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US 6,689,966 B2Granted
System and method for determining positional information
AssigneeAnoto AB
InventorLinus Wiebe
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AssigneeAnoto AB
InventorLinus Wiebe
Estimating the term…
A product has a surface having with a position-coding pattern that codes a plurality of positions on the surface. The position-coding pattern includes a plurality of symbols each having at least two different values. Each position on the surface being coded with a plurality of symbols. Each symbol including a raster point in a raster extending over the surface, and at least one marking, the location of which in relation to the raster point specifies the value of the symbol. The markings can include information representing more than one spatial resolution level and varying between different markings. The position-coding pattern can be used in different contexts for position determination such as digitizing handwriting.
A product comprising:
A program, stored on a computer-readable medium, for determining a position of a partial surface on a principle surface having a position-coding pattern comprised of a plurality of symbols, wherein each symbol includes a raster point and at least one marking, said program comprising instructions for
A system comprising:
A system comprising:
A method for determining the position of a partial surface on a principle surface having a position-coding pattern that includes a plurality of symbols, wherein each symbol includes a raster point and at least one marking, said method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
With detection of two-dimensional [2D] relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D…
In co-operation with a patterned surface, e.g. absolute position or relative movement detection for an optical mouse or pen positioned with…: by…
Otherwise than by punching: by printing code marks
Image acquisition: using hand-held instruments
Term ended 2 Sep 2021 (estimated)
The present invention relates to pattern recognition and specifically relates to devices and methods relating to surfaces having a coding pattern available for analysis.
In many contexts, it is desirable to be able to determine an absolute position on a surface. One example is in the digitization of drawings. Another example is when it is desirable to produce an electronic version of handwritten information. In these and other contexts in which position determination is performed, it is often desirable to use a computer program in cooperation with an input device to carry out calculations related to position determination.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,434, for example, discloses a device for determining an absolute position. The device includes a writing surface having a position-coding pattern used to determine X/Y coordinates, a detector for detecting the position-coding pattern and a processor for determining the position of the detector in relation to the writing surface based on the detected position-coding pattern. The device makes it possible for a user to input handwritten and hand-drawn information into a computer at the same time as the information is written/drawn on the writing surface.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one embodiment of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the objects, advantages, and principles of the invention. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 schematically shows an embodiment of a product according to the present invention which is provided with a position-coding pattern;
FIGS. 2a-2d schematically show how the symbols can be configured in an embodiment of the invention;
According to the systems and methods consistent with the present invention, position information and position-related information may be separated in that the markings of the symbols contain different types of information depending on which spatial resolution may be taken into consideration. In a first spatial resolution level, the markings of the symbols are only used for specifying position information. By taking into consideration further spatial resolution levels that are higher than the first one, further information can be coded and retrieved from the markings. An obvious advantage of this separation of information into different spatial resolution levels may be that, even if reading the markings entails loss of detail information, at least the information that has been stored with the lowest spatial resolution, i.e. the existence of the markings itself, can be utilized.
Symbols used with systems and methods consistent with the present invention can be employed for coding any type of information but are advantageously used for coding positions and position-related further information via the markings of the symbols. In the prior art, positions may be coded with a single symbol, which therefore must be rather complex. With the invention, each position may be coded with a plurality of symbols. Each individual symbol can thus be made less complex and thus simpler to detect with higher reliability.
Further, a symbol may be used and the value may be specified by the location of a marking in relation to a raster point. There may be one type of symbol for each value. The raster and/or the raster points can be implemented on the surface. In a preferred embodiment, however, the raster and the raster points may be virtual. Thus, the raster may not be marked on the surface at all but may only constitute an imaginary raster that forms the base of the coding but which can be located on the basis of the location of the markings.