Image magnification system for computer interface

• US 9,658,765 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2008
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishihara, H. Keith, Hsu, Shi-Ping, Gradman, Eric, Williams, Kjerstin, Kaehler, Adrian
• Primary Examiner(s): CHOW, JEFFREY J
• Application Number:
  US12/183,786
• Publication Number:
  US 20100026723A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,218 Days
• Field of Search: 345173, 345178
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

One embodiment of the invention includes a computer interface system. The system comprises a user interface screen configured to display visual content and an input system configured to detect a presence of an input object within a threshold distance along a normal axis of the user interface screen. The system further comprises a graphical controller configured to magnify a portion of the visual content that is located at an approximate location of a base of the normal axis on the user interface screen.

Claims

1. A computer interface system comprising:

a user interface screen configured to display visual content;

an input system configured to detect a presence of an input object within a non-zero threshold distance along a normal axis of the user interface screen;

a visual content display engine configured to magnify the portion of the visual content by superimposing a portion of a scaled copy of the visual content onto the visual content, the scaled copy of the visual content being magnified by a scale factor greater than one relative to the visual content; and

a graphical controller configured to;

magnify a portion of the visual content in accordance with the scale factor that is centered at an approximate location of a base of the normal axis on the user interface screen;

set a fixed position on the visual content at an intersection of the normal axis and the visual content, and a corresponding fixed position on of the scaled copy of the visual content at an intersection of the normal axis and a respective superimposed portion of the scaled copy of the visual content in response to the input object being moved to within the threshold distance, such that the superimposed portion of the scaled copy of the visual content is moved a first distance from the corresponding fixed position along the scaled copy of the visual content in response to movement of the input object a second distance from the fixed position along the user interface screen within the threshold distance, the first distance and the second distance being approximately equal; and

continuously superimpose a single contiguous portion of the scaled copy of the visual content onto the visual content, the single contiguous portion beginning at the fixed position on the user interface screen and continuing along a path on the user interface screen such that the single contiguous portion increases in size as it extends from the fixed position to a current position in response to contiguous movement of the input object along the path on the user interface screen from the fixed position to the current position within the threshold distance.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the input system comprises an input detector configured to receive a device input based on an interaction of the input object with the magnified portion of the visual content.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the input detector is configured as one of a touchscreen associated with the user interface screen and a stereo camera assembly configured to detect a location of the input object based on a parallax separation of the input object as perceived by each camera of the stereo camera assembly.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the input system is configured to detect the presence of the input object based on one of a stereo camera assembly, a laser break-beam system, a capacitive sensing system, an acoustic sensing system, an electro-magnetic sensing system, and a radio-frequency identification system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the input object comprises a transmitter and wherein the input system is coupled to the user interface screen and comprises a receiver, the receiver being configured to receive signals transmitted from the transmitter to detect the presence of the input object within the threshold distance of the user interface screen.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory configured to maintain data comprising the visual content and the scaled copy of the visual content, the scaled copy of the visual content having a scale factor relative to the visual content that is greater than one; and

a visual content display engine configured to magnify the portion of the visual content by superimposing a portion of the scaled copy of the visual content onto the visual content.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the graphical controller is configured to one of occlude portions of the visual content that surround the superimposed portion of the scaled copy of the visual content and distort the portions of the visual content that surround the superimposed portion of the scaled copy of the visual content.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the graphical controller is configured to move the superimposed portion of the scaled copy of the visual content a first distance along the scaled copy of the visual content in response to movement of the input object a second distance along the user interface screen within the threshold distance, the first distance being scaled relative to the second distance by the scale factor.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical controller is configured to align an edge of the scaled copy of the visual content with a respective edge of the visual content as the fixed position in response to the base of the normal axis being within a threshold of a corresponding edge of the user interface screen, such that the graphical controller is further configured to superimpose the portion of the scaled copy of the visual content at a point on the portion of the scaled copy of the visual content that is a third distance relative to the edge of the scaled copy of the visual content over a corresponding point of the visual content that is the third distance relative to the edge of the visual content.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein, subsequent to the graphical controller superimposing the portion of the scaled copy of the visual content over the visual content, the graphical controller is further configured to move the scaled copy of the visual content relative to the visual content in a direction that is opposite an edge of the user interface screen in response to movement of the input object to within a threshold of the edge of the user interface screen.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the threshold distance is a first threshold distance, and wherein the graphical controller is configured to magnify the portion of the visual content by a first amount at the first threshold distance and by a second amount at a second threshold distance relative to a surface of the user interface screen.

12. A method for providing inputs to a computer system, the method comprising:

displaying visual content on a user interface screen;

detecting a presence of an input object within a non-zero threshold distance of the user interface screen along a normal axis of the user interface screen;

magnifying a portion of the visual content by superimposing a portion of a scaled copy of the visual content onto the visual content at a location that is substantially centered at a base of the normal axis, the scaled copy of the visual content being magnified by a scale factor greater than one relative to the visual content;

detecting interaction of the input object with the magnified portion of the visual content; and

initiating a device input based on the interaction of the input object with the magnified portion of the visual content;

setting a fixed position of the scaled copy of the visual content relative to the visual content in response to the input object being moved to within the threshold distance at the normal axis;

contiguously moving the input object a distance from the fixed position along a path on the user interface screen within the threshold distance; and

continuously superimposing a single contiguous portion of the scaled copy of the visual content onto the visual content beginning at the fixed position on the user interface screen and continuing along the path on the user interface screen corresponding to the contiguous movement of the input object such that the single contiguous portion increases in size as it extends from the fixed position to a current position in response to the contiguous movement of the input object along the path on the user interface screen from the fixed position to the current position within the threshold distance.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein detecting the presence of the input object comprises detecting the presence of the input object based on one of a stereo camera assembly, a laser break-beam system, a capacitive sensing system, an acoustic sensing system, an electro-magnetic sensing system, and a radio-frequency identification system.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising maintaining data comprising the visual content and a the scaled copy of the visual content, the scaled copy of the visual content having a scale factor relative to the visual content that is greater than one, wherein magnifying the portion of the visual content comprises superimposing a portion of the scaled copy of the visual content onto the visual content.

15. A computer interface system comprising:

means for displaying visual content;

means for detecting a presence of an input object within a non-zero threshold distance along a normal axis of the means for displaying the visual content;

means for concurrently maintaining data corresponding to the visual content and a scaled copy of the visual content, the scaled copy of the visual content having a scale factor relative to the visual content that is greater than one; and

means for superimposing a portion of the scaled copy of the visual content onto the visual content to magnify a respective portion of the visual content centered at a base of the normal axis in response to the detected presence of the input object, wherein the means for superimposing is further configured to set a fixed position of the scaled copy of the visual content relative to the visual content in response to the input object being moved to within the threshold distance, and to move the superimposed portion of the scaled copy of the visual content a distance along the scaled copy of the visual content in response to movement of the input object the distance along the user interface screen within the threshold distance relative to the fixed position, and to continuously superimpose a single contiguous portion of the scaled copy of the visual content onto the visual content, the single contiguous portion beginning at the fixed position on the user interface screen and continuing along a path on the user interface screen such that the single contiguous portion increases in size as it extends from the fixed position to a current position in response to contiguous movement of the input object along the path on the user interface screen from the fixed position to the current position within the threshold distance.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising means for initiating a device input based on an interaction of the input object with the magnified respective portion of the visual content.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the means for superimposing is further configured to superimpose the portion of the scaled copy of the visual content onto the visual content by rendering the superimposed portion of the scaled copy of the visual content as a virtual three-dimensional raised surface on the virtual content, such that transitional portions of the visual content that surround the superimposed portion of the scaled copy of the visual content are distorted.