ELECTRONIC APPARATUS

• US 20160073033A1
• Filed: 09/01/2015
• Published: 03/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: OGASAWARA, Yoshiyasu, KINUWAKI, Shinichi, INOUE, Fumihiko, OSAWA, Kazuyoshi, KAWAKAMI, Tomohisa
• Granted Patent: US 10,015,402 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated 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 3/0304 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/143 Sensing or illuminating at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/113 Recognition of static hand signs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums

Abstract

An exemplary portable electronic apparatus includes a display provided at a front surface, and an infrared camera and a distance measuring sensor which are provided at a side surface. When a user holds the portable electronic apparatus with their left hand and makes a gesture with their right hand, the portable electronic apparatus analyzes an image from the infrared camera to detect the gesture made by the user. The portable electronic apparatus displays an image corresponding to a result of detection of the gesture on the display.

Claims

1. A hand-held electronic apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a display provided at a front surface of the housing;

a camera configured to capture an image in a side surface direction of the housing;

an acquirer configured to acquire an input image captured by the camera;

a detector configured to detect a specific object on the basis of the input image acquired by the acquirer; and

a display controller configured to cause an output image corresponding to a result of detection by the detector to be displayed on the display.

2. The hand-held electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector detects a gesture made by a user.

3. The hand-held electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the camera is provided at a side surface of the housing.

4. The hand-held electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a held portion to be held by a user is provided in the housing at least at a side opposite to a portion at an imaging direction side of the camera.

5. The hand-held electronic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the detector detects a gesture made with a hand of the user opposite to a hand of the user that holds the held portion.

6. The hand-held electronic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein an input section capable of being operated by the user at least with the hand holding the held portion is provided to the held portion.

7. The hand-held electronic apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the input section is operated with a finger capable of being moved when the held portion is held.

8. The hand-held electronic apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the input section is at least one push button.

9. The hand-held electronic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the housing has a horizontally long shape, and the camera is provided at a short side of the housing.

10. The hand-held electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a game processor configured to perform game processing on the basis of the result of the detection by the detector, wherein the display controller causes an output image corresponding to a result of the game processing to be displayed on the display.

11. The hand-held electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the camera is a camera capable of receiving infrared light.

12. The hand-held electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a vibration controller configured to operate a vibrator for providing vibration to a user, in accordance with the result of the detection by the detector.

13. The hand-held electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the detector obtains position information of a specific object present in the side surface direction of the housing, and

the display controller causes the output image to be displayed on the display on the basis of the position information.

14. The hand-held electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the detector detects a gesture made by a user with the specific object, and obtains position information of the specific object present in the side surface direction of the housing, and

the display controller causes the output image to be displayed on the display on the basis of the position information and the gesture.

15. The hand-held electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a touch panel is provided on the display.

16. The hand-held electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sound controller configured to cause a sound to be outputted in accordance with the result of the detection by the detector.

17. A hand-held electronic apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a display provided at a front surface of the housing;

a camera configured to capture an image in a side surface direction of the housing; and

a processor configured to;

detect a gesture made by a user'"'"'s hand based on the captured image;

perform a predetermined process in an application program; and

generate an output image to be displayed on the display, the output image corresponding to the detected gesture and the performed process.