Virtual input device and method for receiving user input using the same

• US 9,933,854 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2016
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kandur Raja, Barath Raj, Kim, Wan Seok
• Primary Examiner(s): Karimi, Pegeman
• Application Number:
  US14/995,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20160209928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1673 Arrangements for projecting a virtual keyboard
• 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 3/0426 tracking fingers with respect to a virtual keyboard projected or printed on the surface virtual keyboards on touch screens G06F3/04886
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3179 Video signal processing therefor

Abstract

A virtual input device using a projector and a method for receiving a user input using the same are provided. The virtual input device includes a first sensor configured to detect at least one user hand, a processor configured to determine a virtual input layout based on the detected at least one user hand, a projector configured to optically project the determined virtual input layout on a user input plane, and a second sensor configured to detect a user input through the projected virtual input layout.

Claims

1. A virtual input device comprising:

a first sensor configured to detect whether each of a plurality of hands is either a right hand or a left hand;

a processor configured to determine a virtual input layout based on the plurality of hands;

a projector configured to optically project the determined virtual input layout on a user input plane; and

a second sensor configured to detect a user input through the projected virtual input layout,

wherein, when the plurality of hands comprise either two right hands or two left hands, the processor is further configured to determine to project a plurality of one-hand-support virtual input layouts as a two-hand-support virtual input layout, and

wherein, when the plurality of hands comprise both a right hand and a left hand, the processor is further configured to determine to project a keyboard layout as the two-hand-support virtual input layout.

2. The virtual input device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of one-hand-support virtual input layouts comprises one of a key pad layout, a joy-pad layout, and a tracking point layout.

3. The virtual input device of claim 2,

wherein the key pad layout comprises a key pad layout based on 3-by-4 keys, and

wherein the key pad layout based on 3-by-4 keys comprises one of a Chunjiin input layout, a Naratgul input layout, a Sky Hangul input layout, and a 10-key layout with alphabet arranged.

4. The virtual input device of claim 1,

wherein the first sensor further detects a spacing between the right hand and the left hand, and

wherein when the spacing is greater than a specific spacing, the processor determines to project a split keyboard layout as the keyboard layout.

5. The virtual input device of claim 1, wherein the keyboard layout comprises one of QWERTY keyboard, DVORAK keyboard, COLEMAK keyboard, QWERTZ keyboard, AZERTY keyboard, Hangul 2-set keyboard, Hangul 3-set keyboard, and Japanese industrial standard (JIS) keyboard.

6. The virtual input device of claim 1, wherein the first sensor and the second sensor are integrated.

7. The virtual input device of claim 1,

wherein the first sensor detects a size of each of the plurality of hands or a size of a finger of each of the plurality of hands, and

wherein the processor determines an area of a key included in the virtual input layout or a spacing between keys included therein, based on the detected size.

8. The virtual input device of claim 1,

wherein the first sensor detects a location of the plurality of hands, and

wherein the processor determines to project the virtual input layout on a location corresponding to the detected location.

9. The virtual input device of claim 1,

wherein the first sensor detects a gesture by each of the plurality of hands, and

wherein when the first sensor detects a specific gesture, the processor determines to project a virtual input layout corresponding to the specific gesture.

10. The virtual input device of claim 9, further comprising:

a memory configured to store a correspondence between the specific gesture and a virtual input layout corresponding to the specific gesture.

11. The virtual input device of claim 1, wherein the projector further projects content comprising the detected user input.

12. A method for receiving a user input, the method comprising:

detecting whether each of a plurality of hands is either a right hand or a left hand;

determining a virtual input layout based on the plurality of hands;

optically projecting the determined virtual input layout on a user input plane; and

detecting a user input through the projected virtual input layout,

wherein the determining of the virtual input layout comprises;

when the plurality of hands comprise either two right hands or two left hands, determining to project a plurality of one-hand-support virtual input layouts as a two-hand-support virtual input layout, and

when the plurality of hands comprise both a right hand and a left hand, determining to project a keyboard layout as the two-hand-support virtual input layout.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

detecting a spacing between the right hand and the left hand; and

determining to project a split keyboard layout as the keyboard layout when the spacing is greater than a specific spacing.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

detecting a size of each of the plurality of hands or a size of a finger of each of the plurality of hands; and

determining an area of a key included in the virtual input layout or a spacing between keys included therein, based on the detected size.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

detecting a location of each of the plurality of hands; and

determining to project the virtual input layout on a location corresponding to the detected location.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

detecting a gesture by each of the plurality of hands, and

determining to project a virtual input layout corresponding to a specific gesture when the specific gesture is detected.