Information processing device, method and computer-readable non-transitory recording medium

• US 9,436,273 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2013
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PFU Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: PFU Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Inventors: Itoh, Yasunari
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sarma, Abhishek
• Application Number:
  US14/011,340
• Publication Number:
  US 20140055349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-174, 715/863
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 3/002 Indicators
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/028 by changing the viewing angle properties, e.g. widening the viewing angle, adapting the viewing angle to the view direction
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/068 for control of viewing angle adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0686 with two or more screen areas displaying information with different brightness or colours
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals

Abstract

An information processing device includes: a user information acquiring unit which acquires position information on a plurality of users in a range from which a directional display device is viewable; a user operation detecting unit which detects a first operation by a first user and a second operation by a second user; a response acquiring unit which acquires a response for notifying a user that an operation has been detected; and a display control unit which causes a response to the first operation be displayed by the directional display device so as to be visible from a position indicated by the position information on the first user and which causes a response to the second operation to be displayed by the directional display device so as to be visible from a position indicated by the position information on the second user.

Claims

1. An information processing device connected to a display device capable of varying contents to be viewed by users according to viewing directions, and executing user information management processing and user operation recognition processing, the information processing device comprising:

a position information acquiring unit to continuously or periodically acquire, regardless of presence or absence of detection of a user operation, position information indicating positions of a plurality of users in a range from which the display device is viewable;

a user information retaining unit to retain user information including the position information on the users acquired by the position information acquiring unit;

a user information updating unit to continuously or periodically update the user information by using the position information when the position information acquired by the position information acquiring unit is retained by the user information retaining unit, consequently keep the user information updated regardless of presence or absence of detection of a user operation;

a user operation detecting unit to detect a first operation by a first user among the plurality of users and a second operation by a second user among the plurality of users who differs from the first user;

a response acquiring unit to acquire a response for notifying a user that the operation has been detected; and

a display control unit to calculate a direction of the first user and a direction of the second user relative to a display unit of the display device based on position information of the first user and position information of the second user being included in the user information, and cause a response to the first operation acquired by the response acquiring unit to be displayed by the display device so as to be visible from a position indicated by the position information on the first user, by causing the display device to output the response to the first operation with the direction of the first user as display direction, and also for causing a response to the second operation acquired by the response acquiring unit to be displayed by the display device so as to be visible from a position indicated by the position information on the second user, by causing the display device to output the response to the second operation with the direction of the second user as display direction, wherein

the user information management processing is continuously or periodically executed by the position information acquiring unit, the user information retaining unit and the user information updating unit regardless of presence or absence of the detection by the user operation detecting unit, and

the user operation recognition processing is executed by the user operation detecting unit, the response acquiring unit and the display control unit, and executed independently from the user information management processing.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an image information acquiring unit to acquire image information by capturing an image of a range from which the display device is viewable, wherein

the user operation detecting unit detects an operation by a user by detecting a predetermined action corresponding to the operation by a user from the image information.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein

the user operation detecting unit detects a command action indicating an execution command of a predetermined process as the predetermined action, and

the information processing device further comprises a process execution instructing unit to issue an instruction for executing a predetermined process corresponding to the command action.

4. The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein

the user operation detecting unit further detects a start action indicating that a user is in a state prior to performing the command action, and

the detection of the command action by the user operation detecting unit is performed after the start action is detected by the user operation detecting unit.

5. The information processing device according to claim 3, wherein

the user operation detecting unit further detects a confirmation action indicating whether or not the predetermined process is to be executed, and

the process execution instructing unit causes the predetermined process corresponding to the command action to be executed when the confirmation action indicating that the predetermined process is to be executed is detected by the user operation detecting unit.

6. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein

the position information acquiring unit acquires the position information based on the image information.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a user information registering unit to, when user information related to the position information acquired by the position information acquiring unit is not retained by the user information retaining unit, cause the user information retaining unit to retain user information including the position information.

8. The information processing device according to claim 7, further comprising:

a user information deleting unit to, when the position information retained by the user information retaining unit is not updated, delete user information related to the position information.

9. A method in which a computer connected to a display device capable of varying contents to be viewed by users according to viewing directions, and executing user information management processing and user operation recognition processing executes:

continuously or periodically acquiring, regardless of presence or absence of detection of a user operation, position information indicating positions of a plurality of users in a range from which the display device is viewable;

retaining user information including the position information on the users acquired in the acquiring of the position information;

continuously or periodically updating the user information by using the position information when the position information acquired in the acquiring of the position information is retained, consequently keep the user information updated regardless of presence or absence of detection of a user operation;

detecting a first operation by a first user among the plurality of users and a second operation by a second user among the plurality of users who differs from the first user;

acquiring a response for notifying a user that the operation has been detected;

calculating a direction of the first user and a direction of the second user relative to a display unit of the display device based on position information of the first user and position information of the second user being included in the user information; and

causing a response to the first operation acquired in the acquiring of the response to be displayed by the display device so as to be visible from a position indicated by the position information on the first user, by causing the display device to output the response to the first operation with the direction of the first user as display direction, and also causing a response to the second operation acquired in the acquiring of the response to be displayed by the display device so as to be visible from a position indicated by the position information on the second user, by causing the display device to output the response to the second operation with the direction of the second user as display direction, wherein

the user information management processing is continuously or periodically executed by the acquiring of the position information, the retaining of the user information and the updating of the user information regardless of presence or absence of the detection by the detecting, and

the user operation recognition processing is executed by the detecting, the acquiring of the response and the calculating, and executed independently from the user information management processing.

10. A computer-readable non-transitory recording medium recorded with a program for causing a computer connected to a display device capable of varying contents which are to be viewed by users according to viewing directions, and executing user information management processing and user operation recognition processing, to function as:

a position information acquiring unit to continuously or periodically acquire, regardless of presence or absence of detection of a user operation, position information indicating positions of a plurality of users in a range from which the display device is viewable;

a user information retaining unit to retain user information including the position information on the users acquired by the position information acquiring unit;

a user information updating unit to continuously or periodically update the user information by using the position information when the position information acquired by the position information acquiring unit is retained by the user information retaining unit, consequently keep the user information updated regardless of presence or absence of detection of a user operation;

a user operation detecting unit to detect a first operation by a first user among the plurality of users and a second operation by a second user among the plurality of users who differs from the first user;

a response acquiring unit to acquire a response for notifying a user that the operation has been detected; and

a display control unit to calculate a direction of the first user and a direction of the second user relative to a display unit of the display device based on position information of the first user and position information of the second user being included in the user information, and cause a response to the first operation acquired by the response acquiring unit to be displayed by the display device so as to be visible from a position indicated by the position information on the first user, by causing the display device to output the response to the first operation with the direction of the first user as display direction, and also causing a response to the second operation acquired by the response acquiring unit to be displayed by the display device so as to be visible from a position indicated by the position information on the second user, by causing the display device to output the response to the second operation with the direction of the second user as display direction, wherein

the user information management processing is continuously or periodically executed by the position information acquiring unit, the user information retaining unit and the user information updating unit regardless of presence or absence of the detection by the user operation detecting unit, and

the user operation recognition processing is executed by the user operation detecting unit, the response acquiring unit and the display control unit, and executed independently from the user information management processing.