WO2005076194A2 - Produits presentant un motif d'identification de position - Google Patents

Produits presentant un motif d'identification de position Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2005076194A2
WO2005076194A2 PCT/EP2005/050306 EP2005050306W WO2005076194A2 WO 2005076194 A2 WO2005076194 A2 WO 2005076194A2 EP 2005050306 W EP2005050306 W EP 2005050306W WO 2005076194 A2 WO2005076194 A2 WO 2005076194A2
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
pattern
areas
product
area
level
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2005/050306
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English (en)
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WO2005076194A3 (fr
Inventor
Emiliano Bartolome
Original Assignee
Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
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Application filed by Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. filed Critical Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
Publication of WO2005076194A2 publication Critical patent/WO2005076194A2/fr
Publication of WO2005076194A3 publication Critical patent/WO2005076194A3/fr

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
    • G06F3/033—Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user, e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor
    • G06F3/0354—Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user, e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
    • G06F3/03545—Pens or stylus
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
    • G06F3/0304—Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means
    • G06F3/0317—Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means in co-operation with a patterned surface, e.g. absolute position or relative movement detection for an optical mouse or pen positioned with respect to a coded surface
    • G06F3/0321—Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means in co-operation with a patterned surface, e.g. absolute position or relative movement detection for an optical mouse or pen positioned with respect to a coded surface by optically sensing the absolute position with respect to a regularly patterned surface forming a passive digitiser, e.g. pen optically detecting position indicative tags printed on a paper sheet

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to products which have a position identification pattern, made up of markings on the product, which can be detected by a suitable detection system and used to distinguish different positions on the product.
  • the product may be a document, such as a form, label or note pad, or any other form of product suitable for such marking, such as a packaging product.
  • the pen includes a processor having image processing capabilities and a memory and is triggered by a force sensor in the nib to record images from the camera as the pen is moved across the document. From these images the pen can determine the position of any marks made on the document by the pen.
  • the pen markings can be stored directly as graphic images, which can then be stored and displayed in combination with other markings on the document. In some applications the simple recognition that a mark has been made by the pen on a predefined area of the document can be recorded, and this information used in any suitable way. This allows, for example, forms with check boxes on to be provided and the marking of the check boxes with the pen detected. In further applications the pen markings are analysed using character recognition tools and stored digitally as text. Systems using this technology are available from Anoto AB.
  • the present invention therefore provides a system arranged to sense position identifying pattern on a product thereby to track movement over the product, the system comprising sensing means arranged to read a sequence of successive areas of the pattern and processing means arranged to identify each of the pattern areas as being either a higher level pattern area identifying a region of pattern space or a lower level pattern area defining a relative position in pattern space within one of said regions.
  • the pattern space may be continuous, with each of the regions being defined within it, for example adjacent to each other. In other cases the pattern space may be non-continuous, with the different regions being allocated, for example, to different users, different applications, or different documents.
  • the sensing means may be provided in a digital pen, which is also arranged to mark the product. Alternatively it may be provided in other systems such as a mouse or a stylus.
  • the sensing means may comprise imaging means arranged to define a sequence of image frames imaging the pattern areas.
  • the processing means may then be arranged to identify each of the image frames as being a higher level image frame from which it can extract data relating to a higher level area, or a lower level image frame from which it can extract data relating to a lower level area. This identification can be carried out for each frame either before the data is extracted from the frame, provided the data itself is not needed for the identification process, or after the data has been extracted, in which case the extracted data can be used in the identification process.
  • the processing means may be arranged to use data from the lower level pattern areas to determine the relative positions of the sequence of pattern areas.
  • the processing means may also be arranged to use data from the higher level areas to determine the absolute position in pattern space of the sequence of pattern areas.
  • the processing means may be arranged to identify each of the pattern areas as being either a higher level area or a lower level area on the basis of a parameter of the pattern within the pattern area, such as a scaling parameter of the pattern area or a colour of the pattern.
  • data encoded in the pattern area may define the level of the pattern area.
  • one or more parameters of the pattern may be given one of a range of different values.
  • the processing means can be arranged to identify the value of the relevant parameter and use it to distinguish between different instances of use of the same pattern area or position, for example by different users, or on different products.
  • a corresponding method of sensing position identifying pattern is also provided.
  • the present invention further provides a product having a position identifying pattern thereon, the pattern comprising higher level areas each of which encodes data identifying a region of pattern space, and lower level areas encoding data identifying respective relative positions within one of the regions, wherein the higher level areas are interspersed among the lower level areas.
  • a product having a position identifying pattern thereon, the pattern comprising higher level areas each of which encodes data identifying a region of pattern space, and lower level areas encoding data identifying respective relative positions within one of the regions, wherein the higher level areas are interspersed among the lower level areas.
  • the product may have content marks thereon defining a plurality of functional areas on the product, and the regions may be arranged to coincide with the functional areas.
  • the spacing of the high or low level areas may vary between functional areas of the product, depending on, for example, likely characteristics of the movement of a reading system that will be moved over the product. Where the reading system is incorporated in a pen, these characteristics will depend on the likely characteristics of pen strokes that will be made on each functional area of the product, and will be arranged to ensure that sufficient positional information can be derived for each pen stroke to determine its position.
  • the present invention further provides a system for applying a position identifying pattern to a product, the system comprising: a pattern defining means arranged to define a pattern for application to the product, the pattern comprising higher level areas each of which encodes data identifying a region of pattern space, and lower level areas encoding data identifying respective relative positions within one of the regions, wherein the higher level areas are interspersed among the lower level areas; and pattern applying means arranged to apply the pattern to the product.
  • a corresponding method of applying a position identifying pattern to a product is also provided.
  • the present invention further provides a data carrier carrying data arranged to control relevant systems to operate as a system according to the invention and to perform the methods of the invention.
  • the data carrier can comprise, for example, a floppy disk, a CDROM, a DVD ROM/RAM (including +RW, -RW), a hard drive, a non- volatile memory, any form of magneto optical disk, a wire, a transmitted signal (which may comprise an internet download, an ftp transfer, or the like), or any other form of computer readable medium.
  • Figure 1 shows a document according to an embodiment of the invention and a digital pen according to an embodiment of the invention
  • Figure 2 shows a part of a position identifying pattern on the document of Figure 1;
  • Figure 3 shows a different part of a position identifying pattern on the document of Figure 1 ;
  • Figures 4 shows how the pattern of Figure 3 is made up
  • Figure 5 is a flow diagram showing operation of the pen of Figure 1 during reading of the pattern of Figure 3;
  • Figures 6 shows an area of pattern according to a further embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 7 shows how larger areas of the pattern of Figure 6 are made up
  • Figure 7a shows the relationship between different levels of pattern areas in the pattern of Figure 6;
  • Figure 8 shows an area of pattern according to a further embodiment of the invention;
  • Figure 8A shows a set of data derived from the pattern of Figure 8.
  • Figures 9 is a flow diagram showing operation of a reading device reading the pattern of Figure 8.
  • Figures 10 shows a system for producing the document of Figure 1 ;
  • Figure 11 shows some of the functional units of the system of Figure 10.
  • Figure 12 shows an area of pattern according to a further embodiment of the invention.
  • the markings 5, which are not shown to scale in Figure 1, form a position identifying pattern 6 on the document 2.
  • Also printed on the paper 4 are further markings 7 which are clearly visible to a human user of the document 2, and which make up the content of the document 2.
  • the pen 8 comprises a writing nib 10, and a camera 12 made up of an infra red (IR) LED 14 and an IR sensor 16.
  • the camera 12 is arranged to image a circular area adjacent to the tip 11 of the pen nib 10.
  • a processor 18 processes images from the camera 1 2 taken at a predetermined rapid sample rate.
  • a pressure sensor 20 detects when the nib 10 is in contact with the document 2 and triggers operation of the camera 12. Whenever the pen is being used on an area of the document 2 having the pattern 6 on it, the processor 18 can determine from the pattern 6 the position of the nib 10 of the pen whenever it is in contact with the document 2. From this it can determine the position and shape of any marks made by the pen nib 11 on the patterned areas of the document 2.
  • This information is stored in a memory 22 in the pen as it is being used.
  • this is recorded in a document completion process, for example by making a mark with the pen 8 in a send box 9 on the document.
  • the pen is arranged to recognise the pattern in the send box 9 and send the pen stoke data to a pen stroke interpretation system in a suitable manner, for example via a radio transceiver 24 which provides a Bluetooth radio link with an internet connected PC.
  • Suitable pens are available from Logitech under the trade mark Logitech lo.
  • the pattern 6 is made up of a number of graphical elements comprising black ink dots 30 arranged on an imaginary grid 32.
  • the grid 32 which is shown in Figure 2 for clarity but is not actually marked on the document 2, can be considered as being made up of horizontal and vertical lines 34, 36 defining a number of intersections 40 where they cross.
  • the intersections 40 are of the order of 0.3mm apart, and the dots 30 are of the order of 100? m across.
  • One dot 30 is provided at each intersection 40, but offset slightly in one of four possible directions up, down, left or right, from the actual intersection 40.
  • the dot offsets are arranged to vary in a systematic way so that any group of a sufficient number of dots 30, for example any group of 36 dots arranged in a six by six square, will be unique within a very large area of the pattern.
  • This large area is defined as a total imaginary pattern space, and only a small part of the pattern space is taken up by the pattern on the document 2.
  • An example of this type of pattern is described in WO 01/26033.
  • the pattern 6 on the document 2 is made up of a number of adjacent square pattern areas 50, 52, 54, 56. These areas comprise a high level area 50, and three low level areas 52, 54, 56. Each of these areas is the same size, approximately 1.8mm across, and can be considered to have a square grid of 36 intersections 40 within it.
  • the high level area 50 has a dot 30 associated with each of its 36 intersections and the pattern in this area is as described above with reference to Figure 2. These dots are therefore sufficient to define the absolute position, in the total defined area of pattern space, of the pattern within the high level area 50.
  • the low level areas 52 can be considered as having a similar grid of 36 intersections, but only half, i.e.
  • each of the low level areas 52, 54, 56 are therefore not sufficient to define the absolute position of the area 52, 54, 56 in the whole of the defined high level pattern space, but are sufficient to define its position within a region of pattern space defined for the low level pattern, which is smaller than the total defined area of high level pattern space.
  • the low level pattern is continuous between the low level pattern areas. This means that, if an image frame captures a 6x6 group of intersections of the low level pattern the position can be determined. Also in this embodiment the camera 12 in the pen 8 is arranged to image an area of 10x10 intersections 40. Therefore even if the imaged area includes part of the high level pattern area 50, provided there is at least one 6x6 group of intersections including 18 dots of the low level pattern, the pen can determine its position in the low level pattern space. Also, in order to identify one of the areas of high level pattern, the processor 18 in the pen only needs to be able to identify one group of 6x6 dots of the high level pattern within its full image area of 10x10 intersections.
  • the high level and low level pattern areas can be distributed on the document 2 to enable the most reliable capture of pen stroke data, and these depend on the type of pen strokes that are likely to be made on the document.
  • one in every four areas 60 of the document is a high level area HI , H2, and the other three are low level areas Ll, L2, L3.
  • the high level areas HI, H2 arc all different from each other and their relative positions on the document 2 correspond to their relative positions in the high level pattern space H.
  • the low level areas Ll , L2, L3 are also all different from each other and their relative positions on the document 2 correspond to their relative positions in a low level pattern space L.
  • the high level pattern space H is divided into a number of regions each corresponding in size to the total area of the low level pattern space L.
  • the low level pattern space L which will be smaller in total area than the high level pattern space, is then mapped onto each region of the high level pattern space.
  • the processor 18 samples the image from the sensor 16 at regular intervals and stores these captured images as a time stamped sequence in its memory 22 at step 502. The processor 18 then analyses each of the images to determine whether it includes either 36 dots at the spacing of the high level pattern, or 18 dots at the spacing of the low level pattern at step 504. If the image includes either of these, the position in the relevant area of pattern space is recorded for that frame at step 506. The positions of any pattern areas in the high level pattern space are used to determine which region of the high level pattern space the pen stroke has been made in.
  • the positions of captured image frames in low level pattern space L will determine their relative positions in the high level pattern space H, and therefore also their relative positions in real space on the document 2. These relative positions can then be converted at step 508 to absolute positions in the correct region of the high level pattern space H.
  • the pen stroke data is stored in the memory 22 at step 510 for later transmission, for example to a computer running an application suitable for analysing and interpreting the pen strokes.
  • the position identifying pattern of Figure 3 made up of areas of high level pattern and areas of low level pattern, has a lower average overall density of dots than the high level pattern alone. It therefore uses less ink over a given area of the document 2 than if the high level pattern were used over the whole of that area. This has the advantage that the general appearance of the document 2 will be less affected by the pattern 6. Typically where the pattern 6 is produced using black ink, the pattern 6 will make the patterned areas of the document 2 a lighter shade of grey than if only the high level pattern were used.
  • the low level pattern can be altered so that the dots 30 are larger than in the high level pattern. As there are less dots the greying effect of the pattern is similar, but the dots are easier to detect. This results in fewer errors in the pattern reading process, and hence more robust position sensing.
  • the processor 18 is arranged to use the detected dot size, as well as the dot spacing, to determine whether a particular area of pattern is a high level area or a low level area. Referring to Figure 6, in a second embodiment of the invention, the overall pattern area 100 on the document is divided into high level areas 150, medium level areas 152 and low level areas 154.
  • All of these areas 150, 152, 154 are the same size, in this case about 1.5mm 2
  • the pattern 106 has the same basic format as that of Figure 2. However the scale of the pattern is different in the different types of pattern area.
  • the high level areas 150 the pattern is the same as in the high level areas 50 of Figure 5.
  • the medium level areas 152 the pattern is produced on a larger scale. In this case the grid is enlarged to a grid spacing of 0.36mm such that in each of the medium level areas 152, which again are the same size as the high level areas 150, there are only 25 intersections 140, each of which has a dot 130a associated with it. These dots 130a arc larger than those 130 in the high level areas 150, in this case 120? m across.
  • the low level areas 154 which are also of the same size as the high level areas 150, there are 16 intersections at a grid spacing of 0.45mm each of which has a dot 130b associated with it. These dots 130b are larger than those 130a in the medium level areas 152, being 150 ? m across.
  • the distribution of the high medium and low level areas 150, 152, 154 on the document 2 can be selected in a number of ways.
  • An example is shown in Figure 7 in which the document is broken down into blocks 160 of 25 pattern areas 162.
  • the high level areas H are each in the same relative position in each block 1 60, in this case in one corner.
  • the medium level areas M are also in the same relative positions in each block 160, in this case in each of the four areas 162 diagonally adjacent to the centre area.
  • the low level areas L make up the remaining areas 162 of each block 160.
  • the relative frequency at which the different types of area 150, 152, 154 occur can be selected so as to give the best results for different areas on the document 2. For example in an area where a user is expected to write in capital letters, the likely length of the individual pen strokes can be estimated to be within a particular range and assumptions can be made about the shape of the pen strokes, such as that they are likely to be approximately straight lines or curves of radius within a range of values. This determines, for example, the required spacing of the high level areas that is necessary to ensure that at least one high level area will be imaged in each pen stroke.
  • the high level areas For check boxes, where it is important to detect that the box has been checked regardless of the shape of the mark made in the checkbox, it would generally be desirable for the high level areas to be closer together to ensure that at least one of them will be imaged when the check box is marked. For drawing areas where long pen strokes arc expected, the medium and high level areas can be further apart.
  • the pattern 106 of this embodiment functions in a very similar manner to that of the first embodiment.
  • the lowest level pattern space S is the smallest and is mapped multiple times, as Sm, S 2 , S 3 , SL , onto the medium level pattern space S M -
  • the high level pattern space S H is the largest, and the medium level pattern space S M is mapped multiple times onto it as S MI , S M2 , S M 3, S .
  • a position in one of the pattern spaces is determined if possible. If the pattern is the high level pattern, then the absolute position in pattern space is identified.
  • the region S MI , S M2 , S M 3 3 or S M in the high level area SH is assumed to be the same as the previous frame, and the relative position within that region is identified from the medium level pattern.
  • the region ST.I , S ⁇ . 2 , Sr, 3 , or S ⁇ . 4 in the medium level area S M is assumed to be the same as the previous frame, and the relative position within that region is identified from the low level pattern. In this way, the positions of all of the frames are again translated into positions in the high level pattern space, to produce a sequence of positions in the high level pattern space, which in turn define a pen stroke.
  • the second embodiment all of the pattern areas 150, 152, 154 use the same amount of ink per unit area.
  • the low level areas 154 are the most easy to analyse, and errors in determining position in the low level pattern space are smallest. This is because the offset of each of the dots 130b from its respective grid intersection 140 is greater than in the medium or high level pattern areas. Therefore the accuracy with which the positions of the dots 130b in the low level areas 154 must be determined is less than the accuracy required to determine the positions of the dots 130a in the medium level areas 152, or the positions of the dots 130 in the high level areas 150.
  • the pattern in the high level areas 150 is the hardest to read, as it is on the smallest scale, and the pattern in the medium level areas 152 is intermediate in difficulty between that in the high level areas 150 and that in the low level areas 154, as it is on an intermediate scale.
  • Reasons for failure to interpret a frame include the inability to determine the position of one or more of the dots 1 30, 130a, 1 30b in the image frame.
  • each intersection can have one of four dot positions, and can therefore encode 2 bits of information. With 36 intersections, each high level area can encode 72 bits. These systems therefore require the ability to both produce and read at least some pattern areas encoding 72 bits of information.
  • the pattern is again divided into areas 251. Each of the areas has only nine intersections
  • each peripheral intersection 240a has a dot 230 associated with it, and the central intersection 240b has no dot associated with it.
  • This arrangement enables each square area 251 to be identified.
  • the pattern used is arranged such that the pattern in each area is unique for any orientation. This means that, once the pattern has been determined, the position of the area in pattern space can be determined regardless of the orientation of the reading device relative to the document.
  • the eight dots 230 in each area 251 can encode 16 bits of information because each dot can be in one of four positions.
  • each area 251 is used to identify each area 251 as a first level area 250, a second level area 252, a third level area 254 or a fourth level area 256. Twelve of the bits from each area arc positional data. The remaining two bits can be used, for example, as a check on the other 16 bits, or as an indication of the type of area on the document that the pattern covers.
  • the first level data A defines a region of the total defined area of pattern space, in this case a company area of pattern space that has been allocated to a particular company.
  • the second level data B identifies a smaller area within the region, in this case an instance area within the company area, that is allocated to a particular document or document instance used by the company.
  • the third level data C identifies still smaller area within the second level area, in this case a functional area on the document, such as a check box, writing area or drawing area.
  • the fourth level data D identifies a position within the third level functional area.
  • This arrangement makes processing of the pen stroke data produced simple, as the pen stroke data clearly identifies information, such as the company and document identity, which is needed to process the pen stroke data.
  • the last two of the 1 8 bits derived from each area can be used, at least in the third level data C, to identify the type of functional area that it identifies. For example they can be used to identify the functional area as a check box, a drawing area, a writing area.
  • This can be used by the application processing the pen strokes, or by the pen to alter the way in which the pen strokes are recorded. For example if the pen stroke is made in a check box, the exact shape of the pen stoke is not important, whereas for writing areas where character recognition algorithms will be used, the exact shape of the pen stroke is more important and needs to be recorded.
  • the frequency at which the first, second, third and fourth level areas 250, 252, 254, 256 need to appear within a particular pattern area depends on the expected type of pen strokes in that area. However, in this embodiment, for each pen stroke it is only required that each of these levels of pattern area is detected once. Therefore possible arrangements are to have one of each of the first, second and third level areas 250, 252, 254 in each square block of 9 pattern areas, with the remaining areas being low level areas 256.
  • the different levels of data can be arranged less functionally.
  • a three level system could be used with the high level data identifying a large area of pattern space, the medium level data the relative position of a region within that area, and the low level data a relative position within the region.
  • the high level data could identify the book, the medium level data the page, and the low level data the position on the page. Allocation of different areas of pattern space to different users, documents and document areas would then be separate from the divisions defined by the different levels of data.
  • Use of the pattern of Figure 8 has the advantage that the camera 14 in the pen 8 only needs to be able to image nine grid intersections in each frame.
  • This can be utilised in two ways.
  • One is, for a given pen with a given imaging area, lo increase the grid spacing, e.g. to 0.6mm and the dot offset, and the dot size, for example to 0.2mm. This can reduce the likelihood of failure to read the pattern in any one image frame.
  • Another is again to increase the grid spacing, for example to 0.6mm, and optionally also the dot offset, but to maintain the same dot size, for example 0.1mm. This means that for a given area of the document 2, the sum of the areas of the dots will be less. This reduces the greying of the document, as seen by the human eye, resulting from the dot pattern.
  • the system for reading the pattern of Figure 8 is the same as the system of Figure 1, except that the processor 18 is programmed differently to interpret the different pattern.
  • the camera captures images of the pattern at step 902 and stores them in the memory 22 with a time stamp.
  • the processor 18 analyses each image to detect whether one of the pattern areas 251 can be identified within it. If it can, then the unique sequence of 1 6 bits associated with that area is determined at step 904. From that sequence, two of the bits, for example the first two bits, are read at step 906 to determine which level of the positional code the remaining bits relate to, i.e. whether it is of the first, second, third or fourth level.
  • a very simple system for producing printed documents having the position identifying pattern of Figure 8 on them comprises a personal computer (PC) 200 and a printer 202.
  • the PC 200 has a screen 204, a keyboard 206 and a mouse 208 connected to it to provide a user interface 209 as shown generally in Figure 11.
  • the PC 200 comprises a processor 210 and a pattern allocation module 212 which is a software module stored in memory.
  • the PC 200 further comprises a printer driver 214, which is a further software module, and a memory 216 having electronic documents 218 stored in it.
  • the user interface 209 allows a user to interact with the PC 200.
  • the pattern allocation module 212 includes a definition of which pattern areas are allocated to which company in the first level pattern, which pattern areas are allocated to which document in the second level pattern, and which pattern areas are allocated to which document areas in the third level pattern. It also includes a definition, for each document area, of the required layout, including grid and dot spacings and relative positions, of the different level pattern areas 250, 252, 254, 256.
  • the processor 210 retrieves an electronic document 21 8 from the memory 21 6 and sends it to the printer driver.
  • the electronic document 218 contains a definition of the content 7, and the areas of the document 2 which are to have the pattern 6 printed on them and their associated function, such as whether they are check boxes or writing or drawing areas.
  • the printer driver 214 identifies the various areas on the document 2 to the pattern allocation module 212 and requests the required pattern from the pattern allocation module 212.
  • the pattern allocation module 212 allocates, for each of the document areas, the correct pattern area in each of the pattern levels, and also the distribution frequency and relative positions for each of the different pattern area levels.
  • the pattern allocation module 212 then generates the pattern 6 for all areas of the document 2 that are to have pattern on them, and communicates the details of the pattern including the positions of all the required dots, back to the printer driver 214.
  • the printer driver 214 then combines the content 7 and the pattern 6 into a single file which contains an image including the pattern and the content, converts the content 7 and the pattern 6 to a format suitable for the printer 202, and sends it to the printer which prints the content 7 and the pattern 6 simultaneously as a single image.
  • the various components of the system can be spread out over a local network or the internet.
  • the pattern allocation module 212 can be provided on a separate internet connected server so that it can be accessed by a number of users.
  • the type of printer that will be required to print the document 2 with the pattern on it will obviously depend on the scale of the pattern.
  • a relatively low resolution printer can be used, such as a 600 dpi (dots per inch) ink jet or laser jet printer.
  • dpi dots per inch
  • the pattern is the same as that of Figure 8 except that, rather than using the dot positions to identify the level of each of the pattern areas 250, 252, 254, 256, the different level pattern areas are printed in different coloured ink. In order for this to be detected the camera in the pen needs to be able to distinguish between the different colours.
  • the pattern 706 is made up of a low level pattern 708 and a high level pattern 710.
  • Each of these patterns is made up using dots 730 on a grid 732 of horizontal and vertical lines 734, 736 meeting at intersections 740, in a similar manner to the pattern of Figure 2.
  • the high and low level patterns also use the same grid spacing, dot size and dot offset.
  • Within the low level pattern 708, each 3x3 area 708 a, 708b of nine dots is sufficient to identify a unique position in the low level pattern space.
  • a 4x4 group of 16 dots is required to uniquely identify the position.
  • the data encoded within the low level areas is such that, for any 3x3 group of dots a data string can be derived, which includes one bit, for example the fist bit which is always a 1 (or always a zero) to identify the group as part of the low level pattern.
  • the corresponding bit of the data string derived in the same way is always the opposite sign. This feature of the pattern can be used to distinguish areas of high and low level pattern. The requirement to produce this distinguishing data can be incorporated into the algorithm that generates the data.
  • the processor 18 in the pen is arranged to analyse each group of 3x3 dots in each image frame and determine whether a high level area of pattern or a low level area of pattern can be identified.
  • the high level and low level data are then combined as in any of the previous embodiments.
  • the camera is arranged to image an area of 6x6 of the dots, there is a high level of redundancy in the images of the low level pattern. Even if no single group of 3x3 dots can be identified, provided the positions of enough dots in the 6x6 image area can be identified, the positions of at least one group of 3x3 dots can be determined. This is because the pattern is continuous over the low level areas and is formed in an ordered pattern. In the high level pattern areas 710 there is less redundancy, as more dots are required to identify a unique position. However, as with previous embodiments, the spacing of the high level pattern areas 710 can be arranged so that the chances of a pen stroke being made without a single high level pattern position being identified are sufficiently low.
  • the pattern in the high level pattern areas 250 is produced on a number of different scales, for example the three scales of Figure 6.
  • the high level areas 250 encode data in two different ways, firstly by the position in pattern space from which their pattern is taken, and secondly by the scale at which that pattern is reproduced on the product.
  • the processor in the pen that reads the pattern is arranged to identify both of these aspects of the pattern areas.
  • This arrangement has the advantage that the same area of pattern space can be rc-uscd in a number of different high level pattern areas, and these areas can be distinguished from each other by the pen.
  • just one parameter of its scale can be varied to allow re-use of pattern area.
  • the dot size or the dot offset could be given a range of different values, each of which can be distinguished by the pen.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Image Analysis (AREA)
  • Image Processing (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un système de détection d'un motif d'identification de position sur un produit permettant de suivre un mouvement sur le produit. Ledit système comprend un moyen (12) de détection destiné à lire une séquence de zones successives du motif, et un processeur (18) destiné à identifier chacune des zones du motif comme zone de motif supérieure identifiant une zone d'espace du motif, ou comme zone de motif inférieure définissant une position relative dans l'espace du motif dans une desdites zones.
PCT/EP2005/050306 2004-01-30 2005-01-25 Produits presentant un motif d'identification de position WO2005076194A2 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GBGB0402021.0A GB0402021D0 (en) 2004-01-30 2004-01-30 Products with position identification pattern
GB0402021.0 2004-01-30

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2005076194A2 true WO2005076194A2 (fr) 2005-08-18
WO2005076194A3 WO2005076194A3 (fr) 2006-01-05

Family

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/EP2005/050306 WO2005076194A2 (fr) 2004-01-30 2005-01-25 Produits presentant un motif d'identification de position

Country Status (2)

Country Link
GB (1) GB0402021D0 (fr)
WO (1) WO2005076194A2 (fr)

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2002042989A1 (fr) * 2000-11-25 2002-05-30 Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd Dispositif detecteur
WO2002058029A2 (fr) * 2000-11-29 2002-07-25 Sekendur Oral F Determination optique de position sur une surface quelconque

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2002042989A1 (fr) * 2000-11-25 2002-05-30 Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd Dispositif detecteur
WO2002058029A2 (fr) * 2000-11-29 2002-07-25 Sekendur Oral F Determination optique de position sur une surface quelconque

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2005076194A3 (fr) 2006-01-05
GB0402021D0 (en) 2004-03-03

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