VISUAL LASER TOUCHPAD FOR MOBILE TELEPHONE AND METHOD

• US 20110130159A1
• Filed: 08/17/2009
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Chen, Chao, Chen, Rui
• Granted Patent: US 9,052,751 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0317 in co-operation with a patterned surface, e.g. absolute position or relative movement detection for an optical mouse or pen positioned with respect to a coded surface
• 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 3/04883 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3161 using laser light sources using laser beams scanning the display screen H04N9/3129
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3173 wherein the projection device is specially adapted for enhanced portability

Abstract

Portable electronic communication equipment, e.g., a mobile phone, includes a projector that is integrated into the mobile phone to project images, a camera senses views, including a view of projected images and of changes made to the projected image, e.g., by inserting an object, such as a finger, stylus, etc., into the projected image. The character of the changes, e.g., where a change occurs in an image, can be used as an input to the mobile phone. A method of using a portable communication device includes transmitting and receiving communications via a radio, projecting an image onto a surface, using a camera of the portable communication device to sense views including a view of a projected image by the projector, and detecting a change in the sensed view of the projected image to provide an input to the portable communication device.

Claims

1. Portable electronic equipment, comprising

a projector adapted to project an image,

a sensing device adapted to sense views including a view of a projected image by the projector, and

a control adapted to respond to a change in the sensed view of the projected image to provide an input to the portable electronic equipment.

2. The portable electronic equipment of claim 1, comprising a mobile telephone including a radio adapted to transmit and receive communications.

3. The portable electronic equipment of either of claims 1 or 2, said projector comprising a laser projector.

4. The portable electronic equipment of either of claims 1 or 2, wherein said control is adapted to sense a change representative of an object presented in the path of the projected image.

5. The portable electronic equipment of either of claims 1 or 2, wherein said sensing device is a camera that is adapted to sense a change in the sensed view representative of an object presented in the path of the projected image.

6. The portable electronic equipment of either of claims 1 or 2, wherein one image is compared with a subsequently sensed image to determine whether an object is present in the sensed image and/or whether the object is moving.

7. The portable electronic equipment of either of claims 1 or 2, wherein said control is adapted to cause the projector to project an image representative of the result of an object being present and/or being moved.

8. The portable electronic equipment of either of claims 1 or 2, further comprising a display.

9. The portable electronic equipment of claim 8, said display comprising a touch sensitive display.

10. The portable electronic equipment of claim 8, wherein the control is operable to show on the display the result of the change in the sensed view.

11. The portable electronic equipment of claim 10, wherein the control is adapted to cause the projector and the display to provide the same image.

12. The portable electronic equipment of either of claims 1 or 2, wherein the projected image includes an image of at least one control button, and wherein the control is responsive to sensing of ari object touching an image of the control button to provide an operative response thereto.

13. The portable electronic equipment of either of claims 1 or 2, wherein the control or the sensing device is adapted to capture a projected image.

14. The portable electronic equipment of claim 13, wherein the control is adapted to store the captured image.

15. The portable electronic equipment of claim 13, wherein the control is adapted to transmit the captured image for receipt by another portable electronic equipment.

16. The portable electronic equipment of claim 15, further comprising at least one of a Blue Tooth device, radio frequency device or beaming device to transmit the captured image to another portable electronic equipment.

17. The portable electronic equipment of either of claims 1 or 2, wherein the control is adapted to detect a change in the sensed image based on manual input by one or more persons.

18. The portable electronic equipment of claim 2, wherein the mobile telephone includes a housing, the housing at least partly containing the radio, projector, camera and control.

19. The portable electronic equipment of claim 18, further comprising a speaker and a microphone at least partly in the housing.

20. The portable electronic equipment of either of claims 1 or 2, wherein the image is a map and the change to the map represents applying information to the map image.

21. The portable electronic equipment of either of claims 1 or 2, wherein the change to the map represents writing by one or more persons.

22. The portable electronic equipment of either of claims 1 or 2, wherein the projected image is viewable by more than one person.

23. The portable electronic equipment of either of claims 1 or 2, wherein the change in the projected image is a character written in the projected image, and wherein the control includes a decoder to recognize the character.

24. The portable electronic equipment of claim 23, further comprising messaging function in the portable electronic equipment and the control is operable to include the character in a text message.

25. The portable electronic equipment of either of claims 1 or 2, wherein said sensing device is a camera.

26. A method of using a portable communication device, comprising

projecting an image onto a surface,

using a sensing device of the portable communication device to sense views including a view of a projected image by the projector, and

detecting a change in the sensed view of the projected image to provide an input to the portable communication device.

27. The method of claim 26, comprising manually touching the projected image to provide an input to the portable communication device.

28. The method of claim 27, said manually touching comprising drawing.

29. The method of either claims 27 or 28, said manually touching comprising touching a control button.

30. The method of claim 26, comprising using a camera as the sensing device and capturing the image sensed by the camera.

31. The method of claim 30, comprising writing on the image and transmitting the image, including the writing, as sensed by the camera to another device.

32. The method of claim 26, further comprising transmitting and receiving communications via a radio.

33. The method of claim 26, writing a character on the projected image, and using the camera capturing the character for further use, storage or display.

34. The method of claim 33, said writing comprising moving a finger, stylus or other object in the path of light forming the image on a surface.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the character is a language character.

36. The method of either of claims 32 or 35, further comprising recognizing the character and placing it in a text input field of a document.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the document is an electronic document capable of being at least one of displayed or printed.

38. The method of claim 32 or 35, further comprising using the character in an SMS text message.