DISPLAY APPARATUS

• US 20070222769A1
• Filed: 03/21/2007
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: UMEI, Toshitomo, FUKUDA, Hisaya, OTSUKA, Masakazu, NAKAGAWA, Seiichi, KUWABARA, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,773,075 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/11 Instrument graphical user interfaces or menu aspects
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/115 Selection of menu items
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/265 constructional aspects of navigation devices, e.g. housings, mountings, displays G01C21/3688 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• 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 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path

Abstract

A touch location detection section (103) detects the location on a display screen where the operator'"'"'s finger touches. A transfer length calculation section (104) calculates the transfer length La of the operator'"'"'s finger from the touch start location S to the touch end location E. A transfer length judgment section (105) judges whether or not the transfer length La is greater than a reference transfer length Ls. A location shift calculation section (106) calculates the location shift δ of the operator'"'"'s finger. A location shift judgment section (107) judges whether or not the location shift δ is less than a predetermined reference location shift δs. When La>Ls and δ<δs, a screen split control section (108) controls the operation of an image display section so as to split a display screen 101.

Claims

1. A display apparatus comprising:

an image display section that displays image on a display screen;

a touch location detection section that detects a touch location of a finger of an operator on the display screen;

a transfer length calculation section that calculates a transfer length from a touch start point to a touch end point of the finger of the operator that moves while touching the display screen, based on a detection result of the touch location detection section;

a transfer length judgment section that judges whether or not the transfer length calculated by the transfer length calculation section is greater than a predetermined reference transfer length;

a location shift calculation section that calculates a shift of the finger of the operator in location with respect to a straight track line from the touch start point to the touch end point, based on the detection result in the touch location detection section;

a location shift judgment section that judges whether or not the location shift calculated by the location shift calculation section is less than a predetermined reference location shift; and

a screen split control section that controls an operation of the image display section so that the display screen is split when the transfer length judgment section judges that the transfer length is greater than the reference transfer length and the location shift judgment section judges that the location shift is less than the reference location shift.

2. The display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a touch duration measurement section that measures a touch duration of the finger of the operator on the display screen; and

a touch duration judgment section that judges whether or not the touch duration at the touch start point measured by the touch duration measurement section is less than a predetermined reference touch duration, wherein;

the screen split control section controls the operation of the image display section so that the display screen is split when the touch duration judgment section judges that the measured duration is less than the reference touch duration.

3. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the screen split control section controls the operation of the image display section so that display locations of a first split screen and a second split screen after the screen split are determined based on a positional relationship between the touch start point and the touch end point.

4. The display apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the screen split control section displays the first split screen and the second split screen left and right when a change of a Y-axis coordinate between the touch start point and the touch end point on the display screen is significant, and displays the first split screen and the second split screen top and bottom when a change of a X-axis coordinate between the touch start point and the touch end point on the display screen is significant.

5. The display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the screen split control section controls the operation of the image display section so that the display screen is split by a line that crosses a screen center of the display screen when the touch start point and the touch point are within a predetermined range from the screen center.

6. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the display apparatus is mounted in a vehicle comprising a seated location detection section that detects in which seat location a passenger is seated, the screen split control section controls the operation of the image display section so that a new image after the screen split is displayed on the split screen that is detected to be closer to the operator by the seated location detection section.

7. The display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, while the finger of the operator touches one of the split screens, if the touch duration judgment section judges that the touch duration on said one of the split screens measured by the touch duration measurement section is greater than the reference touch duration, the screen split control section enables said one of the split screens which the finger of the operator touches to be dragged to the other split screen, and controls the operation of the image display section so that the display locations of images after the screen split are switched by dragging and moving said one of the split screens to the other split screen.

8. The display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, while the finger of the operator touches a split borderline between the first split screen and the second split screen, if the touch duration judgment section judges that the touch duration on said split borderline measured by the touch duration measurement section is greater than the reference touch duration, the screen split control section enables said split borderline which the finger of the operator touches to be dragged, and controls the operation of the image display section so as to change the screen sizes of the screens after the screen split by dragging and moving said split borderline.

9. The display apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising an audio volume adjustment section that increases and decreases a first audio volume of a first split screen and a second audio volume of a second split screen split by the screen split control section in accordance with the screen sizes changed by the screen size change section.

10. A display method comprising:

an image display step of displaying image on a display screen;

a touch location detection step of detecting a touch location of a finger of an operator on the display screen;

a transfer length calculation step of calculating a transfer length from a touch start point to a touch end point of the finger of the operator that moves while touching the display screen, based on a detection result of the touch location detection step;

a transfer length judgment step of judging whether or not the transfer length calculated in the transfer length calculation step is greater than a predetermined reference transfer length;

a location shift calculation step of calculating a shift of the finger of the operator in location with respect to a straight track line from the touch start point to the touch end point, based on the detection result in the touch location detection step;

a location shift judgment step of judging whether or not the location shift calculated in the location shift calculation step is less than a predetermined reference location shift; and

;

a screen split control step of controlling an operation of the image display step so that the display screen is split when the transfer length is judged greater than the reference transfer length in the transfer length judgment step and the location shift is judged less than the reference location shift in the location shift judgment step.