Information output apparatus

• US 7,202,837 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2003
• Issued: 04/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ihara, Shoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Liang; Regina
• Application Number:
  US10/685,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20040174374A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 345/204, 345695-698, 345/6, 345/32, 345/419, 345/531, 345/1.1
• US Class Current: 345/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user

Abstract

This invention provides an information output apparatus which outputs tactile information or the like corresponding to the surface state of an object as three-dimensional information together with image information, and allows the user to easily discriminate the surface material or the like of an image object in the image information.

A hybrid display unit of the information display apparatus of this invention has a structure formed by overlaying, e.g., a display panel used to display an image, and an unevenness output element group used to output the unevenness level of that image, and voltage values to be applied to respective unevenness output elements of the unevenness output element group are determined on the basis of, e.g., unevenness information stored in a memory. Therefore, material differences (smooth or rough touch) of images displayed on the display panel can be felt by touching unevenness output by the unevenness output elements.

Claims

1. An information output apparatus comprising:

an image display unit for displaying a plurality of images of objects;

a hybrid display unit for providing a superimposed output of both an unevenness level and an image of an object selected from the plurality of images of objects displayed on said image display unit;

unevenness output elements which are arranged to be in contact with a surface of said hybrid display unit, for exhibiting an unevenness level of the object of the selected object;

a memory for storing unevenness information in accordance with the images of the objects; and

a control unit for reading unevenness information corresponding to the selected image of the object out of said memory and controlling the unevenness level of said elements by controlling voltage values to be applied to said elements within a region of the image of the object displayed on said hybrid display unit on the basis of the read unevenness information.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said unevenness output elements deform to a convex shape with respect to the surface of said hybrid display unit by different deformation amounts in correspondence with the voltage values applied by said control unit.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said hybrid display unit is arranged on an upper surface of said unevenness output element group-elements, an image displayed on said hybrid display unit can be directly identified, and said hybrid display unit deforms in correspondence with deformation of said unevenness output-elements.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said unevenness output elements are formed of a transparent material, and

said unevenness output elements are arranged on an upper surface of said hybrid display unit, and an image displayed on said hybrid display unit is identified via said transparent unevenness output elements.