PORTABLE ELECTRONIC APPARATUS INCLUDING A DISPLAY AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING SUCH AN APPARATUS

• US 20100295958A1
• Filed: 05/20/2009
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: ANDREASSON, Markus, LARSSON, Bo
• Granted Patent: US 8,179,449 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/26 of the autostereoscopic type
• 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 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/022 in absence of operation, e.g. no data being entered during a predetermined time
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects

Abstract

A portable electronic apparatus includes a display, a user position estimating unit and a display movement estimating unit. The user position estimating unit is for estimating the user position with respect to the display. The display movement estimating unit is for estimating the display movement. The apparatus is configured for estimating the user position, here referred to as initial user position, at least at a first moment; and, during at least an interval of time after the first moment, estimating the display movement, and controlling the display content based on the initial user position and the display movement. The invention also relates a method for controlling such an apparatus and to a computer program therefor.

Claims

1. Portable electronic apparatus including

a display;

a user position estimating unit for estimating the position, here referred to as user position, of a user with respect to the display; and

a display movement estimating unit for estimating the movement, here referred to as display movement, of the display; and

wherein the apparatus is configured for

estimating, with the user position estimating unit, the user position, here referred to as initial user position, at a first moment; and

,

during an interval of time after the first moment, estimating, with the display movement estimating unit, the display movement, and controlling the display content based on the display movement and the initial user position.

2. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein controlling the display content based on the display movement and the initial user position includes generating on the display a three-dimensional effect based on the display movement and the initial user position.

3. Apparatus of claim 2, further configured, before estimating the user position, for

determining whether a user is present in front of the display, and,

if it is determined that no user is present, switching the apparatus to a non-three-dimensional effect mode wherein no three-dimensional effect is generated on the display.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, further configured, before estimating the user position, for

determining whether a plurality of users are present in front of the display, and,

if so, selecting one of the users for the step of estimating the user position.

5. Apparatus of claim 4, wherein selecting one of the users is based on at least one of

determining the user'"'"'s face which is the closest to the display;

determining the user'"'"'s face which is the biggest as seen from the display;

determining the user'"'"'s face which is the closest to a perpendicular originating from the center of the display;

determining the user'"'"'s face which is the closest to the center of the field of view of a camera of the apparatus; and

determining that the face of one of the users is recorded in the apparatus.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, further including a camera, wherein the user position estimating unit is configured to use the camera output.

7. Apparatus of claim 6, wherein the camera is equipped with a multi-point autofocus, and the user position estimating unit is configured to use the camera output by determining that the shortest focus distance is the estimation of the user position.

8. Apparatus of claim 6, wherein the user position estimating unit is configured for estimating the user position by estimating the position of the face of the user with respect to the display.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display movement estimating unit includes at least one of a gyroscope, one or more accelerometers, and an electronic compass.

10. Apparatus according to claim 1, further configured for regularly repeating the step of estimating the initial user position and thereafter the steps of estimating the display movement and controlling the display content based on the display movement and the initial user position.

11. Method for controlling a portable electronic apparatus including a display, the method including steps of

at a first moment,

estimating the position, here referred to as initial user position, of a user with respect to the display;

during an interval of time after the first moment,

estimating the movement, here referred to as display movement, of the display, and

controlling the display content based on the display movement and the initial user position.

12. Method of claim 11, wherein controlling the display content based on the display movement and the initial user position includes generating on the display a three-dimensional effect based on the display movement and the initial user position.

13. Method of claim 12, further including, before estimating the initial user position, steps of

determining whether a user is present in front of the display, and,

if it is determined that no user is present, switching the apparatus to a non-three-dimensional effect mode wherein no three-dimensional effect is generated on the display.

14. Method according to claim 11, further including, before estimating the initial user position, steps of

determining whether a plurality of users are present in front of the display, and,

if so, selecting one of the users for the step of estimating the initial user position.

15. Method of claim 14, wherein selecting one of the users is based on at least one of

determining the user'"'"'s face which is the closest to the display;

determining the user'"'"'s face which is the biggest as seen from the display;

determining the user'"'"'s face which is the closest to a perpendicular originating from the center of the display;

determining the user'"'"'s face which is the closest to the center of the field of view of a camera of the apparatus; and

determining that the face of one of the users is recorded in the apparatus.

16. Method according to claim 11, wherein estimating the initial user position makes use of the output of a camera.

17. Method of claim 16, wherein estimating the initial user position makes use of the output of a camera by determining that the shortest focus distance is the estimation of the initial user position.

18. Method of claim 16, wherein estimating the initial user position makes use of the output of a camera by estimating the position of the face of the user with respect to the display.

19. Method according to claim 11, wherein estimating the display movement makes use of at least one of a gyroscope, one or more accelerometers, and an electronic compass.

20. Method according to claim 11, including regularly repeating the step of estimating the initial user position and thereafter the steps of estimating the display movement and controlling the display content based on the display movement and the initial user position.

21. Computer program comprising instructions configured, when executed on a computer, to cause the computer to carry out the method according to claim 11.