Electronic device and method for controlling same

• US 10,422,996 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2016
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jin, Kyoung-shin
• Primary Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Sultan
• Application Number:
  US15/741,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20180196266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0123 comprising devices increasing the field of view
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/30 Image reproducers optical systems for producing stereoscopic or other three-dimensional effects G02B30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

Disclosed is an electronic device. The electronic device comprises: a display for displaying virtual reality (VR) content; a detection unit for detecting a distance between the electronic device and at least one from among a user and a terminal device held by the user; and a processor for determining a virtual field of view corresponding to the distance detected by the detection unit, and controlling the display to display a screen including a VR content area corresponding to the virtual field of view.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a display configured to display a virtual reality (VR) content;

a detection unit configured to detect a distance between the electronic device and either one or both of a user and a terminal device being held by the user; and

a processor configured to;

identify a virtual field of view by increasing the virtual field of view based on the detected distance being increased from a previously-detected distance and decreasing the virtual field of view based on the detected distance being decreased from the previously-detected distance;

identify a virtual reality (VR) content area corresponding to the virtual field of view in a VR content; and

control the display to display a screen including the VR content area,

wherein the virtual field of view is a field of view based on the user.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to control the display to change the virtual field of view by a predetermined ratio corresponding to a change in the detected distance.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to change the predetermined ratio, based on any one or any combination of an event to input the user, an event to input a specific type content, and an event in which the detected distance satisfies a predetermined threshold distance.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to operate in a field of view change mode in which the virtual field of view is changed based on the detected distance, or a field of view fixing mode in which the virtual field of view is maintained regardless of the detected distance.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the detection unit is implemented as any one or any combination of a camera, an RF sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a laser sensor, and an infrared sensor.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to extract and display another screen comprising another content area corresponding to the virtual field of view, from the VR content in which a content is reflected in a virtual three-dimensional space.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to, based on a plurality of users being detected by the detection unit, determine the virtual field of view corresponding to another distance with a predetermined user among the plurality of users or to an average distance of the plurality of users.

8. An electronic device, comprising:

a display;

a detection unit configured to detect a distance between the electronic device and either one or both of a user and a terminal device being held by the user; and

a processor configured to;

identify a virtual field of view by increasing the virtual field of view based on the detected distance being increased from a previously-detected distance and decreasing the virtual field of view based on the detected distance being increased from the previously-detected distance;

identify a virtual reality (VR) content area corresponding to the virtual field of view in a VR content; and

control the display to display a screen including the VR content area corresponding to the virtual field of view,

wherein the virtual field of view is a field of view based on the electronic device.

9. A controlling method of an electronic device that comprises a display and a detection unit detecting a distance between the electronic device and either one or both of a user and a terminal device being held by the user, the method comprising:

identifying a virtual field of view, by increasing the virtual field of view based on the detected distance being increased from a previously-detected distance and decreasing the virtual field of view based on the detected distance being decreased from the previously-detected distance;

identifying a virtual reality (VR) content area corresponding to the virtual field of view in a VR content; and

controlling the display to display a screen comprising the VR content area,

wherein the virtual field of view is a field of view based on the user.

10. The controlling method of claim 9, further comprising:

based on the virtual field of view being another field of view based on the electronic device and the detected distance being increased from the previously-detected distance, decreasing the virtual field of view; and

based on the virtual field of view being the other field of view based on the electronic device and the detected distance being decreased from the previously-detected distance, increasing the virtual field of view.

11. The controlling method of claim 9, further comprising controlling the display to change the virtual field of view by a predetermined ratio corresponding to a change in the detected distance.

12. The controlling method of claim 11, further comprising changing the predetermined ratio, based on any one or any combination of an event to input the user, an event to input a specific type content, and an event in which the detected distance satisfies a predetermined threshold distance.

13. The controlling method of claim 9, further comprising operating in a field of view change mode in which the virtual field of view is changed based on the detected distance, or a field of view fixing mode in which the virtual field of view is maintained regardless of the detected distance.