Proximity assisted 3D rendering

• US 8,300,043 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2004
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Gulliksson, Johan, Sundström, Henrik
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung, Kee M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Du, Haixia
• Application Number:
  US10/875,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20050286125A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,050 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/26 of the autostereoscopic type
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/373 for tracking forward-backward translational head movements, i.e. longitudinal movements

Abstract

A mobile device for rendering or transforming three-dimensional images is disclosed. The mobile device determines a distance and/or location of a user relative to the device and adjusts the three-dimensional image to provide improved viewing of the three-dimensional image at the sensed distance and/or location.

Claims

1. A mobile telephone adapted for displaying a three-dimensional image, the mobile telephone comprising:

a display surface displaying the three dimensional image;

a camera disposed on the mobile telephone and configured to capture at least one image of the user, the captured image comprising at least one feature of the user;

a processor configured to analyze, independent of user input, the captured image and determine a size of a feature as it appears in the captured image, and to create distance data based on the determined size of the feature, the distance data being indicative of a distance between the user and the mobile telephone; and

an image generator configured to generate a three-dimensional image based on the distance data.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a proximity sensor.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the feature is at least one of an eye, a nose, a face, and a mouth of the user.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the distance data comprises a difference between a previous set of location data or distance data and a currently sensed set of location data or distance data.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising a rechargeable battery.

6. A mobile telephone adapted for displaying a three dimensional image, the mobile telephone comprising:

a display surface displaying the three dimensional image;

a sensor that real-time senses a location and/or a distance of a user relative to the mobile telephone;

a processor that determines distance data based on the real-time sensed location and/or distance of the user relative to the mobile telephone; and

an image generator that generates a three dimensional image based on the distance data; and

wherein the processor determines independent of user input a distance between two features of the user and distance data based on the distance between two features of the user real-time sensed by the sensor.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the two features are a left eye and a right eye.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the two features are an eye and a nose.

9. The device of claim 6, wherein the sensor is a proximity sensor.

10. The device of claim 6, wherein the sensor is a camera.

11. The device of claim 6, wherein the distance data comprises a difference between a previous set of location data or distance data and a currently sensed set of location data or distance data.

12. A method of rendering a three dimensional image on a mobile telephone, the method comprising the steps of:

real-time sensing a location and/or a distance of a user relative to the mobile telephone;

creating distance data based on the sensed location and/or the distance of the user relative to the mobile telephone; and

rendering the three dimensional image based on the distance data; and

wherein the distance data is created by capturing at least one image of the user, the image including at least one feature of the user, and analyzing, independent of user input, the captured image to determine a size of the feature as it appears in the captured image, and creating distance data based on the determined size of the feature.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

re-sensing the location and/or the distance of the user relative to the mobile telephone;

determining whether the rendered three-dimensional image requires adjusting;

adjusting the rendered three-dimensional image if it is determined that the rendered three dimensional image requires adjusting; and

determining whether an imaging application requiring rendering of the three dimensional image should be ended.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising, if it is determined that the imaging application should not be ended, repeating the steps of re-sensing, determining whether the rendered three dimensional image requires adjusting, adjusting, and determining whether an imaging application requiring rendering of the three dimensional image should be ended.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of determining whether an imaging application should be ended comprises the step of receiving an input from the user to end the imaging application.