System and method for a virtual multi-touch mouse and stylus apparatus

A system for use with at least one object, comprising:

• virtual mouse device that includes:
• a light source mounted in a housing, the light source structured to continuously emit or pulse a thin fan beam of a specific frequency of light above a surface of interest;
• a single sensor mounted in the housing, the single sensor having an optical lens structured to have a field of view that intersects the thin fan beam of light to define a virtual working area, and an optical filter, the sensor structured to detect at least one object breaking the thin fan beam of light in the working area and to capture a plurality of images of the at least one object in the working area, each image of the plurality of images having a plurality of pixels in rows and columns;
• and
• a processor structured to generate a column histogram of each image by averaging pixel intensity values for each column of pixels, determine at least one span of contiguous columns of average pixel intensity values that exceed a threshold column average pixel intensity value, determine at least one spike of average pixel intensity values in the span of contiguous columns, generate a row histogram of each image by averaging pixel intensity values for each row of pixels, determine at least one span on contiguous rows of average pixel intensity values that exceed a threshold row average pixel intensity value, determine at least one spike of average pixel intensity values in the span of contiguous rows, determine coordinates of the at least one object breaking the plane of light in the working area from the at least one spike of average intensity values in the span of contiguous columns and the at least one spike of average intensity values in the span of contiguous rows, and to generate an output signal in response to the detection of the at least one object in the working area.