Optical sensor device and method

Abstract

The present invention discloses an optical sensor device and method for detecting the color of a specific surface of an object, comprising: providing a sensor array having a plurality of pixel units, each pixel unit receiving light reflected from a specific surface to generate a sensed pixel value; using the sensor array to generate a specific image formed by the plurality of sensed pixel values; judging whether the specific image is similar to a first pure color image corresponding to a first color according to the plurality of sensed pixel values ​​of the specific image; and when judging that the specific image is similar to the first pure color image corresponding to the first color, determining to perform a distance detection operation according to the color saturation value of the first color in the specific image to calculate a specific distance value from the optical sensor device to the specific surface. The method of calculating the specific distance value can estimate or judge whether the user has performed one or more specific behaviors (or actions).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to an optical sensing mechanism, and more particularly to an optical sensor device and a corresponding method. Background Art

[0002] Generally speaking, a toy manufacturer may produce and provide a plurality of colored / colorful objects, such as toys, models or toy blocks, etc. to users (e.g., children). The toy manufacturer may provide certain game rules to enable children to learn or train certain skills, such as muscle endurance, so some game rules may require children to perform a specific behavior or action, such as moving an object to a specific position with a specific distance value from another colored / colorful object. The traditional method is to use manual judgment methods, such as using human eyes to determine whether the object is moved to the specific position as required, however, this greatly reduces the fun of playing the game. Summary of the invention

[0003] Therefore, one of the purposes of this application is to disclose an optical sensor device and a corresponding method for detecting a color of a specific surface of an object to solve the above-mentioned problem. The optical sensor device can automatically detect or determine whether a user, such as a child, has correctly performed a corresponding behavior or action.

[0004] According to an embodiment of the present application, an optical sensor device for detecting the color of a specific surface of an object is disclosed, and the optical sensor device includes a sensor array and a processing circuit. The sensor array has a plurality of pixel units, each of which is used to receive light reflected from the specific surface to generate a sensed pixel value. The processing circuit is coupled to the sensor array and is used to determine whether the specific surface belongs to a first color, and to determine a specific distance value from the optical sensor device to the specific surface according to the color saturation value of the first color in a portion of the plurality of sensed pixel values.

[0005] According to an embodiment of the present application, a method for an optical sensor device for detecting the color of a specific surface of an object is disclosed, the method comprising: providing a sensor array having a plurality of pixel units, each pixel unit being used to receive light reflected from the specific surface to generate a sensed pixel value; using the sensor array to generate a specific image formed by the plurality of sensed pixel values; judging whether the specific image is similar to a first pure color image corresponding to a first color according to the plurality of sensed pixel values ​​of the specific image; and when it is judged that the specific image is similar to the first pure color image corresponding to the first color, determining to perform a distance detection operation according to the value of the color saturation of the first color in the specific image to calculate a specific distance value from the optical sensor device to the specific surface.

[0006] In the above-mentioned embodiments of the present invention, by calculating a specific distance value, it is possible to estimate or determine whether the user has performed one or more specific behaviors (or actions). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 4 is a block diagram of an optical sensor device for detecting the color and / or color saturation of a specific surface of one or more colored / colorful objects to determine or estimate the distance between the colored / colorful objects according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0008] Figure 2 is based on Figure 1 Schematic diagram of examples of different applications of the optical sensor device.

[0009] Figure 3 This is an exemplary schematic diagram of an optical sensor device according to an embodiment of the present application detecting or estimating the distance between the device and the specific surface by detecting the value of the color saturation of at least one pixel unit of an image generated by light reflected from the specific surface.

[0010] Figure 4 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of color saturation distribution of a first pure color, such as green pure color, according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0011] Figure 5 1 is a schematic diagram of an example of color saturation distribution of a second pure color, such as red pure color, according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0012] Figure 6 is based on Figure 1 Schematic diagram of another example of a different application of the optical sensor device.

[0013] Figure 7FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an example of two different color saturation distribution curves CV1 and CV2 for the same color, such as green, according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0014] The reference numerals are described as follows:

[0015] 100 Optical sensor device

[0016] 103 Light-emitting units

[0017] 105 Sensor Array

[0018] 110 Processing circuit DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The present invention discloses a novel optical sensor device capable of detecting or estimating a distance or distance change between colored / colorful objects by performing color saturation detection to detect the color saturation value or color saturation change in an image generated by light reflected from a surface of a portion of a colored / colorful object. Specifically, the objects may be pure color objects (but not limited to), and the optical sensor device may be disposed inside or mounted on one of the colored / colorful objects. The color saturation value of an image (e.g., a pixel image) may be used to indicate the purity and intensity of a specific color displayed in the image, or may be used to indicate the specific color displayed in the image or indicate the color saturation value of the specific color in the image represented by the HSL / HSV color space. Specifically, in order to enable a user, such as a child, to learn certain techniques / skills such as fine motor skills, cooperative play skills, muscle endurance, etc., when the user plays with those colored / colorful objects, the novel optical sensor device can be used to estimate or determine whether the child has performed or achieved one or more behaviors (or actions) that meet the game requirements / rules / design.

[0020] Figure 11 is a block diagram of an optical sensor device 100 for detecting the color and / or color saturation of a specific surface of one or more colored / colorful objects to determine or estimate the distance between the colored / colorful objects according to an embodiment of the present application. For example, a colored / colorful object may be a toy building block, a toy construction block, a toy construction block, a colored / colorful plastic or wooden toy building block, a colored wooden cube, a plurality of toy building blocks or toy building blocks with different geometric shapes, and / or a plurality of colored / colorful toys (such as human / robot / animal models, but not limited thereto). Furthermore, the colored object may also be implemented by using a variety of other materials other than plastic or wood.

[0021] The specific surface may be at least a portion of the entire surface of a portion of the colored / colorful object / component (e.g., a surface of a top portion / component of a toy building block), a surface of a bottom portion / component of the toy building block, or a surface of any side portion / component of the toy building block, which is not a limitation of the present application. For example (but not limited to), in one embodiment, each toy building block may have a top portion and a bottom portion, wherein the top portion may be connected to a bottom portion of another toy building block, and the bottom portion may be connected to a top portion of another different toy building block. Each top portion has a top surface. In addition, different toy building blocks may have the same or different pure colors, which may be, for example, red, green, black, white, gray, pink, purple, blue, orange, and / or a plurality of mixed colors generated from any color combination, and the examples of these colors are not limitations of the present application.

[0022] The optical sensor device 100 can be applied to and installed inside or on at least one colored / colorful object. For example, the optical sensor device 100 can be installed in a recess of a bottom portion of a first toy building block, such as the bottom position PS2 of the toy building block B2, or can be installed in a recess of a bottom portion of a toy. The optical sensor device 100 can also be installed at a top portion of the first toy building block, such as the top position PS1 of the toy building block B2. However, this is not a limitation of the present application. When a user, such as a child, plays and moves a first colored / colorful object toward a second colored / colorful object, the optical sensor device 100 installed at the bottom portion of the first colored / colorful object can be arranged to detect the actual distance or distance change between the first and second colored / colorful objects to determine whether the user, such as the child, has performed a corresponding user behavior or user action that meets a game requirement or design. For example, in order to enable children to learn certain skills such as fine motor skills, cooperative game skills, muscle endurance, etc., a game design may require a child to move a first toy building block to a specific spatial position, wherein the first toy building block is, for example, Figure 1 In the toy building block B2 shown in FIG. 1 , the optical sensor device 100 can be installed on the top or bottom of the toy building block B2, and the specific spatial position is, for example, a distance from the toy building block B2. Figure 1 In the example, a second toy building block (e.g., B1 or B3) shown in FIG. 1 has a specific spatial position with a specific distance value. In this case, when the child takes and moves the first toy building block, the optical sensor device 100 can accurately detect the distance or distance change between the two toy building blocks by sensing the light reflected from a surface of a portion of the second toy building block to accurately determine whether the first toy building block has been moved to and maintained at the specific spatial position.

[0023] In other embodiments, the optical sensor device 100 may be mounted on a part of a toy (eg, Figure 2 , to determine whether a user has moved the humanoid toy / model H1 to a specific spatial position at a specific distance value d1 or d3 from one or more colored / richly colored objects, such as toy blocks B1 or B3. In another embodiment, the optical sensor device 100 may also be installed on a toy (such as a Figure 2The optical sensor device 100 can also be installed in a manner such as: Figure 2 , to determine whether the user moves the human-shaped toy / model H2 to and holds it at different spatial positions in a straight line direction, such as a vertical direction (but not limited to), and the different spatial positions can be spatial positions that are at the same distance d4 or at different distances from one or more colored / richly colored objects. For example, if Figure 2 As shown in the example on the right, a game design may require a user to sequentially move the human-shaped toy / model H2 to and maintain it at multiple different positions in the vertical direction. These different positions in the vertical direction may be designed to be spatial positions with the same or different distances from a model building or a model elevator (but not limited to).

[0024] In addition, in the above embodiment, an audio playback unit / circuit can be installed in the above-mentioned specific toy, toy building block, or human-shaped model (the optical sensor device 100 is also installed therein). In this way, if it is determined that a user moves the special toy, toy building block or human-shaped model and successfully meets the requirements of the game or determines that the user does not meet the requirements of the game, the optical sensor device 100 can generate and output a communication signal to the audio playback unit / circuit, so that the audio playback unit / circuit can play the corresponding notification sound to the user.

[0025] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the optical sensor device 100 can be arranged to determine whether a user holds a first colored / colorful object at a specific spatial position with a specific distance value from a second colored / colorful object and then rotates the first colored / colorful object by detecting the color saturation or color saturation change of the image generated by light reflected from a surface of a portion of the second colored / colorful object. That is, the color saturation detection of the optical sensor device 100 can be applied to a variety of different applications to detect the user's behavior (such as movement and rotation, etc.) when the user plays with the colored / colorful objects.

[0026] The operation of color saturation detection and various circuit elements included in the optical sensor device 100 are described in the following paragraphs.

[0027] Please refer again Figure 1In practice, Figure 1 As shown in the right half, the optical sensor device 100 includes a light source such as a light emitting unit 103 (such as a light emitting diode, but not limited to), a sensor array 105, and a processing circuit 110. The light emitting unit 103 emits light to a specific surface of a part / component (such as the top, bottom or side portion) of a colored / colorful object (such as a colored toy building block B1 or B3). The sensor array 105 has a plurality of pixel units, such as N×M pixel units, each pixel unit is used to receive light reflected from the specific surface (such as a top surface of a top portion of a toy building block, but not limited to) to generate a sensed pixel value, so as to generate a specific image based on at least one pixel unit. The specific image refers to or represents one or more sensed pixel values, that is, at least a part of a plurality of sensed pixel values ​​in a specific frame, or refers to all sensed pixel values ​​in the specific frame; this is not a limitation of the present application. In addition, in other embodiments, the light emitting unit 103 may also be optional, and the optical sensor device 100 may not include the light emitting unit 103. If the intensity of the ambient light is sufficient, the sensor array 105 may sense the ambient light reflected from the specific surface to generate one or more sensed pixel values. The one or more sensed pixel values ​​are, for example, represented in the RGB color space, and may be converted to the HSV color space by the processing circuit 110 to obtain a color saturation value of a specific color.

[0028] In addition, the processing circuit 110 is coupled to the sensor array 105 and is used to determine which color the specific surface of the toy building block is primarily associated with, and then determine the distance or distance change based on the determined primarily associated color by performing color saturation detection. For example, a toy manufacturer may produce and provide colored / rich toy building blocks based on a specific number of multiple different pure colors, such as red, green, blue, yellow, gray, black or other pure colors. Each toy building block has its own pure color, which can be the same or different from the pure color of another different toy building block. The processing circuit 110 is arranged to determine which pure color the toy building block is primarily associated with based on the specific image sensed by the sensor array 105 from a specific surface of a toy building block.

[0029] For example, for a first color (or a first pure color) such as green, red, yellow or other colors (not limited), the processing circuit 110 determines whether the specific surface belongs to or is classified as the first color (e.g., green). In practice, the processing circuit 110 is arranged to determine whether a larger proportion (or a maximum proportion) of the plurality of sensed pixel values ​​in the specific image is related to the first color and whether a pixel number of the plurality of sensed pixel values ​​of the larger proportion is greater than a specific threshold (e.g., a pixel number threshold TH_NUM). If it is determined that the plurality of sensed pixel values ​​of the larger proportion are related to the first color and the pixel number of the plurality of sensed pixel values ​​of the larger proportion is greater than the specific threshold TH_NUM, the processing circuit 110 determines that the specific image is similar to the first pure color image corresponding to the first color (i.e., the specific image is classified as or belongs to the first color).

[0030] In addition, in other embodiments, once the processing circuit 110 determines that a large proportion of the plurality of sensed pixel values ​​are related to the first color, the processing circuit 110 may also directly determine that the specific image is similar to the first pure color image corresponding to the first color. In other words, regardless of whether the number of pixels is greater than or less than the specific threshold TH_NUM, the processing circuit 110 will determine that the specific image is similar to the first pure color image once it determines that a large proportion of the plurality of sensed pixel values ​​are related to the first color.

[0031] In addition, the value of the specific threshold TH_NUM can be set to half (but not limited to) the total number of pixels defined in the specific image, wherein the total number of pixels in the specific image refers to the total number of pixel units included in the specific image. For example, if the specific image has a total number of K pixels, the specific threshold can be equal to K / 2. It should be noted that if the specific image represents a complete image or a complete image frame having a total number of N×M pixels, the specific threshold can be equal to (N×M) / 2. In other words, the value of the specific threshold can be changed, and the design of its value can be based on the design of the specific image. However, in one embodiment, the value of the specific threshold can also be set to a fixed value. Furthermore, in other embodiments, if the specific image includes two or more parts of sensed pixel values ​​respectively related to different colors, the processing circuit 110 can select a color corresponding to the largest part of the sensed pixel values ​​as the main related color, and then perform a corresponding color saturation detection based on the selected color.

[0032] After determining that the specific image corresponds to or is classified as a specific pure color, such as the first pure color, the processing circuit 110 is arranged to determine or estimate a specific distance value from the optical sensor device 100 to a point or position on the specific surface. In practice, the processing circuit 110 estimates the specific distance value based on a color saturation value of the first pure color in the specific image to determine the distance or distance change.

[0033] Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an optical sensor device 100 detecting or estimating the distance between the device 100 and a specific surface by detecting the color saturation value of at least one pixel unit of an image generated by light reflected from the specific surface according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , under the same conditions of the same position of the light emitting unit 103, the sensor array 105 and the same pure color (e.g., green) of the specific surface, due to the fact that Figure 3 The distance d5 between the optical sensor device 100 and the specific surface shown in the left half of the example is longer than Figure 3 The distance d6 between the optical sensor device 100 and a specific surface shown in the right half of the example is thus Figure 3 In the left half example, the color saturation value of at least a portion of the image sensed by the sensor array 105 is lower than Figure 3 In the example of the right half of FIG. 1 , the processing circuit 110 is configured to determine or estimate the separation distance between the optical sensor device 100 and the specific surface based on a color saturation distribution of the related pure color after determining which pure color is related to the specific surface. It should be noted that after the related pure color is determined, the processing circuit 110 is arranged to select the color saturation distribution of the related pure color from a plurality of different color saturation distributions of a plurality of different pure colors.

[0034] Please refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 , Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an example of color saturation distribution of a first pure color, such as green pure color, according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of color saturation distribution of a second pure color, such as red pure color, according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 and Figure 5In FIG. 1 , the distance between two colored / colorful objects estimated / determined by the processing circuit 110 (the length unit is, for example, millimeter (mm)) is shown on the vertical axis of the figure, and the different colors (for example, the distance between two colored / colorful objects) detected by the optical sensor device 100 through color saturation detection are shown on the vertical axis of the figure. Figure 4 Green and Figure 5 The color saturation values ​​of the red in the image are displayed on the horizontal axis. The different pure colors each have a different color saturation distribution and can be stored or recorded in a storage circuit of the processing circuit 110 (not shown). Figure 1 ).exist Figure 4 For example, when the optical sensor device 100 disposed in the first colored / colorful object is used to detect whether a user moves the first colored / colorful object to and holds it at a spatial position that is a distance of, for example, 10 mm (but not limited) from the second colored / colorful object, if the value of the green color saturation detected by the processing circuit 110 is equal to or approximate to a value such as 138 (but not limited), the processing circuit 110 can determine that the user is currently moving the object to and holding it at the spatial position. Figure 5 For the same distance of 10 mm, if the color saturation value of the red color detected by the processing circuit 110 becomes equal to or approximates a value such as 175 (but not limited to), the processing circuit 110 can determine that the user is currently moving the object to and maintaining it at the spatial position.

[0035] For each different pure color, the processing circuit 110 can use a corresponding and different color saturation distribution of the pure color to accurately and precisely estimate the actual distance between the two objects. Figure 4 In the example, if the value of the green color saturation detected by the processing circuit 110 becomes equal to or approximate to a value such as 125 (but not limited to), the processing circuit 110 can determine that the distance is equal to or approximate to 12 mm. In addition, if the value of the green color saturation detected by the processing circuit 110 becomes equal to or approximate to a value such as 165 (but not limited to), the processing circuit 110 can determine that the distance is equal to or approximate to 7 mm. The above operation is similar to Figure 5 In order to avoid the instructions being too lengthy, Figure 5 The operations in will not be repeated.

[0036] In one embodiment, the processing circuit 110 can be used to compare the first color (eg Figure 4The processing circuit 110 determines whether the distance from the optical sensor device 100 to the specific surface (i.e., the distance between the two objects) is within a specific distance value range, such as a distance range of 10 mm corresponding to the saturation value 138. In addition, for the same pure color, the processing circuit 110 may also use a plurality of different color saturation thresholds to compare the color saturation value of green in the specific image with the plurality of different color saturation thresholds in sequence, so as to determine the exact distance range of the optical sensor device 100 from the specific surface. The above operation is also similar to Figure 5 In order to avoid the instructions being too lengthy, Figure 5 The operations in will not be repeated.

[0037] Furthermore, in one embodiment, when it is determined that the specific image is not similar to a solid color image corresponding to any solid color, the processing circuit 110 may decide not to calculate the above distance or distance change. For example, a toy manufacturer may provide a combination of colored / colorful toy objects with a limited number of solid colors in a preset setting. For a specific image generated by light reflected from the above specific surface, the processing circuit 110 may sequentially check and detect which solid color among the limited number of solid colors is mainly related to the specific image. If the processing circuit 110 determines that no solid color is mainly related to the specific image, the processing circuit 110 will not calculate or estimate the above distance or distance change to avoid errors.

[0038] Furthermore, in different applications, the optical sensor device 100 can be used to detect or determine whether a user, such as a child, moves a first colored / colorful object to a spatial position that is a specific distance away from a second colored / colorful object and is above (or below) the second colored / colorful object. Figure 6 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a user, such as a child, moving a toy model H1 to a spatial position below the horizontal position of a toy building block, such as B1, but not below it (i.e., not a spatial position on the vertical dashed line VS). For example, the toy building block B1 may have a corresponding Figure 5 The toy model H1 is a solid red building block with a color saturation distribution, and the requirement or design of the game may be to require the user to move the toy model H1 to a spatial position below the toy building block B1 (i.e., a spatial position on the vertical dotted line VS) and to be a specific distance value d7 away from the toy building block B1. The specific distance value d7 may be designed to be 10 mm (not limited). In one case, the toy model H1 may not be moved to a specific position on the vertical dotted line VS below the toy building block B1, but is only moved to a different spatial position below the horizontal position of the toy building block B1. In this case, even if the distance between the toy building block B1 and the different spatial position below the horizontal position of the toy building block B1 is equal to or close to the specific distance value d7, the color saturation value of the red color in the corresponding image may be affected by other colors or by light, resulting in the color saturation value of the red color detected by the processing circuit 110 at the different spatial position below the horizontal position of the toy building block B1 being significantly different from the value of the color saturation of the red color. Figure 5 The saturation value 175 corresponding to the distance d7, for example, 10 mm, is obtained. Therefore, the processing circuit 110 can still determine that the toy model H1 has not been moved to the specific spatial position and the user has not completed a specific required behavior or action. In addition, the operation can also be applied to detect whether a user moves an object to a specific empty space on the vertical dotted line VS above the toy building block B1.

[0039] In addition, in some embodiments, the colored object can be realized by using a variety of materials, which can be different from plastic or wooden materials, and for the same color or the same pure color, the materials or plastic or wooden materials can have the same or different surface characteristics associated with different color saturation curves. In addition, for the same color or the same pure color, different light conditions in different environments can be associated with different color saturation distributions. The optical sensor device 100 can generate a plurality of different color saturation distributions in response to a plurality of different materials and / or a plurality of different ambient light conditions, each color saturation distribution including a plurality of color saturation thresholds for each color or pure color, and the optical sensor device 100 can then sequentially compare one of the generated plurality of color saturation thresholds with the detected saturation value to determine the distance or distance range. In addition, the plurality of different color saturation distribution curves for each different color or pure color can also be pre-stored in the processing circuit 110, and the processing circuit 110 can dynamically determine to select an appropriate color saturation distribution curve based on a current operating condition.

[0040] Please refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7 FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of two different color saturation distribution curves CV1 and CV2 for the same color, such as green, according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 As shown in , curve CV1, for example, represents a color saturation distribution associated with a rough surface made of a first material and / or a color saturation distribution associated with a dark ambient light condition, and curve CV2, for example, represents a color saturation distribution associated with a flat (smooth / glossy) surface made of a second material (different from the first material) and / or a color saturation distribution associated with a bright ambient light condition, and the number of curves is not limited to the present application. In other embodiments, the same color may also correspond to a greater number of color saturation distribution curves. The color saturation distribution curves CV1 and CV2 may be stored or pre-recorded in the processing circuit 110, or may also be generated by the processing circuit 110.

[0041] For example, a first colored / colorful object may be gradually moved closer to a second colored / colorful object, and the processing circuit 110 of the optical sensor device 100 installed in the first colored / colorful object may enter a preset mode (or a training mode) and in the preset mode the processing circuit 110 is arranged to detect and determine the surface characteristics of the material and / or the ambient light conditions based on one or more captured images generated by light reflected from one or more surfaces of the second colored / colorful object.

[0042] If the second colored / colorful object is made of a material with a rough surface and / or is in a dark ambient light condition, in this case the processing circuit 110 can select and use multiple values ​​of the saturation of the curve CV1 of the green color saturation distribution as the thresholds of the multiple color saturations of green for the rough surface and / or the dark ambient light condition. If the second colored / colorful object is made of a different material with a smooth surface and / or is in a bright ambient light condition, in this case the processing circuit 110 can select and use multiple values ​​of the saturation of the curve CV2 of the green color saturation distribution as the thresholds of the multiple color saturations of green for the smooth surface and / or the bright ambient light condition. That is, one or more color saturation thresholds can be determined based on at least one of the surface characteristics (e.g., rough or smooth) and the ambient light conditions (e.g., dark or bright).

[0043] This approach can more accurately determine the distance between two colored / colorful objects. For example, a first user and a second user may play with different colored / colorful objects. When the different colored / colorful objects are made of different materials and / or are under different ambient light conditions and each user actually moves to and maintains a distance between their colored / colorful objects at a distance value of, for example, about 7 mm, the processing circuit 110 installed in a first colored / colorful object can be used to detect a second colored / colorful object, which can use the color saturation value V1 as a color saturation threshold, so that the processing circuit 110 can generate a correct result to indicate that the distance is equal to or approximately 7 mm. In addition, another processing circuit 110 with the same operation can be installed in a third colored / colorful object to detect a fourth colored / colorful object, and it can use a different color saturation value V2 as the color saturation threshold, so that the processing circuit 110 can generate a correct result to indicate that the distance is equal to or approximately 7 mm even if the operating conditions are different.

[0044] In these embodiments, the operation for detecting the surface characteristics of a material can be implemented by detecting one or more changes in multiple image patterns of multiple captured images generated by reflected light from the material, and different surface characteristics are associated with multiple different changes in the multiple image patterns. In addition, the operation for determining an ambient light condition can also be implemented by detecting the sum or average of multiple brightness values ​​of all or most pixels in one or more captured images, and different ambient light conditions are associated with different brightness average values, or with different brightness sum values. For example, one or more captured images having a higher intensity of brightness can be associated with a bright ambient light condition, or with a smooth surface. All of the above-mentioned implementation examples are not limitations of the present application, and other possible design variations can also be adopted to complete the above-mentioned operations.

[0045] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An optical sensor device for detecting the color of a specific surface of an object, characterized in that: Include: a sensor array having a plurality of pixel units, each pixel unit being configured to receive light reflected from the specific surface to generate a sensed pixel value; as well as a processing circuit coupled to the sensor array and configured to determine whether the specific surface is of a first color and determine a predetermined distance value from the optical sensor device to the specific surface based on a color saturation value of the first color in a portion of a plurality of sensed pixel values; When the processing circuit determines that a maximum proportion of the plurality of sensed pixel values ​​is associated with the first color and the number of pixels in the maximum proportion of the plurality of sensed pixel values ​​is greater than a specific threshold, the processing circuit determines that the specific image is similar to a first solid color image corresponding to the first color; wherein the specific image refers to the sensed pixel values; When it is determined that the specific image is not similar to the first solid color image, the processing circuit decides not to calculate the predetermined distance value from the optical sensor device to the specific surface; When it is determined that the color saturation value of the first color in the specific image is greater than the color saturation threshold of the first color, the processing circuit determines that the predetermined distance value from the optical sensor device to the specific surface is within a predetermined distance value range; The specific surface is at least a portion or the entire surface of a portion or component of the object that is colored, or the surface of the bottom portion or component of the object, or the surface of the side portion or component of the object.

2. The optical sensor device according to claim 1, wherein Once the processing circuit determines that a maximum proportion of the plurality of sensed pixel values ​​are related to the first color, the processing circuit determines that the specific image is similar to the first solid color image corresponding to the first color.

3. The optical sensor device according to claim 1, wherein The processing circuit is arranged to determine the predetermined distance value from the optical sensor device to the specific surface by comparing the color saturation value of the first color in the specific image with a color saturation threshold of the first color.

4. The optical sensor device according to claim 1, wherein The color saturation threshold is determined by the processing circuit according to at least one of a surface characteristic of the specific surface and an ambient light condition.

5. The optical sensor device according to claim 1, wherein The processing circuit is arranged to determine whether the specific image is similar to the second pure color image corresponding to the second color, and when it is determined that the specific image is similar to the second pure color image corresponding to the second color, it is used to determine and calculate the preset distance value based on the color saturation value of the second color in the specific image.

6. The optical sensor device according to claim 5, wherein The first color and the second color are different colors of different toy building blocks or different toy building block pieces.

7. The optical sensor device according to claim 1, wherein The specific surface is the top surface of a toy building block or a toy building piece, and the optical sensor device is mounted in a recess in the bottom portion of another toy building block or a toy building piece.

8. A method for detecting the color of a specific surface of an object using an optical sensor device, characterized in that: Include: Providing a sensor array having a plurality of pixel units, each pixel unit is used to receive light reflected from the specific surface to generate a sensed pixel value; Using the sensor array to generate a specific image formed by a plurality of sensed pixel values; determining whether the specific image is similar to a first pure color image corresponding to a first color according to the plurality of sensed pixel values ​​of the specific image; as well as When it is determined that the specific image is similar to the first solid color image corresponding to the first color, determining to perform a distance detection operation to calculate a predetermined distance value from the optical sensor device to the specific surface based on the color saturation value of the first color in the specific image; Wherein, the method further comprises: determining the predetermined distance value from the optical sensor device to the specific surface by comparing the color saturation value of the first color in the specific image with a color saturation threshold of the first color; The specific surface is at least a portion or the entire surface of a portion or component of the object that is colored, or the surface of the bottom portion or component of the object, or the surface of the side portion or component of the object.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The method further comprises: When a maximum proportion of the plurality of sensed pixel values ​​is associated with the first color and the number of pixels of the maximum proportion of the plurality of sensed pixel values ​​is higher than a specific threshold, it is determined that the specific image is similar to the first pure color image corresponding to the first color.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein The method further comprises: Once a maximum proportion of the plurality of sensed pixel values ​​is related to the first color, it is determined that the specific image is similar to the first solid color image corresponding to the first color.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein The method further comprises: The color saturation threshold is determined according to at least one of a surface characteristic of the specific surface and an ambient light condition.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein The method further comprises: When the color saturation value of the first color in the specific image is greater than a threshold value of the color saturation of the first color, it is determined that the preset distance value from the optical sensor device to the specific surface is within a preset distance value range.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein The method further comprises: When the specific image is not similar to the first solid color image, it is determined not to calculate the predetermined distance value from the optical sensor device to the specific surface.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein The method further comprises: determining whether the specific image is similar to a second pure color image corresponding to a second color; and When the specific image is similar to the second pure color image corresponding to the second color, it is determined that the preset distance value is calculated according to the color saturation value of the second color in the specific image.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The first color and the second color are different colors of different toy building blocks or different toy building block pieces.

16. The method according to claim 8, wherein The specific surface is a top surface of a toy building block or a toy building piece, and the optical sensor device is mounted in a recess of a bottom portion of another toy building block or a toy building piece.

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