MOBILE TERMINAL WITH IMAGE PROJECTION

• US 20100188428A1
• Filed: 01/22/2009
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Jong Hwan, Shin, Duck Moon
• Granted Patent: US 8,427,511 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/661
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1639 the display being based on projection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• 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 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0272 for a projector or beamer module assembly constructional features of projectors per se G03B21/00; constructional details of projectors using electronic spatial light modulators per se H04N9/31

Abstract

A mobile terminal is provided including a projector module, a camera, and a controller. The projector module is configured to project an image for display on an external screen. The camera is configured to receive an input image of the image displayed on the external screen. The input image includes a pointer located over the image and a shadow of the pointer. The controller is configured to obtain a distance between the pointer and the shadow of the pointer from the input image, to recognize a touch by the pointer to a touch point in the displayed image according to the obtained distance, to project through the projector module a pointer cursor at the touch point, and to perform an operation corresponding to the recognized touch point.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a projector module configured to project an image for display on an external screen;

a camera configured to receive an input image of the image displayed on the external screen, the input image including a pointer located over the image and a shadow of the pointer; and

a controller configured to obtain a distance between the pointer and the shadow of the pointer from the input image, to recognize a touch by the pointer to a touch point in the displayed image according to the obtained distance, to project through the projector module a pointer cursor at the touch point, and to perform an operation corresponding to the recognized touch point.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to recognize the touch by the pointer if the obtained distance is less than a predetermined distance.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to recognize the touch by the pointer if a specific motion of the pointer is obtained from the input image when the obtained distance is less than a predetermined distance.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to acquire at least one of touch point information of the pointer or size information of the pointer and the shadow if the touch by the pointer is recognized to at least one point from the input image.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to obtain a touch pattern by the pointer using at least one of the acquired touch point information or the acquired size information and the controller is configured to perform the operation corresponding to the obtained touch pattern.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to adjust a size of the image displayed on the external screen using at least one of the acquired touch point information or the acquired size information.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to perform at least one of enlarging/reducing display of one portion of the image, driving an application, or executing data with reference to the recognized touch point.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the operation is at least one of a specific image effect addition or a specific function execution, the specific image effect addition being the display of an additional image on top of the image corresponding to the touch point and to a motion of the pointer, the specific function execution being the execution of a specific function associated with the touch point and the motion of the pointer.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine an extent to which the displayed image overlaps with an external object from the input image and to adjust a size of the displayed image such that the displayed image does not overlap with the external object.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller stops operating the camera if a touch by the pointer is not recognized for a predetermined period of time.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein a lens of each of the projector module and the camera is configured to face a same direction.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein location of the camera with respect to the projector is at a predetermined angle to detect the distance between the pointer and the shadow.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to move the pointer cursor projected through the projector module corresponding to a motion of the pointer.

14. A method of recognizing a touch in a mobile terminal, comprising:

projecting an image on an external screen;

capturing the external screen to obtain an input image, the input image including a pointer located over the image and a shadow of the pointer;

obtaining a distance between the pointer and the shadow from the input image;

recognizing a touch by the pointer to a touch point in the displayed image according to the obtained distance;

projecting a pointer cursor at the touch point; and

performing an operation corresponding to the recognized touch point.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising recognizing the touch by the pointer if the obtained distance is less than a predetermined distance.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising recognizing the touch by the pointer if a specific motion of the pointer is obtained from the input image when the obtained distance is less than a predetermined distance.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising acquiring at least one of touch point information of the pointer or size information of the pointer and the shadow if the touch by the pointer is recognized to at least one point from the input image.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising obtaining a touch pattern by the pointer using at least one of the acquired touch point information or the acquired size information and performing the operation corresponding to the obtained touch pattern.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising adjusting a size of the image displayed on the external screen using at least one of the acquired touch point information or the acquired size information.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising performing at least one of enlarging/reducing display of one portion of the image, driving an application, or executing data with reference to the recognized touch point.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the operation is at least one of a specific image effect addition or a specific function execution, the specific image effect addition being the display of an additional image on top of the image corresponding to the touch point and to a motion of the pointer, the specific function execution being the execution of a specific function associated with the touch point and the motion of the pointer.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining an extent to which the displayed image overlaps with an external object from the input image and adjusting a size of the displayed image such that the displayed image does not overlap with the external object.

23. The method of claim 14, further comprising stopping the capturing of the external screen if a touch by the pointer is not recognized for a predetermined period of time.

24. The method of claim 14, further comprising moving the projected pointer cursor corresponding to a motion of the pointer.