Image display control apparatus and image display control method

• US 9,703,403 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2011
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nunomaki, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Adams, Carl
• Application Number:
  US13/292,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20120154307A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,071 Days
• Field of Search: 345173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An image display control apparatus and method are used to detect an object that is in proximity to a display. A display controller is used to change the display from a first display state to a second display state after the object is not detected for a predetermined time period. The display state is then restored to the first display state when the detector detects the object being in proximity to the display. In another aspect, the display controller changes the display to the first display state from the second display state when the detector detects the object being in proximity to the display, where the second display state is a lower power state than the first display state.

Claims

1. An image display control apparatus comprising:

circuitry configured to

measure a period of time in which an object is beyond a proximity of a touch display;

change the touch display from a high-luminance state to a low-luminance state in response to the measured period of time being longer than a predetermined period of time and restart the measured period of time;

change the touch display from the low-luminance state to a non-luminance state in response to the measured period of time being longer than a predetermined period of time;

perform a first determination of whether a touch of a button displayed on the touch display or the object in proximity to the touch display is detected;

perform a second determination of a current display state of the touch display in case it is determined in the first determination that the object in proximity to the touch display is detected;

in case it is determined in the second determination that the current display state is the low-luminance state or the non-luminance state, change the touch display to the high-luminance state in response to a detection of the object in proximity to the touch display; and

in case it is determined in the first determination that the touch of the button is detected, perform an operation associated with the button displayed on the touch display and change the touch display to the high-luminance state in response to a touch of the button on the touch display, wherein

performance of the operation includes executing an image capturing process and executing a process of controlling display of an image on the touch display based on the touch of the button.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the high-luminance state is a steady state.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the non-luminance state is a black-out state.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to

display on the touch display a graphical user interface that includes a plurality of predetermined operational buttons in response to the touch display being in the high-luminance state, and

display on the touch display the graphical user interface without the predetermined operational buttons in response to the touch display being in the low-luminance state.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the circuitry is further configured to change the touch display to the high-luminance state in response to the detection of the object being in proximity to the touch display.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to detect one of a user finger, a user palm and a dielectric object as the object.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

processing circuitry configured to detect a movement gesture of the object while the object remains in proximity to the touch display, and compare the movement gesture with a registered gesture, wherein

the circuitry is further configured to restore the touch display to the high-luminance state in response to matching of the movement gesture with the registered gesture.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the registered gesture is one of a user registered gesture and a pre-installed gesture.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to display an indicator on the touch display in response to the detection of the object to be in proximity to the touch display.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to display, on the touch display, a graphical user interface that includes a plurality of predetermined operational buttons in response to the touch display being in one of the high-luminance state and the low-luminance state.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the button is one of the predetermined operational buttons included in the graphical user interface.

10. An image display control method, comprising:

measuring, by circuitry, a period of time in which an object is not in proximity of a touch display;

changing, by the circuitry, the touch display from a high-luminance state to a low-luminance state in response to the measured period of time being longer than a predetermined period of time and restarting the measured period of time;

changing, by the circuitry, the touch display from the low-luminance state to a non-luminance state in response to the measured period of time being longer than a predetermined period of time;

performing, by the circuitry, a first determination of whether a touch of a button displayed on the touch display or the object in proximity to the touch display is detected;

perform, by the circuitry, a second determination of a current display state of the touch display in case it is determined in the first determination that the object in proximity to the touch display is detected;

in case it is determined in the second determination that the current display state is the low-luminance state or the non-luminance state, changing, by the circuitry, the touch display to the high-luminance state in response to a detection of the object in proximity to the touch display; and

in case it is determined in the first determination that the touch of the button is detected, performing, by the circuitry, an operation associated with the button displayed on the touch display and changing, by the circuitry;

the touch display to the high-luminance state in response to a touch of the button on the touch display, wherein

performance of the operation includes executing an image capturing process and executing a process of controlling display of an image on the touch display based on the touch of the button.

11. The image display control method of claim 10, wherein the high-luminance state is a steady state.

12. The image display control method of claim 10, wherein the non-luminance state is a black-out state.

13. The image display control method of claim 10, further comprising:

displaying, by the circuitry, on the touchscreen display a graphical user interface that includes a plurality of predetermined operational buttons in response to the touch display being in the high-luminance state; and

displaying;

by the circuitry, on the touchscreen display the graphical user interface without the predetermined operational buttons in response to the touch display being in the low-luminance state.

14. The image display control method of claim 13, further comprising:

changing the touch display to the high-luminance state in response to the detection of the object being in proximity to the touch display.

15. The image display control method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting, by the circuitry, one of a user finger, a user palm and a dielectric object as the object.

16. The image display control method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting, by the circuitry, a movement gesture of the object while the object remains in proximity to the touch display;

comparing, by the circuitry, the movement gesture with a registered gesture; and

restoring, by the circuitry, the touch display to the high-luminance state in response to matching of the movement gesture with the registered gesture.

17. The image display control method of claim 16, wherein the registered gesture is one of a user registered gesture and a pre-installed gesture.

18. The image display control method of claim 10, further comprising:

displaying, by the circuitry, an indicator on the touch display in response to the detection of the object to be in proximity to the touch display.

22. The image display control method of claim 10, further comprising displaying, on the touch display, a graphical user interface that includes a plurality of predetermined operational buttons in response to the touch display being in one of the high-luminance state and the low-luminance state.

23. The image display control method of claim 22, wherein the button is one of the predetermined operational buttons included in the graphical user interface.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to execute a process, the process comprising:

measuring a period of time in which an object is not in proximity of a touch display;

changing the touch display from a high-luminance state to a low-luminance state in response to the measured period of time being longer than a predetermined period of time and restarting the measured period of time;

changing the touch display from the low-luminance state to a non-luminance state in response to the measured period of time being longer than a predetermined period of time;

performing a first determination of whether a touch of a button displayed on the touch display or the object in proximity to the touch display is detected;

performing a second determination of a current display state of the touch display in case it is determined in the first determination that the object in proximity to the touch display is detected;

in case it is determined in the second determination that the current display state is the low-luminance state or the non-luminance state, changing the touch display to the high-luminance state in response to detection of the object in proximity to the touch display; and

in case it is determined in the first determination that the touch of the button is detected, performing an operation associated with the button displayed on the touch display and changing the touch display to the high-luminance state in response to a touch of the button on the touch display, wherein

performance of the operation includes executing an image capturing process and executing a process of controlling display of an image on the touch display based on the touch of the button.