Kabushikikaisha Wacom

Wacom Co., Ltd.

Yasuji Ogawa

Yuji Katsurahira

Hideo Yoichi

An optical digitizer is constructed for determining a position of a pointing object projecting a light and being disposed on a coordinate plane. In the optical digitizer, a detector is disposed on a periphery of the coordinate plane and has a view field covering the coordinate plane for receiving the light projected from the pointing object and for converting the received light into an electric signal. A processor is provided for processing the electric signal fed from the detector to compute coordinates representing the position of the pointing object. A collimator is disposed to limit the view field of the detector below a predetermined height relative to the coordinate plane such that through the limited view field the detector can receive only a parallel component of the light which is projected from the pointing object substantially in parallel to the coordinate plane. A shield is disposed to enclose the periphery of the coordinate plane to block a noise light other than the projected light from entering into the limited view field of the detector.

Stylus for optical digitizer

Optical digitizer and display means for providing display of indicated

A digitizer for use as an input device for a computer system is provided. The digitizer is of the passive type, having a coordinate board for use as an input board which does not include any power sources or active circuit elements. In the coordinate board there is configured a plurality of resonant loop coils along each of two coordinate axes, whose resonant frequencies are mutually different. A position indicating device, exemplified by a hand-held pointer, includes an antenna coil electromagnetically coupled with any of the loop coils disposed in the coordinate board. AC power supplied to the antenna coil has a frequency which is varied to match the resonant frequencies of each of the plurality of loop coils. An AC signal generated by the induction effect due to the electromagnetic coupling is generated in the antenna coil, is outputted to a processing unit, and coordinate values of the position indicating device are calculated based on the output AC signal. Further, a method for detecting positions performed in the digitizer is described.

Digitizer and method of detecting positions

A range imaging device such as a distance camera is improved by incorporating an oscillator to generate a reference signal, a light source to emit a light modulated in accordance with the reference signal and to project the light onto a three-dimensional target. A condenser lens collects and condenses a secondary light reflected by the target and projects the secondary light onto a gating image intensifier, which selectively gates the secondary light in synchronism with a pair of out-of-phase gate signals generated in accordance with the reference signal. Range information contained in the secondary light is extracted by the gating process. A CCD camera receives the gated secondary light and produces a corresponding image signal which is processed to produce a range image of the target.

Distance camera device having light gate for extracting distance

A position detecting apparatus is equipped with a sense section including a plurality of loop coils arranged parallel to each other along a position detecting direction. The plurality of loop coils are selected in turn by an electric-wave transmission unit to transmit an electric wave. The apparatus is further provided with a position pointing section having a resonance circuit composed of at least one coil and a capacitor. A time-measuring device measures a time period elapsed until a signal developing in the resonance circuit reaches a predetermined level after the electric-wave transmission unit starts the electric-wave transmission.

Position detecting apparatus and position pointing device including

An information input apparatus inputs information into a machine. An implement is manually operable to vary either of a position and a direction of the implement relative to a reference point. At least one light source is disposed at one of the implement and the reference point for transmitting an optical ray to the other of the implement and the reference point. A detector is disposed at the other of the implement and the reference point for receiving the optical ray to detect a physical variation of either of the position and the direction of the implement so as to input displacement information representative of an incremental/decremental amount into the machine according to the detected physical variation. The detector has a periodic pattern for spatially modulating the optical ray to form a periodic image which shifts in response to the physical variation of the implement. An image sensor of the detector has an array of pixels for capturing the shifting periodical image to output a corresponding periodic signal. A processor is provided for processing the periodic signal to extract therefrom the physical variation of the implement to thereby form the displacement information which is fed to the machine.

Manual implement for inputting incremental information by attitude

A light spot position measuring apparatus includes a television camera for capturing an image of an object to be measured and an image processing unit. At least two cylindrical lens surfaces are provided in addition to an objective lens of the television camera so as to convert a light spot included in the object to be measured into linear images intersecting each other. The linear images are projected onto an image pickup face of the television camera which produces a corresponding image data. The image processing unit, processes the image data to extract corresponding straight lines. The unit further derives an intersection point of the straight lines and determines a position of the light spot in terms of the derived intersection point. The cylindrical lens surfaces have their cylinder axes which intersect each other. When a pair of the cylindrical lens surfaces having their cylinder axes intersecting orthogonal to each other are provided, a cross-shaped linear image is obtained. The cylindrical lens surfaces may be formed on a single lens or on separate lenses, respectively.

Light spot position measuring apparatus having orthogonal cylindrical

A light spot position measuring method uses an optical converter such as a cylindrical lens, a two-dimensional image pickup device such as a CCD image sensor and an image processing or computing unit. The cylindrical lens converts a light spot to a linear image intersecting a reference axis direction. The image sensor captures the linear image and produces corresponding pixel data. The computing unit processes the pixel data and derives a position of the light spot along the reference axis direction. In the light spot position measuring method, an orthogonal coordinate system is first set relative to a pixel array of the image sensor. The coordinate system has main and auxiliary axes orthogonal to each other. Subsequently, the linear image is projected to be inclined relative to the coordinate system with an angle of the linear image relative to the auxiliary axis smaller than that relative to the main axis. Subsequently, the pixel data is processed to effect linear-approximation of the linear image to derive a corresponding straight line. Further, another one-dimensional position of the straight line in a direction of the main axis is detected in terms of a one-dimensional position in a direction of the auxiliary axis by a magnified scale. Finally, the position of the light spot is derived based on a result of the detection of the one-dimensional position of the straight line. This measuring method may also be applied to derivation of a two-dimensional position of the light spot.

Light spot position measuring method of detecting one-dimensional

In an optical position detecting method, a light beam is intensity-modulated with a given periodic waveform, and is then emitted from an object light source. An image sensor captures an image of the light source and stores corresponding image data per pixel. Subsequently, the image sensor is accessed successively at least four times at a pitch which is less than 1/4 of that of the periodic waveform, so as to read the image data per pixel to form a time-sequential data. Subsequently, a scalar product computation of the time-sequential data is executed using a reference waveform which is asynchronous with the periodic waveform while having a period relatively close to the period of the periodic waveform, so as to derive first scalar data. Another scalar product computation of the time-sequential data is further executed using an orthogonal waveform which is out of phase by 90.degree. relative to the reference waveform, so as to derive second scalar data. Finally, an image processing is performed using the first and second scalar data so as to extract a position of the light source.

Optical position detecting method using asynchronous modulation of light

An optical position detecting unit which includes: an image pickup device having a pixel array region, an imaging lens for forming an image of a light-emitting point, a converging lens for converging light come from the light-emitting point image formed by the imaging lens onto the pixel array region, a pattern member having a pattern which contains code information uniquely corresponding to the position of the light-emitting point and disposed on a path of light from the light-emitting point and at a position near the light-emitting point image, and a signal processing unit for extracting information of the position of the light-emitting point by using code information contained in an image of the pattern projected onto the pixel array region of the image pickup device on the basis of image data generated by the image of the projected pattern.

Optical position detecting unit and optical coordinate input unit

A stylus which has a pressure sensitive arrangement for reliably sensing a depressing force although the stylus being slantingly disposed, by using inductance change generated from an interval displacement between a moveable magnetic body and a fixed magnetic body, which has a coil wounded around thereof and is disposed at a predetermined distance from said moveable magnetic body. The arrangement has a pen tip member having a contact portion for receiving the pen pressure; an elastic material member disposed between the moveable and fixed magnetic bodies; a first supporting device disposed to hold the position of the fixed magnetic body against a depressing pressure; and a second supporting device for supporting the depressing member in a condition established when the rear end plane of the moveable magnetic body and the front end plane of the fixed magnetic body are placed with each other in a parellel position by receiving the depressing pressure.

Pressure sensitive stylus pen

An information input system inputs pointing information by a slight movement of an input implement held in an operator's hand. The information input system is a combination of an input implement 11 which is manually operated relative to a predetermined reference point to change an attitude thereof, and a detector for optically detecting the attitude of the input implement 11 using light as a detecting medium, in which information according to the manual operation is input to a television set 1 by utilizing the above attitude detection. At the reference point on the television set 1, a light emitting diode 6 is arranged to emit incident light 7 toward the input, implement 11. On the other hand, the detector is provided with an image forming portion, a light-receiving portion and a processing portion, and is integratedly incorporated into the input implement 11 so as to receive the incident light 7 emitted from the light emitting diode 6. The image forming portion converts the incident light 7 emitted from the light emitting diode 6 into a spot image or a pattern image to be projected on the light-receiving portion. The light-receiving portion then outputs electric signals according to positions of the spot image or the pattern image corresponding to the attitude of the input implement 11. The processing portion finally processes the electric signals to extract the attitude of the input implement 11, and transmits the extracted attitude to the television set 1 as input information. This transmission uses modulated infrared-light 10 as a medium.

Information input system by attitude detection of manual implement

An optical position detector is provided with an image forming member 1, a scale plate 2, and an image pickup 3, which are disposed sequentially along an optical axis in the order mentioned, and a position computing unit 10 connected to the image pickup 3. The scale plate 2 has a plurality of pattern elements arranged periodically along a front coordinate plane perpendicularly intersecting the optical axis. The image forming member 1 condenses a light beam emitted from an object point 4 and converts the same into a reference light converging into an image forming point and, at the same time, spot-illuminates a part, of the scale plate 2 with the reference light, and projects a certain pattern element in a magnified scale. The image pickup 3 has a light receiving surface disposed along a rear coordinate plane perpendicularly intersecting the optical axis and picks up the shadow of the pattern clement projected in the magnified scale and outputs corresponding image data. The position computing unit 10 processes the image data and derives rear coordinate value of the shadow of the projected pattern element, and further determines a position of the image forming point on the basis of the rear coordinate value of the shadow and a front coordinate value of the certain pattern element, and thereby determines the position of the object point on the basis of the position of the image forming point.

Optical position detector having scale pattern spot-illuminated to

An optical position detecting unit is configured by an image pickup unit for detecting the intensity of light, a pattern member disposed in the front of the image pickup unit and on a light path of the light and having a specific pattern, and a signal processing unit for extracting information with respect to the distance in the direction of a normal line of a pixel array region of the image pickup unit between a light-emitting source and the image pickup unit on the basis of signals with respect to the specific pattern projected to the pixel array. A distance between the pattern member and the pixel array of the image pickup unit is required to be known in advance in order to extract the information with respect to the distance. By using only one image pickup unit, the distance to the light-emitting source can be calculated.

Optical position detecting unit, optical coordinate input unit and

An optical position detecting unit comprising: a light-receiving device including a pixel array to form a light-receiving region and for outputting signals with respect to light detected by respective pixels in the pixel array; a pattern member disposed in the front of the light-receiving region of the light-receiving device and having a pattern having a characteristic that an image of the pattern projected onto the light-receiving region by an incident light beam determines the direction of incidence of the light beam univocally; and a signal processing device for extracting information with respect to the direction of incidence of the light beam on the basis of the signals outputted from the respective pixels in the pixel array. The pattern preferably has M-sequence characteristic. Further, an optical coordinate input unit is realized by using: a coordinate detector formed by using at least two optical position detecting units of the type as described above; and a position pointer including a light-emitting portion.

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Otone-machi, Japan

Yasuji Ogawa