Unit, an assembly and a method for controlling in a dynamic egocentric interactive space

• US 8,125,444 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bang & Olufsen A/S
• Original Assignee: Bang & Olufsen A/S
• Inventors: Nørager, Rune
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bolotin, Dmitriy
• Application Number:
  US11/922,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20090033618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,069 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 715/730, 715/732, 715/856, 715/864
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

A portable unit for providing instructions for navigation in menus or controlling equipment, the unit having a user interface and a camera pointing in the general direction of the user. The unit tracking relative movements between the unit and the user and converting the relative movement into the instructions. The unit may be used as a remote control for audio or video equipment or computers or the like.

Claims

1. An assembly including an apparatus and a portable unit configured to output control information to the apparatus to control the apparatus, the portable unit comprising:

a user interface configured to exchange information between the portable unit and a user, the user interface being on a surface of the portable unit,

an image providing element configured to provide an image at least in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the portable unit and away from the user interface,

a determining circuit configured to determine, based on at least one image provided by the image providing element, a relative movement between the portable unit and at least one item imaged by the image providing element and configured to output the control information on the basis of the determined relative movement,

a first output circuit configured to output the control information to the apparatus and configured to receive information from the apparatus, and

a control circuit configured to control the user interface based on the information received from the apparatus,

wherein the user interface includes a display that provides the information received from the apparatus to the user and the image providing element is positioned on the portable unit such that the image providing element images the user and images at least one location from which the information provided by the display is discerned by the user, and

the apparatus including;

a display configured to provide visual information,

a receiving circuit configured to receive the control information from the portable unit, the apparatus being configured to be controlled according to the received control information, and

a second output circuit configured to output at least a portion of the visual information to the portable unit as the information from the apparatus.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the portable unit is configured to mirror said at least a portion of the visual information displayed on the apparatus.

3. The assembly according to claim 2, wherein said at least a portion of the visual information displayed on the apparatus and displayed on the user interface relates to a size of the apparatus and a size of the user interface.

4. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the determining circuit is further configured to control the display based on the information displayed.

5. The assembly according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage device configured to store information relating to at least a two-dimensional element or image that is displayed on the user interface,

the determining circuit further configured to determine, on the basis of the determined relative movement, a change in at least one of an angle, a direction, and a position of viewing the element or image.

6. The assembly according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one of a gyro unit, a microphone, an accelerometer, a button, and a distance determining unit, wherein the determining circuit is further configured to determine the output information on the basis of information received from the at least one of the gyro unit, the microphone, the accelerometer, the button, and distance determining unit.

7. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the image providing element is positioned at least one of at, on and in the surface of the portable unit.

8. The assembly according to claim 1, the portable unit, further comprising:

a user-operable button having two modes,

a first mode in which the determining circuit provides the control information on the basis of the determined relative movement, and

a second mode in which the determining circuit does not provide the control information on the basis of the determined relative movement.

9. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to provide the user with at least one of visual information, via the display, and audio information, the apparatus being configured to alter the visual information or the audio information in accordance with control information received from the portable unit.