Mobile terminal having a touchscreen for displaying a 3-dimensional (3D) user interface and controlling method thereof

• US 8,760,448 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2011
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Shinhae, Jung, Hayang, Woo, Seunghyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Thompson, James A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Sarah
• Application Number:
  US13/118,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20120081359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: 345/419
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/156 Mixing image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/183 On-screen display [OSD] information, e.g. subtitles or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/305 using lenticular lenses, e.g. arrangements of cylindrical lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/31 using parallax barriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/337 using polarisation multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/341 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/361 Reproducing mixed stereoscopic images; Reproducing mixed monoscopic and stereoscopic images, e.g. a stereoscopic image overlay window on a monoscopic image background

Abstract

A mobile terminal and controlling method thereof are provided. A method of controlling a mobile station according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises displaying a 3D user interface including at least one portion of a stereoscopic structure on a touchscreen, in which a plurality of layers including at least one icon are arranged centering on a central axis by being spaced apart from each other with a prescribed gap in-between, detecting a touch input of a first pattern via the touchscreen, and giving different 3D depths to at least one or more layers included in the 3D user interface among a plurality of the layers, respectively, and changing a position of each of a plurality of the layers according to a touch input of a second pattern in a manner of rotating centered on the central axis.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a touchscreen configured to display a 3-Dimensional (3D) user interface including at least one portion of a stereoscopic structure, the 3D user interface comprising a plurality of layers arranged and centered about a central axis such that the plurality of layers are spaced apart from each other by a prescribed gap, each of the plurality of layers including at least one icon;

a sensing unit configured to detect an inclination of the mobile terminal relative to a plane; and

a controller configured to;

control the touchscreen to display different 3D depths for at least one of the plurality of layers of the 3D user interface in order to provide a 3D stereoscopic image in response to detecting a first input;

control the touchscreen to change a position of at least one of the plurality of layers of the 3D user interface in response to detecting a second input, the position changed by rotation centered about the central axis;

control the touchscreen to display a first layer of the plurality of the layers of the 3D user interface on an entire region of the touchscreen;

select at least one icon among the at least one icon of the first layer displayed on the entire region of the touch screen in response to a touch input received at a touch position on the touchscreen;

control the touchscreen to change a position of each of the plurality of layers of the 3D user interface by rotation centered about the central axis when the inclination of the mobile terminal is detected by the sensing unit, wherein the inclination of the mobile terminal is detected while the received touch input is maintained at the touch position;

control the touchscreen to display the selected at least one icon at the touch position while the touch input is maintained at the touch position and the position of each of the plurality of layers is changed in response to the detection of the inclination of the mobile terminal;

control the touchscreen to display a second layer of the plurality of layers on the entire region of the touchscreen when the mobile terminal enters a parallel state;

detect a release of the touch input from the touch position on the touchscreen while the second layer is displayed on the entire region of the touchscreen and the mobile terminal is in the parallel state; and

control the touchscreen to display the selected at least one icon previously displayed at a first position of the first layer at a second position of the second layer in response to the detection of the release of the touch input.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the touchscreen includes a parallax generating means configured to provide the 3D stereoscopic image by changing at least a propagation direction or a vibration direction of light.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to change a direction and a speed of the rotation to correspond to the detected inclination.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to provide a visual effect to the selected at least one icon.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the touchscreen to display a touch region on a prescribed region of the touchscreen for rotating the at least one portion of the stereoscopic structure;

detect a touch of the touch region of the touchscreen; and

control the touchscreen to change a position of each of the plurality of layers of the 3D user interface by rotation centered about the central axis while the touch of the touch region is maintained.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to provide a visual effect to indicate that the 3D stereoscopic image is provided on a prescribed region of the touchscreen.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first input is a touch input of a first pattern received via the touch screen.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the second input is a touch input of a second pattern received via the touchscreen.

9. A method of controlling a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

displaying a 3-Dimensional (3D) user interface including at least one portion of a stereoscopic structure on a touchscreen, the 3D user interface comprising a plurality of layers arranged and centered about a central axis such that the plurality of layers are spaced apart from each other by a prescribed gap, each of the plurality of layers including at least one icon;

displaying different 3D depths for at least one of the plurality of layers of the 3D user interface in order to provide a 3D stereoscopic image on the touchscreen in response to detecting a first input;

changing a position of at least one of the plurality of layers of the 3D user interface in response to detecting a second input, the position changed by rotation centered about the central axis;

displaying a first layer of the plurality of the layers of the 3D user interface on an entire region of the touchscreen;

selecting at least one icon among the at least one icon of the first layer displayed on the entire region of the touch screen in response to a touch input received at a touch position on the touchscreen;

changing a position of each of the plurality of layers of the 3D user interface by rotation centered about the central axis when an inclination of the mobile terminal relative to a plane is detected by a sensing unit of the mobile terminal, wherein the inclination of the mobile terminal is detected while the received touch input is maintained at the touch position;

displaying the selected at least one icon at the touch position while the touch input is maintained at the touch position and the position of each of the plurality of layers is changed in response to the detection of the inclination of the mobile terminal;

displaying a second layer of the plurality of layers on the entire region of the touchscreen when the mobile terminal enters a parallel state such that the mobile terminal is not inclined relative to the plane;

detecting a release of the touch input from the touch position on the touchscreen while the second layer is displayed on the entire region of the touchscreen and the mobile terminal is in the parallel state; and

displaying the selected at least one icon previously displayed at a first position of the first layer at a second position of the second layer in response to the detection of the release of the touch input.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising changing a direction and a speed of the rotation to correspond to the detected inclination.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing a visual effect to the selected at least one icon on the touchscreen.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising displaying a visual effect to indicate that the 3D stereoscopic image is provided on a prescribed region of the touchscreen.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the first input is a touch input of a first pattern received via the touchscreen.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the second input is a touch input of a second pattern received via the touchscreen.