Display apparatus, remote controller and method for controlling applied thereto

• US 9,525,904 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2011
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Hwang, Byung-jin, Ryu, Young-jun, Lee, Dong-jin, Ahn, Jae-hong, Lee, Hye-jeong
• Primary Examiner(s): YENKE, BRIAN P
• Application Number:
  US13/278,719
• Publication Number:
  US 20120162514A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,887 Days
• Field of Search: 348/563, 348/564, 348/565, 348/569, 348/584, 348/588, 348/734
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations

Abstract

A display apparatus, a remote controller and a method for controlling applied thereto are provided. The display apparatus receives direction information regarding an orientation of the remote controller from the remote controller, and selects an area to be controlled by the remote controller from among a first area and a second area of a screen according to the direction information received from the remote controller. As a result, user is enabled to control different areas on the screen by appropriately moving the remote controller between different orientations.

Claims

1. A display apparatus, comprising:

a display unit which displays a first image on a first area of a screen, and displays a second image on a second area of the screen; and

a control unit, configured with program logic, to perform;

receiving direction information regarding an orientation of a remote controller from the remote controller that has been sensed by the remote controller, wherein the remote controller includes a longer-axis and a shorter-axis, and the direction information indicates an axis of the remote controller which is perpendicular to the display unit from among the longer-axis and the shorter-axis of the remote controller, and

selecting an area to be controlled by the remote controller from among the first and the second areas according to whether a direction of a longer side of the first or second area corresponds to a direction of the longer-axis indicated by the direction information received from the remote controller,

wherein an aspect ratio of the first area is longer in a horizontal direction than in a vertical direction, and an aspect ratio of the second area is shorter in the horizontal direction than in a vertical direction, and

wherein the selecting selects the first area when the shorter-axis of the remote controller is perpendicular to the display unit, and selects the second area when the longer-axis of the remote controller is perpendicular to the display unit.

2. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit receives command information transmitted from the remote controller, which is different from the direction information transmitted from the remote controller, wherein the command information corresponds to a user manipulation input from a user operating unit of the remote controller.

3. A method for controlling a display apparatus using a remote controller, the method comprising:

displaying a first image on a first area of a screen of the display apparatus, and displaying a second image on a second area of the screen of the display apparatus;

receiving direction information regarding an orientation of the remote controller from the remote controller that has been sensed by the remote controller, wherein the remote controller includes a longer-axis and a shorter-axis, and the direction information indicates an axis of the remote controller which is perpendicular to the display unit from among the longer-axis and the shorter-axis of the remote controller; and

selecting an area for controlling by the remote controller, from among the first and the second areas, according to whether a direction of a longer side of the first or second area corresponds to a direction of the longer-axis indicated by the direction information received from the remote controller,

wherein an aspect ratio of the first area is longer in a horizontal direction than in a vertical direction, and an aspect ratio of the second area is shorter in the horizontal direction than in a vertical direction, and

wherein the selecting selects the first area when the shorter-axis of the remote controller is perpendicular to the display unit, and selects the second area when the longer-axis of the remote controller is perpendicular to the display unit.

4. A remote controller for controlling a display apparatus, comprising:

a motion sensor unit which detects direction information of the remote controller, the direction information including which one of a longer-axis and a shorter-axis of the remote controller is perpendicular to the display apparatus;

a transmitting unit which transmits the direction information to the display apparatus;

a control unit, configured with program logic, to perform;

selecting an area to be controlled from among a first area and a second area of a screen of the display apparatus according to whether a direction of a longer side of the first or second area corresponds to a direction of the longer-axis indicated by the detected direction information of the remote controller; and

a display unit which displays a control screen on the remote controller to control the display apparatus, wherein

the remote controller displays a first control screen to control the first area on the display unit upon selecting of the first area for controlling, and displays a second control screen to control the second area upon selecting of the second area for controlling,

wherein the first control screen and the second control screen are different from each other,

wherein an aspect ratio of the first area is longer in a horizontal direction than in a vertical direction, and an aspect ratio of the second area is shorter in the horizontal direction than in a vertical direction, and

wherein the selecting selects the first area when the shorter-axis of the remote controller is perpendicular to the display unit, and selects the second area when the longer-axis of the remote controller is perpendicular to the display unit.

5. A control method of a remote controller, having a display unit configured to display a first control screen and a second control screen, for controlling a display apparatus, comprising:

detecting, by the remote controller, direction information that indicates an axis of the remote controller which is perpendicular to the display apparatus from among a longer-axis and a shorter-axis of the remote controller;

transmitting, by the remote controller, the detected direction information to the display apparatus; and

selecting an area to be controlled from among a first area and a second area of a screen of the display apparatus according to whether a direction of a longer side of the first or second area corresponds to a direction of the longer-axis indicated by the detected direction information of the remote controller; and

displaying the first control screen on the display unit of the remote controller to control the first area upon selecting of the first area for controlling, and displaying the second control screen on the display unit of the remote controller to control the second area upon selecting of the second area for controlling,

wherein the first control screen and the second control screen are different from each other,

wherein an aspect ratio of the first area is longer in a horizontal direction than in a vertical direction, and an aspect ratio of the second area is shorter in the horizontal direction than in a vertical direction, and

wherein the selecting selects the first area when the shorter-axis of the remote controller is perpendicular to the display unit, and selects the second area when the longer-axis of the remote controller is perpendicular to the display unit.

6. A display apparatus controlled by a first remote controller and a second remote controller, wherein each of the first remote controller and the second remote controller includes a longer-axis and a shorter-axis, the display apparatus comprising:

a display unit which displays a first image on a first area of a screen, and displays a second image on a second area of the screen; and

a control unit configured with program logic to perform;

receiving first direction information regarding an orientation of the first remote controller from the first remote controller that has been sensed by the first remote controller, wherein the first direction information indicates an axis of the first remote controller which is perpendicular to the display unit from among the longer-axis and the shorter-axis of the first remote controller,

receiving second direction information regarding an orientation of the second remote controller from the second remote controller that has been sensed by the second remote controller, wherein the second direction information indicates an axis of the second remote controller which is perpendicular to the display unit from among the longer-axis and the shorter-axis of the second remote controller, and

selecting areas to be controlled by the first and second remote controllers from among the first and the second areas according to whether a direction of a longer side of the first or second area corresponds to a direction of the longer-axis indicated by the first or second direction information received from the first and second remote controllers,

wherein an aspect ratio of the first area is longer in a horizontal direction than in a vertical direction, and an aspect ratio of the second area is shorter in the horizontal direction than in a vertical direction, and

wherein the selecting selects the first area when the shorter-axis of the remote controller is perpendicular to the display unit, and selects the second area when the longer-axis of the remote controller is perpendicular to the display unit.

7. A display apparatus, comprising:

a display unit which displays a first image on a first area of a screen, and displays a second image on a second area of the screen; and

a control unit, configured with program logic, to perform;

receiving direction information regarding an orientation of a remote controller from the remote controller that has been sensed by the remote controller, and

wherein the remote controller comprises a first axis and a second axis which is perpendicular to the first axis, and the direction information indicates an axis of the remote controller which is perpendicular to the display unit from among the first axis and the second axis of the remote controller, and

selecting an area to be controlled by the remote controller from among the first and the second areas according to whether a direction of a longer side of the first or second area corresponds to the direction information received from the remote controller,

the control unit selects the area to be controlled by the remote controller from among the first and the second areas, depending on whether a longer axis from the first axis and the second axis of the remote controller points in a direction that is within a predetermined range of a z-axis of the display apparatus, wherein the z-axis is perpendicular to the screen of the display apparatus,

wherein, if the control unit detects from the direction information that the first axis of the remote controller points in the direction that is within the predetermined range of the z-axis of the display apparatus, the control unit selects the first area among the first and the second areas to be controlled by the remote controller, and

if the control unit detects from the direction information that the second axis of the remote controller points in the direction that is within the predetermined range of the z-axis of the display apparatus, the control unit selects the second area among the first and the second areas to be controlled by the remote controller.

8. The display apparatus of claim 7, wherein the predetermined range extends 45°

from both sides of the z-axis in a lateral direction.