INFORMATION DISPLAY DEVICE, CONTROL METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20140043231A1
• Filed: 04/18/2012
• Published: 02/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC CASIO Mobile Communications Limited (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshioka, Kenji
• Application Number:
  US14/112,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20140043231A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/60 Rotation of whole images or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T

Abstract

An information display device includes: an orientation change degree computation unit that computes a degree of change of a state of orientation detected by an orientation detection unit; an orientation change degree determination unit that determines whether the degree of change of the state of orientation of the information display device computed by the orientation change degree computation unit is equal to or more than a threshold; an image capture unit controller that activates the imaging unit upon the orientation change degree determination unit determining that the degree of change of the state of orientation of the information display device is equal to or more than the threshold; a face detection unit that detects a person'"'"'s face in an image obtained by imaging of the imaging unit; a face direction specification unit that specifies a vertical orientation of the person'"'"'s face detected by the face detection unit; a display direction determination unit that determines whether a vertical orientation of a screen display that is displayed on a display unit is the same orientation as the vertical orientation of the person'"'"'s face specified by the face direction specification unit; and a display direction switch unit that switches the vertical orientation of the screen display that is displayed on the display unit to the same orientation as the vertical orientation of the person'"'"'s face upon the display direction determination unit determining that the vertical orientation of the screen display that is displayed on the display unit and the vertical orientation of the person'"'"'s face are not the same orientation.

Claims

1. An information display device comprising:

an orientation change degree computation unit that computes a degree of change of a state of orientation of the information display device;

an orientation change degree determination unit that determines whether the degree of change of the state of orientation of the information display device computed by the orientation change degree computation unit is equal to or more than a threshold;

an image capture unit controller that activates an imaging unit upon the orientation change degree determination unit determining that the degree of change of the state of orientation of the information display device is equal to or more than the threshold;

a face detection unit that detects a person'"'"'s face in an image obtained by imaging of the imaging unit;

a face direction specification unit that specifies a vertical orientation of the person'"'"'s face detected by the face detection unit;

a display direction determination unit that determines whether a vertical orientation of a screen display that is displayed on a display unit is the same orientation as the vertical orientation of the person'"'"'s face specified by the face direction specification unit; and

a display direction switch unit that switches the vertical orientation of the screen display that is displayed on the display unit to the same orientation as the vertical orientation of the person'"'"'s face upon the display direction determination unit determining that the vertical orientation of the screen display that is displayed on the display unit and the vertical orientation of the person'"'"'s face are not the same orientation.

2. The information display device according to claim 1, wherein the orientation degree of change determination unit determines that the degree of change of the state of orientation computed by the orientation degree of change computation unit is equal to or more than the threshold in a case where the degree of change of the state of orientation computed by the orientation degree of change computation unit becomes equal to or more than the threshold and thereafter a change in the degree of change becomes less than a predetermined range.

3. A control method comprising the steps of:

computing a degree of change of a state of orientation of an information display device;

determining whether the degree of change of the state of orientation of the information display device computed by the step of computing is equal to or more than a threshold;

activating an imaging unit upon it being determined that the degree of change of the state of orientation of the information display device is equal to or more than the threshold in the step of determining the degree of change;

detecting a person'"'"'s face in an image obtained by imaging of the imaging unit;

specifying a vertical orientation of the person'"'"'s face detected in the step of detecting;

determining whether a vertical orientation of a screen display that is displayed on a display unit is the same orientation as the vertical orientation of the person'"'"'s face specified in the step of specifying; and

switching the vertical orientation of the screen display that is displayed on the display unit to the same orientation as the vertical orientation of the person'"'"'s face upon it being determined that the vertical orientation of the screen display that is displayed on the display unit and the vertical orientation of the person'"'"'s face are not the same orientation in the step of determining the vertical orientation of the screen display.

4. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program which causes an information display device to function as:

an orientation change degree computation unit that computes a degree of change of a state of orientation of an information display device;

an orientation change degree determination unit that determines whether the degree of change of the state of orientation of the information display device computed by the orientation change degree computation unit is equal to or more than a threshold;

an image capture unit controller that activates an-the imaging unit upon the orientation change degree determination unit determining that the degree of change of the state of orientation of the information display device is equal to or more than the threshold;

a face detection unit that detects a person'"'"'s face in an image obtained by imaging of the imaging unit;

a face direction specification unit that specifies a vertical orientation of the person'"'"'s face detected by the face detection unit;

a display direction determination unit that determines whether a vertical orientation of a screen display that is displayed on a display unit is the same orientation as the vertical orientation of the person'"'"'s face specified by the face direction specification unit; and

a display direction switch unit that switches the vertical orientation of the screen display that is displayed on the display unit to the same orientation as the vertical orientation of the person'"'"'s face upon the display direction determination unit determining that the vertical orientation of the screen display that is displayed on the display unit and the vertical orientation of the person'"'"'s face are not the same orientation.