Wearable device and method of controlling the same

• US 9,665,124 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2014
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Chun, Sinae, Kim, Jihwan, Kim, Hyeonhui, Jang, Guang, Ha, Yuvin, Kim, Jungdo, Lee, Jinhee, Shin, Changshik, Shin, Myeongsoo, Ha, Sangbum
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Srilakshmi K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Steinberg, Jeffrey S
• Application Number:
  US14/464,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20150348495A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0606 Manual adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/022 in absence of operation, e.g. no data being entered during a predetermined time
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0464 Positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T

Abstract

Disclosed are a wearable device and method of controlling the same, which output more suitable image information on the basis of a state in which the wearable device is covered. The wearable device includes a wearable device body, a display unit provided in the wearable device body, a sensing unit included in the wearable device body, and configured to sense a region, in which the display unit is covered by an object, and a region in which the display unit is not covered, and a control unit configured to display first image information in a predetermined first region when the region in which the display unit is not covered corresponds to the predetermined first region, and display second image information in a predetermined second region when the region in which the display unit is not covered corresponds to the predetermined second region, as a result in which a portion of the display unit is covered by the object.

Claims

1. A wearable device comprising:

a wearable device body;

a display unit provided in the wearable device body;

a sensing unit included in the wearable device body, and configured to sense a region, in which the display unit is covered by an object, and a region in which the display unit is not covered; and

a control unit configured to display first image information in a predetermined first region when the region in which the display unit is not covered corresponds to the predetermined first region, and display second image information including information associated with the first image information in a predetermined second region when the region in which the display unit is not covered corresponds to the predetermined second region, as a result in which a portion of the display unit is covered by the object,

wherein the control unit is further configured to;

maintain a state in which the first image information is displayed in the predetermined first region when the region in which the display unit is covered is changed in a state where the first image information is displayed in the predetermined first region and the region in which the display unit is covered includes at least one portion of a predetermined threshold region,

when a predetermined condition is satisfied,

determine a size and a position of the predetermined threshold region,

measure the region, in which the display unit is covered, in units of a certain time for a predetermined time,

calculate an average region of a plurality of regions which include an entirety of a predetermined region and an average region of a plurality of regions which do not include the entirety of the predetermined region, among a plurality of the measured regions, and

reset the predetermined threshold region, based on region limits of the average regions, and

wherein the control unit determines the size of the position of the predetermined threshold region, based on a result in which the size of the region where the display unit is covered is measured for a predetermined time, and

the predetermined condition comprises a case, in which a region of the display unit having a predetermined size or more is continuously covered for a certain time or more, or a case in which a frequency number, in which a size of the region where the display unit is covered is changed by equal to or more than a certain level, is equal to or more than predetermined number of times or there is a user'"'"'s selection.

2. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein when a specific event predetermined by the user occurs, or a specific function predetermined by the user is performed, the control unit determines there to be the user'"'"'s selection.

3. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the control unit

measures the region, in which the display unit is covered, in units of a certain time for the predetermined time,

calculates an average region of a plurality of the measured regions, and sets the predetermined threshold region with respect to a region limit of the average region.

4. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the control unit further determines a motion state of the user, based on a position movement state of the wearable device body, and adjusts the size of the predetermined threshold region, based on the determined motion state of the user.

5. The wearable device of claim 4, wherein,

as number of motions of the user increases, the control unit allows the size of the predetermined threshold region to further increase, based on a determination result of the motion state, and

the size of the predetermined threshold region is adjusted with respect to a reference line which is predetermined in the predetermined threshold region.

6. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the control unit further determines a posture of the user, based on a result in which a horizontal state of the wearable device body is sensed, and adjusts the size of the predetermined threshold region, based on the determined posture of the user.

7. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the second region is a larger-size region which includes the predetermined first region.

8. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein based on a sensing result of the region in which the display unit is covered, when the covered region does not include the predetermined threshold region, the control unit displays the second image information in the display unit.

9. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein when the display unit is covered by equal to or more than a predetermined level, the control unit enters a sleep mode in which an entire region of the display unit switches to an inactive state.

10. The wearable device of claim 9, wherein in the sleep mode, when the region in which the display unit is covered is changed, the control unit displays the first image information in the predetermined first region, and displays the second image information in the predetermined second region, based on a user'"'"'s selection for the first image information.

11. The wearable device of claim 9, wherein,

the first image information comprises notification information for displaying an event which occurs in the wearable device, and

the second image information comprises information about various functions which are associated with the event and are able to be performed in the wearable device.

12. The wearable device of claim 11, wherein when there is a user'"'"'s touch input for image information which is displayed in the predetermined second region, the control unit performs a function associated with the notification information.

13. The wearable device of claim 11, wherein in a state of performing a function associated with the notification information, when the region in which the display unit is covered is changed, the control unit controls performing of the function associated with the notification information, based on the size of the region in which the display unit is covered.

14. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the control unit maintains, in an inactive state, a region of the display unit other than the predetermined first region or the predetermined second region.

15. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein when the display unit is covered by the object which is located within a predetermined distance, the control unit senses a covered region.

16. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the control unit determines a position of the predetermined first region, and a position of the predetermined second region, based on a direction of the region in which the display unit is covered.

17. A method of controlling a wearable device, the method comprising:

detecting a region in which a display unit provided in the wearable device is covered by an object;

displaying first image information in a predetermined first region or displaying second image information including information associated with the first image information in a predetermined second region, based on the detected region;

sensing a change of the region in which the display unit is covered;

when the covered region is changed, determining whether the changed region includes at least one portion of a predetermined threshold region; and

maintaining a state in which image information is currently displayed, or switching to a state in which other image information is displayed in another region, according to whether the changed region includes the at least one portion of the predetermined threshold region,

wherein when a predetermined condition is satisfied;

determining a size and a position of the predetermined threshold region;

measuring the region, in which the display unit is covered, in units of a certain time for a predetermined time;

calculating an average region of a plurality of regions which include an entirety of a predetermined region and an average region of a plurality of regions which do not include the entirety of the predetermined region, among a plurality of the measured regions; and

resetting the predetermined threshold region, based on region limits of the average regions,

wherein the method further comprises determining the size of the position of the predetermined threshold region, based on a result in which the size of the region where the display unit is covered is measured for the predetermined time, and

the predetermined condition comprises a case, in which a region of the display unit having a predetermined size or more is continuously covered for a certain time or more, or a case in which a frequency number, in which a size of the region where the display unit is covered is changed by equal to or more than a certain level, is equal to or more than predetermined number of times or a case in which there is a user'"'"'s selection.