Method and apparatus for displaying an image of a device based on radio waves

• US 8,108,005 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2002
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Oba, Haruo, Sugawara, Taku, Inagaki, Takeo, Rekimoto, Junichi, Matsushita, Nobuyuki, Ayatsuka, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAM, DUNG LE
• Application Number:
  US10/488,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20040198459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,443 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/566, 4554561-4566, 455/457
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/3911 Fading models or fading generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and method, and a program in which information can be reliably exchanged when performing wireless communication by allowing a user to know a communication distance at which devices can be connected. A communication unit 28 performs Bluetooth communication with a communication unit, which serves as a Bluetooth module, provided for a cellular telephone. A CPU 21 displays an image corresponding to the cellular telephone based on the input level of Bluetooth radio waves transmitted from the cellular telephone. For example, when the input level of the radio waves transmitted from the cellular telephone is equal to the maximum input, the CPU 21 sets the level of transparency to be 0, and displays the image corresponding to the cellular telephone on an LCD 32 so that a background image is not transmitted at all. When the input level of the radio waves is almost equal to the reception sensitivity, the CPU 21 displays the image corresponding to the cellular telephone on the LCD 32 by setting the level of transparency to be 90% so as to transmit the background image. The present invention can be applied to an information processing apparatus, for example, a personal computer, a PDA, or a cellular telephone.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

communication means for communicating, via radio waves, with a movable electronic device, an input level of the radio waves having a predetermined relationship with a distance between the movable electronic device and the information processing apparatus;

obtaining means for obtaining identification information concerning the electronic device;

a display screen for displaying an image representing the electronic device specified from the identification information, a display location of the image on the display screen having a predetermined relationship with the input level of the wave radios; and

display control means for controlling display of the image on the display screen based on data indicating the input level of the radio waves transmitted from the electronic device, a level of saturation of the image corresponding to the input level of the radio waves, and the electronic device being located within a communication range of the communication means,

wherein when a user moves the electronic device around the information processing apparatus, the display control means changes the display location of the image on the display screen, for the user to determine, based on the display location of the image on the display screen, a location to place the electronic device for performing a reliable data communication between the electronic device and the information processing apparatus.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the obtaining means obtains the identification information concerning the electronic device by one of a communication system in which information is sent and received by electromagnetic waves and a Bluetooth communication system in which a communicating party is specified by searching for devices in an extremely lower power mode; and

the communication means communicates with the electronic device based on the identification information.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control means controls the image to be displayed with a level of resolution corresponding to the input level of the radio waves.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control means controls the image to be displayed by performing mosaic processing on the image in accordance with the input level of the radio waves.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining means obtains the image representing a configuration of the electronic device from the electronic device specified by the identification information.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the user moves the electronic device around the information processing apparatus, the display control means changes a transparency level of the image on the display screen, for the user to determine, based on the transparency level of the image, the location to place the electronic device for performing the reliable data communication between the electronic device and the information processing apparatus.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined relationship between the display location of the image on the display screen with the input level of the wave radios includes:

the display location of the image is at a center location of the display screen when the input level of the wave radios is at a maximum level; and

the display location of the image is at a corner location of the display screen when the input level of the wave radios is at a reception sensitivity level.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined relationship between the display location of the image on the display screen with the input level of the wave radios further includes:

the display location of the image is at a middle point on a diagonal line of the display screen when the input level of the wave radios is at one half of the maximum level.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control means controls the image to be displayed with a size corresponding to the input level of the radio waves.

10. An information processing method, implemented by an information processing apparatus having at least one processor, comprising:

a communication processing step of communicating, via radio waves, with a movable electronic device, an input level of the radio waves having a predetermined relationship with a distance between the movable electronic device and the information processing apparatus;

an obtaining processing step of obtaining identification information concerning the electronic device; and

a display control processing step of controlling display of an image representing the electronic device specified from the identification information on a display screen of the information processing apparatus based on data indicating the input level of the radio waves transmitted from the electronic device, a level of saturation of the image corresponding to the input level of the radio waves, the electronic device being located in a communication range of the information processing apparatus, and a display location of the image on the display screen having a predetermined relationship with the input level of the wave radios,

wherein controlling the display of the image includes;

when a user moves the electronic device around the information processing apparatus, changing the display location of the image on the display screen, for the user to determine, based on the display location of the image on the display screen, a location to place the electronic device for performing a reliable data communication between the electronic device and the information processing apparatus.

11. The information processing method according to claim 10, wherein controlling the display of the image further includes:

when the user moves the electronic device around the information processing apparatus, changing a transparency level of the image on the display screen, for the user to determine, based on the transparency level of the image, the location to place the electronic device for performing the reliable data communication between the electronic device and the information processing apparatus.

12. The information processing method according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined relationship between the display location of the image on the display screen with the input level of the wave radios includes:

the display location of the image is at a center location of the display screen when the input level of the wave radios is at a maximum level; and

the display location of the image is at a corner location of the display screen when the input level of the wave radios is at a reception sensitivity level.

13. The information processing method according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined relationship between the display location of the image on the display screen with the input level of the wave radios further includes:

the display location of the image is at a middle point on a diagonal line of the display screen when the input level of the wave radios is at one half of the maximum level.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the display control means controls the image to be displayed with a size corresponding to the input level of the radio waves.

15. A computer-readable medium, tangibly embodied in a storage device, having instructions recorded thereon which, when executed on a computer system, cause an information processing apparatus to perform the following steps:

a communication processing step of communicating, via radio waves, with a movable electronic device, an input level of the radio waves having a predetermined relationship with a distance between the movable electronic device and the information processing apparatus;

an obtaining processing step of obtaining identification information concerning the electronic device; and

a display control processing step of controlling display of an image representing the electronic device specified from the identification information on a display screen of the information processing apparatus based on data indicating the input level of the radio waves transmitted from the electronic device, a level of saturation of the image corresponding to the input level of the radio waves, the electronic device being located within a communication range of the information processing apparatus, and a display location of the image on the display screen having a predetermined relationship with the input level of the wave radios,

wherein controlling the display of the image includes;

when a user moves the electronic device around the information processing apparatus, changing the display location of the image on the display screen, for the user to determine, based on the display location of the image on the display screen, a location to place the electronic device for performing a reliable data communication between the electronic device and the information processing apparatus.

16. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein controlling the display of the image further includes:

when the user moves the electronic device around the information processing apparatus, changing a transparency level of the image on the display screen, for the user to determine, based on the transparency level of the image, the location to place the electronic device for performing the reliable data communication between the electronic device and the information processing apparatus.

17. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the predetermined relationship between the display location of the image on the display screen with the input level of the wave radios includes:

the display location of the image is at a center location of the display screen when the input level of the wave radios is at a maximum level; and

the display location of the image is at a corner location of the display screen when the input level of the wave radios is at a reception sensitivity level.

18. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the predetermined relationship between the display location of the image on the display screen with the input level of the wave radios further includes:

the display location of the image is at a middle point on a diagonal line of the display screen when the input level of the wave radios is at one half of the maximum level.

19. The information processing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the display control means controls the image to be displayed with a size corresponding to the input level of the radio waves.