PROJECTION DEVICE, PROJECTION METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20120105701A1
• Filed: 10/10/2011
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ikuta, Katsumi, Ebine, Nobuhito, YAMAZAKI, Tatsuya, Kashiwagi, Atsuko, Saitoh, Nobutaka
• Granted Patent: US 8,896,740 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/333.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/531 being rotatable or detachable
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/633 for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3176 wherein the projection device is incorporated in a camera details of cameras adapted for combination with a projector not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B17/54

Abstract

An information processing apparatus including a main body, a member including a projection device, the member moveably attached to the main body, a detector that detects an orientation of the moveable member with respect to the main body, and a processor that controls the projection device based on an output of the detector.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a main body;

a member including a projection device, the member moveably attached to the main body;

a first detector configured to detect an orientation of the moveable member with respect to the main body; and

a processor configured to control the projection device based on an output of the first detector.

2. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is one of a digital video camera, a personal computer, a home game machine, a portable phone, a portable music playback device, a portable image processing device or a portable game machine.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second detector configured to detect an orientation of the main body.

4. The information processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the second detector is a gravity sensor configured to detect a direction that the main body faces.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to control the projection device based on the output of the first detector and an output of the second detector.

6. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to control the projection device by turning the device on or off based on an output of the first detector.

7. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the member includes a touch-panel interface on a first surface of the member.

8. The information processing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the projection device is located on a side surface of the member that is substantially perpendicular to the first surface, on the first surface of the member or a second surface of the member that opposes the first surface.

9. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first detector is configured to detect an angular orientation of the member with respect to the main body.

10. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the member is movable in at least first and second axial directions with respect to the main body.

11. The information processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first detector is configured to detect a first angle of the member with respect to the main body in the first axial direction, and a second angle of the member with respect to the main body in the second axial direction.

12. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a second detector configured to detect whether the main body faces a first direction in which an optical unit of the information processing apparatus faces upward or whether the main body faces a second direction in which the optical unit of the information processing apparatus faces downward.

13. The information processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the member includes a touch-panel interface on a first surface of the member.

14. The information processing apparatus of claim 13, wherein

the member is movable in at least first and second axial directions with respect to the main body, and

the first detector is configured to detect a first angle of the member with respect to the main body in the first axial direction, and a second angle of the member with respect to the main body in the second axial direction.

15. The information processing apparatus of claim 14, further comprising:

a third sensor configured to detect whether the information processing apparatus is stationary.

16. The information processing apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to control the projection device to be turned on when an output of the second detector indicates that information processing apparatus faces the first direction, an output of the third sensor indicates that the information processing apparatus is stationary, an output of the first detector indicates that the first surface of the member faces a direction substantially similar to the first direction and an output of the first detector indicates that an angular orientation of the member around an axis perpendicular to the first direction with respect to the main body is within +/−

45 degrees.

17. The information processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to control the projection device to be turned off when an output of the second detector indicates that information processing apparatus does not face the first direction, an output of the third sensor indicates that the information processing apparatus is not stationary, an output of the first detector indicates that the first surface of the member does not face a direction substantially similar to the first direction, or an output of the first detector indicates that an angular orientation of the member around an axis perpendicular to the first direction with respect to the main body is not within +/−

45 degrees.

18. The information processing apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to control the projection device to be turned on when an output of the second detector indicates that information processing apparatus faces the second direction, an output of the third sensor indicates that the information processing apparatus is stationary, an output of the first detector indicates that the first surface of the member faces a direction substantially similar to the second direction, and an output of the first detector indicates that an angular orientation of the member around an axis perpendicular to the first direction with respect to the main body is within +/−

45 degrees.

19. The information processing apparatus of claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to control the projection device to be turned off when an output of the second detector indicates that information processing apparatus does not face the second direction, an output of the third sensor indicates that the information processing apparatus is not stationary, an output of the first detector indicates that the first surface of the member does not face a direction substantially similar to the second direction, or an output of the first detector indicates that an angular orientation of the member around an axis perpendicular to the first direction with respect to the main body is not within +/−

45 degrees.

20. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an imaging device configured to capture an image corresponding to a users gesture, wherein

the processor is configured to control an operation of the information processing apparatus based on the captured gesture.

21. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an imaging device configured to capture an image corresponding to a person'"'"'s face, wherein

the processor is configured to recognize features of the person'"'"'s face and retrieve a stored image corresponding to the recognized features.

22. An information processing method performed by an information processing apparatus, the information processing method comprising:

detecting, by a first detector of the information processing apparatus, an orientation of a movable member movably attached to the main body of the information processing apparatus with respect to the main body; and

controlling, by a processor of the information processing apparatus, a projection device included on the movable member based on an output of the first detector.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer-program instructions, which when executed by an information processing apparatus, cause the information processing apparatus to perform a method comprising:

detecting an orientation of a member moveably attached to a main body of the information processing apparatus, the member including a projection device; and

controlling the projection device based on an output of the first detector.