Augmented remote controller and method for operating the same

• US 8,646,000 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2010
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kang, Mingoo, Kang, Haengjoon, Hwang, Sunjung, Park, Jongsoon, Park, Jinyung, Kim, Jongchul, Park, Junho
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Chenea
• Application Number:
  US12/959,696
• Publication Number:
  US 20110138416A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42208 Display device provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42209 for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time

Abstract

An image display may be controlled on a remote controller based on augmented reality. An image display apparatus may be identified that is connected to a network or located about the remote controller. A search may be made for content information regarding content playable in the identified image display apparatus. The content information may be received based on the searching. A screen may display a content guide image based on the received content information while simultaneously displaying an image of the identified image display apparatus.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an image display apparatus on a remote controller based on augmented reality, the method comprising:

capturing, by a camera, an image of a real environment around the remote controller, the captured image of the real environment including the image display apparatus displaying a broadcast image of a channel;

identifying the image display apparatus connected to a network or located about the remote controller based on the captured image;

performing a user authentication by determining whether a user to use the image display apparatus is a pre-registered user;

searching, in the identified image display apparatus, for content information regarding the broadcast image and for content information that is personalized based on the user when the user is determined to be the pre-registered user and authenticated;

receiving the content information based on the searching for the content information; and

displaying, on a touch screen of the remote controller, a content guide image based on the received content information while simultaneously displaying a real image, captured by the camera, of the identified image display apparatus,

wherein the content information includes a plurality of channel items, and a current channel item corresponding to the broadcast image displayed in the image display apparatus is highlighted in the content guide image.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing content information regarding the broadcast image according to a default setting when the user is not the pre-registered user,

wherein content information that the user has set as locked or in a locked status and content information that the user has not requested are not provided.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein when different content information regarding the broadcast image is stored for another user and a locking function is set, the different content information is not provided to the user.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein displaying the content guide image includes displaying a channel list image, wherein the channel list image includes the plurality of channel items, and the current channel item corresponding to the broadcast image displayed in the image display apparatus is highlighted.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the list of channels includes a list of preferred channels registered by the user.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein displaying the content guide image includes displaying an electronic program guide (EPG) image, wherein the EPG image includes program guide information including the plurality of channel items, and the current channel item corresponding to the broadcast image displayed in the image display apparatus is highlighted.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising registering a time zone or a preferred channel whose information is to be included in an EPG image,

wherein content information based on the registered time zone or the preferred channel is searched for and collected, and the EPG image is generated using the collected content information.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein displaying the content guide image includes displaying a user interface image to allow a user to select information.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the image display apparatus is powered-on or powered-off; and

accessing a server of the network when the image display apparatus is determined to be powered-off,

wherein searching the content information includes searching for the content information in the home server.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the content guide image includes additional information.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the additional information includes one of a sound attribute, an aspect ratio, an image quality, a genre, a title, a synopsis, a cast, or a play time of content.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the additional information includes at least one of information regarding a channel pre-registered by a user of the image display apparatus, information regarding a channel category preset by the user, or information regarding channels previous and next to a channel on which the main image is received.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user signal through the content guide image; and

transmitting a remote control signal to the image display apparatus, for controlling an operation of the image display apparatus based on the user signal.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing a channel selection signal to select a channel; and

displaying a thumbnail image of a content corresponding to the channel selection signal,

wherein the thumbnail image is a still image or a moving picture.

15. A remote controller comprising:

a camera to capture an image of a real environment around the remote controller, the captured image of the real environment including an image display apparatus displaying a broadcast image of a channel;

a wireless communication unit to wirelessly communicate with other electronic devices;

an identification unit to identify the image display apparatus about the remote controller based on the captured image;

a display including a touch screen and to provide an image display on the touch screen based on augmented reality; and

a controller to perform a user authentication by determining whether a user to use the image display apparatus is a pre-registered user, to search, in the identified image display apparatus, for content information regarding the broadcast image and for content information that is personalized based on the user when the user is determined to be the pre-registered user and authenticated, to receive the content information based on the searched content information, and the controller to control the display to display, on the touch screen, a content guide image based on the received content information while simultaneously displaying a real image, captured by the camera, of the image display apparatus,

wherein the content information includes a plurality of channel items, and a current channel item corresponding to the broadcast image displayed in the image display apparatus is highlighted in the content guide image.

16. The remote controller according to claim 15, wherein the controller provides content information regarding the broadcast image according to a default setting when the user is not the pre-registered user, and

wherein content information that the user has set as locked or in a locked status and content information that the user has not requested are not provided.

17. The remote controller according to claim 16, wherein, when different content information regarding the broadcast image is stored for another user and a locking function is set, the controller does not provide the different content information.

18. The remote controller according to claim 15, wherein the display displays a channel list image as the content guide image, wherein the channel list image includes the plurality of channel items, and the current channel item corresponding to the broadcast image displayed in the image display apparatus is highlighted.

19. The remote controller according to claim 18, wherein the list of channels includes a list of preferred channels registered by the user.

20. The remote controller according to claim 15, wherein the display displays an electronic program guide (EPG) image as the content guide image, wherein the EPG image includes program guide information including the plurality of channel items, and the current channel item corresponding to the broadcast image displayed in the image display apparatus is highlighted.

21. The remote controller according to claim 20, wherein the controller registers a time zone or a preferred channel whose information is to be included in an EPG image,

wherein content information based on the registered time zone or preferred channel is searched for and collected, and the EPG image is generated using the collected content information.

22. The remote controller according to claim 15, wherein the display displays a user interface image to allow a user to select information.

23. The remote controller according to claim 15, wherein the controller determines whether the image display apparatus is powered-on or powered-off, and accesses a server of a network when the identified image display apparatus is powered-off, and wherein the controller searches for the content information in the server.

24. The remote controller according to claim 15, wherein the remote controller receives a user signal based on the content guide image, and transmits a remote control signal to the identified image display apparatus, for controlling an operation of the image display apparatus based on the user signal.

25. The remote controller according to claim 15, wherein the remote controller receives a channel selection signal to select a channel, and the display displays a thumbnail image of content received on the channel corresponding to the channel selection signal, wherein the thumbnail image is a still image or a moving picture.