Information display apparatus with proximity detection performance and information display method using the same

• US 8,284,165 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2007
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Koshiyama, Atsushi, Oba, Haruo
• Primary Examiner(s): MANDEVILLE, JASON M
• Application Number:
  US11/974,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20080122798A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,825 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178, 178/18.06
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041661 using detection at multiple resolutions, e.g. coarse and fine scanning; using detection within a limited area, e.g. object tracking window
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• 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

An information display apparatus with proximity detection performance contains a display device that displays image information, a sensor constituted of plural detection electrodes, and an adjusting device of detection resolution that adjusts the detection resolution to be detected based on a distance between the sensor and an object that is contacted to any one of the detection electrodes.

Claims

1. An information display apparatus with proximity detection performance, the device comprising:

a display device that displays image information;

a sensor constituted of plural detection electrodes; and

a detection resolution adjusting device that adjusts (a) detection sensitivity of the detection electrodes by controlling an output of each of the detection electrodes and (b) detection resolution by controlling a detection interval determined by a number of electrodes that contribute to the detection electrodes through activation or non-activation of the detection electrodes, the adjustment based on a distance between the sensor and an object to be contacted to any one of the detection electrodes, wherein the detection sensitivity decreases as the object approaches the sensor and the detection resolution increases as the object approaches the sensor to make the detection interval narrower in accordance with the adjustment, and wherein if no object is detected, the detection sensitivity is increased to a maximum and the detection resolution decreases to make the detection interval a maximum in accordance with the adjustment.

2. The information display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is provided on a surface of the display device.

3. The information display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display device is made of transparent member through which a back side is seen when the display device is not displayed with the display device being isolated from the sensor.

4. The information display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor contains a panel sensor of capacitance detection type;

and

wherein the detection electrodes include a transparent wired electrode for vertical axis and a transparent wired electrode for horizontal axis, the wired electrodes being extended in matrix on a two-dimensional plane.

5. The information display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor contains a panel sensor of capacitance detection type;

and

wherein the detection electrodes include a plurality of point electrodes that are arranged in matrix.

6. The information display apparatus according to claim 5, wherein each of the point electrodes contains a coil and a capacitor, which are connected to each other in parallel, and an oscillator that is arranged near the coil and the capacitor.

7. The information display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection resolution adjusting device adjusts the detection resolution by adjusting the detection interval by the detection electrodes that is used for the detection, based on the distance between the sensor and the object.

8. The information display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection electrodes have a detection interval adjusted by thinning out a number of electrodes that contribute to the detection electrodes.

9. An information display apparatus with proximity detection performance, the device comprising:

a display device that displays image information;

a sensor constituted of detection electrodes, the sensor being provided on a surface of the display device; and

a detection resolution adjusting device that adjusts (a) detection sensitivity of the detection electrodes by controlling an output of each of the detection electrodes and (b) detection resolution by controlling a detection interval determined by a number of electrodes that contribute to the detection electrodes through activation or non-activation of the detection electrodes, the adjustment based on a distance between the sensor and an object that is to be contacted to any one of the detection electrodes,

wherein image information displayed on the display device is controlled in its size, motion, and rotation direction based on a movement of the object and the distance between the sensor and the object, wherein the detection sensitivity decreases as the object approaches the sensor and the detection resolution increases as the object approaches the sensor to make the detection interval narrower in accordance with the adjustment, and wherein if no object is detected, the detection sensitivity is increased to a maximum and the detection resolution decreases to make the detection interval a maximum in accordance with the adjustment.

10. An information display apparatus with proximity detection performance, the device comprising:

a display device that displays image information;

a sensor of capacitance type that is constituted of plural detection electrodes, the sensor being provided on a surface of the display device;

a control device that controls output of each of the detection electrodes and that determines a distance between an object and each detection electrode; and

an administration device that administrates activation or non-activation of each of the detection electrodes,

wherein if the sensor of capacitance type detects no object, the control device controls the output of each of the detection electrodes to increase the output to their maximum and the administration device performs processing to make a detection interval, determined by the number of electrodes that contribute to the detection electrodes, to be maximum; and

wherein if the sensor of capacitance type detects the object, the control device controls the output of each of the detection electrodes to decrease the output based on the distance between the detected object and each of the detection electrodes and the administration device performs processing to make the detection interval by the detection electrodes narrower.

11. An information display method of displaying information, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting a distance between a sensor and an object by a sensor relative to a display device;

adjusting (a) detection sensitivity of detection electrodes by controlling an output of each of the detection electrodes and (b) detection resolution of the sensor by controlling a detection interval determined by a number of electrodes that contribute to the detection electrodes through activation or non-activation of the detection electrodes, the adjustment based on the distance between the sensor and the object, wherein the detection sensitivity decreases as the object approaches the sensor and the detection resolution increases as the object approaches the sensor to make the detection interval narrower in accordance with the adjusting, and wherein if no object is detected, the detection sensitivity is increased to a maximum and the detection resolution decreases to make the detection interval a maximum in accordance with the adjusting; and

controlling display state of the image information displayed on the display device in its size, motion, and rotation direction based on a motion of the object and the distance between the sensor and the object.