DISPLAY DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20140028567A1
• Filed: 04/19/2011
• Published: 01/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Kyung Jin, Jang, Sae Hun, Jang, Gu-Ang, Cho, Sung Il, Cho, Yooseok, Hong, Jiyoung, Park, Sung Jong
• Granted Patent: US 9,746,928 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042

Abstract

Disclosed are a display device and a control method thereof. The display device includes a display, a camera capturing a gesture in a three dimensional space; and a controller selectively displaying a virtual keyboard corresponding to a hand gesture for character input on the display when the captured gesture includes the hand gesture for the character input. Accordingly, the virtual keyboard corresponding to the hand gesture for the character input is displayed, so that the user may not perform an additional operation to display the virtual keyboard.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a display;

a camera capturing a gesture in a three dimensional space; and

a controller selectively displaying a virtual keyboard corresponding to a hand gesture for character input on the display when the captured gesture includes the hand gesture for the character input.

2. The display device of claim 1, wherein the controller determines whether or not the hand gesture is made for character input, on the basis of at least one of a position and a motion of a hand making the hand gesture.

3. The display device of claim 2, wherein the position of the hand includes a height of at least one of both hands of a user, a distance between a body of the user and at least one of both hands, and a direction in which at least one of the hands of the user faces with respect to a shooting direction of the camera.

4. The display device of claim 2, wherein the motion of the hand includes folding and unfolding at least one finger of the hand.

5. The display device of claim 1, wherein the controller displays the virtual keyboard corresponding to at least one of a position of the hand making the hand gesture for character input, the number of hands, the number of unfolded fingers, and an angle of the hand with respect to a reference surface.

6. The display device of claim 1, wherein when the hand gesture for character input is made with both hands of the user, the controller divides the virtual keyboard into a plurality of regions to allow inputs, made by the hand gesture of the hands, to correspond to the divided regions, respectively.

7. The display device of claim 1, wherein the controller displays at least one first pointer corresponding to at least one finger unfolded for the character input on the virtual keyboard.

8. The display device of claim 7, wherein when a plurality of fingers are unfolded for the character input, the controller displays a plurality of first pointers, respectively corresponding to the plurality of fingers, to vary in at least one of color and shape.

9. The display device of claim 1, wherein the controller changes a state of the virtual keyboard being displayed when the hand gesture is not made for longer than a first period of time.

10. The display device of claim 9, wherein the state of the virtual keyboard includes at least one of a state in which the virtual keyboard is activated to enable character input using the hand gesture, a dimming state waiting for character input using the hand gesture when the first period of time elapses, and a state in which the virtual keyboard is inactivated when a second period time elapses from the first period of time.

11. The display device of claim 7, where the hand gesture for the character input includes a gesture made with at least one finger unfolded for the character input, wherein, when the gesture made with the at least one unfolded finger moves outside a region in which the virtual keyboard is displayed, the controller displays a second pointer corresponding to the gesture of the at least one finger.

12. The display device of claim 11, wherein the controller causes the displayed virtual keyboard to disappear when the gesture made with the at least one unfolded finger moves completely out of the region in which the virtual keyboard is displayed.

13. The display device of claim 1, wherein the hand gesture for the character input is a gesture made with a plurality of spread fingers of a hand making the hand gesture, wherein the controller causes the displayed virtual keyboard to disappear in the case of a first state in which only one finger of the hand is unfolded, a second state in which at least two of the plurality of fingers are in contact, or a third state in which at least one finger of the hand is folded.

14. The display device of claim 13, wherein in the first, second or third state, the controller displays a second pointer moving corresponding to one of the hand and the fingers of the hand.

15. The display device of claim 1, wherein the controller displays the virtual keyboard when the hand gesture for the character input is captured while an application requiring the character input is in operation.

16. A display device comprising:

a display;

a camera capturing a gesture in a three dimensional space; and

a controller displaying a virtual keyboard corresponding to the captured gesture on the display such that an angle of a hand making the gesture with respect to a reference surface is reflected therein.

17. The display device of claim 16, wherein the controller displays the virtual keyboard when it is determined that the gesture is a hand gesture for character input, on the basis of at least one of a position and a motion of the hand making the gesture.

18. The display device of claim 16, where the controller changes an angle at which the virtual keyboard is displayed according to a change in an angle between the reference surface and the hand making the gesture.

19. The display device of claim 16, wherein the controller fixes an angle of the virtual keyboard to be displayed, regardless of the change in angle between the reference surface and the hand making the gesture.

20. The display of claim 16, wherein the display includes a panel for displaying a stereoscopic image, wherein the controller displays a stereo disparity for the virtual keyboard, displayed corresponding to the gesture, so as to be substantially the same as a stereo disparity of a user for the hand making the gesture.

21. The display device of claim 20, wherein the controller maintains the stereo disparity for the virtual keyboard, displayed corresponding to the gesture, to be the same as the stereo disparity of the user for the hand making the gesture, regardless of a distance between the display and the user making the gesture.

22. The display device of claim 20, wherein the controller changes the stereo disparity for the virtual keyboard corresponding to the gesture.

23. The display device of claim 20, wherein the controller displays the virtual keyboard corresponding to the position of the hand in the three dimensional space.

24. A display device comprising:

a display;

a camera capturing a gesture in a three dimensional space; and

a controller executing a character input mode for displaying a virtual keyboard corresponding to the gesture according to a motion of fingers included in the captured gesture, and a hovering mode for displaying a pointer corresponding to the gesture.

25. The display device of claim 24, wherein the controller performs the character input mode when the motion of the fingers is associated with spreading a plurality of fingers of the hand making the gesture.

26. The display device of claim 25, wherein the controller converts from the character input mode into the hovering mode when the gesture made with the spread fingers moves completely out of a region in which the virtual keyboard is displayed.

27. The display device of claim 24, wherein the controller performs the hovering mode when the motion of the fingers is in a first state in which only one finger of the hand making the gesture is unfolded, a second state in which at least two of the fingers are in contact, or a third state in which at least one finger of the hand is folded.

28. A control method of a display device, the control method comprising:

capturing a gesture of a user in a three dimensional space; and

displaying a virtual keyboard corresponding to a hand gesture for character input when the captured gesture includes the hand gesture for the character input.

29. The control method of claim 28, wherein the displaying of the virtual keyboard includes determining whether or not the hand gesture is made for character input, on the basis of at least one of a position and a motion of a hand making the hand gesture.

30. The control method of claim 28, further comprising displaying on the virtual keyboard at least one first pointer corresponding to at least one finger unfolded for the character input

31. The control method of claim 28, further comprising changing a state of the displayed virtual keyboard when the hand gesture is not made for a set period of time.

32. The control method of claim 28, further comprising, when a gesture of at least one finger unfolded for the character input moves outside a region of the virtual keyboard is displayed, displaying a second pointer corresponding to the gesture of the at least one finger.

33. The control method of claim 28, wherein, in the displaying of the virtual keyboard, the virtual keyboard is displayed so as to reflect an angle between a reference surface and a hand making the gesture.

34. The control method of claim 28, wherein, in the displaying of the virtual keyboard, a stereo disparity for the virtual keyboard displayed corresponding to the gesture is displayed to be substantially the same as a stereo disparity of a user for a hand making the gesture.