INPUT DEVICE AND METHOD, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD, INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM, AND PROGRAM

• US 20100188334A1
• Filed: 12/14/2009
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Onogi, Ken, YAMAMOTO, Kazuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,576,165 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• 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 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

An input device includes: an operating section which is held by a user and operated in a three-dimensional free space in order to operate an information processing apparatus by remote control; a calculation section which calculates a hand shake related value for controlling selection of an image to be controlled which is displayed on the information processing apparatus, the hand shake related value being relevant to an amount of hand shake of the operating section; and an output section which outputs the hand shake related value as an operation signal for operating the information processing apparatus by remote control.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

an operating section which is held by a user and operated in a three-dimensional free space in order to operate an information processing apparatus by remote control;

a calculation section which calculates a hand shake related value for controlling selection of an image to be controlled which is displayed on the information processing apparatus, the hand shake related value being relevant to an amount of hand shake of the operating section; and

an output section which outputs the hand shake related value as an operation signal for operating the information processing apparatus by remote control.

2. The input device according to claim 1,

wherein the operation signal of the hand shake related value is a signal for controlling selection of a size of an icon, which forms a GUI as the image to be controlled, or a character attached to the icon.

3. The input device according to claim 1,

wherein the operation signal of the hand shake related value is a signal for controlling selection of a size of a character as the image to be controlled which is displayed on a screen of the information processing apparatus.

4. The input device according to claim 2,

wherein the calculation section calculates the hand shake related value from a second movement detection value when a first movement detection value based on an operation of the input device is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value.

5. The input device according to claim 4,

wherein each of the first and second movement detection values are any of angle, angular velocity, displacement, and acceleration.

6. The input device according to claim 5,

wherein the operating section is the entire input device.

7. The input device according to claim 6,

wherein the input device is united with the information processing apparatus.

8. The input device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a light-emitting section,

wherein the output section makes the light-emitting section emit light according to the hand shake related value.

9. The input device according to claim 8,

wherein the output section changes an emission state of the light-emitting section according to the hand shake related value.

10. The input device according to claim 1,

wherein the operation signal of the hand shake related value is a signal for controlling selection of contents display order in a list of a plurality of contents which is the image to be controlled.

11. An input method comprising the steps of:

holding and operating an operating section in a three-dimensional free space by a user in order to operate an information processing apparatus by remote control;

calculating a hand shake related value for controlling selection of an image to be controlled, which is displayed on the information processing apparatus, by means of a calculation section, the hand shake related value being relevant to an amount of hand shake of the operating section; and

outputting the hand shake related value as an operation signal for operating the information processing apparatus by remote control by means of an output section.

12. A program causing a computer of an input device to function as:

a calculation means for calculating a hand shake related value for controlling selection of an image to be controlled which is displayed on an information processing apparatus, the hand shake related value being relevant to an amount of hand shake of the input device which is held by a user and operated in a three-dimensional free space in order to operate the information processing apparatus by remote control; and

an output means for outputting the hand shake related value as an operation signal for operating the information processing apparatus by remote control.

13. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a receiving section which receives, as an operation signal from an input device which is held by a user and operated in a three-dimensional free space, a hand shake related value relevant to an amount of hand shake of the input device;

a selection section which selects an image to be controlled on the basis of the hand shake related value received from the input device; and

a display section which displays the image to be controlled which has been selected by the selection section.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the selection section selects and displays an icon which forms a GUI as the image to be controlled or a character attached to the icon, the icon or the character having a size proportional to the hand shake related value.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the selection section selects contents display order in a list of a plurality of contents, which is the image to be controlled, on the basis of the hand shake related value and displays the selected contents display order on the display section.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a calculation section which calculates the amount of hand shake of the input device on the basis of the hand shake related value received by the receiving section,

wherein the selection section selects the image to be controlled on the basis of the amount of hand shake calculated by the calculation section and displays the selected image on the display section.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 16,

wherein the display section further displays an icon for guiding measurement of hand shake.

18. An information processing method comprising the steps of:

receiving, as an operation signal from an input device which is held by a user and operated in a three-dimensional free space, a hand shake related value relevant to an amount of hand shake of the input device by means of a receiving section;

selecting an image to be controlled on the basis of the hand shake related value, which has been received from the input device, by means of a selection section; and

displaying the image to be controlled, which has been selected by the selection section, by means of a display section.

19. A program causing a computer of an information processing apparatus to function as:

a receiving means for receiving, as an operation signal from an input device which is held by a user and operated in a three-dimensional free space, a hand shake related value relevant to an amount of hand shake of the input device;

a selection means for selecting an image to be controlled on the basis of the hand shake related value received from the input device; and

a display means for displaying the image to be controlled which has been selected by the selection means.

20. An information processing system comprising:

an input device; and

an information processing apparatus which is remote-controlled by the input device,

wherein the input device is held by a user and operated in a three-dimensional free space in order to operate the information processing apparatus by remote control, calculates a hand shake related value which is relevant to an amount of hand shake of the input device and is a value for controlling selection of an image to be controlled which is displayed on the information processing apparatus, and outputs the hand shake related value as an operation signal for operating the information processing apparatus by remote control, and

the information processing apparatus receives the hand shake related value, selects the image to be controlled on the basis of the hand shake related value received from the input device, and displays the selected image to be controlled.