IMAGE DISPLAY SYSTEM

• US 20080174551A1
• Filed: 01/22/2008
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd. (Funai Electric Holdings Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd. (Funai Electric Holdings Company Limited)
• Inventors: ISHIBASHI, Kenji
• Application Number:
  US12/017,602
• Publication Number:
  US 20080174551A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence

Abstract

This image display system includes an image display device, including an image generation unit which generates an image including a predetermined image and an image display unit which displays this generated image, and a remote control device, which includes an actuation unit for controlling display by the image display device. The remote control device includes a camera which, when the remote control device is pointed towards the image display device, can capture an image displayed upon the image display unit; and the image generation unit of the image display device compares together the coordinates of the predetermined displayed image displayed upon the image display unit, and the coordinates of the captured image of the predetermined image within the image captured by the camera, and thereby detects a remote pointing position at which the remote control device is pointing. And the image generation unit generates a displayed cursor image to be displayed at the remote pointing position, and displays it upon the image display unit.

Claims

1. An image display system comprising:

an image display device, comprising an image generation unit which generates an image including a predetermined image, and an image display unit which displays this generated image; and

a remote control device, which comprises an actuation unit for controlling display by said image display device, and which transmits details of actuation performed upon said actuation unit to said image display device;

wherein said remote control device comprises a camera which, when said remote control device is pointed towards said image display device, can capture an image displayed upon said image display unit, and;

said image generation unit of said image display device creates an image to be displayed by said image display unit, based upon the display state of said displayed image which has been captured by said camera.

2. An image display system according to claim 1, wherein said remote control device further comprises:

a position detection unit which compares together the coordinates of a predetermined display image which is being displayed upon said image display unit, which have been acquired from said image display device, and the coordinates of the captured image of said predetermined image within the image captured by said camera, and thereby detects a remote pointing position upon the display screen of said image display unit, at which said remote control device is pointing; and

a transmission unit which transmits said remote pointing position detected by said position detection unit to said image display device;

wherein said image generation unit of said image display device creates a displayed cursor image, which is displayed in said remote pointing position.

3. An image display system according to claim 2, wherein said predetermined displayed image is a displayed cursor image, and said captured image of the predetermined image is a captured cursor image.

4. An image display system according to claim 3, wherein:

said remote control device further comprises a memory which stores in advance a reference cursor image which constitutes a reference for said displayed cursor image; and

said position detection unit extracts said captured cursor image within the image captured by the camera by using said reference cursor image which is stored in said memory.

5. An image display system according to claim 3, wherein said position detection unit further comprises a detection reliability decision unit which decides upon the reliability of detection of said remote pointing position, and wherein, if the reliability of detection by said detection reliability decision unit is lower than a fixed value, said remote pointing position is set so that said displayed cursor image is displayed in a predetermined position upon said image display unit.

6. An image display system according to claim 5, wherein, at a predetermined timing, said position detection unit further sets said remote pointing position so that said displayed cursor image is displayed in a predetermined position upon said image display unit.

7. An image display system according to claim 4, wherein:

said image display device comprises a reference cursor image transmission unit which, at a desired timing, transmits said reference cursor image to said remote control device; and

said memory of said remote control device stores said reference cursor image which has been transmitted from said reference cursor image transmission unit.

8. An image display system according to claim 3, wherein said position detection unit compares together the coordinates of said displayed cursor image and the coordinates of said captured cursor image, and thereby detects the position of said remote control device relative to said image display device.

9. An image display system according to claim 8, wherein said transmission unit transmits said relative position to said image display device, and said image generation unit of said image display device changes the size of said displayed cursor image which is displayed upon said image display unit, according to said relative position.

10. An image display system according to claim 2, wherein said predetermined displayed image is a displayed menu image, and said captured image of the predetermined image is a captured menu image.

11. An image display system according to claim 1, wherein:

said remote control device further comprises a displayed image transmission unit which transmits an image, captured by said camera and displayed upon said image display unit, to said image display device;

said image display device comprises a position detection unit which compares together the coordinates of a captured image of a predetermined image within the displayed image which has been transmitted from said displayed image transmission unit of said remote control device, and the coordinates of said predetermined displayed image which is being displayed upon said image display unit, and thereby detects a remote pointing position at which said remote control device is pointing upon the display screen of said image display unit; and

said image generation unit of said image display device generates a displayed cursor image to be displayed in said remote pointing position.

12. An image display system according to claim 1, wherein said remote control device further comprises:

a position detection unit which compares together the coordinates, acquired from said image display device, of a predetermined displayed image which is being displayed upon said image display unit, and the coordinates of a captured image of a predetermined image within the displayed image captured by said camera, and thereby detects the orientation of said remote control device with respect to said image display unit, and the relative position of said remote control device, which specifies the distance between said image display unit and said remote control device; and

a transmission unit which transmits said orientation and said relative position of said remote control device, which have been detected by said position detection unit, to said image display device;

and said image generation unit of said image display device sets a display state of the image which is displayed upon said image display unit, based upon said orientation and said relative position of said remote control device.

13. An image display system according to claim 12, wherein said predetermined displayed image is a displayed cursor image, and said captured image of the predetermined image is a captured cursor image.

14. An image display system according to claim 13, wherein:

said remote control device further comprises a memory which stores in advance a reference cursor image which constitutes a reference for said displayed cursor image; and

said position detection unit extracts said captured cursor image within the image captured by said camera by using said reference cursor image which is stored in said memory.

15. An image display system according to claim 12, wherein said image generation unit sets the display state of said displayed image, based upon the orientation of said remote control device which has been transmitted from said transmission unit, so that said displayed image is displayed upon the display screen of said image display unit in the position closest to said remote control device.

16. An image display system according to claim 12, wherein said image generation unit sets the display state of said displayed image, based upon said relative position which has been transmitted from said transmission unit, so that said displayed image is displayed larger, the greater is the distance between said image display unit and said remote control device.

17. An image display system, comprising:

an image display device, comprising an image generation unit which generates an image including a predetermined image, and an image display unit which displays this generated image;

a remote control device, which comprises an actuation unit for controlling display by said image display device, and which transmits details of actuation performed upon said actuation unit to said image display device; and

a first camera which captures an image of a scene in front of said image display unit;

and wherein said remote control device comprises;

a second camera which, when said remote control device is pointed towards said image display device, can capture an image displayed upon said image display unit;

a position detection unit which compares together the coordinates of a predetermined display image which is being displayed upon said image display unit, which have been acquired from said image display device, and the coordinates of the captured image of said predetermined image within the image captured by said second camera, and thereby detects the orientation of said remote control device with respect to said image display unit, and the relative position of said remote control device, which specifies the distance between said image display unit and said remote control device; and

a transmission unit which transmits said orientation and said relative position of said remote control device, detected by said position detection unit, to said image display device;

and said first camera comprises a camera control unit which controls the image capture direction of said first camera, based upon the orientation and the relative position of said remote control device which have been transmitted from said transmission unit.

18. An image display system according to claim 17, wherein said predetermined display image is a displayed cursor image, and said captured image of the predetermined image is a captured cursor image.

19. An image display system according to claim 17, wherein said camera control unit controls the zoom amount of said first camera, based upon the orientation and the relative position of said remote control device, which have been transmitted from said transmission unit.

20. An image display system according to claim 17, wherein said camera control unit controls said zoom amount so that the size of a photographic subject which is captured by said first camera remains fixed, irrespective of said orientation and said relative position of said remote control device.

21. An image display system according to claim 18, wherein:

said remote control device further comprises a memory which stores in advance a reference cursor image which constitutes a reference for said displayed cursor image; and

said position detection unit extracts said captured cursor image within the image captured by said second camera by using said reference cursor image which is stored in said memory.