Pointing Device Using Camera and Outputting Mark

Abstract

Pointing device like mouse or joystick comprises camera for capturing the display screen and image processing means for recognizing and tracking the pointing cursor icon or mark from the captured image and producing the pointing signal. The pointing device of present invention can be used with any type of display without and additional tracking means like ultra sonic sensor, infrared sensor or touch sensor. The pointing device of present invention includes mark outputting portion, camera portion for capturing the said mark outputting portion and image processing portion for recognizing the said mark outputting portion from the captured image and producing the pointing signal.

1 - 10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . A pointing device comprising: a mark outputting portion for displaying a mark on a monitor; a camera portion for capturing an image of the mark; and an image processing portion for recognizing the mark from the captured image and generating a pointing signal based on the recognized mark,
 wherein the mark is a whole image which is displayed in a monitor, the mark outputting portion includes an image transferring portion which transfers the whole image to the image processing portion, and   the image processing portion detects a region corresponding to the whole image from the captured image, and generates the pointing signal based on a position of the detected region.   
     
     
         12 . The pointing device of  claim 11 , wherein the image processing portion detects a rotation angle of the camera portion by detecting a rotation of the mark included in one captured image, detects a direction of the camera portion towards the monitor by detecting a distortion of the mark and outputs the pointing signal based on the result of detecting the rotation angle and the direction of the camera portion. 
     
     
         13 . A pointing device comprising: a mark outputting portion for displaying a mark on a monitor; a camera portion for capturing an image of the mark; and an image processing portion for recognizing the mark from the captured image and generating a pointing signal based on the recognized mark,
 wherein the mark outputting portion outputs the mark, negative image or complementary color image of the mark and normal image sequentially and repeatedly, and the image processing portion detects the mark from the captured image and generates the pointing signal determined by a position of the mark in the captured image.   
     
     
         14 . A pointing device comprising: a mark outputting portion for displaying a mark on a monitor; a camera portion for capturing an image of the mark; and an image processing portion for recognizing the mark from the captured image and generating a pointing signal based on the recognized mark,
 wherein the mark outputting portion outputs blank image and normal image sequentially and repeatedly, and   the image processing portion detects the whole image from the captured image by detecting non zero pixels from the difference image whose pixel value is a difference between the captured image of a current frame and the captured image of a previous frame.   
     
     
         15 . A pointing device comprising: a mark outputting portion for displaying a mark on a monitor; a camera portion for capturing an image of the mark; and an image processing portion for recognizing the mark from the captured image and generating a pointing signal based on the recognized mark,
 wherein the mark outputting output the mark and normal image sequentially and repeatedly, and   the image processing portion detects the mark from the captured image and generates the pointing signal determined by a position of the mark in the captured image.   
     
     
         16 . A computer-readable recording medium having stored thereon a computer program for executing a pointing method, wherein the pointing method comprising:
 outputting a mark and normal image sequentially and repeatedly;   capturing an image of the mark;   recognizing the mark from the captured image and generating a pointing signal based on the recognized mark.   
     
     
         17 . A computer-readable recording medium having stored thereon a computer program for executing a pointing method, wherein the pointing method comprising:
 receiving a captured image of a mark displayed in a monitor;   recognizing the mark from the captured image; and   generating a pointing signal based on the recognized mark;   wherein the mark is a whole image which is displayed in a monitor, and   the generating of the pointing signal based on the recognized mark comprises:   receiving the whole image;   detecting a region corresponding to the whole image from the captured image; and   generating the pointing signal based on a position of the detected region.