INFORMATION TERMINAL, CONSUMER ELECTRONICS APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD AND INFORMATION PROCESSING PROGRAM

• US 20130124210A1
• Filed: 11/13/2012
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: OUCHI, Kazushige, NAKASU, Toshiaki, YAMAUCHI, Yasunobu
• Application Number:
  US13/675,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20130124210A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/275
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42209 for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4222 Remote control device emulator integrated into a non-television apparatus, e.g. a PDA, media center or smart toy remote control device for a television receiver integrated into a mobile phone H04M1/72415
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739

Abstract

According to an information terminal connectable to a target apparatus, including a determining unit and a control unit wherein the determining unit determines whether the information terminal is held by a user or not, the control unit perform to output, when changed from a status of being held to a status of not being held, a control signal to instruct accepting an operation given from the user to the target apparatus, and the control unit performs, when changed from the status of not being held to the status of being held, at least either one of displaying a remote controller to operate the target device on a display screen of the information terminal or acquiring information on a status of the target apparatus from the target apparatus to display the information on the display screen.

Claims

1. An information terminal connectable to a target apparatus, comprising:

a determining unit configured to determine whether the information terminal is held by a user or not; and

a control unit configured to

perform to output, when changed from a status of being held to a status of not being held, a control signal to instruct accepting an operation given from the user to the target apparatus, and

perform, when changed from the status of not being held to the status of being held, at least either one of displaying a remote controller to operate the target device on a display screen of the information terminal or acquiring information on a status of the target apparatus from the target apparatus to display the information on the display screen.

2. The information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the control signal is a control signal to instruct activating a recognizing function to recognize a content uttered by the user or a behavior of the user.

3. The information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the control unit acquires, when changed from the status of being held to the status of not being held, the information on the status of the target apparatus from the target apparatus and displays the information on the display screen.

4. The information terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor unit configured to measure a motion of the information terminal,

wherein the determining unit determines whether the information terminal is held or not on the basis of the motion measured by the sensor unit.

5. The information terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

a voice sensor configured to detect a voice signal,

wherein the control unit determines whether an S/N ratio of the voice signal detected by the voice sensor is equal to or larger than a threshold value when changed from the status of being held to the status of not being held, and outputs the voice signal to the target apparatus if the S/N ration is equal to or larger than the threshold value.

6. The information terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

a voice sensor configured to detect a voice signal; and

a recognizing unit configured to perform a voice recognition based on the voice signal to acquire information representing a content uttered by the user,

wherein the control unit determines whether a S/N ratio of the voice signal detected by the voice sensor is equal to or larger than a threshold value when changed from the status of being held to the status of not being held, and, if the S/N ratio is equal to or larger than the threshold value, starts up the recognizing unit and outputs the information representing the content uttered by the user acquired by the recognizing unit to the target apparatus.

7. A consumer electronics apparatus connectable to at least one of information terminals and having a predetermined consumer electronics function, comprising:

a sensor unit configured to measure information related to a voice or a motion of a user;

a receiving unit configured to receive a first signal for notifying that a status of the information terminal being held by the user has changed to a status of not being held or a second signal for notifying that the status of the information terminal not being held by the user has changed to the status of being held from the information terminal;

a recognizing unit configured to execute a recognition process based on the information measured by the sensor unit and to acquire information representing a content uttered by the user or a behavior of the user; and

a control unit configured to

start up the recognizing unit when the receiving unit receives the first signal, and control the predetermined consumer electronics function on the basis of the content uttered by the user or the behavior of the user acquired by the recognizing unit, and

terminate the recognizing unit when the receiving unit receives the second signal, and transmit information on a status of the predetermined consumer electronics function to the information terminal.

8. An information processing method for an information terminal connectable to a target apparatus, comprising:

determining whether the information terminal is held by a user or not; and

performing to output, when changed from a status of being held to a status of not being held, a control signal to instruct accepting an operation given from the user to the target apparatus, and

performing, when changed from the status of not being held to the status of being held, at least either one of displaying a remote controller to operate the target device on a display screen of the information processing or acquiring information on a status of the target apparatus from the target apparatus to display the information on the display screen.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein instructions, which when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform steps comprising:

determining whether an information terminal is held by a user or not, the information terminal being connectable to a target apparatus, comprising;

performing to output, when changed from a status of being held to a status of not being held, a control signal to instruct accepting an operation given from the user to the target apparatus, and

performing, when changed from the status of not being held to the status of being held, at least either one of displaying a remote controller to operate the target device on a display screen of the information terminal or acquiring information on a status of the target apparatus from the target apparatus to display the information on the display screen.