurate touch system (or can be named as touch device, cursor controller, use). Operator interface devices, etc., integrated with mobile electronic devices to form an electronic device or notebook computer with speed and accuracy, so that users can easily use software such as WORD or other spreadsheets Software such as (Spreadsheet), and input data accurately, create files, and so on.

The invention provides a touch controller (also known as a cursor controller), wherein the touch controller has a cavity therein, and the empty chamber is covered with a half transparent plate, and the translucent plate has a light diffusion surface. The empty room still has a light source and an image detector. In the best case, the performance of the light diffusing surface, such as the same Lambertian surface; in the second best case, the performance of the light diffusing surface can be close to a perfect light diffusing surface. From the perspective of optical analysis In contrast, such a light diffusing surface can be divided into an infinite number of facets, each of which can scatter light in all directions with an intensity about the cosine of the angle of the scattered light to the normal of the facet. (Cosine) is proportional. Due to this scattering phenomenon, the brightness (luminance, luminance, or radiance) of the Lambertian surface is the same regardless of any angle. The so-called translucent nature of the translucent plate means that light can penetrate from both sides of the plate to the other side, but due to the diffusion phenomenon of the so-called Lambertian Surface, the image and shape formed by the object at the other end cannot be Resolve.

Due to the effect of the Lambertian surface, the translucent plate has a strong characteristic of scattering light. When the effect is strong to a certain extent, the light passing through the translucent plate, whether from the side from the translucent plate, After scattering by the translucent plate, it becomes scattered light. After being scattered, the shape of the object located far away from the transparent sheet passes through the surface of the translucent sheet (ie, the Lambertian surface) and then reaches the other end of the translucent sheet to be imaged. The image is blurred and cannot be Identify the form. The semi-transparent panel covers an empty chamber and has an image detector inside. Since the translucent plate can illuminate the external environment from the touch device after being irradiated on the Lambertian plate; similarly, it can also illuminate the light from the touch device to the Lambertian plate. Dissipate, therefore, after the above two effects are added together, a uniform brightness-diffusing appearance (appearance refers to the image seen from the environment) and a Vipassana (Vipassana refers to the image at the bottom of the translucent plate) ). Any object that is slightly apart from the Lambertian surface, the light emitted by it (including self-illumination or reflection, etc.) will be blurred after the diffusion through the Lambertian surface. When the image is blurred to a certain extent, The object cannot be recognized by the image detector. It is worth noting that: (1) the light source located in the empty room may be a light emitting diode (LED), but it may also be Other types of light sources; (2) the image detector is preferably a CMOS image sensor (complementary metal oxide semiconductor image detector) to be able to see the entire inner surface of the translucent plate covering the empty chamber Appropriate conditions. However, other image detectors can be used as long as they can see the entire inner surface of the translucent plate covering the empty chamber and can contribute to determining the position of the indicator; (3) the Lambertian surface is preferably Fine-grained surfaces, other types of surfaces, such as coarse-grained Lambertian surfaces, etched surfaces, or atomized surfaces, can also be used to replace the Lambertian surface, but the effect may be slightly worse. The application of these variations is still within the scope of the present invention.

When an indicator (eg, a finger, a needle bar, or the like) is in contact with the Lambertian surface, some of the internal light originating from the cursor controller is reflected back to form an illuminated indicator. Image, at which time an image detector will detect an image of the illuminated indicator, and as the indicator moves over the Lambertian surface, an electronic circuit coupled to the image detector tracks the image. The result of the tracking can be used to control the cursor on the display screen of the mobile electronic device. The mobile electronic device includes at least: a notebook PC, a Cellular phone, a global positioning system (GPS), a game machine, and the like. In addition, the indicator can represent some of the elements on the screen of the electronic device by lifting and then returning the action of the Lambertian plate. Furthermore, especially when the touch controller of the present invention is used on a notebook computer, it can allow multiple fingers to control the touch. At this time, one or more predetermined items can be divided on the Lambertian surface. Location, the location(s) can be used to manipulate page scrolling, image rotation, scene zooming to increase the sensitivity and resolution of the screen, and more.

The image detector is used to capture a plurality of images related to the indicator, and the indicator Under the preferred choice it can be a finger. In the plurality of images, there is a first image and a second image, and the inside of the image is cut out to extract a motion vector value, and the touch vector of the present invention is used by the motion vector It is possible to control the action of a cursor on the upstream of the screen. When the touch device of the present invention uses a finger as an indicator, ridges, grooves, eddies, and intersections on the finger can be used as elements defining the object. At this time, the touch controller of the present invention will track the defined elements on a first image and the defined elements on a second image. During the tracking operation, an electronic circuit coupled to the image detector can segment the defined elements in the images from the image and compare their position changes in different images. These changes are converted into motion vectors that are used to control cursors or other functions on the screen.

8‧‧‧Mobile Appliances

9‧‧‧ Fingers cover the area of sight on the panel

10‧‧‧Semi-transparent plate

11‧‧‧High-scattering surface (Lambertian surface)

12‧‧‧ Empty room (Cavity)

13‧‧‧Image Sensor

14‧‧‧Light source

15‧‧‧Image of the interior of the translucent plate (10) seen by the image detector

20‧‧‧ fingers

21‧‧‧ Shadow

22‧‧‧The part of the indicator (such as the finger) that is illuminated on the surface

23‧‧An image of an indicator (such as a finger) on a translucent panel seen by the image detector

40‧‧‧Press finger on high scattering surface

T1‧‧‧ some time, before t2 and t3; at t1, the finger is pressed on the translucent plate

T2‧‧‧ some time between t1 and t3; at t2, the finger leaves the translucent plate

T3‧‧‧ some time, after t1 and t2; at t3, the finger is pressed on the translucent plate

41‧‧‧A finger image of time t1 or t3, deformed by the pressure of the finger (this example refers to a round shape to an oval shape)

42‧‧‧ At the time t2, the finger leaving the translucent plate

60‧‧‧The lower surface of the translucent plate, the part visible to the image detector

61‧‧‧ first finger

62‧‧‧second finger

63‧‧‧ third finger

64‧‧‧Semi-transparent panel for scrolling the area of the screen

65‧‧‧A region on a translucent plate used to rotate (Rotating) objects

66‧‧‧High-resolution and high-sensitivity areas on translucent panels

801‧‧‧ indicator (such as a finger)

802‧‧‧Lambertian plate with surface roughness

803‧‧‧Light source

804‧‧‧Image Detector

L1 (in Figure 8 and 9) ‧‧‧Light from the light source 803

F (in Figure IX) ‧ ‧ ray L1, reflected by the indicator (801), the light directed at the image detector

A, B (in Figure 8) ‧ ‧ ray L1, after passing through the Lambertian plate (802) with surface roughness, subjected to various physical phenomena such as diffusion, refraction, reflection, etc.

Figure 1 shows the problems encountered when traditional touch sensors are applied to mobile electronic devices.

Figure 2A shows the effect of reflection, diffuse reflection, and diffusion penetration on the incident half of the transparent plate placed on the device of the present invention.

Figure 2B shows a half transparent plate placed on the device of the present invention, which causes diffusion penetration and reflection effects on light from the outside of the device.

Figure 2C shows a semi-transparent panel placed on the fixture of the present invention, which produces a diffuse reflection and diffusion penetration effect on the light emitted by the light source inside the fixture.

Figure 2D is an image of the interior of the translucent sheet as seen by the outdoor light.

Figure 2E is an image of the interior of the translucent panel as seen by the light source inside the fixture.

Figure 2F is an image of the interior of the translucent panel as seen by the outdoor light and the internal light source of the fixture.

Figure 3 shows the image produced by the inside of the translucent plate when a pointer (or pointing device) touches the Lambertian surface of the translucent plate.

Figure 4A is an image seen by the image detector (13) when an indicator (e.g., a finger) touches the right side of the Lambertian surface on the translucent panel and the light source is emitting light.

Figure 4B shows the image seen by the image detector (13) when an indicator (e.g., a finger) touches the right side of the Lambertian surface on the translucent panel and the light source (14) is emitting light.

Figure 5A shows an image of the surface portion of the image detector (13) that is illuminated by the finger (41), because the force of the finger (40) pressing the Lambertian surface (11) on the translucent plate is large. These are changed to the shape of an ellipse.

Figure 5B shows the change in the image of the illuminated finger caused by the change in the distance between the finger and the Lambertian surface for a finger at times t1, t2, and t3.

Figure 6 shows an image of a number of illuminated indicators at the bottom of the translucent plate (10) as seen from the image detector (13).

Figure 7 is an illustration of some electronic devices that can use the touch controller of the present invention.

Figure 8 shows the effect of reflection, diffuse reflection, and diffusion penetration on the incident light when the indicator (801, such as a finger) leaves the Lambertian plate (802) with surface roughness; the direction indicator (801) The light L1 passes through the paths A and B and is directed to the outside.

Figure 9 shows the indicator (801, such as a finger) touching a Lambertian plate (802) with a surface roughness; the light L1 directed at the indicator (801) is reflected to form a reflected light F, which is directed to the image. Detector (804).

Figure 2A shows a half transparent plate (10) placed on the fixture of the present invention having a high scattering Lambertian surface (11). When incident light strikes the high-scattering Lambertian surface (11), several types of light such as Reflection light, Diffuse reflection light, and Diffuse transmission light are generated. In terms of physical definition, the so-called Lambertian surface means that when the light falls on the high-scattering surface, it is scattered by a large amount of Scatter, so that the brightness of the entire surface is fairly uniform regardless of the observer. Looking at it from any angle, it is almost the same. This surface has an isotropic effect, which is effective for all directions of up, down, left, and right, and is of course effective for diffusing and penetrating light. In other words, if an observer looks from the bottom of the translucent sheet (10), the surface he sees is also a uniform surface. It is worth noting here that the so-called semi-transparent refers to a phenomenon of light scattering, which allows light to pass through a medium or a certain area, but after a considerable degree of diffusion, its imaging has been made at a distance. The outline of the object is unrecognizable or not visible at all.

In the touch controller of Figure 2B, there is still an empty chamber (Cavity, 12). The empty chamber (12) is covered by the translucent sheet having the Lambertian surface. After a lens (Lens), the image detector (13) receives an image formed by the diffused light. When faced with the surrounding environment, this image is actually a fairly uniform, completely blurred image. The source of the light is the ring. The stray light in all directions in the environment, after being irradiated onto the surface (10) of the translucent plate, is diffused by the Lambertian surface (11) and then incident on the image detector (13). If the above phenomenon is explained from a physical point of view, as shown in Fig. 2B, when the ambient light passes through the surface (10) of the translucent plate, it enters the empty chamber (12) due to diffusion. The phenomenon of the phenomenon, we call this phenomenon Diffuse transmission. Since the Lambertian surface (11) has a high degree of scatter, any object that is some distance away from the Lambertian surface, which is present on the image detector (13), is an image with no clear outline. Therefore, it is impossible to distinguish each other between an object and an object.

As shown in Fig. 2C, a light source (14) is placed inside the empty chamber (12). Preferably, the light source is made of an LED (Light Emitting Diode). The light source illuminates the translucent sheet. Similarly, after the light source is irradiated onto the surface (10) of the translucent plate, a part of the light is reflected back through the diffusion of the Lambertian surface (11), and is incident on the image detector (13) from various angles. A blurred and uniform image is formed thereon. When the light emitted from the LED reaches the translucent plate (10), some of it will diffuse into the outside due to the transmission diffusion. If the observer observes from above, it may only feel that some of the translucent plate (10) The area is slightly brighter, but its shape is not known. If the above phenomenon is explained from a physical point of view, as shown in Fig. 2C, when the light of the LED penetrates the surface of the translucent plate (10), it is reflected back by the Lambertian surface (11), and then enters the empty chamber ( 12), due to the phenomenon of diffusion, we call this phenomenon Diffuse reflection, as some of the LED light will pass through the Lambertian surface and into the external environment, which is what we call Diffuse transmission.

Figures 2D and IIE show what the interior of the translucent sheet (10) looks like (15). in What is seen in the image detector (13) is a blurred and uniform image with a slight brightness. Figure 2F shows the overlapping images seen by the image detector (13), which is a blurred and uniform image produced by the LED light source described above, plus image detection from the outside world. The image of the device (13) is combined. As mentioned above, the light incident from the outside is diffused after passing through the translucent plate. Therefore, the image detector (13) does not see a clearly identifiable image.

Figure 3 shows the effect of using a Touching device (or pointing device) to touch the Lambertian surface. The indicator can be any number of needle sticks, erasers, pencils, fingers (20), and the like. When the pointer touches the translucent plate, the light originally incident on the translucent plate below the touching device from the outside is blocked by the indicator, and if the light source ( 14) If it does not exist or is not turned on, it will cause the image detector (13) to see a shadow (21). If the light source (14) is turned on and placed in the empty chamber (12), the image detector (13) sees an illuminated surface that is in contact with the Lambertian surface. It is referred to as the portion of the indicator surface that is illuminated (22). Of course, this part can be recognized by the image detector (13). Therefore, the effect of the light in the outside world combined with the indoor light source (14) can cause an illuminated part (23) on the surface of the indicator that is in contact with the Lambertian surface. With the image detector (13), we The condition and position of the movement of the illuminated portion (23) of the indicator surface can be detected.

It is worth noting that the position of the indicator in contact with the Lambertian surface is reflected by the light source, and its detailed structure can be read by the image detector (13). For example, if the indicator is a finger, detailed features on the finger, such as raised lines, grooves, eddies, intersections, etc., can be clearly sensed by the image detector. These illuminated fingers The feature structure of the present invention is used to monitor and determine the amount of movement of the indicator in the image detector of the present invention. The touch device of the present invention is further converted into a display screen on the electronic device according to the movement amount data. The position of the cursor.

It should be noted that the cursor defined by the present invention is divided into two categories, Visible type and Invisible type, both of which are applicable to the present invention. The so-called visual cursor means that the cursor has a certain shape (for example, an arrow) on the display screen, which can be observed by the operator; the so-called invisible type means that the cursor cannot be directly observed by the operator, and it may be A memory cell in an electronic device, or a parameter in a software. For example, in a general computer game screen, there is not necessarily a fixed-shaped cursor (sometimes completely absent); the user can change the action by a so-called cursor controller (such as a mouse) (such as a baseball player). The function of the sound action or the sound effect, the state of the function of these invisible objects, usually stored in the memory of the electronic device, or in the parameters of the software, when the user adjusts by the mouse When the state of the function of the invisible type object is changed, the memory of the corresponding electronic device or the parameter of the software may be changed. If the cursor is visible, the above change is output to the display screen. Make the content of the display screen change. Therefore, the cursor defined by the present invention may be one or more of the picture elements displayed on the screen, or one or more memories present in the memory of the electronic device, and input by the touch cursor controller of the present invention. The constant updating of the data can change the content of the memory data in a timely manner, and then be converted into functions related to the screen of the screen (such as cursors) or other aspects of the electronic equipment (such as sound effects).

Figure 4A shows the image detector (13) when an indicator (for example, finger 20) touches the right side of the Lambertian surface on the translucent plate (10) and the light source (14) is emitting light. Image to. The translucent plate (10) faces the side of the image detector and presents An illuminated fingerprint (23), where the finger is in contact with the translucent sheet (10). Physically speaking, the illuminated fingerprint (23) is due to the light of the light source (14), after being irradiated to the finger, after reflection, passing through the outer surface of the Lambertian surface, passing through the translucent plate (10), and then passing through Empty room (12, Cavity), the resulting image. As for the other parts of the translucent plate surrounding the illuminated fingerprint (23), since the light from the environment or the light from the light source (14) has been diffused by the Lambertian surface, the image formed is a diffusion. Uniform, low-brightness plane with no clear objects.

As shown in Fig. 4B, if the finger (20) is moved to the left of the Lambertian surface on the translucent plate (10), the surface (23) of the illuminated indicator is formed by the image detector (23). The image will then move to the left of the translucent plate (10). At this time, if the finger is kept in contact with the Lambertian plate and continues to move to the left, the image detector (13) can track some detailed structures on the finger as the finger moves from right to left. The electronic circuit connected to the image detector (13) can convert the moving structure of the surface of the tracked indicator to a moving coordinate value to make a cursor on the display connected to the cursor controller. Can move with it.

If the finger (20) leaves the Lambertian surface on the translucent panel, the image detector will not be able to detect any specific object; until the finger is placed back on the Lambertian surface, the surface of the finger is illuminated (23) Will reappear on the Lambertian surface. For example, if the hand indication falls to the left of the translucent plate at this moment, the surface portion (23) where the finger is illuminated will also appear on the left side.

Figure 5A shows the image of the surface portion where the image detector (13) detects the finger being illuminated (41) because the force of the finger (40) pressing the Lambertian surface (11) on the translucent plate The amount is larger and the shape is changed. At this time, although the surface portion (23) where the finger is illuminated becomes relatively elliptical, the electronic circuit connected to the image detector (13) can still detect the position of the pressed finger and set the value of the position. The value converted to a location on the display on an electronic device or laptop. It is worth noting that the area under the translucent plate (10) that is not touched by the finger is affected by the high diffusion effect of the light irradiated thereon, so that the image detector receives the image of the part, Cannot have any recognizable shape or object. The image of the surface portion (41) on which the finger is illuminated is combined with the image of the other portion that cannot have any recognizable shape or object, that is, the image of the interior of the translucent plate (10) seen by the image detector is formed ( 15).

Figure 5B shows the position of the illuminated indicator object (41) formed by a finger (40) at time t1, which is otherwise converted to the position of the cursor of the display on the electronic instrument, the electron The instrument can be a notebook computer or the like. When the time reaches t2, the finger (40) rises, so the image detector (13) can no longer see the surface (fingertip) 41 of the illuminated indicator. At the moment, the lower surface of the entire translucent sheet exhibits uniform diffused light without any form being recognizable. When the time moves to t3, the finger (40) is again brought back into contact with the Lambertian surface (11) on the translucent plate (10), and the surface (fingertip) 41 of the illuminated indicator will reappear. Throughout the above process (t1-t3), the cursor on the display is rendered stationary. This action by finger, from leaving the Lambertian surface to returning to the Lambertian surface, can be used to represent the selection of an object on the screen by the cursor and is triggered when the finger returns to the Lambertian surface. Other related functions are also Can be developed according to this method. Or, if the finger is at t3, it will move immediately after touching the Lambertian surface. This is an electronic circuit indicating the connection with the image detector, and the cursor on the display screen is moved in the same direction as the finger.

Figure 6 shows the bottom (60) of the translucent plate (10) as seen from the image detector (13). Figure 6 shows the surface of several illuminated indicators, which are the first finger 61 (which can also be an indicator), the second finger (62), and the third finger (63); these three fingers At the same time, it is in contact with the translucent plate (10). Although only three fingers are shown here, the number of these fingers (or indicators) can be more or less in the actual operating environment. These multiple fingers (or indicators) can be used to control multiple events on the screen of an electronic device or laptop, and these multiple events can also include multiple cursors. Alternatively, these multiple fingers can also be used to control other functions of the electronic device.

The translucent plate faces a special area of the surface (60) of the image detector and is recognized by an electronic circuit coupled to the image detector. The first area (64) is used to scroll the image in the display (Scrolling), and this scrolling action is coupled with the function of the cursor mover of the present invention. When one of the fingers (or indicators) of (61), (62), or (63) is placed within the scroll control area (64), the page in the screen of the notebook computer can be scrolled. It functions like the wheel of a scrolling page of a normal mouse. The second area (65) is used to rotate the pages of the notebook's screen. This feature is also similar to the functionality of some computer mouse wheels. The third area (66) is used to provide high sensitivity and high resolution; for example, if you want to point the cursor to a small area on the notebook screen, like a spreadsheet (Spreadsheet) Use this area to achieve your goal, or an English letter in the word processing software. As for other areas, they can also be used as a left or right button equivalent to a mouse, or a special function on a computer keyboard.

Figure 7 shows some of the electronic devices that can use the cursor mover or touch controller of the present invention. These devices include at least desktop computers, notebook computers, and tablets (Tablet). Computer), a mobile phone with a large display screen and an icon (Icon), some handheld mobile toys popular with young people and adults, a global positioning device (GPS), and the like. It should be noted that the actual size of the optical cursor controller of the present invention can be made much smaller than the size of a general mouse pad relative to a notebook computer with respect to the size of the mobile phone. This is often a necessary design approach, as this design approach is necessary in order not to make the size of a cell phone, game console, or global positioning device (GPS) too large. However, if the optical cursor controller of the present invention is made larger or larger, it is placed on the back of the handheld electronic device, and it is still within the scope of the present invention.

Furthermore, the translucent sheet of the present invention having a Lambertian surface has a minimum area which can be as small as about a circle having a diameter of about half a centimeter. This size is already smaller than the size of most fingers used to operate handheld devices. At this time, when the translucent plate is covered by the finger, the light in the environment can no longer be shot on the Lambertian surface of the translucent plate. Only the light in the Cavity can illuminate the indicator (finger). surface. Thus, feature shapes on the fingers, such as raised lines, grooves, eddies, or intersections, can be used by image detectors to monitor the movement of the finger relative to the translucent sheet and thereby direct the cursor on the display screen. mobile. The shape of the translucent sheet having the Lambertian surface of the present invention is not limited to a circular shape in view of actual fabrication considerations; other shapes such as a rectangle, a square, or any design that satisfies a hand-held electronic device can be used.

Furthermore, the optical cursor mover of the present invention can be used for a handheld electronic device, a notebook computer, an electronic tablet, a tablet computer, an electronic book, an electronic media player, or the like. Similar equipment. It is conceivable that the optical cursor controller or the touch controller of the present invention can replace the mouse of the desktop computer if it is combined with the key The combination of the discs, or combined with a computer screen, removes the general public's need for traditional mice.

Furthermore, the light source used in the present invention can emit light different from the ambient light, and the characteristics of the light (such as the intensity of light of a certain wavelength, the proportion of the intensity of the light emitted by the light source), because The ambient light is different, which makes the illuminated image easier to detect, increasing the accuracy of the cursor controller of the present invention. The cursor mover of the present invention can be more acute, if the image processor having different characteristics of light sensitivity for each wavelength is used in combination. The use of a plurality of light sources from different angles to the indicator or finger can also make the cursor mover of the present invention more acute. This is mainly because the illuminated image has more chances to reflect the light from the light source of the Cavity, making the image of the illuminated part of the indicator or finger easier to be identified from the background. come out.

In the present invention, the so-called Lambertian diffused light is a general term for a physical phenomenon, and any material capable of blurring the contour of an object by the light diffusion effect falls within this range. Other optical effects, such as transmission, absorption, scintillation, etc., may also occur with Diffuse reflection effects. For example, Figures 8 and 9 illustrate the effect of surface roughness on diffuse reflected light. Figure 8 shows the finger (801) leaving the Lambertian plate (802), and Figure 9 shows the finger (801) touching a Lambertian plate (802) with surface roughness; the difference between the two is that Whether the Lambertian plate (802) having surface roughness can reflect the light L1 of the light source (803) into the light F and then hit the image detector (804). Therefore, the method disclosed by the present invention actually includes any method of Motion detection having the following features: the method uses a plate, and the surface energy is diffused. Light, and whether the plate is transparent, translucent, or of any shape, as long as it can illuminate light from a surface that is distant or not in contact with it, the image formed after passing through the plate is blurred or unrecognizable. The light incident on or near the surface of the object in contact with or in contact with the object, the image formed by which is non-blurred, visible, or detectable, belongs to the present invention. Within the scope of this disclosure.

The embodiments of the present invention have been clearly described in the foregoing Figures 1 to 9. The other variations and applications are still many, and are not limited to the figures. The basic implementation method is still beyond the scope of the present invention. The scope of the use of the invention should be limited by the scope of the claims of the invention.

10‧‧‧Semi-transparent plate

12‧‧‧ Empty room (Cavity)

13‧‧‧Image Sensor

14‧‧‧Light source

15‧‧‧Image of the interior of the translucent plate (10) seen by the image detector

20‧‧‧ fingers

21‧‧‧ Shadow

22‧‧‧Image of indicators (such as fingers) in high-brightness areas

23‧‧An image of an indicator (such as a finger) on a translucent panel seen by the image detector

Claims (37)

A cursor controller having an empty chamber having a light source and an image detector, the empty chamber being covered by a translucent plate having a light diffusing surface as an indicator Upon contact with the light diffusing surface, a brightness enhanced reflection image is generated, which is detected by an image detector, such that the cursor controller can control the cursor on the display screen of an electronic instrument. A cursor controller according to claim 1, wherein the light diffusing surface is a Lambertian surface. The cursor controller of claim 1, wherein the indicator in contact with the light diffusing surface comprises at least: (a) a finger; (b) a needle bar; (c) a pen, or (d) A pencil. The cursor controller of claim 1, wherein the plurality of indicators simultaneously control the plurality of functions on the display screen when the plurality of indicators simultaneously contact the light diffusing surface of the translucent plate. As described in item 1 of the patent application, the light diffusing surface can be divided into a plurality of special areas for controlling certain special functions including at least: (a) control of the cursor; and control of the cursor , at least including control of a plurality of cursors; (b) page scrolling; (c) image rotation; (d) Screen resolution related to screen resolution; (e) Functions related to the right and left buttons of the mouse. The cursor controller of claim 1, wherein the image detector captures a plurality of images, and one of the first image and the second image is cut out of the block, respectively. The block can be used to determine the amount of movement of the pointer from the first image to the second image, and then the amount of movement of the cursor on the display screen is calculated based on the amount of movement. The cursor controller of claim 1, wherein the light diffusing surface can blur the image of the indicator when the indicator leaves the light diffusing surface of the translucent plate, so that the indicator cannot be The image detector detects that, by this effect, a function related to the position of the cursor can be selected, and the selected program at least includes: first, causing the indicator to leave the light diffusing surface of the translucent plate Until a certain distance, the image of the surface of the indicator is no longer known by the image detector. Then the indicator returns to the light diffusing surface and contacts with it, so that the image detector once again detects the presence of the indicator. Through the above process, the cursor indicator sends a signal to represent a cursor holder. The function related to the drop position is selected. A method for cursor control, the method comprising: (a) forming an optically triggered cursor controller, the cursor controller having at least one empty chamber, the light chamber having a light source and an image detector The empty chamber is covered by a translucent plate having a light diffusing surface; (b) capturing an image for an indicator in contact with the light diffusing surface; (c) by analyzing A series of images of the indicator determine the motion of the cursor on the display. A method for controlling a cursor according to the eighth aspect of the patent application, wherein the light diffusing surface used in the method is a Lambertian surface. As described in the eighth aspect of the patent application, for a cursor control method, the translucent panel is tapped using the indicator to select certain functions on the display. A method for controlling a cursor as described in claim 8 of the patent application, the indicator comprising at least: (a) a finger; (b) a needle bar; (c) a pen; (d) a pencil. The method for controlling a cursor as described in claim 8 of the patent application, wherein the method uses a plurality of indicators, or a plurality of fingers, while contacting the light diffusing surface to control a plurality of functions. The method for cursor control as described in claim 11 of the patent application, when the indicator is moved to certain designated areas on the translucent plate, can be used to control certain functions on the display, the functions including at least: (a) controlling the cursor; (b) scrolling the page; (c) rotating the image; (d) adjusting the screen resolution; (e) providing the right button with the mouse Or a similar function to the left button. A method for cursor control as described in item 8 of the patent application scope, which can be used for selection Selecting a function to be presented on the screen by moving the cursor to a specific area on the screen, the specific area representing a special function, by tapping the action of the translucent plate, and tapping the action At least including an action of pulling the indicator away from the translucent plate, the action enabling the indicator to leave the translucent plate for a certain distance, causing the image of the indicator intercepted by the image detector to be a blurred image, such that The image detector cannot distinguish the indicator; then the indicator returns to the translucent plate to contact it, so that the image detector can detect the presence of the indicator, and the process makes the method select A function that appears on the screen. A method for controlling a cursor as described in claim 8 of the patent application, the method further comprising at least a method of scrolling a screen, the method of scrolling the screen by moving the indicator to the translucent plate The designated area is reached and the area is on the light diffusing surface. A method for controlling a cursor as described in claim 8 of the patent application, the method further comprising at least a method of rotating an image by moving the pointer to a specified one on the translucent plate The area is reached and the area is on the light diffusing surface. A method for cursor control as described in claim 8 of the patent application, the method further comprising at least a method of increasing the sensitivity or resolution of the screen, the method of increasing the sensitivity or resolution of the screen by using the indication The device moves to a designated area of the translucent plate and the area is on the light diffusing surface. An electronic instrument comprising: (a) a screen; (b) a cursor displayed on the screen; (c) a cursor controller coupled to the screen, the cursor controller being at least Also included is a cavity having a light source and an image detector, the empty chamber being covered by a translucent plate having a light diffusing surface; when an indicator is associated with the When the light diffusing surface is in contact, the image detector can detect an illuminated indicator from the light diffusing surface of the contact, and the cursor controller thereby controls the cursor on the screen. An electronic device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the light diffusing surface on the electronic device is a Lambertian surface. An electronic device according to claim 18, wherein an indicator is used in contact with a light diffusing surface on the electronic device, the indicator comprising at least a finger, and the screen is controlled by monitoring a feature of the fingerprint on the finger The cursor moves on. A method for a touch function, the method comprising the following steps: (a) forming an optical touch sensor having at least one empty chamber, the air chamber having at least one light source and at least one image detector a detector, the empty chamber being covered by a translucent plate having a light diffusing surface; the touch sensor coupled to an electronic instrument; and (b) an indicator in contact with the light diffusing surface, Capture an image; (c) determine a function of the electronic instrument by analyzing a series of images of the indicator. A method for a touch function according to claim 21, wherein the wavelength of the light source(s) used by the method is different from each other An electronic instrument comprising at least: (a) a screen; (b) a touch sensor coupled to the screen, the touch sensor further comprising at least one cavity having at least one light source and at least one image detector, the empty chamber being Covered by a translucent sheet having a light diffusing surface. When the at least one indicator is in contact with the light diffusing surface, the image detector can detect the indicator(s) illuminated by the light source(s) from the light diffusing surface of the contact(s). The touch controller thereby controls the function of the electronic device or changes the display content on the screen. An electronic device according to claim 23, wherein the light sources used in the electronic device have different wavelengths from each other. An electronic device according to the invention of claim 23, wherein the image detector used in the electronic device is different in sensitivity to the light sources. A touch controller having an empty chamber having a light source and an image detector, the empty chamber being covered by a translucent plate having a light diffusing surface as an indicator When the light diffusing surface is touched, an illuminated reflected image is generated, and the illuminated reflected image is detected by an image detector, so that the touch controller can control the cursor on the display screen of an electronic instrument. The light diffusing surface of the touch device of claim 26, wherein the light diffusing surface is a Lambertian surface. The indicator of contact with the light diffusing surface of the touch controller as described in claim 26 of the patent application includes at least: (a) a finger; (b) a needle bar; (c) a pen, or (d) a pencil. The indicator for indicating the touch controller as described in claim 26 of the patent application, when the plurality of indicators simultaneously contact the light diffusing surface of the translucent plate of the touch controller, the touch controller can simultaneously control A number of functions on the touch controller. The light diffusing surface of the touch controller of claim 26, wherein the light diffusing surface can be divided into a plurality of special regions for controlling certain special functions, the special functions including at least: (a) control of the cursor; still the control of the cursor includes at least control of a plurality of cursors; (b) page scrolling; (c) image rotation; (d) and screen Screen resolution; (e) Functions related to the right and left buttons of the mouse. The image detector of the touch controller of claim 26, wherein the image detector captures a plurality of images, wherein one of the first image and the other of the second image are respectively Blocks are cut out, and the blocks can be used to determine the amount of movement of the pointer from the first image to the second image, and then the amount of movement of the cursor on the display screen is calculated based on the amount of movement. An indicator for controlling the touch controller as described in claim 26, wherein the light diffusing surface can obscure the image of the indicator when the indicator leaves the light diffusing surface of the translucent plate , so that the indicator cannot be detected by the image detector; by this effect, a function related to the position of the cursor can be selected, and the selected program at least includes: first, leaving the indicator to leave the indicator The light diffusing surface of the translucent plate, up to a distance, makes the indicator The image of the surface is no longer known by the image detector. Then the indicator returns to the light diffusing surface and contacts with it, so that the image detector once again detects the presence of the indicator. Through the above process, the cursor indicator sends a signal to represent a cursor holder. The function related to the drop position is selected. An electronic device comprising at least: (a) a screen; (b) a touch sensor coupled to the screen, the touch sensor further comprising at least one cavity having at least one light source And an image detector, the empty chamber is covered by a half transparent plate having a light diffusing surface. When an indicator is in contact with the light diffusing surface, the image detector can detect an indicator illuminated by the light source from the light diffusing surface of the contact, and the touch controller controls the electronic device thereby A feature or change the display on the screen. A touch controller is coupled to at least one electronic device, the touch controller includes at least: a cavity having at least one light source and an image detector, the empty chamber being half transparent Covered by a plate having a light diffusing surface. When an indicator is in contact with the light diffusing surface, the image detector can detect an indicator illuminated by the light source from the light diffusing surface of the contact, and the touch controller controls the electronic device thereby A feature. A translucent plate having a light diffusing surface covering a cavity having at least one light source and an image detector, when an indicator and the light transmissive plate When the light diffusing surface approaches a certain distance or contacts, the image detector can detect an image of the indicator from the light diffusing surface, and the touch controller thereby controls a certain function. A light source system coupled to a light diffusing medium, the light source system emitting light of at least one wavelength for an indicator, the light source reflected from the indicator when the relative position of the indicator and the light diffusing medium changes The light of the system forms an image with different degrees of scattering in an image detector, and by detecting an image of the indicator with different degrees of scattering, the image detector controls an item of an electronic instrument coupled thereto Features. An electronic device coupled to an image detector, the image detector being coupled to at least one light scattering medium and at least one light source, the image detector detecting contact with the indicator(s) In the case of a color medium, the form of the scattering of light from the source(s) determines the function of the electronic device.