DISPLAY APPARATUS AND DISPLAY METHOD

• US 20070120833A1
• Filed: 10/02/2006
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Display West Incorporated (Japan Display Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Harada, Tsutomu, Yamaguchi, Kazunori, Tateuchi, Mitsuru
• Granted Patent: US 8,704,804 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A display apparatus and display method are provided. The display apparatus capable of displaying an image and receiving light simultaneously or alternately, the display apparatus including: a plurality of display devices laid out to form a matrix; a plurality of light receiving devices for receiving light hitting a display screen; a received-light image generation unit for generating image data representing the state of a substance brought into contact with the display screen or brought to a position in close proximity to the display screen; an image processing/evaluating unit for evaluating the position and size of a substance as well as evaluating changes in the position and in the size; and a command determination unit for recognizing a command entered by an operator. In the display apparatus, predetermined processing according to a command recognized by the command determination unit is carried out.

Claims

1. A display apparatus capable of displaying an image and receiving light simultaneously or alternately, said display apparatus comprising:

a plurality of display devices configured to form a matrix;

a plurality of light receiving devices each placed at a location in close proximity to one of said display devices as a light receiving device for receiving light in contact with a display screen of said display apparatus;

a received-light image generation unit for generating image data representing a state of a substance brought into contact with said display screen or close proximity thereof based on a received-light signal representing light received by said light receiving devices;

an image processing/evaluating unit for evaluating a position and size of a substance brought into contact with said display screen or close proximity thereof in addition to evaluating changes in said position and in said size based on image data generated by said received-light image generation unit; and

a command determination unit for recognizing a command entered by an operator based on a relation between positions of a plurality of contact portions each touched by a substance or approached by said substance, a change of the position of each of said contact portions or the size of each of said contact portions upon detection carried out by said image processing/evaluating unit as detection of said contact portions each touched or approached by said substance,

wherein predetermined processing according to a command recognized by said command determination unit is carried out.

2. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined processed is processing to change a displayed image displayed by said display devices.

3. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined processing is processed to change an operation of an application for generating a displayed image displayed by said devices.

4. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, an image to be detected in processing carried out by said image processing/evaluating unit is an image of a substance placed on said display screen or a shape of a shadow of a substance placed at a position in close proximity to said display screen.

5. A display method capable of displaying an image and receiving light simultaneously or alternately, said display method comprising:

displaying an image by using a plurality of display devices configured to form a matrix;

detecting a contact portion on a display screen when a substance is brought into contact with said contact portion or close proximity thereof by using a plurality of light receiving devices each placed at a location adjacent to one of said display devices; and

carrying out predetermined processing for a plurality of contact portions, which are detected when a substance is brought into contact with said contact portion or close proximity thereof, in accordance with a relation between positions of said contact portions, a change of the position of each of said contact portions or the size of each of said contact portions.