Image information projection device and projection device control method

• US 10,506,290 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2014
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Sangmin, Yim, Jungbin, Lee, Dongkyu, Yeom, Jungho, Kim, Jina
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Tan H
• Application Number:
  US15/512,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20170295406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,902 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/26 Projecting separately subsidiary matter simultaneously with main image
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/30 adapted to collapse or fold, e.g. for portability
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/53 Means for automatic focusing, e.g. to compensate thermal effects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4222 Remote control device emulator integrated into a non-television apparatus, e.g. a PDA, media center or smart toy remote control device for a television receiver integrated into a mobile phone H04M1/72415
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for projecting image information and a control method for the device, the device comprising: a main body; a projection unit for projecting image information onto at least two screens having different separation distances from the main body; a detection unit for detecting separation distances between each of the at least two screens and the main body; and a control unit for controlling the projection unit such that different pieces of image information are projected onto the screens on the basis of the separation distances between the main body and the screens, wherein the control unit projects image information corresponding to content selected by a user onto a first screen among the screens and projects image information related to the content onto a second screen.

Claims

1. An image information projection device comprising:

a main body;

a projector configured to project image information onto at least two screens having different separation distances from the main body;

a sensor configured to sense separation distances between the at least two screens and the main body; and

a controller coupled to the projector and the sensor, the controller configured to control the projector such that different image information is projected onto the at least two screens based on the separation distances between the at least two screens and the main body,

wherein the controller projects image information corresponding to content selected by a user onto a first screen among the at least two screens, and projects image information related to the content onto a second screen among the at least two screens,

wherein the controller is further configured to;

determine the image information display areas on the at least two screens, based on points where the separation distances are changed on image information display regions on the at least two screens; and

sort the at least two screens into the first screen and the second screen based on at least one of the separation distances and image information display areas on the at least two screens, and

wherein the controller determines a screen having a largest image information display area as the first screen.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller controls focal distances of the image information displayed on the at least two screens, based on the separation distances between the at least two screens and the main body.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller differently sets resolutions of the at least two screens.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the controller determines the resolutions of the at least two screens, based on the separation distances between the at least two screens and the main body.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein if the second screen has a position change, the controller senses the changed position of the second screen, and displays the image information related to the content, on the position-changed second screen.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the controller displays image information different from that before the second screen has the position change, based on a distance between the position-changed second screen and the main body.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller senses a user'"'"'s gesture from a motion of a part of the user'"'"'s body, and recognizes the sensed gesture as a user'"'"'s input with respect to image information projected onto one of the at least two screens, based on a distance between the part of the user'"'"'s body and the main body.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the controller recognizes only a user'"'"'s gesture with respect to a specific screen as the user'"'"'s input, based on image information displayed on the at least two screens.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein if an object is sensed between the at least two screens and the main body, the controller recognizes the object as a new screen, based on a sensing time of the object.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein if a position and a state of the object are fixed for more than a predetermined time, the controller recognizes the object as a new screen.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein if the object is recognized as a new screen, the controller projects, onto the new screen, image information different from that projected onto the first and second screens.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the image information projected onto the new screen is related to the content having not projected onto the second screen.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the sensor senses the separation distances between the at least two screens and the main body, using at least one of an infrared ray sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a laser sensor and a light sensor.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least two screens are arranged in at least two, in parallel in a horizontal direction or in a vertical direction.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the image information projected onto the second screen includes at least one of a control menu of an application which plays the content projected onto the first screen, and additional information related to the content.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein when the image information projection device is connected to a personal computer (PC) body or a smart phone, the controller performs a dual monitor function by recognizing the first and second screens as different monitors, based on the separation distances.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein the image information projection device is mounted to a head mounted display (HMD) device or a mobile terminal.

18. A method for controlling an image information projection device, the method including:

sensing, via a sensor, separation distances between a main body of the image information projection device and at least two screens having different separation distances from the main body;

sorting the at least two screens into a first screen onto which image information corresponding to content selected by a user is projected, and a second screen onto which image information related to the content is projected; and

projecting, via a projector, the image information corresponding to the content, and the image information related to the content, onto the sorted screens,

wherein the sorting the screens further comprises;

determining, via a controller, the image information display areas on the at least two screens, based on points where the separation distances are changed on image information display regions on the at least two screens; and

sorting the at least two screens into the first screen and the second screen based on at least one of the separation distances and image information display areas on the at least two screens, and

wherein a screen having the largest image information display area is determined as the first screen.