Information display apparatus with proximity detection performance and information display method using the same

• US 9,588,592 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2015
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Koshiyama, Atsushi, Oba, Haruo
• Primary Examiner(s): Mandeville, Jason
• Application Number:
  US14/814,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20150338978A1
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/169, 345173-178, 178/18.06, 348/169, 715/700, 715/862, 715/864, 715763-764
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• 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 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041661 using detection at multiple resolutions, e.g. coarse and fine scanning; using detection within a limited area, e.g. object tracking window
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An information display apparatus with proximity detection performance contains a display device that displays image information, a sensor constituted of plural detection electrodes, and an adjusting device of detection resolution that adjusts the detection resolution to be detected based on a distance between the sensor and an object that is contacted to any one of the detection electrodes.

Claims

1. A display apparatus with proximity detection, the apparatus comprising:

a transparent front surface;

a sensor mounted on the transparent front surface, the sensor constituted of plural detection electrodes having a detection interval adjusted by electronic activation and non-activation of predetermined ones of the detection electrodes to thin out a number of detection electrodes or reduce thinning out of a number of detection electrodes that contribute to the detection electrodes, the sensor detecting a three-dimensional position corresponding to a two dimensional plane and a space perpendicular to the two dimensional plane;

a display element, mounted on the transparent front surface above the sensor, that displays information; and

a control unit that controls the display element and the sensor, wherein the control unit controls the display element such that when the sensor detects an object distant from and within a first predetermined range from the sensor, the display element displays an entire screen with a first illumination, when the sensor detects the object is within a second predetermined range from the sensor, which is closer to the sensor than the first predetermined range, the display element displays a second illumination focused around a projection point of the object, and when the sensor detects a touch to the transparent front surface relative to the sensor, the display element displays a control element, wherein the control unit controls the sensor to exhibit reduced sensitivity gain as the distance of the object from the sensor decreases, wherein the control unit controls the sensitivity gain by adjusting an output of each of the detection electrodes, and wherein the control unit controls the sensor to exhibit increased resolution as the distance of the object from the sensor decreases, wherein the control unit includes a detection resolution adjusting device to adjust the detection resolution, the detection resolution adjusting device adjusting the detection interval of the detection electrodes to reduce thinning out of the detection electrodes that contribute to the detection electrodes, to thereby increase the resolution, as the distance of the object from the sensor decreases.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor detects a contact point of the object on a surface of the sensor.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein as the object approaches a surface of the sensor, the detection resolution is successively switched from a lowest level to a highest level based on a distance between the sensor and the object.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is disposed on a display surface and spatial positon of the object is detected relative to the display surface which includes the first and second predetermined ranges and a third predetermined range, the third predetermined range indicating a contact point on the display surface.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the touch to the transparent front surface is a contact point of the object on the transparent front surface.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor detects a three-dimensional position of the object using a plurality of electrodes and detects a movement of the object based on the three-dimensional position detected by the sensor.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a selection device that selects an electrode for detecting the three-dimensional position of the object from the plurality of the electrodes based on obtaining values obtained from at least one of the plurality of electrodes.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display element is a liquid crystal display element (LCD).

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display element is an organic EL display element.

10. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in a non-display state of the display element, the display element is transparent.

11. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a minimal interval between detection elements is 10-20 cm and 10 detection elements are arranged in a matrix form.

12. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first predetermined range from the sensor is 40-80 cm, the second predetermined range from the sensor is 20-40 cm.

13. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of sensors are positioned on the transparent front surface.

14. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor contains a panel sensor of capacitance detection type, and detection electrodes include a transparent wired electrode for vertical axis and a transparent wired electrode for horizontal axis, the wired electrodes being extended in matrix on a two-dimensional plane.

15. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor contains a panel sensor of capacitance detection type, and wherein the detection electrodes include a plurality of point electrodes that are arranged in a matrix.