METHOD FOR PROVIDING A USER INTERFACE USING THREE-DIMENSIONAL GESTURES AND AN APPARATUS USING THE SAME

• US 20100095206A1
• Filed: 10/13/2009
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: KIM, Hyun Ju
• Granted Patent: US 8,612,894 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/702
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• 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 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Provided is a method capable of making various modifications to widgets, graphic objects, or images, which are displayed on a display device, according to motions of a plurality of input units such as finger or stylus pen, with the use of a three-dimensional multi-sensor configured to detect the motions of the input units in a space, without touching the display device.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a three-dimensional user interface of a display device, the method comprising:

displaying one or more widgets to have predetermined depths on a display of the display device;

detecting a user'"'"'s gesture on a widget selected among the one or more widgets; and

modifying the depths of the widgets.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the widgets represent menus.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user'"'"'s gesture is a gesture of changing a distance between a user input unit and the display device in a space over the selected widget.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the user'"'"'s gesture is a gesture of approaching at least one finger to the display or departing the at least one finger from the display.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a user'"'"'s gesture of moving an input unit in a direction horizontal to the display in a space over the selected widget; and

moving the selected widget in a direction vertical to the display.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a user'"'"'s gesture of rotating an input unit in a space over the selected widget; and

rotting the selected widget according to the rotating gesture.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a user'"'"'s flicking or throwing gesture in a space over the selected widget; and

displaying the selected widget to be thrown in a flicking or throwing direction according to the flicking or throwing gesture.

8. A method for controlling a three-dimensional user interface of a display device, the method comprising:

displaying one or more widgets to have predetermined depths on a display of the display device;

measuring use frequency of the widgets; and

displaying the widgets while changing the depths of the widgets according to the use frequency.

9. The method according to claim 8, where the widgets having high use frequency are displayed to protrude from the display, and the widget having low use frequency are displayed to be recessed from the display.

10. A method for controlling a user interface of a display device using a gesture in a space, the method comprising:

detecting a gesture of selecting a predetermined region of an image displayed on a display;

detecting a motion of an input unit over the display; and

modifying an image configuration of the selected region according to the detected motion.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the display comprises a touchscreen, the selecting of the predetermined region is detected by detecting a gesture of dragging a closed curve on the display.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the motion of the input unit is to approach to or depart from the display in a vertical direction, and the modifying of the image configuration of the selected region comprises displaying the selected region to rise upward or settle down.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the motion of the input unit is to move in a direction parallel to the display, and the modifying of the image configuration of the selected region comprises displaying the selected region to expand in a moving direction of the objects.

14. A display device comprising:

a three-dimensional proximity sensor configured to sense position and motion of at least one input unit in a space;

a memory configured to store data and program necessary for operations;

a display configured to display one or more widgets; and

a controller configured to control the display to display a widget configuration modified according to the motion of the input unit detected by the three-dimensional proximity sensor, based on the program stored in the memory.

15. The display device according to claim 14, wherein the detected motion of the input unit is to approach to or depart from the display in a vertical direction, and the controller controls the display to display the widget to protrude from the display or to be recessed from the display.

16. The display device according to claim 14, wherein the motion of the input unit is to approach to or depart from the display in a vertical direction, and the controller controls the display to display the graphic object to be lifted from the display or to be put down.

17. The display device according to claim 14, wherein the motion of the input unit is to move in a direction parallel to the display, and the controller controls the display to display the graphic object to move in a moving direction of the input unit.

18. The display device according to claim 14, wherein the motion of the input unit is to rotate in a predetermined direction, and the controller controls the display to display the graphic object to rotate in a rotating direction of the input unit.

19. The display device according to claim 14, wherein the motion of the input unit is to approach to or departing from the display in a vertical direction, and the controller controls the display to display a selected region of the image to protrude upward or settle down.

20. The display device according to claim 14, wherein the motion of the input unit is to move in a direction parallel to the display, and the controller controls the display to display a selected region of the image to display expand in a moving direction of the input unit.