Easily deployable interactive direct-pointing system and presentation control system and calibration method therefor

A method for controlling a computer display cursor in an interaction region, comprising:

• establishing a calibration point having a predetermined relation to said interaction region;
• first measuring at least one of a position and orientation of a pointing line while directing said pointing line to substantially pass through said calibration point, the first measurement used to constrain a parameter of said calibration point, the pointing line having a predetermined relationship to at least one of position and orientation of a pointing device;
• using a characteristic feature of said interaction region to establish a property of a common point of said pointing line and said interaction region measured relative to said interaction region;
• measuring at least one of position and orientation of the pointing device;
• and
• using the characteristic feature of said interaction region and measurement of the pointing device to control the cursor on a computer display image.

A method for controlling a parameter related to position of a cursor on a computer screen image, comprising:

• measuring a first angle between a pointing line and a first line;
• measuring a second angle between said pointing line and a second line, said first line being related in a predetermined way to a geographic reference, said second line being related in a predetermined way to a geographic reference, said pointing line having a predetermined relation to said pointing device, and
• using a first parameter related to the first angle, and a second parameter related to the second angle to control the parameter of said cursor on said computer screen image,
• whereby said cursor position parameter is controlled by movement of said pointing device.

A pointing device for controlling a feature on an image generated by a computer, comprising:

• a handheld enclosure having a predetermined relation to a pointing line;
• a sensing device for generating first data indicative of a first spatial state of said enclosure while the pointing line is directed at a first calibration point, said first calibration point having a predetermined relation to the image, and for generating second data indicative of a second spatial state of said enclosure while the pointing line is directed at a non-calibration point on the image;
• and
• a communication element coupled to said sensing device for providing control data to the computer for controlling the feature on the image, said control data being based on said first data and said second data,
• wherein the feature on the image can be controlled based on the relation between the first spatial state and the second spatial state of said enclosure.

An apparatus for determining a spatial relation between a computer generated image and a user-wielded pointing device, comprising:

• a sensing device for generating first calibration data indicative of a first spatial state of the pointing device, said sensing device being at least partly contained in the pointing device;
• a user input device to indicate that the pointing device is located at a first position and directed towards a first point, said first point having a predetermined relation to the image;
• and
• a processor coupled to said sensing device and said user input device and programmed to use said first calibration data to determine the spatial relation between the image and the pointing device located at said first position,
• wherein the spatial relation is provided to control a feature on the image.

An apparatus for controlling a feature on an image generated by a computer, comprising:

• a handheld enclosure including a sensing device which provides data;
• a user input device to indicate that said enclosure is being directed towards a first calibration point, said first calibration point having a predetermined relation to the image;
• and
• a processor coupled to said sensing device and said user input device and programmed to provide control data for controlling the feature on the image, said processor using data provided by said sensing device to develop first calibration data related to said enclosure being directed towards said first calibration point and non-calibration data related to said enclosure being directed towards a non-calibration point, said processor further using said first calibration data and said non-calibration data to develop said control data.

An apparatus for controlling a feature on an image generated by a computer, comprising:

• a handheld enclosure including a sensing device which provides data;
• a user input device for collecting first calibration data indicating that said enclosure is directed towards a first calibration point, said first calibration point having a predetermined relation to the image;
• and
• a processor coupled to said sensing device and said user input device and programmed to provide control data for controlling the feature on the image, said processor using said first calibration data and data provided by said sensing device while the enclosure is being directed at other than said first calibration point to develop said control data.

A computer-readable medium or media storing computer-executable instructions for directing a computer to perform a method for controlling a feature on an image generated by a computer using a handheld enclosure which has a pointing line having a predetermined relation with the enclosure and a sensing device which provides sensor data, the method comprising:

• determining a first spatial state of the enclosure while the pointing line is directed at a first calibration point, said first calibration point having a predetermined relation to the image, based on received sensor data;
• determining a second spatial state of the enclosure while the pointing line is directed at a non-calibration point on the image based on received sensor data;
• and
• controlling the feature on the image based on the relation between the first spatial state and the second spatial state of the enclosure.

A computer-readable medium or media storing computer-executable instructions for directing a computer to perform a method for controlling a feature on an image generated by a computer using a handheld pointing device which has a sensing device which provides sensor data and a user input device to indicate that the pointing device is directed at a point, the method comprising:

• determining a first spatial state of the pointing device based on received sensor data when the user input device indicates that the pointing device is located at a first position and directed towards a first point, said first point having a predetermined relation to the image;
• and
• determining the spatial relation between the image and the pointing device located at said first position based on the first spatial state;
• and
• controlling the feature on the image based on the first spatial state and the spatial relation.

A computer-readable medium or media storing computer-executable instructions for directing a computer to perform a method for controlling a feature on an image generated by a computer using a handheld enclosure which has a sensing device which provides sensor data and a user input device to indicate that the pointing device is directed at a point, the method comprising:

• determining first calibration data when the user input device indicates that the enclosure is being directed towards a first calibration point, said first calibration point having a predetermined relation to the image, based on received sensor data;
• determining non-calibration data when the enclosure is being directed towards a non-calibration point on the image based on received sensor data;
• and
• controlling the feature on the image based on said first calibration data and said non-calibration data.