CONTROL APPARATUS, INPUT APPARATUS, CONTROL SYSTEM, CONTROL METHOD, AND HANDHELD APPARATUS

• US 20100265175A1
• Filed: 12/02/2008
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kabasawa, Hidetoshi, Yamamoto, Kazuyuki, Sawai, Kunihito, Masuda, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 8,531,399 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/159
• 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 3/0481 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 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials

Abstract

[Object] To provide a control apparatus, an input apparatus, a control system, a control method, and a handheld apparatus that are capable of preventing a deviation between a display position of a pointer and a relative position of the input apparatus when the input apparatus is moved out of a screen from an end portion of the screen, and with which a user can obtain an intuitional operational feeling.

[Solving Means] Not only on a real screen (95) but also on a virtual screen (105) set around the real screen (95), coordinates of a virtual pointer (2′) are generated and stored. Accordingly, by moving an input apparatus (1) only by an amount that the input apparatus has moved outside the real screen (95), in an opposite direction, for example, a user can resume a movement of a pointer (2) that has reached a boundary line of the real screen (95), on the real screen (95). As a result, since coordinate values of the pointer are generated in a pseudo absolute coordinate system without being bound by a small screen, the user can operate the input apparatus (1) intuitionally without stress.

Claims

1. A control apparatus controlling display of a pointer based on input information corresponding to a movement of an input apparatus, comprising:

a generation means for generating first coordinate information indicating a position of the pointer that corresponds to the input information in a first coordinate system on a real screen displayed, and second coordinate information indicating a position of the pointer that corresponds to the input information in a second coordinate system associated with the first coordinate system on a virtual screen set around the real screen; and

a display control means for controlling the display of the pointer on the real screen in accordance with the first coordinate information and the second coordinate information that have been generated.

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

a storage means for storing a virtual display area on the virtual screen out of a selection operation area as a target of a selection operation by the input apparatus, the virtual display area being stored in association with the second coordinate system;

a judgment means for judging whether the generated second coordinate information is within the virtual display area; and

a selection control means for controlling the target of the selection operation when the generated second coordinate information is within the virtual display area.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the display control means generates image data of a real display area on the real screen adjacent to the virtual display area out of the selection operation area.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the display control means displays the real display area on the real screen when the judgment means judges that the second coordinate information is within the virtual display area.

5. The control apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the selection control means variably controls a switching velocity in the selection operation in accordance with a distance between the generated second coordinate information and a boundary line at an end portion of the first coordinate system, the boundary line being a boundary between the first coordinate system and the second coordinate system.

6. The control apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the storage means stores the virtual display area of the selection operation area that is provided plurally, the plurality of virtual display areas being stored in association with the second coordinate system.

7. The control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the display control means controls the display of the pointer so that, when the input information is changed from a first input value that corresponds to a position on a boundary line at an end portion of the first coordinate system, the boundary line being a boundary between the first coordinate system and the second coordinate system, to a second input value that corresponds to a position in an area of the second coordinate system adjacent to the boundary line, the pointer is displayed on the boundary line.

8. The control apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the display control means controls the display of the pointer so that the pointer moves on the boundary line by updating the first coordinate values on the boundary line in accordance with the second coordinate information generated by the generation means.

9. The control apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the display control means changes a display form of the pointer on the boundary line in accordance with a change in the second input value.

10. The control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the display control means generates a signal for executing processing for setting a state of the pointer to be uncorrelated to the input information when the input information is changed from a first input value of the input information that indicates that the pointer is positioned in the first coordinate system to a second input value of the input information that indicates that the pointer is positioned in the second coordinate system.

11. The control apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein the processing uncorrelated to the input information includes processing of stopping the pointer on the real screen.

12. The control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a judgment means for judging whether the generated first coordinate information is on a boundary line at an end portion of the first coordinate system, the boundary line being a boundary between the first coordinate system and the second coordinate system; and

a start means for causing the generation means to start generating the second coordinate information when the first coordinate information is on the boundary line.

13. The control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a reception means for receiving a command signal output in accordance with a button operation of the input apparatus; and

a correction means for causing the position of the pointer to correspond to a predetermined reference position on the real screen based on the received command signal.

14. The control apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the display control means temporarily displays the pointer with emphasis when the pointer is displayed at the reference position.

15. The control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the input apparatus is a 3-dimensional operation input apparatus that generates a velocity value of the input apparatus based on at least one of an acceleration value of the input apparatus and an angular velocity value of the input apparatus and transmits information on the velocity value,

the control apparatus further comprising

a reception means for receiving the transmitted information on the velocity value as the input information.

16. The control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the input apparatus is a 3-dimensional operation input apparatus that transmits information on at least one of an acceleration value of the input apparatus and an angular velocity value of the input apparatus,

the control apparatus further comprising:

a reception means for receiving the transmitted information on at least one of the acceleration value and the angular velocity value; and

a calculation means for calculating a velocity value of the input apparatus based on the received information on at least one of the acceleration value and the angular velocity value,

wherein the generation means generates the first coordinate information and the second coordinate information that correspond to the input information while using information on the calculated velocity value as the input information.

17. An input apparatus controlling display of a pointer, comprising:

a casing;

an input information generation means for detecting a movement of the casing and generating input information corresponding to the movement of the casing;

a generation means for generating first coordinate information indicating a position of the pointer that corresponds to the input information in a first coordinate system on a real screen displayed, and second coordinate information indicating a position of the pointer that corresponds to the input information in a second coordinate system associated with the first coordinate system on a virtual screen set around the real screen; and

a display control means for controlling the display of the pointer on the real screen in accordance with the first coordinate information and the second coordinate information that have been generated.

18. A control system controlling display of a pointer, comprising:

an input apparatus including

a casing,

an input information generation means for detecting a movement of the casing and generating input information corresponding to the movement of the casing, and

a transmission means for transmitting the input information; and

a control apparatus including

a generation means for generating first coordinate information indicating a position of the pointer that corresponds to the input information in a first coordinate system on a real screen displayed, and second coordinate information indicating a position of the pointer that corresponds to the input information in a second coordinate system associated with the first coordinate system on a virtual screen set around the real screen, and

a display control means for controlling the display of the pointer on the real screen in accordance with the first coordinate information and the second coordinate information that have been generated.

19. A control method controlling display of a pointer based on input information corresponding to a movement of an input apparatus, comprising:

generating first coordinate information indicating a position of the pointer that corresponds to the input information in a first coordinate system on a real screen displayed;

controlling the display of the pointer on the real screen in accordance with the first coordinate information and the second coordinate information that have been generated; and

generating second coordinate information indicating a position of the pointer that corresponds to the input information in a second coordinate system associated with the first coordinate system on a virtual screen set around the real screen.

20. A handheld apparatus, comprising:

a casing;

a display section;

an input information generation means for detecting a movement of the casing and generating input information corresponding to the movement of the casing;

a generation means for generating first coordinate information indicating a position of the pointer that corresponds to the input information in a first coordinate system on a real screen displayed on the display section, and second coordinate information indicating a position of the pointer that corresponds to the input information in a second coordinate system associated with the first coordinate system on a virtual screen set around the real screen; and

a display control means for controlling display of the pointer on the real screen in accordance with the first coordinate information and the second coordinate information that have been generated.