Image display device

• US 9,841,844 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2015
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd. (Funai Electric Holdings Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd. (Funai Electric Holdings Company Limited)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Kazuhiro, Chikaoka, Atsuhiko, Nishioka, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shen, Peijie
• Application Number:
  US14/743,247
• Publication Number:
  US 20150370415A1
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/56 by projecting aerial or floating images
• 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 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen

Abstract

An image display device includes an image display component, a projection component that forms an optical image corresponding to an image displayed by the image display component, a distance measurement component having a detector that detects an indicator for performing an touch operation relative to the optical image to acquire distance information from the detector to the indicator, and a controller that determines whether or not the indicator has performed the touch operation relative to the optical image based on the distance information and relative movement information between the distance measurement component and at least one of the image display component and the projection component.

Claims

1. An image display device comprising:

an image display component;

a projection component including an optical element that forms an optical image in midair, the optical image corresponding to an image displayed by the image display component;

a distance measurement component having a detector that detects an indicator for performing an touch operation relative to the optical image to acquire distance information from the detector to the indicator;

a main body that supports the image display component, the projection component and the distance measurement component to change a position of the optical image in midair; and

a controller that determines whether or not the indicator has performed the touch operation relative to the optical image based on the distance information and relative movement information between the distance measurement component and at least one of the image display component and the projection component;

wherein the image display component and the projection component are relatively movable with respect to each other, and

the controller determines whether or not the indicator has performed the touch operation relative to the optical image based on the distance information and relative movement information between the image display component and the projection component.

2. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein

the image display component is arranged at a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the projection component, and is movable with respect to the projection component while maintaining the predetermined inclination angle, and

the controller determines whether or not the indicator has performed the touch operation relative to the optical image based on the distance information and movement information of the image display component.

3. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein

the projection component is rotatable about a rotational axis, and

the controller determines whether or not the indicator has performed the touch operation relative to the optical image based on the distance information and rotation information of the projection component.

4. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein

the projection component is movable in a first direction, and

the controller determines whether or not the indicator has performed the touch operation relative to the optical image based on the distance information and movement information of the projection component.

5. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein

the image display component or the projection component is relatively immovable with respect to the distance measurement component.

6. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein

the distance measurement component, the image display component and the projection component are integrally movable together.

7. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein

the detector includes a light emitter that emits light and a light receiver that receives the light that has been emitted from the light emitter and reflected by the indicator as reflected light, and

the distance measurement component acquires the distance information from the detector to the indicator based on an elapsed time from a time point when the light emitter emits the light until a time point when the light receiver receives the reflected light.

8. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein

the detector captures an image to produce a distance image data, and

the controller defines a touch detection plane in the distance image data.

9. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein

the controller calculates a touch detection plane based on the relative movement information between the distance measurement component and at least one of the image display component and the projection component, and

the controller determines that the indicator has performed the touch operation relative to the optical image upon determining that the indicator is located in a vicinity of the touch detection plane based on the distance information.

10. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein

the controller determines whether or not to perform an error notification based on movement of the indicator upon detecting deviation between a position of the indicator on the optical image and an input acceptance region of the optical image.

11. The image display device according to claim 10, wherein

the controller detects the deviation between the position of the indicator on the optical image and the input acceptance region of the optical image while the indicator is located in the optical image, and performs the error notification upon determining that the indicator proceeds into the optical image after the deviation between the position of the indicator on the optical image and the input acceptance region of the optical image is detected.

12. The image display device according to claim 10, wherein

the controller performs the error notification upon determining that the indicator repeatedly moves into a region of the optical image that is deviated from the input acceptance region after the deviation is detected.

13. The image display device according to claim 10, wherein

the controller performs the error notification upon determining that the indicator stays in the optical image for at least a specific length of time after the deviation is detected.

14. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein

the projection component receives light of the image displayed by the image display component on one side thereof, and forms the optical image as a virtual touch screen on the other side thereof.

15. The image display device according to claim 5, further comprising

a housing that supports the image display component and the projection component, and

the image display component is movable with respect to the housing.

16. The image display device according to claim 15, wherein

the projection component is fixedly supported by the housing.

17. The image display device according to claim 15, wherein

the projection component is movable with respect to the housing.

18. The image display device according to claim 6, further comprising

a housing that supports the image display component and the projection component, and

the distance measurement component is fixedly supported by the housing.

19. An image display device comprising;

an image display component;

a projection component that forms an optical image corresponding to an image displayed by the image display component;

a distance measurement component having a detector that detects an indicator for performing an touch operation relative to the optical image to acquire distance information from the detector to the indicator;

a controller that determines whether or not the indicator has performed the touch operation relative to the optical image based on the distance information and relative movement information between the distance measurement component and at least one of the image display component and the projection component,

a second detector that detects movement of the indicator with respect to a detection plane that is set at a position away from the optical image,

the controller determining whether or not to perform an error notification based on the movement of the indicator upon detecting deviation between a position of the indicator on the optical image and an input acceptance region of the optical image,

the controller performing the error notification upon determining that an operation in which the indicator moves out from the detection plane without moving into the optical image is performed at least a specific number of times after the indicator moves into the detection plane.