Smart Technologies Ulc

Smart Technologies Inc.

David Holmgren

Gerald D Morrison

Grant Howard McGibney

Douglas Blair Hill

Daniel McReynolds

Scott Yu Tseng Su

Alex Chtchetinine

Yun Zhang

Erik Murray Benner

Gregory Forrest

Sean Thompson

Robbie Rattray

Clinton Lam

Lawrence Bruce Hewitt

Peter Shivkumar

Nicole Martin

Cameron Taylor

Yunqiu (Rachel) Wang

Grant Mcgibney

Brian Howse

Patrick Marcil

Ye Zhou

Brinda Kabada

Alexis Guillemin

Dmitry Elman

Rob Barton

Dimitry Elman

The present invention relates to a method and system for determining an optical property of a pointer used in an interactive touch system. The interactive device having a touch area; a plurality of emitters on the periphery of the touch area; the emitters emitting an intensity of light into the touch area; a plurality of pointers having a distinct optical property responsive to the light; at least one detector having a field of view of the touch area. The processing structure, in communication with the emitters and the at least one detector, executes instructions from a memory to: transmit an emitter signal to at least one of the emitters initiating emission of light at the first frequency; receive at least one detector signal from the at least one detector; and determine the distinct optical property from the at least one detector signal.

System and method of pointer detection for interactive input

The present invention relates to a method and system of improved pointer recognition. A camera-based interactive system has two cameras with fields of view observing an interactive surface. A processor receives a plurality of video frames from the cameras and recognizes a pointer within the video frames. Motion blur of the pointer is compensated to determine the pointer type from the compensated frames using a model-based approach.

System and method of object recognition for an interactive input system

A method for generally continuously calibrating an interactive input system, the interactive input system comprising at least two imaging devices having fields of view encompassing a region of interest, at least one of the imaging devices calibrated using a projection matrix having an associated quality metric, the method comprises estimating new values for parameters of the projection matrix based on a plurality of computed locations of at least one pointer brought into proximity with the region of interest; calculating a new quality metric using the new parameter values; and if the new quality metric is more accurate than the existing quality metric, updating the projection matrix using the new parameter values.

Method for generally continuously calibrating an interactive input system

An illumination assembly for an interactive input system (), comprises at least one imaging device () capturing image frames of a region of interest; a plurality of illumination sources () associated with the imaging device and being located at different positions relative to the imaging device, the illumination sources providing illumination to the region of interest; and a controller () communicating with the illumination sources, the controller conditioning the illumination sources so that the illumination sources provide illumination to the region of interest in succession, the timing of image frame capture by the imaging device being coordinated with the illumination pattern of the illumination sources.

Interactive system with successively activated illumination sources

A method for adjusting the position of a light curtain emitted by an illumination assembly over a surface, comprises determining a position of the light curtain; calculating a difference between the determined position of the light curtain and a desired position of the light curtain; and adjusting the position of the illumination assembly based on the calculated difference.

Interactive input system and method

A camera-based touch system () includes a passive touch surface () and at least two cameras () associated with the touch surface. The at least two cameras () have overlapping fields of view (FOV) encompassing the touch surface. The at least two cameras () acquire images of the touch surface from different locations and generate image data. A processor () receives and processes image data generated by the at least two cameras to determine the location of the pointer relative to the touch surface when the pointer is captured in images acquired by the at least two cameras. Actual pointer contact with the touch surface and pointer hover above the touch surface can be determined.

Camera-based touch system

A pen tool for use with a machine vision interactive input system comprises an elongate body and a tip arrangement at one end of the body, an end surface of the body at least partially about the tip arrangement carrying light reflective material that is visible to at least one imaging assembly of the interactive input system when the pen tool is angled.

Interactive input system and pen tool therefor

A method for resolving ambiguities between at least two pointers in a plurality of input regions defining an input area of an interactive input system. The method includes capturing images of the plurality of input regions, the images captured by a plurality of imaging devices having a field of view of at least a portion of the input area, processing image data from the images to identify a plurality of targets for the at least two pointers within the input area, and analyzing the plurality of targets to resolve a real location associated with each pointer.

Interactive input system

A method of determining locations of at least two pointers in a captured image frame comprises generating a vertical intensity profile (VIP) from the captured image frame, the VIP comprising peaks generally corresponding to the at least two pointers; determining if the peaks are closely spaced and, if the peaks are closely spaced, fitting a curve to the VIP; analyzing the fitted curve to determine peak locations of the fitted curve; and registering the peak locations as the pointer locations.

A touch system comprises overlapping coordinate input sub-regions defining a generally contiguous input surface. Each coordinate input sub-region generates pointer coordinate data in response to pointer contacts thereon. When a pointer contact is made on a region of a coordinate input sub-region that overlaps with an adjacent coordinate input sub-region, each overlapping coordinate input sub-region processes acquired images to derive pointer data and triangulates the position of the pointer using the derived pointer data. Thereafter, the triangulated positions generated by the overlapping coordinate input sub-regions are processed in accordance with defined logic thereby to determine the position of the pointer contact relative to the touch surface.

Pointer tracking across multiple overlapping coordinate input sub-regions defining a generally contiguous input region

A touch system comprises a touch surface and at least one camera acquiring images of the touch surface. A pointer contact data generator generates pointer position data in response to pointer contact with the touch surface, the pointer position data representing where on the touch surface pointer contact is made. A processor communicates with the at least one camera and the pointer contact data generator. The processor analyzes acquired images to determine the type of pointer used to contact the touch surface, and processes the pointer position data in accordance with the determined type of pointer. In the preferred embodiment the processor distinguishes between pointer tip touch surface contacts, pointer backend touch surface contacts and finger touch surface contacts. A writing function is invoked in response to pointer tip touch surface contacts. An erase function is invoked in response to pointer backend touch surface contacts. Mouse events are generated in response to finger touch surface contacts.

System and method for differentiating between pointers used to contact touch surface

A method of inhibiting a subject's eyes from being exposed to projected light when the subject is positioned in front of a background on which an image is displayed comprises capturing at least one image of the background including the displayed image, processing the captured image to detect the existence of the subject and to locate generally the subject and masking image data used by the projector to project the image corresponding to a region that encompasses at least the subject's eyes.

Method and apparatus for inhibiting a subject's eyes from being exposed to projected light

A method of inhibiting a subject's eyes from being exposed to projected light when the subject is positioned in front of a background on which an image is displayed comprises capturing an image of the background including the displayed image, processing the captured image to detect the existence of the subject and to locate generally the subject and masking image data used by the projector to project the image corresponding to a region that encompasses at least the subject's eyes, the image data masking compensating for differing camera and projector viewpoints.

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Calgary, Canada

David Holmgren