Display distortion for alignment with a user gaze direction

• US 10,396,272 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2017
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bryson, Donald L., Kline, Eric V., Rakshit, Sarbajit K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eurice, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US15/586,426
• Publication Number:
  US 20180321740A1
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/301 flexible foldable or roll-able electronic displays, e.g. thin LCD, OLED
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/372 the positions of the elements being controlled by the application of an electric field
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/028 by changing the viewing angle properties, e.g. widening the viewing angle, adapting the viewing angle to the view direction
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0613 The adjustment depending on the type of the information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/068 for control of viewing angle adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/08 Arrangements within a display terminal for setting, manually or automatically, display parameters of the display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0464 Positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/035 for flexible display surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2003 Display of colours specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2092 : Details of a display terminals using a flat panel, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto suitable for both CRT and flat panel G09G5/003; specific for a CRT G09G1/165
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0268 : including a flexible display panel
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 : including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/64 : Constructional details of receivers, e.g. cabinets or dust covers furniture aspects of television cabinets A47B81/06
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/204 : using bending displacement, e.g. unimorph, bimorph or multimorph cantilever or membrane benders
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/802 : Drive or control circuitry or methods for piezoelectric or electrostrictive devices not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/857 : Macromolecular compositions

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for distorting a display coupled to a user device to bring the display into alignment with a gaze direction of a user of the user device. In certain scenarios, a user'"'"'s gaze direction may not be aligned with a display of the user device. In such example scenarios, a user device determines a gaze direction of a user using, for example, camera means. When an event occurs, the user device determines one or more distortion elements to activate based at least in part on the gaze direction of the user. The user device then activates the distortion element(s) to cause the display of the device to distort to a position in which it is aligned with the gaze direction of the user. The distortion element(s) may be formed of an electroactive polymer configured to deform upon application of an electric field.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for distorting a display coupled to a user device, the method comprising:

identifying a device-based event;

determining that the device-based event satisfies one or more criteria for distorting the display;

determining a gaze direction of a user of the user device;

determining distortion elements to activate based at least in part on the gaze direction of the user; and

activating the distortion elements to cause the display to distort and align with the gaze direction of the user, wherein activating the distortion elements comprises causing an electric field to be applied to a plurality of electroactive polymer (EAP) portions disposed in a plurality of layers, wherein application of the electric field causes the plurality of EAP portions to deform, wherein the plurality of EAP portions comprises at least two EAP portions that are disposed in different layers and that overlap non-orthogonally, and wherein the different layers are electrically isolated from one another.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining one or more characteristics of content displayed on the display, wherein determining the distortion elements comprises determining the distortion elements further based at least in part on the one or more characteristics of the content.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the distortion elements are a first collection of distortion elements, the method further comprising:

identifying a change in the gaze direction of the user;

determining a second collection of one or more distortion elements to activate based at least in part on the change in the gaze direction of the user; and

activating the second collection of one or more distortion elements to cause the display to distort and align with the changed gaze direction of the user.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the device-based event is an incoming message or call.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining that the device-based event satisfies the one or more criteria for distorting the display comprises determining that the gaze direction of the user is within a predetermined range of potential gaze directions within a predetermined period of time from occurrence of the device-based event.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising determining that the gaze direction of the user is not within the predetermined range of gaze directions at the occurrence of the device-based event.

7. A device, comprising:

at least one memory storing computer-executable instructions; and

at least one processor configured to access the at least one memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to;

identify a device-based event;

determine that the device-based event satisfies one or more criteria for distorting the display;

determine a gaze direction of a user of the device;

determine distortion elements to activate based at least in part on the gaze direction of the user; and

activate the distortion elements to cause a display coupled to the device to distort and align with the gaze direction of the user, wherein the at one processor is configured to activate the distortion elements by executing the computer-executable instructions to cause an electric fields to be applied to a plurality of electroactive polymer (EAP) portions disposed in a plurality of layers, wherein application of the electric field causes the plurality of EAP portions to deform, wherein the plurality of EAP portions comprised at least two EAP portions that are disposed in different layers and that overlap non-orthogonally, and wherein the different layers are electrically isolated from one another.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the distortion elements are a first collection of distortion elements, and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

idenitfy a change in the gaze direction of the user;

determine a second collection of one or more distortion elements to activate based at least in part on the change in the gaze direction of the user; and

activate the second collection of one or more distortion elements to cause the display to distort and align with the changed gaze direction of the user.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to determine one or more characteristics of content displayed on the display, and wherein the at least one processor executes the computer-executable instructions to determine the distortion elements further based at least in part on the one or more content characteristics.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine that the device-based event satisfies the one or more criteria for distorting the display by executing the computer-executable instructions to determine that the gaze direction of the user is within a predetermined range of potential gaze directions within a predetermined period of time from occurrence of the device-based event.

11. A computer program product for distorting a display coupled to a user device, the computer program product comprising a storage medium readable by a processing circuit, the storage medium storing instructions executable by the processing circuit to cause a method to be performed, the method comprising:

identifying a device-based event;

determining that the device-based event satisfies one or more criteria for distorting the display;

determining a gaze direction of a user of the user device;

determining distortion elements to activate based at least in part on the gaze direction of the user; and

activating the distortion elements to cause the display to distort and align with the gaze direction of the user, wherein the activating the distortion elements comprises causing an electric field to be applied to a plurality of electroactive polymer (EAP) portions disposed in a plurality of layers, wherein application of the electric field causes the plurality of EAP portions to deform, wherein the plurality of EAP portions comprises at least two EAP portions that are disposed in different layers and that overlap non-orthogonally, and wherein the different layers are electrically isolated from one another.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, the method further comprising determining one or more characteristics of content displayed on the display, wherein determining the distortion elements comprises determining the distortion elements further based at least in part on the one or more characteristics of the content.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein determining that the device-based event satisfies the one or more criteria for distorting the display comprises determining that the gaze direction of the user is within a predetermined range of potential gaze directions within a predetermined period of time from occurrence of the device-based event.