Portable electronic equipment with automatic control to keep display turned on and method

• US 8,159,551 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2007
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Katz, Darius
• Primary Examiner(s): HANNETT, JAMES M
• Application Number:
  US11/861,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20090082066A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,665 Days
• Field of Search: 348/222.1, 348/333.11
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/161 Detection; Localisation; Normalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/022 in absence of operation, e.g. no data being entered during a predetermined time
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Apparatus and method provide a hold on function in a mobile phone or other portable electronic equipment keeps the display thereof turned on in spite of a screensaver or other power saving feature while a user is reading or watching the display and allows activating of power saving facilities of the mobile phone or equipment only when a user no longer is reading or watching the display. Also, a computer program product stored in a storage medium, includes a storage medium, a computer program including face recognition software to recognize whether an input image represents that of a human face, and a control program to control operation of portable electronic equipment depending on whether or not an input image represents a human face.

Claims

1. Portable electronic equipment, comprising

a camera,

a display,

circuitry adapted to effect at least one of turning on or holding on the display in response to recognizing a specified image provided by the camera,

wherein the camera is located in the equipment to face in a direction to view the face of a user of the equipment while the user is viewing the display, and

further comprising a fish eye lens for the camera to obtain a wide angle view to facilitate receiving an image of the face of a user of the equipment, wherein the fish eye lens has a focal length to provide to the camera a relatively focused image of the face of a user while such user holds the equipment in a hand during use of the equipment.