Remote control apparatus, remote control system, remote control method, and program

• US 8,866,773 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2010
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ohashi, Yoshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kevin M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Jr., Kenneth B
• Application Number:
  US13/510,111
• Publication Number:
  US 20120229410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,449 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-183, 345156-167, 178/18.01, 178/18.03
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/30 User interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control

Abstract

Provided is a remote control apparatus which includes a display panel, a control detecting part for detecting a swipe of a contact point by a continuous contact control to the display panel, a command generating part for finding a first direction from a positional relationship between a contact starting point and a first swipe point swiped from the contact starting point, generating a control command indicating start of a swipe in the first direction, finding a second direction from a positional relationship between the contact starting point and a second swipe point swiped from the first swipe point, and generating a control command indicating stop of the swipe in the first direction and start of a swipe in the second direction in the case where the second direction differs from the first direction, and a command transmitting part for transmitting the generated control command to a television.

Claims

1. A remote control apparatus comprising:

a display panel;

a control detecting part for detecting a swipe of a contact point by a continuous contact control to the display panel;

a command generating part for finding a first direction from a positional relationship between a contact starting point and a first swipe point swiped from the contact starting point, generating a control command indicating start of a swipe in the first direction, finding a second direction from a positional relationship between the contact starting point and a second swipe point swiped from the first swipe point, and generating a control command indicating stop of the swipe in the first direction and start of a swipe in the second direction in the case where the second direction differs from the first direction; and

a command transmitting part for transmitting the generated control command to an electronic device,

wherein the command generating part finds a first distance between the contact starting point and the first swipe point and a second distance between the contact starting point and the second swipe point, and generates a control command indicating stop of a swipe when a difference between the first distance and the second distance is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold.

2. The remote control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the command generating part finds a distance between the contact starting point and a swipe point, and generates the control command indicating start of the swipe in the case where the found distance is equal to or larger than another predetermined threshold.

3. The remote control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the command generating part generates a control command indicating continuation of the swipe until the control command indicating stop of the swipe is transmitted after the control command indicating start of the swipe is transmitted.

4. The remote control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the command generating part generates the control command indicating stop of the swipe in the case where a contact point is not detected after the control command indicating start of the swipe is transmitted to the electronic device.

5. The remote control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control command includes information set according to the distance between the contact starting point and the swipe point and indicating a swipe speed.

6. The remote control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control command is used for swiping an object to be swiped displayed on the electronic device.

7. A remote control system comprising:

a remote control apparatus; and

an electronic device remotely controlled by the remote control apparatus, wherein the remote control apparatus includes

a display panel,

a control detecting part for detecting a swipe of a contact point by a continuous contact control to the display panel,

a command generating part for finding a first direction from a positional relationship between a contact starting point and a first swipe point swiped from the contact starting point, generating a control command indicating start of a swipe in the first direction, finding a second direction from a positional relationship between the contact starting point and a second swipe point swiped from the first swipe point, and generating a control command indicating stop of the swipe in the first direction and start of a swipe in the second direction in the case where the second direction differs from the first direction, and

a command transmitting part for transmitting the generated control command to the electronic device,

wherein the command generating part finds a first distance between the contact starting point and the first swipe point and a second distance between the contact starting point and the second swipe point, and generates a control command indicating stop of a swipe when a difference between the first distance and the second distance is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold.

8. A remote control method comprising:

detecting a swipe of a contact point by a continuous contact control to a display panel;

finding a first direction from a positional relationship between a contact starting point and a first swipe point swiped from the contact starting point, and generating and transmitting, to an electronic device, a control command indicating start of a swipe in the first direction;

finding a second direction from a positional relationship between the contact starting point and a second swipe point swiped from the first swipe point, and generating and transmitting, to the electronic device, a control command indicating stop of the swipe in the first direction and start of a swipe in the second direction in the case where the second direction differs from the first direction;

finding a first distance between the contact starting point and the first swipe point and a second distance between the contact starting point and the second swipe point; and

generating a control command indicating stop of a swipe when a difference between the first distance and the second distance is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold.

9. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having stored thereon a program for causing a computer to implement a remote control method comprising:

detecting a swipe of a contact point by a continuous contact control to a display panel;

finding a first direction from a positional relationship between a contact starting point and a first swipe point swiped from the contact starting point, and generating and transmitting, to an electronic device, a control command indicating start of a swipe in the first direction; and

finding a second direction from a positional relationship between the contact starting point and a second swipe point swiped from the first swipe point, and generating and transmitting, to the electronic device, a control command indicating stop of the swipe in the first direction and start of a swipe in the second direction in the case where the second direction differs from the first direction;

finding a first distance between the contact starting point and the first swipe point and a second distance between the contact starting point and the second swipe point; and

generating a control command indicating stop of a swipe when a difference between the first distance and the second distance is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold.