Display system, display device, and program

• US 8,044,940 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2008
• Issued: 10/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Narusawa, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Edun; Muhammad N
• Application Number:
  US12/289,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20090135153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A display system having an input device that communicates with a display device. The input device being able to: detect a track of points of contact between the input device and the display surface; write the track data to a memory; and send the track data to the display device. The display device being able to: detect positions on the display surface contacted by the input device and generate a line formed by the detected positions; toggle between a position detection mode to a position non-detection mode; instruct the input device to detect the track it is in the position non-detection mode; request the track data from the input device when it toggles to the position detection mode; synthesize the track data from the input device and the drawing data to generate image data; and display the generated image data.

Claims

1. A display system comprising:

a display device with a display surface; and

an input device that is able to communicate with the display device, wherein;

the input device comprises;

a track detection unit that detects a track of points of contact between the input device operated by a user and the display surface;

a writing unit that writes track data indicating the track detected by the track detection unit in a memory; and

a sending unit that retrieves the track data from the memory and sends the track data to the display device; and

the display device comprises;

a position detection unit that detects positions on the display surface contacted by the input device and generates drawing data representing a line formed by points on the detected positions;

an operation mode change unit that changes an operation mode of the display device from a position detection mode for causing the position detection unit to detect the positions to a position non-detection mode for not causing the position detection unit to detect the positions or vice versa;

an instruction unit that, when the display device is in the position non-detection mode, instructs the input device to detect the track;

a request unit that, when the operation mode of the display device is changed from the position non-detection mode to the position detection mode, requests the input device for the track data;

a synthesizing unit that synthesizes the track data sent from the sending unit of the input device in response to the request from the request unit and drawing data generated by the position detection unit after the operation mode of the display device is changed to the position detection mode, to generate image data; and

a display unit that displays an image represented by the image data generated by the synthesizing unit, on the display surface.

2. The display system according to claim 1, wherein:

the operation mode change unit of the display device starts a change of the operation mode from the position non-detection mode to the position detection mode, if a contact of the input device to the display surface is detected during the position non-detection mode; and

the request unit of the display device requests the input device for the track data, when the change of the operation mode from the position non-detection mode to the position detection mode is completed.

3. The display system according to claim 1, wherein the position non-detection mode is an operation mode in which less power is consumed than in the position detection mode.

4. The display system according to claim 1, wherein the synthesizing unit of the display device, in synthesizing the track data and the drawing data, connects an end point of a track represented by the track data and a starting point of the line represented by the drawing data.

5. The display system according to claim 1, wherein:

the track detection unit of the input device, in detecting the track, reads concavity and convexity of the display surface;

the position detection unit of the display unit has sensors, regularly spaced on the display surface, that detect a contact to the display surface by the input unit; and

the position detection unit of the display unit generates drawing data representing a line formed by points on positions of at least two of the sensors that have detected a contact to the display surface by the input unit.

6. The display system according to claim 1, wherein:

the track detection unit of the input device detects a track of points of contact between the input device and the display surface and points of contact between the input device and a surface other than the display surface;

the image represented by the image data generated by the synthesizing unit is larger than the display surface; and

the display unit of the display device displays the image represented by the image data generated by the synthesizing unit so that the image can be scrolled, or displays a minified image of the image.

7. A display device comprising:

a display surface;

a communication unit that communicates with an input device;

a position detection unit that detects positions on the display surface contacted by the input device and generates drawing data representing a line formed by points on the detected positions;

an operation mode change unit that changes an operation mode of the display device from a position detection mode for causing the position detection unit to detect the positions to a position non-detection mode for not causing the position detection unit to detect the positions, or vice versa;

an instruction unit that, when the display device is in the position non-detection mode, instructs the input device to detect a track of points of contact between the input device operated by a user and the display surface, using the communication unit;

a request unit that, when the operation mode of the display device is changed from the position non-detection mode to the position detection mode, requests the input device for track data indicating the track detected by the input device, using the communication unit;

a synthesizing unit that synthesizes the track data sent from the input device in response to the request from the request unit and drawing data generated by the position detection unit after the operation mode of the display device is changed to the position detection mode, to generate image data; and

a display unit that displays an image represented by the image data generated by the synthesizing unit, on the display surface.

8. A computer readable medium recording a program for causing a computer including:

a display surface; and

a communication unit, to execute;

when the computer is in a position non-detection mode in which positions on the display surface contacted by an input device are not detected, instructing the input device to detect a track of points of contact between the input device operated by a user and the display surface, using the communication unit;

when an operation mode of the computer is changed from the position non-detection mode to a position detection mode in which positions on the display surface contacted by the input device are detected, requesting the input device for track data indicating the track detected by the input device;

after the operation mode of the display device is changed to the position detection mode, detecting positions on the display surface contacted by the input device and generating drawing data representing a line formed by points on the detected positions;

synthesizing the track data sent from the input device in response to the request from the computer and the drawing data, to generate image data; and

displaying an image represented by the image data on the display surface.