System and method of adjusting viewing angle for display

• US 8,031,272 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2007
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Blatchley, Robert D., Zimmermann, Stephen E., Taylor, Donald P. III, Deputat, Jurij M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shalwala; Bipin
• Assistant Examiner(s): King; Jonathan R
• Application Number:
  US11/780,409
• Publication Number:
  US 20090025022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• Field of Search: 348/836, 345/158, 382/103
• US Class Current: 348/836
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/64 Constructional details of receivers, e.g. cabinets or dust covers furniture aspects of television cabinets A47B81/06

Abstract

A system and method of adjusting a display and, more particularly, to a system and method of automatically adjusting a viewing angle of a display is provided. The method includes determining a location of one or more viewers and adjusting the display based on an average viewing location of the one or more viewers. The system includes a computer infrastructure. The computer infrastructure is operable to receive a detection signal indicative of a location of one or more viewers, and adjust the display based on an average viewing location of the one or more viewers.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting a viewing angle of a display for viewing by one or more people that are within a viewing range of the display, wherein at least one of the people are walking, the method comprising the steps of:

a camera imaging the people within the viewing range of the display;

based on the imaging by the camera, a computing device determining a number of the people which are substantially stationary and whether the number of the people which are substantially stationary exceeds a predetermined threshold which is greater than or equal to zero, and

if so, the computing device instructing a motor to adjust a viewing angle of the display based on one or more locations of the one or more people which are substantially stationary to facilitate viewing of the display by the one or more people which are substantially stationary, and

if not, the computing device instructing the motor to dynamically adjust a viewing angle of the display to track one or more of the people which are walking to facilitate viewing of the display by the one or more people which are walking.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more people which are walking are walking toward the display.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined threshold is greater than or equal to one.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined threshold is three.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the number of the people which are substantially stationary does not exceed the predetermined threshold;

and further comprising the steps of;

the computing device determining that the at least one of the people that are walking are walking toward the display, and the step of the computing device instructing the motor to dynamically adjust a viewing angle of the display to track one or more of the people which are walking is responsive to the determination that the at least one of the people that are walking are walking toward the display.

6. A system for adjusting a viewing angle of a display for viewing by one or more people that are within a viewing range of the display, wherein at least one of the people are walking, the system comprising:

a camera to image the people within the viewing range of the display;

a computing device, based on the images of the camera, programmed to determine a number of the people which are substantially stationary and whether the number of the people which are substantially stationary exceeds a predetermined threshold which is greater than or equal to zero, and

responsive to the number of the people which are substantially stationary exceeding the predetermined threshold, the computing device programmed to instruct a motor to adjust a viewing angle of the display based on one or more locations of the one or more people which are substantially stationary to facilitate viewing of the display by the one or more people which are substantially stationary, and

responsive to the number of the people which are substantially stationary not exceeding the predetermined threshold, the computing device programmed to instruct the motor to dynamically adjust a viewing angle of the display to track one or more of the people which are walking to facilitate viewing of the display by the one or more people which are walking.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the one or more people which are walking are walking toward the display.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the predetermined threshold is greater than or equal to one.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the predetermined threshold is three.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein:

the number of the people which are substantially stationary does not exceed the predetermined threshold; and

the computing device is programmed to determine whether the at least one of the people that are walking are walking toward the display, and the programming in the computing device to instruct the motor to dynamically adjust a viewing angle of the display to track one or more of the people which are walking is responsive to a determination that the at least one of the people that are walking are walking toward the display.

11. A computer program product for adjusting a viewing angle of a display for viewing by one or more people that are within a viewing range of the display, wherein at least one of the people are walking, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions, based on images from a camera imaging the people within the viewing range of the display, to determine a number of the people which are substantially stationary and whether the number of the people which are substantially stationary exceeds a predetermined threshold which is greater than or equal to zero;

program instructions, responsive to the number of the people which are substantially stationary exceeding the predetermined threshold, to instruct a motor to adjust a viewing angle of the display based on one or more locations of the one or more people which are substantially stationary to facilitate viewing of the display by the one or more people which are substantially stationary, and

program instructions, responsive to the number of the people which are substantially stationary not exceeding the predetermined threshold, to instruct the motor to dynamically adjust a viewing angle of the display to track one or more of the people which are walking to facilitate viewing of the display by the one or more people which are walking.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the one or more people which are walking are walking toward the display.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the predetermined threshold is greater than or equal to one.

14. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the predetermined threshold is three.

15. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein:

the number of the people which are substantially stationary does not exceed the predetermined threshold; and

further comprising;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to determine whether the at least one of the people that are walking are walking toward the display, and the program instructions to instruct the motor to dynamically adjust a viewing angle of the display to track one or more of the people which are walking is responsive to a determination that the at least one of the people that are walking are walking toward the display.