REMOTE CONTROL DEVICE AND REMOTE CONTROL METHOD

• US 20110018864A1
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sovereign Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishibashi, Yudai
• Granted Patent: US 8,432,391 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation

Abstract

A remote control device is provided which is of a relatively simple configuration and capable of remotely controlling a digital mirror apparatus or the like.

The remote control device includes: a three-dimensional rendering unit (23) generating first and second user images from first and second three-dimensional models; a first operation determination unit (24) determining whether or not the menu image overlaps with the second user image; a second operation determination unit (24) determining coordinates of a position specified by a user, on a display screen based on an amount of the movement of the second user image in a direction perpendicular to the display screen; and an operation information outputting unit (25) outputting operation information corresponding to the menu image, when it is determined that the menu image overlaps with the second user image and when the determined coordinates are included within a display area of the menu image, and the second operation determination unit (24) calculates as the amount of the movement a difference value between a depth value of the first user image and a depth value of the second user image with reference to a depth buffer in which depth information indicative of relation between coordinates on a projection plane and a depth value is stored.

Claims

1. A remote control device which outputs operation information corresponding to a menu image displayed on a display screen and specified by a user at a distance from the display screen, said remote control device comprising:

a three-dimensional modeling unit configured to generate a first three-dimensional model and a second three-dimensional model, the first three-dimensional model showing appearance of a form of the user at a first point in time, and the second three-dimensional model showing appearance of a form of the user at a second point in time later than the first point in time;

a three-dimensional rendering unit configured to generate a first user image by performing three-dimensional rendering of the first three-dimensional model generated by said three-dimensional modeling unit, and generate a second user image by performing three-dimensional rendering of the second three-dimensional model generated by said three-dimensional modeling unit;

a first operation determination unit configured to determine, when the second user image generated by said three-dimensional rendering unit is displayed on the display screen, whether or not the menu image overlaps with the second user image;

a second operation determination unit configured to (i) calculate, when the second user image generated by said three-dimensional rendering unit is displayed on the display screen, an amount of movement of the second user image in a direction perpendicular to the display screen, and (ii) determine coordinates of a position specified by the user, on the display screen based on the calculated amount of the movement; and

an operation information output unit configured to output operation information corresponding to the menu image, when said first operation determination unit determines that the menu image overlaps with the second user image and when the coordinates determined by said second operation determination unit are included within a display area of the menu image,

wherein said second operation determination unit is configured to calculate as the amount of the movement a difference value between a depth value of the first user image and a depth value of the second user image with reference to a depth buffer in which depth information indicative of relation between coordinates on a projection plane and a depth value is stored, the depth information being generated in the three-dimensional rendering of the first three-dimensional model and the second three-dimensional model.

2. The remote control device according to claim 1,

wherein said three-dimensional rendering unit is configured to generate the first user image and the second user image by using a first projection matrix in performing the three-dimensional rendering of the first three-dimensional model and the second three-dimensional model and further to generate a third user image by using a second projection matrix in performing the three-dimensional rendering of the second three-dimensional model, the second projection matrix being different from the first projection matrix, and

the third user image generated by said three-dimensional rendering unit is displayed on the display screen.

3. The remote control device according to claim 2,

wherein the first projection matrix is an orthogonal projection matrix, and

the second projection matrix is a perspective projection matrix.

4. The remote control device according to claim 2,

wherein the first projection matrix is a projection matrix with which a size of the user image changes according to a size of the user and a size of the display screen.

5. A remote control method of outputting operation information corresponding to a menu image displayed on a display screen and specified by a user at a distance from the display screen, said remote control method comprising:

generating a first three-dimensional model and a second three-dimensional model, the first three-dimensional model showing appearance of a form of the user at a first point in time, and the second three-dimensional model showing appearance of a form of the user at a second point in time later than the first point in time;

generating a first user image by performing three-dimensional rendering of the first three-dimensional model generated in said generating of a first three-dimensional model, and generating a second user image by performing three-dimensional modeling of the second three-dimensional model generated in said generating of a second three-dimensional model;

determining, when the second user image generated in said generating of a second user image is displayed on the display screen, whether or not the menu image overlaps with the second user image;

calculating, when the second user image generated in said generating of a second user image is displayed on the display screen, an amount of movement of the second user image in a direction perpendicular to the display screen, and determining coordinates of a position specified by the user, on the display screen based on the calculated amount of the movement; and

outputting operation information corresponding to the menu image, when in said determining of whether or not the menu image overlaps with the second user image, it is determined that the menu image overlaps with the second user image, and when the coordinates determined in said determining of coordinates are included within a display area of the menu image,

wherein in said calculating, a difference value between a depth value of the first user image and a depth value of the second user image is calculated as the amount of the movement with reference to a depth buffer in which depth information indicative of relation between coordinates on a projection plane and a depth value is stored, the depth information being generated in the three-dimensional rendering of the first three-dimensional model and the second three-dimensional model.

6. An integrated circuit which outputs operation information corresponding to a menu image displayed on a display screen and specified by a user at a distance from the display screen, said integrated circuit comprising:

a three-dimensional modeling unit configured to generate a first three-dimensional model and a second three-dimensional model, the first three-dimensional model showing appearance of a form of the user at a first point in time, and the second three-dimensional model showing appearance of a form of the user at a second point in time later than the first point in time;

a three-dimensional rendering unit configured to generate a first user image by performing three-dimensional rendering of the first three-dimensional model generated by said three-dimensional modeling unit, and generate a second user image by performing three-dimensional rendering of the second three-dimensional model generated by said three-dimensional modeling unit;

a first operation determination unit configured to determine, when the second user image generated by said three-dimensional rendering unit is displayed on the display screen, whether or not the menu image overlaps with the second user image;

a second operation determination unit configured to (i) calculate, when the second user image generated by said three-dimensional rendering unit is displayed on the display screen, an amount of movement of the second user image in a direction perpendicular to the display screen, and (ii) determine coordinates of a position specified by the user, on the display screen based on the calculated amount of the movement; and

an operation information output unit configured to output operation information corresponding to the menu image, when said first operation determination unit determines that the menu image overlaps with the second user image and when the coordinates determined by said second operation determination unit are included within a display area of the menu image,

wherein said second operation determination unit is configured to calculate as the amount of the movement a difference value between a depth value of the first user image and a depth value of the second user image with reference to a depth buffer in which depth information indicative of relation between coordinates on a projection plane and a depth value is stored, the depth information being generated in the three-dimensional rendering of the first three-dimensional model and the second three-dimensional model.

7. A computer program for outputting operation information corresponding to a menu image displayed on a display screen and specified by a user at a distance from the display screen, said computer program causing a computer to execute:

generating a first three-dimensional model and a second three-dimensional model, the first three-dimensional model showing appearance of a form of the user at a first point in time, and the second three-dimensional model showing appearance of a form of the user at a second point in time later than the first point in time;

generating a first user image by performing three-dimensional rendering of the first three-dimensional model generated in said generating of a first three-dimensional model, and generating a second user image by performing three-dimensional modeling of the second three-dimensional model generated in said generating of a second three-dimensional model;

determining, when the second user image generated in said generating of a second user image is displayed on the display screen, whether or not the menu image overlaps with the second user image;

calculating, when the second user image generated in said generating of a second user image is displayed on the display screen, an amount of movement of the second user image in a direction perpendicular to the display screen, and determining coordinates of a position specified by the user, on the display screen based on the calculated amount of the movement; and

outputting operation information corresponding to the menu image, when in said determining of whether or not the menu image overlaps with the second user image, it is determined that the menu image overlaps with the second user image, and when the coordinates determined in said determining of coordinates are included within a display area of the menu image, and

wherein in said calculating, a difference value between a depth value of the first user image and a depth value of the second user image is calculated as the amount of the movement with reference to a depth buffer in which depth information indicative of relation between coordinates on a projection plane and a depth value is stored, the depth information being generated in the three-dimensional rendering of the first three-dimensional model and the second three-dimensional model.