Interactive input system and bezel therefor
View Patent ↗An interactive input system comprises a bezel at least partially surrounding a region of interest. The bezel has a plurality of bands thereon with at least some adjacent bands having different optical properties. At least one imaging device looks into the region of interest and sees the at least one bezel so that acquired images comprise regions corresponding to the bands. Processing structure processes pixels of a plurality of the regions to detect the existence of a pointer in the region of interest.
1. An interactive input system comprising:
a bezel at least partially surrounding a region of interest, a surface of said bezel facing said region of interest having a plurality of generally parallel, longitudinally extending bands thereon with all adjacent bands having different optical properties and wherein said bands comprise at least one band that reflects illumination and at least one band that absorbs illumination, all of said longitudinally extending bands being adapted to be disposed above a display surface within the region of interest;
at least one imaging device looking into said region of interest in a direction substantially orthogonal to the plane of the surface of said longitudinally extending bands and seeing the surface of said at least one bezel so that images acquired by said at least one imaging device comprise regions corresponding to said bands; and
processing structure processing pixels corresponding to the adjacent bands having different optical properties to detect the existence of a pointer in said region of interest, wherein during said processing, said processing structure determines differences between pixel intensity profiles calculated for each of said adjacent bands and compares the pixel intensity profile of each of said adjacent bands to detect at least one discontinuity between adjacent bands.
2. An interactive input system according to claim 1 wherein said at least one band that reflects illumination comprises a band of retro-reflective material.
3. An interactive input system according to claim 2 wherein said at least one band that absorbs illumination comprises a band of infrared light absorbing material.
4. An interactive input system according to claim 1 wherein said at least one band that absorbs illumination comprises a band of infrared light absorbing material.
5. An interactive input system according to claim 3 wherein said bezel comprises at least one generally planar surface on which said bands are provided, the plane of said at least one bezel surface being generally normal to the plane of said display surface.
6. An interactive input system according to claim 5 wherein said bands comprise at least one band that reflects illumination and at least one band that absorbs illumination.
7. An interactive input system according to claim 6 wherein said at least one band that reflects illumination comprises a band of retro-reflective material.
8. An interactive input system according to claim 6 wherein said at least one band that absorbs illumination comprises a band of infrared light absorbing material.
9. An interactive input system according to claim 1 wherein said bezel comprises at least one generally planar surface on which said bands are provided, the plane of said at least one bezel surface of said bezel being generally normal to the plane of said generally planar surface.
10. An interactive input system comprising:
a bezel at least partially surrounding a region of interest, a surface of said bezel facing said region of interest having a plurality of longitudinally extending bands thereon with all adjacent bands having different optical properties and wherein said bands comprise at least one band that reflects illumination and at least one band that absorbs illumination, all of said longitudinally extending bands being adapted to be disposed above a display surface within the region of interest;
at least one imaging device looking into said region of interest in a direction substantially orthogonal to the plane of the surface of said longitudinally extending bands and seeing the surface of said bezel; and
processing structure communicating with said at least one imaging device and processing image data generated by said at least one imaging device corresponding the adjacent bands having different optical properties to detect the existence of a pointer in said region of interest irrespective of pointer type, wherein during said processing, said processing structure processes said image data to determine differences between pixel intensity profiles calculated for each of said adjacent bands and compares the pixel intensity profile of each of said adjacent bands to detect at least one discontinuity between adjacent bands caused by the existence of said pointer.
11. An interactive input system according to claim 10 , wherein the optical properties of said bands are selected from (i) reflective, (ii) retro-reflective, and (iii) radiation absorbing.
12. An interactive input system according to claim 11 wherein said bands are generally horizontal.
13. An interactive input system according to claim 11 wherein said bezel comprises at least one generally planar surface on which said bands are provided, the plane of said at least one bezel surface being generally normal to the plane of said display surface.
14. An interactive input system according to claim 11 wherein said bezel comprises two bands.
15. An interactive input system according to claim 14 wherein said bezel comprises a retro-reflective band and a radiation absorbing band.
16. An interactive input system according to claim 14 wherein said bezel comprises at least three bands.