Cursor positioning method by a handheld camera

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(11)

EP 2 042 970 A8

(12)	CORRECTED EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION
	Note: Bibliography reflects the latest situation

(15)	Correction information:
	Corrected version no 1 (W1 A1)

(48)	Corrigendum issued on:
	24.06.2009 Bulletin 2009/26

(43)	Date of publication:
	01.04.2009 Bulletin 2009/14

(21)	Application number: 07023577.5

(22)	Date of filing: 05.12.2007

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International Patent Classification (IPC):

G06F 3/03^(2006.01)

G06F 3/033^(2006.01)

(84)	Designated Contracting States:
	AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MT NL PL PT RO SE SI SK TR
	Designated Extension States:
	AL BA HR MK RS

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Priority:

29.09.2007 CN 200710151799

(71)	Applicants:
	TOPSEED TECHNOLOGY CORP. Chung Ho City, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan 235 (TW) Iotech Co., Ltd. Zhongzheng District Taipei City 100 (TW)

(72)	Inventors:
	Chen, Jyh-Horng Zhongzheng District Taipei city 100 (TW) Ho, Chien-Chang Zhongzheng District Taipei city 100 (TW) Lin, Yuan-Pin Zhongzheng District Taipei city 100 (TW)

(74)	Representative: Epping - Hermann - Fischer
	Patentanwaltsgesellschaft mbH Postfach 20 07 34 80007 München 80007 München (DE)

(54)	Cursor positioning method by a handheld camera

(57) A method for positioning a cursor on a computer screen by a handheld camera shooting continuous images to detect movements of user's hand is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, the camera is disposed in a handheld device such as laser pointer. The camera shoots a set of serial images of a locale scene and instantly sends to a computer. The computer selects particular feature spots within a first image and records their positions in the image. The computer then search the feature spots in a second image next to the first image. If one of the feature spots can be searched out, a movement of the handheld device can be obtained by calculating relatively positional change of the feature spot in between the two images. The computer can drive the cursor to move correspondingly. If no feature spots can be searched out, the computer abandons the selected feature spots and then selects new feature spots in the second image and search the new feature spots in a third image.