Patents by Inventor Ming-Tsan Kao

Ming-Tsan Kao has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Optical navigation apparatus and optical navigation method
    Patent number: 9229545
    Abstract: An optical navigation apparatus and an optical navigation method are provided. The optical navigation apparatus includes a light source unit, an image sensing unit, and a processing unit, wherein the processing unit is electrically connected to the light source unit and the image sensing unit. The light source unit generates a beam of light. The image sensing unit captures a plurality of images within a time interval. The processing unit determines that the beam of light is projected onto a touch object according to the images, calculates a piece of displacement information related to the touch object according to the images, generates a comparison result by comparing the piece of displacement information with a threshold, and sets a displacement resolution of the optical navigation apparatus according to the comparison result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: PIXART IMAGING INC.
    Inventors: Yu-Hao Huang, Ming-Tsan Kao, Ren-Hau Gu, Hsin-Chia Chen, Yung-Chang Lin, Tsung-Fa Wang
  • Image sensor and optical touch system including the same
    Patent number: 9229578
    Abstract: An image sensor includes a plurality of light detecting elements. The plurality of light detecting elements are arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, wherein a flat field picture generated by the image sensor, the intensity standard deviation of pixels in each pixel column is greater than that of pixels in any pixel row, or the intensity standard deviation of pixels in each pixel row is greater than that of pixels of any pixel column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: Pixart Imaging Inc.
    Inventors: Chih Hsin Lin, Tzung Min Su, Ming Tsan Kao
  • CMOS image sensor with shared multiplexer and method of operating the same
    Patent number: 9223444
    Abstract: A CMOS image sensor includes a pixel array unit, a row selection unit, and a logic circuit. The pixel array unit is used for sensing an object. The pixel array unit includes M pixels and P multiplexers and each of the M pixels is electrically connected to one of the P multiplexers, wherein M is a positive integer and P is a positive integer smaller than M. The row selection unit and the logic circuit are electrically connected to the P multiplexers. The row selection unit is used for generating a row selection signal. The logic circuit is used for determining a sensing region corresponding to the object wherein the sensing region includes N of the M pixels. Furthermore, the logic circuit controls Q multiplexers, which are electrically connected to the N pixels, to transmit the row selection signal to the N pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: PixArt Imaging Inc.
    Inventors: Wei-Ting Chan, Ming-Tsan Kao, En-Feng Hsu
  • Gesture recognition apparatus and complex optical apparatus
    Patent number: 9223407
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a gesture recognition apparatus including a substrate, a light emitting device, an image sensor and a processing unit. The light emitting device is for emitting a light beam according to a first clock signal. The image sensor is disposed on the substrate and is for receiving the light beam reflected by an object according to a second clock signal to generate an object image. The processing unit is disposed on the substrate and is for recognizing the object image detected by the image sensor to provide a command signal. There is a correlation between a period of the first clock signal and a period of the second clock signal. The present invention also provides a complex optical apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: PIXART IMAGING INCORPORATION
    Inventors: En-Feng Hsu, Ming-Tsan Kao, Yu-Hao Huang, Yi-Hsien Ko, Nien-Tse Chen
  • Interactive pointing device capable of switching capture ranges and method for switching capture ranges for use in interactive pointing device
    Patent number: 9223386
    Abstract: An interactive pointing device capable of switching capture ranges includes an image capturing element and a processing unit. The image capturing element operates in a first capture range or a second capture range. The image capturing element is used for capturing a light source, and outputting an image signal. When a distance from the interactive pointing device to the light source is smaller than a reference value, the processing unit controls the image capturing element to detect the light source with the first capture range, and the processing unit converts the image signal into a first coordinate data. When the distance is greater than the reference value, the processing unit controls the image capturing element to detect the light source with the second capture range, and the processing unit converts the image signal into a second coordinate data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: PIXART IMAGING INC.
    Inventors: Chih Hung Lu, En Feng Hsu, Shih Chi Chien, Ming Tsan Kao, Hsin Chia Chen, Chao Chien Huang, Cho Yi Lin
  • Optical distance measurement system and operation method thereof
    Patent number: 9204843
    Abstract: There is provided an operation method of an optical distance measurement system including a first mode and a second mode. The first mode is configured to detect a finger distance. The second mode is configured to detect a physiological characteristic, wherein the optical distance measurement system transfers from the first mode to the second mode when the finger distance is within a predetermined range. There is further provided an optical distance measurement system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: PIXART IMAGING INC.
    Inventors: Ren-Hau Gu, Chi-Chieh Liao, Ming-Tsan Kao, Sen-Huang Huang
  • Optical touch system and optical touch control method
    Patent number: 9207809
    Abstract: An optical touch control method includes steps of: providing a bright background from at least one edge of a touch surface in a first period; providing illumination light to the touch surface in a second period; capturing a first image of an indicator object blocking a portion of the bright background in the first period; and capturing a second image of the indicator object reflecting the illumination light in the second period. An optical touch system is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: PIXART IMAGING INC.
    Inventors: Tzung-Min Su, Chi-Chieh Liao, Han-Ping Cheng, Chih-Hsin Lin, Ming-Tsan Kao
  • Image sensing module and optical signal processing device
    Patent number: 9204043
    Abstract: An image sensing module includes an image sensor and a sensing controller. The image sensor captures an image with a first frequency. The sensing controller determines whether the image sensor has detected an object according to the image. When the sensing controller determines that the image sensor has detected an object, the sensing controller switches the image sensor to capture the image with a second frequency for the image sensor to continuously detect the location of the object. By setting the first frequency higher than the second frequency, the image-sensing module detects the object in real time and the power consumption of the image-sensing module continuously detecting the location of the object is saved as well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: PixArt Imaging Inc.
    Inventors: Ming-Tsan Kao, Jian-Lung Tzeng, Hsin-Chi Cheng, Teng-Wei Hsu
  • System and method based on hybrid biometric detection
    Patent number: 9195900
    Abstract: A system and method based on hybrid biometric detection capture first images of a user that is projected by first light of different wavelengths, extract various biometric informations from the first images, analyze and compare for each of the biometric informations to generate a matching score, determine an identity for the user according to all of the matching scores, generate second images and PPG signals from dispensed second light from the user, generate a time and PPG variation signal and a space and PPG variation signal for each frame of the second images, convert the time and PPG variation signals into frequency domain signals, determine a reference frequency according to the space and PPG variation signals, retrieve energy of the frequency domain signals at the reference frequency, and establish a three-dimensional energy distribution from the retrieved energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: PIXART IMAGING INC.
    Inventors: Ren-Hau Gu, Ming-Tsan Kao, Sen-Huang Huang
  • Image retrieving apparatus and optical displacement estimating apparatus
    Patent number: 9194740
    Abstract: An image capturing apparatus comprising: a light source, for transmitting incident light to an objective without utilizing any medium besides air, such that the light emits from the objective to generate passing-through light; and a sensor, for capturing an image of the objective according to the passing-through light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: PixArt Imaging Inc.
    Inventors: Ren-Hau Gu, Ming-Tsan Kao, Sen-Huang Huang
  • Optical touch panel system and positioning method thereof
    Patent number: 9189106
    Abstract: An optical touch panel system includes: a reflective element disposed on a first side of the touch control area; two lighting elements respectively disposed on a second side and a third side of the touch control area , wherein the second side and the third side are adjacent to each other, and the third side is opposite the first side; a first light projection apparatus including a mirror and a light generator, disposed on the first side and at a location adjacent to a fourth side of the touch control area; an image sensor capturing a first picture and a second picture respectively when the light generator is inactivated and activated; and a processor calculating a coordinate of the object according to geometrical information of an projected object image and a projected mirror image of the object in the first picture and the second picture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: PIXART IMAGING INCORPORATION, R.O.C.
    Inventors: Tzung-Min Su, Chih-Hsin Lin, Ming-Tsan Kao
  • Portable computer having pointing functions and pointing system
    Patent number: 9189075
    Abstract: There is provided a pointing system including a first image sensor, a second image sensor and a processing unit. The first image sensor is configured to capture a first image. The processing unit is configured to recognize a predetermined hand posture according to the first image and to identify a click event according to a second image captured by the second image sensor when the predetermined hand posture is recognized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: Pixart Imaging Inc.
    Inventors: Shu-Sian Yang, Ming-Tsan Kao
  • Mouse device
    Patent number: 9182834
    Abstract: There is provided a mouse device including a control chip and at least one control component. The control chip includes a voltage detection circuit coupled to the at least one control component through at least one multiplexing pin and detects at least one voltage value on the at least one multiplexing pin using the voltage detection circuit thereby identifying an operating state of the at least one control component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: PIXART IMAGING INC
    Inventors: Chia Cheun Liang, Hsiang Sheng Liu, Yu Han Chen, Chien Jung Huang, Chih Chung Tsai, Chih Yen Wu, Ming Tsan Kao
  • OPTICAL TOUCH APPARATUS CAPABLE OF DETECTING DISPLACEMENT AND OPTICAL TOUCH METHOD THEREOF
    Publication number: 20150317035
    Abstract: An optical touch apparatus includes a first light source, a second light source, a light guide device, a light reflecting device and an image sensing module. The first light source emits first light beam which travels within the light guide device and is reflective by an object close to or in contact with a surface of the light guide device to become a first image light beam. The first image light beam is reflected by a light reflecting device. The image sensing module receives the first image light beam. The second light source emits a second light beam, wherein when the optical touch apparatus moves on a working surface, the second light beam is reflective by the working surface to form a second image light beam which is received by the same image sensing module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2015
    Publication date: November 5, 2015
    Applicant: PixArt Imaging Incorporation
    Inventors: Ming-Tsan Kao, Hui-Hsuan Chen, Tien-Chia Liu, Hsin-Chia Chen
  • DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING GESTURE AND OPERATION METHOD OF GESTURE DETERMINING DEVICE
    Publication number: 20150310266
    Abstract: A device for determining a gesture includes a light emitting unit, an image sensing device and a processing circuit. The light emitting unit emits a light beam. The image sensing device captures an image of a hand reflecting the light beam. The processing circuit obtains the image and determines a gesture of the hand by performing an operation on the image; wherein the operation includes: selecting pixels in the image having a brightness greater than or equal to a brightness threshold; dividing the selected pixels; and determining the gesture of the hand according to a number of group of divided pixels. A method for determining a gesture and an operation method of the aforementioned device are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Publication date: October 29, 2015
    Applicant: PIXART IMAGING INC.
    Inventors: YU-HAO HUANG, MING-TSAN KAO, SEN-HUANG HUANG, NIEN-TSE CHEN, EN-FENG HSU, YI-YUAN CHEN
  • ELECTRONIC SYSTEM
    Publication number: 20150286282
    Abstract: An electronic system includes an image-sensing device and a processor coupled with the image-sensing device, The image-sensing device includes an image-sensing area configured to generate a picture. The picture includes a noisy region. The processor is configured to select a tracking region from the portion of the picture outside of the noisy region. The tracking region corresponds to an operative region of the image sensing area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2015
    Publication date: October 8, 2015
    Inventors: Ming Tsan KAO, Shu Sian YANG, Han Ping CHENG
  • Multipoint positioning method for touchpad
    Patent number: 9152272
    Abstract: A multipoint positioning method for a touchpad including the steps of: scanning a touchpad to retrieve two-dimensional data; calculating an object area and a number of maxima of local maxima in the two-dimensional data; comparing the object area with an area threshold when the number of maxima is larger than 1; and identifying positions of the local maxima as a plurality of contact positions when the object area is larger than or equal to the area threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: PIXART IMAGING INC.
    Inventors: Hsin-Chia Chen, Tse-Chung Su, Ming-Tsan Kao
  • Optical remote control system
    Patent number: 9148689
    Abstract: An optical remote control system includes a home appliance and a remote controller. The home appliance operates according to a user command and its housing includes an opening. A status indicator light and a reference light are disposed within the opening. The status indicator light includes a visible light source, and the reference light includes a plurality of infrared light sources. The visible light source and the infrared light sources are disposed in a predetermined pattern. The remote controller includes an optical sensor configured to detect optical signals from the infrared light sources, thereby generating the user command accordingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: PixArt Imaging Inc.
    Inventors: Ming-Tsan Kao, Chao-Chien Huang, Chia-Cheun Liang, Yi-Hsien Ko
  • Image positioning method and interactive imaging system using the same
    Patent number: 9134812
    Abstract: There is provided an image positioning method including the steps of: capturing an image frame with an image sensor; identifying at least on object image in the image frame; comparing an object image size of the object image with a size threshold and identifying the object image having the object image size larger than the size threshold as a reference point image; and positioning the reference point image. There is further provided an interactive imaging system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: PIXART IMAGING INC.
    Inventors: Ming-Tsan Kao, Shu-Sian Yang, Han-Ping Cheng
  • Optical touchpad with power saving functions based on detected light
    Patent number: 9134844
    Abstract: Optical touchpad includes a light source for emitting light of a specific wavelength, a specific-light sensing array for sensing the specific light after being reflected by an instruction object for accordingly generating a specific-light sensing image, a proximity detector for determining an instruction distance between the instruction object and the optical touchpad according to the specific-light sensing image, and a motion detector for determining path of the instruction object and then outputting a motion signal according to the specific-light sensing image. When the instruction distance is greater than a predetermined value, the motion detector is turned off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: PixArt Imaging Inc.
    Inventors: Ming-Tsan Kao, Chih-Yen Wu, Ren-Hau Gu