ELECTRONIC APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20140292687A1
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Published: 10/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Inventors: YAMADA, Jouji, NAKAGAWA, Hirofumi, YAMAMOTO, Michio, AZUMI, Kohei, HAYASHI, Makoto, MIZUHASHI, Hiroshi, IKENO, Kozo, KIDA, Yoshitoshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,740,395 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0393 Accessories for touch pads or touch screens, e.g. mechanical guides added to touch screens for drawing straight lines, hard keys overlaying touch screens or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/64 Three-dimensional objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/117 Biometrics derived from hands
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an electronic apparatus includes a sensor-integrated display device integrally including a display surface and a sensor surface, a data transfer device, an image data generation module, and a processing module. The data transfer device configured to generate and output three-dimensional information. The image data generation module configured to generate three-dimensional image data at a plurality of sensing points on the sensor surface based on the three-dimensional information. The processing module configured to analyze an operation content of a conductor above the sensor surface based on the image data.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a sensor-integrated display device integrally comprising a display surface configured to output display information and a sensor surface configured to input operation information;

a data transfer device configured to generate and output three-dimensional information based on a signal sensed at the sensor surface;

an image data generation module configured to generate three-dimensional image data at a plurality of sensing points on the sensor surface based on the three-dimensional information output by the data transfer device; and

a processing module configured to analyze an operation content of a conductor above the sensor surface based on the image data generated by the image data generation module.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional information is operation information indicating proximity of the conductor to the sensor surface.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data transfer device is configured to transfer the three-dimensional information to the image data generation module in synchronization with display drive timing for displaying the display information on the display surface.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a coordinate processing module,

wherein each of the image data generation module and the coordinate processing module is configured to enable processing of multiple types of applications and is provided in an application operation device formed of a semiconductor integrated circuit comprising a baseband engine.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image data generation module generates the image data based on the three-dimensional information on all of the sensing points on the sensor surface in synchronization with display drive timing for displaying the display information on the display surface.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing module comprises application processing module configured to activate application processing associated with the analyzed operation content.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing module comprises an operation input recognition processing module configured to recognize an image of a specific portion of a human body of an operator who operates above the sensor surface.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing module comprises a biometric authentication processing module configured to execute biometric authentication based on at least one of physical characteristics and behavioral characteristics of an operator who operates above the sensor surface.

9. A method of controlling an electronic apparatus comprising a sensor-integrated display device integrally comprising a display surface configured to output display information and a sensor surface configured to input operation information, the method comprising:

acquiring three-dimensional information generated based on a signal sensed at the sensor surface;

generating three-dimensional image data at a plurality of sensing points on the sensor surface based on the acquired three-dimensional information;

recognizing an operation content of a conductor above the sensor surface based on the generated image data; and

controlling an application operation in accordance with the recognized operation content.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the three-dimensional information is acquired by block transfer synchronized with display drive timing for displaying the display information on the display surface.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the three-dimensional information is operation information indicating proximity of the conductor to the sensor surface.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the three-dimensional information is acquired by block transfer synchronized with display drive timing for displaying the display information on the display surface.