An interactive graphics system includes a touch-sensitive controller having a number of semi-transparent light-diffusing panels imaged by a rear mounted imaging device such as a video camera. The imaging device is arranged to detect the shadows of objects, such as fingers, touching any of the panels. The camera can simultaneously to detect multiple touch points on the panels resulting from the touch of multiple fingers, which facilitates the detection of input gestures. The panel and the position on the panel touched can be determined by the position of the shadow on the video image. As the imaging device is only required to detect the existence of shadows on the panels, only a two-dimensional image must be processed. However, since the imaging device can image multiple panels simultaneously, a multi-dimensional input signal can be provided. Further, as this image is of high contrast, only light/dark areas must be differentiated for greatly simplified image processing.
REFERENCE TO ORIGINAL APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of patent application Ser. No. 07/837,371 filed Feb. 14, 1992 now abandoned.
A method of detecting and interpreting a path of designated positions is disclosed. The method concurrently detects a plurality of designated positions on a touch panel, again detects the plurality of designated positions subsequent to a travel of the designated positions, determines the distances between each of the current designated positions and the respective immediately preceding designated positions, treats an immediately preceding designated position, closest to the current designated position of interest, as the immediately preceding designated position of the current designated position of interest, and acquires the path of each designated position, thereby recognizing the paths of the plurality of designated positions that move concurrently. A combination of the paths of the plurality of designated positions is interpreted to identify a designation input by a user, and an operation thus designated is executed.
An arrangement for the optical remote control of an apparatus such as a data terminal, an online bill payment terminal, movement surveillance equipment or the like, employing the palm of a hand or a finger of an operator as a control includes a light transmitter part in which there are several sources of light. The light from each of the sources of light of the light transmitter travel through a first collector member to a presumed keyboard in which a keyboard layout is arranged. Each presumed key in the keyboard layout is connected to at least one source of light in the transmitter part. The image of the source of light is visible at the location of the relevant presumed key. Also provided is a light receiver part and a second collector member through which the image of the source of light at the key in question, travels to the receiver part. A processor controls the operation of the light transmitter part. Each source of light is timed to light up in turn as part of a group and/or separately so that when the finger or palm of the hand is at the position of a presumed key, the light coming from the source of light is reflected from it through the second collector member to the receiver part. The processor recognizes the moment when the various sources of light are on, and on the basis of data relating to the moment of reception of the light arriving at the receiver, it recognizes which key is in operation.
A terminal including a touch-screen display configured to be touched by a user, and a controller configured to determine a number of simultaneous touches on the touch-screen and to perform a function based on the determined number of simultaneous touches.
A system and method for turning a regular computer monitor screen into a touch screen using an ordinary camera. It includes an image-screen mapping procedure to correct for the non-flatness of the computer screen. It also includes a segmentation method to distinguish the foreground, for example an indicator such as a finger, from the background of a computer screen. Additionally, this system and method includes a robust technique of finding the tip point location of the indicator (such as the finger tip). The screen coordinates of the tip point are then used to control the position of the system indicator.
A multi-user collaborative circular graphical user interface for displaying items includes a transformation engine responsive to external command, such as mouse clicks, for generating polar coordinates for the items, an asynchronous rendering engine for generating images of the items according to the polar coordinates, and a thread switching engine for controlling the rendering engine.
