Input device and method, information processing apparatus and method, information processing system, and program

• US 8,576,165 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2009
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Kazuyuki, Onogi, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): PARDO, THUY N
• Application Number:
  US12/637,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20100188334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,422 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/158, 345/183, 345/589
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

An input device includes: an operating section which is held by a user and operated in a three-dimensional free space in order to operate an information processing apparatus by remote control; a calculation section which calculates a hand shake related value for controlling selection of an image to be controlled which is displayed on the information processing apparatus, the hand shake related value being relevant to an amount of hand shake of the operating section; and an output section which outputs the hand shake related value as an operation signal for operating the information processing apparatus by remote control.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

an operating section which is held by a user and operated in a three-dimensional free space to remotely operate an information processing apparatus;

a calculation section which calculates, via a processor, a hand shake related value for controlling selection of an image to be controlled which is displayed on the information processing apparatus, the hand shake related value identifying an amount of hand shake of the operating section; and

a light emitting section that emits light from the operating section based on the hand shake related value calculated by the calculation section;

an output section which outputs the hand shake related value as an operation signal to remotely operate the information processing apparatus,

wherein the operation signal of the hand shake related value controls the selection of a plurality of contents, as the image to be controlled, and the displaying of the contents on the information processing apparatus in an order based on the degree of the hand shake.

2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the operation signal of the hand shake related value is a signal for controlling selection of a size of an icon, which forms a GUI, or a character attached to the icon as the image to be controlled.

3. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the calculation section calculates the hand shake related value from a second movement detection value when a first movement detection value calculated based on an operation of the input device is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value.

4. The input device according to claim 3, wherein each of the first and second movement detection values are any of angle, angular velocity, displacement, and acceleration.

5. The input device according to claim 4, wherein the operating section is the entire input device.

6. The input device according to claim 5, wherein the input device is united with the information processing apparatus.

7. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the operation signal of the hand shake related value is a signal for controlling selection of a size of a character which is displayed on a screen of the information processing apparatus as the image to be controlled.

8. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the output section changes an emission state of the light-emitting section according to the hand shake related value.

9. The input device according to claim 8, wherein the emission state is one of a brightness of the emitted light, color of the emitted light and flicker rate of the emitted light.

10. The input device according to claim 1, wherein each content of the plurality of contents is mapped to information describing the type of the content, the title of the content, and the genre of the content.

11. The input device according to claim 10, wherein the type of content, title of the content and genre of the content for each content of the plurality of contents are mapped to varying hand shake values corresponding to the degree of the handshake.

12. An input method comprising:

holding and operating an operating section in a three-dimensional free space to remotely operate an information processing apparatus;

calculating, via a processor, a hand shake related value for controlling selection of an image to be controlled which is displayed on the information processing apparatus, the hand shake related value identifying an amount of hand shake of the operating section;

emitting light from the operating section based on the calculated hand shake related value; and

outputting the hand shake related value as an operation signal to remotely operate the information processing apparatus,

wherein the operation signal of the hand shake related value controls the selection of a plurality of contents, as the image to be controlled, and the displaying of the contents on the information processing apparatus in an order based on the degree of the hand shake.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer readable instructions thereon that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

calculating a hand shake related value for controlling selection of an image to be controlled which is displayed on an information processing apparatus, the hand shake related value identifying an amount of hand shake of an input device which is held by a user and operated in a three-dimensional free space in order to remotely operate the information processing;

emitting light from the input device based on the calculated hand shake related value; and

outputting the hand shake related value as an operation signal to remotely operate the information processing apparatus by remote control,

wherein the operation signal of the hand shake related value controls the selection of a plurality of contents, as the image to be controlled and the displaying of the contents on the information processing apparatus in an order based on the degree of the hand shake.

14. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a receiving section operable to receive, as an operation signal from an input device operated in a three-dimensional space, a value identifying a degree of movement of the input device;

a selection section operable to select plurality of content items based on the value received from the input device; and

a display section operable to display the selected plurality of content items, as a list of recommended content items, in an order, wherein the order of the recommended content items in the list is based on the degree of movement of the input device.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the selection section selects and displays an icon which forms a GUI or a character attached to the icon, the icon or the character having a size proportional to the received value.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

a calculation section operable to calculate the degree of movement of the input device based on the value received by the receiving section,

wherein the selection section selects the plurality of content items to be controlled based on the degree of movement of the input device calculated by the calculation section and displays the selected plurality of content items on the display section.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the display section displays an icon for guiding measurement of the movement of the input device.

18. An information processing method comprising:

receiving, via a receiving section and as an operation signal from an input device operated in a three-dimensional space, a value identifying a degree of movement of the input device;

selecting, via a selection section, a plurality of content items based on the value received from the input device; and

displaying, on a display screen, the selected plurality of content items, as a list of recommended content items, in an order based on the degree of movement of the input device.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer readable instructions thereon that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

receiving, as an operation signal from an input device operated in a three-dimensional space, a value identifying a degree of movement of the input device;

selecting a plurality of content items based on the value received from the input device; and

displaying the selected plurality of content items, as a list of recommended content items, in an order, wherein the order of the recommended content items in the list is based on the degree of movement of the input device.

20. An information processing system comprising:

an input device; and

an information processing apparatus which is remote-controlled by the input device,

wherein the input device is held by a user and operated in a three-dimensional free space to remotely operate the information processing apparatus,

calculates, via a processor, a hand shake related value which identifies an amount of hand shake of the input device and is a value for controlling selection of an image to be controlled which is displayed on the information processing apparatus,

emits light based on the calculated hand shake related value; and

outputs the hand shake related value as an operation signal to remotely operate the information processing apparatus, and the information processing apparatus

receives the hand shake related value,

selects a plurality of contents as the image to be controlled based on the hand shake related value received from the input device displays the plurality of contents in an order based on the degree of the hand shake, and

displays the selected image to be controlled.