INPUT DEVICE

• US 20170115741A1
• Filed: 10/24/2016
• Published: 04/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: NISHIOKA, Ken, HATORI, Toshiki
• Granted Patent: US 10,782,789 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0423 using sweeping light beams, e.g. using rotating or vibrating mirror
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects

Abstract

An input device is provided that comprises a display component, a detector, and a controller. The display component displays an image. The detector detects a first motion and a second motion. In the first motion, a pointer is slid over a first operation screen that lies in an imaginary plane including at least part of a spatial image that is a virtual image of the image formed in space. In the second motion, the pointer is moved into a second operation screen that lies in the imaginary plane and is different from the first operation screen. The controller executes a first operation to select the image when the first motion is detected, and executes a second operation to execute content of the selected image when the second motion is detected.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

a display component that displays an image;

a detector that detects a first motion in which a pointer is slid over a first operation screen that lies in an imaginary plane including at least part of a spatial image that is a virtual image of the image formed in space, and a second motion in which the pointer is moved into a second operation screen that lies in the imaginary plane and is different from the first operation screen; and

a controller that executes a first operation to select the image when the first motion is detected, and executes a second operation to execute content of the selected image when the second motion is detected.

2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein

the second operation screen is disposed along an entire periphery of the first operation screen.

3. The input device according to claim 1, wherein

the first operation screen includes the spatial image entirely, and

the second operation screen is disposed outside of the spatial image.

4. The input device according to claim 1, wherein

the spatial image has:

a first image region that is included in the first operation screen and in which the image is displayed; and

a second image region that is included in the second operation screen and in which the image is not displayed.

5. The input device according to claim 1, wherein

the detector detects a third motion in which the pointer moves away from the first operation screen, and

the controller executes a third operation to confirm selection of the image when the third motion is detected.

6. The input device according to claim 1, wherein

the detector detects a fourth motion in which the pointer moves in a specific direction in a state of spanning the first operation screen and the second operation screen, and

the controller executes a fourth operation associated with the spatial image when the fourth motion is detected.

7. The input device according to claim 6, wherein

the controller moves pages of the image displayed in the spatial image as the fourth operation when the fourth motion is detected.

8. The input device according to claim 7, wherein

the controller varies an amount of the pages of the image that are moved according to a movement direction of the pointer.

9. The input device according to claim 1, wherein

the pointer is a hand,

the detector senses the size of the hand disposed on the imaginary plane, and

the controller adjusts a width of the second operation screen based on the sensed size of the hand.

10. The input device according to claim 1, wherein

the controller moves a cursor over the spatial image to track movement of the pointer as the first operation when the first motion is detected, and

the controller executes the content of the image on the spatial image over which the cursor is superposed as the second operation when the second motion is detected.

11. The input device according to claim 1, further comprising

a light source unit that scans over the first operation screen and the second operation screen with light, and

a light receiver that receives the light reflected by the pointer.

12. The input device according to claim 11, wherein

the light receiver receives the light reflected by the pointer while the pointer is located in the imaginary plane.

13. The input device according to claim 11, wherein

the detector detects position of the pointer in the imaginary plane, and

the detector detects the first motion and the second motion based on the detected position of the pointer.

14. The input device according to claim 11, wherein

the detector detects the position of the pointer in the imaginary plane based on a scanning position of the light source unit at a light receiving timing of the light receiver.

15. The input device according to claim 1, further comprising

an optical element that forms the spatial image of the image displayed on the display component.

16. The input device according to claim 5, wherein

the detector executes the third operation in response to detecting the third motion after the controller executes the first operation.

17. The input device according to claim 5, wherein

the detector executes the second operation in response to detecting the second motion after the controller executes the third operation.

18. The input device according to claim 9, wherein

the display component displays a calibration image for positioning the hand on the imaginary plane.

19. The input device according to claim 9, wherein

the detector senses a width of a finger of the hand and a width of the hand as the size of the hand, and

the controller adjusts the width of the second operation screen to be larger than the width of the finger and smaller than the width of the hand.

20. The input device according to claim 1, wherein

the detector detects position of the pointer in the imaginary plane, and

the detector detects the first motion and the second motion based on the detected position of the pointer.