Method of providing a user interface

• US 8,881,064 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2008
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Geurts, Lucas Jacobus Franciscus, Proctor, Gavin Mark, Pill, Stuart Ronald, Dick, Angus David, Pezzutti, Daniel Karl, Crompvoets, Floris Maria Hermansz
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Anil N
• Application Number:
  US12/744,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20100257491A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,174 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range

Abstract

A method of providing a user interface for controlling a system (1;27) includes observing a presence of a body or body part of a user in a certain environment of a device (6,14-17;30). At least a perceptible part (28,34) of the user interface is made available to the user in association with a particular functionality for interacting with the system (1;27) controlled by the user interface in dependence on a rate of displacement of the body or body part of the user observed in the certain environment.

Claims

1. A method of providing a user interface for controlling a system, including the acts of:

observing a presence of a body or body part of a user in a certain environment of a device;

making a perceptible part of the user interface available to the user in association with a particular functionality for interacting with the system controlled by the user interface in dependence on a rate of displacement of the body or body part of the user observed in the certain environment;

hiding remaining parts of the user interface, the remaining parts being parts other than the perceptible part made available to the user; and

providing on the user interface one control selected from at least one of a first control associated with a first action to control the device and a second control associated with a second action to control the device, wherein which one of the first control and second control being the selected control provided on the user interface depends on an approach speed of the body or the body part of the user such that when the approach speed is greater than a threshold value, then the second control is provided on the user interface, otherwise the first control is provided on the user interface, the first action responsive to activation of the first control provided on the user interface being different from the second action responsive to activation of the second control provided on the user interface, wherein the perceptible part of the user interface is caused to be made available to the user in a manner dependent on a location at which the body or body part of the user is observed to be present in the certain environment and the rate of displacement of the body or body part of the user.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising changing a state of availability of at least an element of the user interface in response to a change in the rate of displacement of the body or body part of the user observed in the certain environment.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising adjusting at least part of a configuration of the user interface at a rate dependent on the rate of displacement of the body or body part of the user observed in the certain environment.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a device for providing a visible output, and wherein the method further comprises the act of providing a signal to configure the visible output to the device.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising detecting at least one of presence at and approach to a part of the device providing a visible output, wherein the part corresponds to an element of the visible output.

6. The method according to claim 4, including adjusting a state of visibility of at least an element of the visible output associated with a particular functionality at a rate determined by the rate of displacement of the body or body part of the user observed in the certain environment.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user interface is provided for controlling a user interface of a consumer electronics system.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the act of gradually transitioning the user interface to full visibility.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the observing act observe the presence of the body or the body part of the user indirectly by determining a presence of a tag held or warn by the user.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the rate of displacement of the body or the body part of the user is speed of approach of the body or the body part of the user towards the device, and the method further comprises the act of fading the first control at a rate that depends from the speed of approach of the body or the body part of the user towards the device.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the observing act is performed continuously to detect the presence, distance and direction of movement of the body or the body part of the user within a predetermined periphery of the device.

8. A system comprising:

a processor;

a signal processing component configured to process at least one signal from an observation component for observing a presence of a body or body part of a user in a certain environment of a device; and

a control component configured to make a perceptible part of a user interface available to the user in association with a particular functionality for interacting with the system controlled by the user interface in dependence on a rate of displacement of the body or body part of the user observed in the certain environment, wherein the control component is further configured to hide remaining parts of the user interface, the remaining parts being parts other than the perceptible part made available to the use; and

wherein the control component is further configured to provide on the user interface one control selected from at least one of a first control associated with a first action to control the device and a second control associated with a second action to control the device, wherein which one of the first control and second control being the selected control provided on the user interface depends on an approach speed of the body or the body part of the user such that when the approach speed is greater than a threshold value, then the second control is provided on the user interface, otherwise the first control is provided on the user interface, the first action responsive to activation of the first control provided on the user interface being different from the second action responsive to activation of the second control provided on the user interface, wherein the perceptible part of the user interface is caused to be made available to the user in a manner dependent on a location at which the body or body part of the user is observed to be present in the certain environment and the rate of displacement of the body or body part of the user.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the control component is further configured to gradually transition the user interface to full visibility.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the observation component is configured to observe the presence of the body or the body part of the user indirectly by determining a presence of a tag held or warn by the user.

16. The system of claim 8, wherein the rate of displacement of the body or the body part of the user is speed of approach of the body or the body part of the user towards the device, and the control component is further configured to fade the first control at a rate that depends from the speed of approach of the body or the body part of the user towards the device.

19. The system of claim 8, wherein the observation component is configured to continuously to detect the presence, distance and direction of movement of the body or the body part of the user within a predetermined periphery of the device.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying comprising computer instructions which, when executed by a processor, configure the processor to perform the acts of:

observing a presence of a body or body part of a user in a certain environment of a device;

making a perceptible part of the user interface available to the user in association with a particular functionality for interacting with the system controlled by the user interface in dependence on a rate of displacement of the body or body part of the user observed in the certain environment;

hiding remaining parts of the user interface, the remaining parts being parts other than the perceptible part made available to the user; and

providing on the user interface one control selected from at least one of a first control associated with a first action to control the device and a second control associated with a second action to control the device, wherein which one of the first control and second control being the selected control provided on the user interface depends on an approach speed of the body or the body part of the user such that when the approach speed is greater than a threshold value, then the second control is provided on the user interface, otherwise the first control is provided on the user interface, the first action responsive to activation of the first control provided on the user interface being different from the second action responsive to activation of the second control provided on the user interface, wherein the perceptible part of the user interface is caused to be made available to the user in a manner dependent on a location at which the body or body part of the user is observed to be present in the certain environment and the rate of displacement of the body or body part of the use.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, the observing act observe the presence of the body or the body part of the user indirectly by determining a presence of a tag held or warn by the user.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the rate of displacement of the body or the body part of the user is speed of approach of the body or the body part of the user towards the device, and the method further comprises the act of fading the first control at a rate that depends from the speed of approach of the body or the body part of the user towards the device.