Method and apparatus for displaying images on a display

• US 7,714,880 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2002
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Johnson, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): GOOD JOHNSON, MOTILEWA
• Application Number:
  US10/125,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20030095155A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,945 Days
• Field of Search: 345/684, 345/473, 345/672, 345/864, 345648-650, 345/653, 345/659, 345/676, 345/679, 345680-681, 345/687, 345/158, 345/169, 345/619, 345/654, 345/7, 345/8, 345/633, 345/156, 345/173, 345/204, 715863-864, 715/700, 715/764, 715/784
• US Class Current: 345/672
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/121 using a cache memory
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/393 Arrangements for updating the contents of the bit-mapped memory

Abstract

Combining one or more spatio-temporal sensors with a personal digital assistant or similar small electronic device and with sliding window (roaming and stabilization) software and memory management and user interface functions, to enable a user to see documents and objects that appear to be fixed in space. This may allow the user to navigate using his or her eidetic memory. Navigation of images, documents or other objects substantially bigger than the display is made easier and faster. Using the invention, the user scrolls and views larger documents or objects as if they were affixed in space to a selected viewing platform. The viewing platform can correspond to, for example, the ground, a building, a wall, an arbitrary reference point, or any other suitable fixed or substantially fixed position or object. The invention uses and adjusts for the body-arm-hand-finger motion of the user so that the imagery appears affixed to the selected reference platform.

Claims

1. A viewing system comprising:

means for position sensing and processing, wherein said means for position sensing and processing comprises;

a spatio-temporal sensor; and

means for motion compensation connected to said spatio-temporal sensor;

means for image management and rendering connected to said means for position sensing and processing, wherein said means for image management and rendering comprises;

an image source;

a roaming memory connected to said image source and to means for motion compensation;

a rendering engine connected to said roaming memory and to said means for motion compensation;

an image memory connected to said rendering engine and to means for motion compensation;

a display connected to said image memory; and

an image on said display, wherein said means for position sensing and processing detects movement of the device in free space, wherein said means for position sensing and processing detects movement relative to at least one positional reference, wherein the at least one positional reference is external to the viewing system, and wherein moving the display relative to the at least one positional reference reveals on said display a similar movement of the display to another portion of a displayed image; and

means for user interfacing connected to said means for position sensing and processing and to said means for image management and rendering.

2. The viewing system of claim 1, further comprising means for portability.

3. The viewing system of claim 2, wherein said means for portability comprises:

small-size enabling capabilities; and

low-power enabling capabilities.