Portable electronic apparatus including a display and method for controlling display content based on movement of the display and user position

• US 8,179,449 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2009
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Larsson, Bo, Andreasson, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): GILES, NICHOLAS G
• Application Number:
  US12/469,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20100295958A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• Field of Search: 348/77, 348/78, 348/135, 348/142, 348/143, 348/161, 348/169, 348/207.99, 348/222.1, 348/333.11, 345/419, 345/6
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/26 of the autostereoscopic type
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• 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: G09G 2330/022 in absence of operation, e.g. no data being entered during a predetermined time
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects

Abstract

A portable electronic apparatus includes a display, a user position estimating unit and a display movement estimating unit. The user position estimating unit is for estimating the user position with respect to the display. The display movement estimating unit is for estimating the display movement. The apparatus is configured for estimating the user position, here referred to as initial user position, at least at a first moment; and, during at least an interval of time after the first moment, estimating the display movement, and controlling the display content based on the initial user position and the display movement. The invention also relates a method for controlling such an apparatus and to a computer program therefor.

Claims

1. Portable electronic apparatus including

a display configured to display content;

a user position estimating unit for estimating a position of a user with respect to the display; and

a display movement estimating unit for estimating movement of the display; and

wherein the apparatus is configured for

estimating, with the user position estimating unit, an initial position of the user, at a first moment;

during an interval of time after the first moment, estimating, with the display movement estimating unit, the display movement, and controlling the display content based on the display movement and the initial position of the user,

the apparatus being further configured, before estimating the position of the user, for

determining whether a user is present in front of the display, and,

wherein controlling the display content based on the display movement and the initial position of the user includes generating, if it is determined that a user is present in front of the display, on the display a three-dimensional effect based on the display movement and the initial position of the user, and

if it is determined that no user is present, operating the apparatus in a non-three-dimensional effect mode wherein no three-dimensional effect is generated on the display.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, further including a camera having a camera output, wherein the user position estimating unit is configured to use the camera output.

3. Apparatus of claim 2, wherein the camera is equipped with a multi-point autofocus, and the user position estimating unit is configured to use the camera output by determining that a shortest focus distance determined by the autofocus is the estimation of the position of the user.

4. Apparatus of claim 2, wherein the user position estimating unit is configured for estimating the position of the user by estimating a position of a face of the user with respect to the display.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display movement estimating unit includes at least one of a gyroscope, one or more accelerometers, or electronic compass.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, further configured for regularly repeating the step of estimating the initial position of the user and thereafter the steps of estimating the display movement and controlling the display content based on the display movement and the initial position of the user.

7. Portable electronic apparatus including

a display configured to display content;

a user position estimating unit for estimating a position of a user with respect to the display; and

a display movement estimating unit for estimating movement of the display; and

wherein the apparatus is configured for

estimating, with the user position estimating unit, an initial position of the user, at a first moment;

during an interval of time after the first moment, estimating, with the display movement estimating unit, the display movement, and controlling the display content based on the display movement and the initial position of the user,

the apparatus being further configured for

determining, before estimating the position of the user, whether a plurality of users are present in front of the display, and,

if it is determined that a plurality of users are present in front of the display, selecting one of the users for the step of estimating the position of the user,

wherein selecting one of the users is based on at least one of

determining a user'"'"'s face which is the closest to the display;

determining a user'"'"'s face which is the biggest as seen from the display;

determining a user'"'"'s face which is the closest to a perpendicular originating from the center of the display;

determining a user'"'"'s face which is the closest to the center of the field of view of a camera of the apparatus;

or

determining that a face of one of the users is recorded in the apparatus.

8. Method for controlling a portable electronic apparatus including a display configured to display content, the method including steps of

at a first moment,

estimating an initial position of a user with respect to the display;

during an interval of time after the first moment,

estimating movement of the display, and

controlling the display content based on the display movement and the initial position of the user,

wherein controlling the display content based on the display movement and the initial position of the user includes generating on the display a three-dimensional effect based on the display movement and the initial position of the user, and

further including, before estimating the initial position of the user, steps of

determining whether a user is present in front of the display, and,

if it is determined that no user is present, switching the apparatus to a non-three-dimensional effect mode wherein no three-dimensional effect is generated on the display.

9. Method according to claim 8, further including,

before estimating the initial position of the user, steps of

determining whether a plurality of users are present in front of the display, and,

if a plurality of users are present in front of the display, selecting one of the users for the step of estimating the initial position of the user.

10. Method according to claim 8, wherein estimating the initial position of the user makes use of a camera.

11. Method of claim 10, wherein the camera has an output, and wherein estimating the initial position of the user makes use of the output of the camera by determining shortest focus distance as the estimation of the initial position of the user.

12. Method of claim 10, wherein the camera has an output, and wherein estimating the initial position of the user makes use of the output of the camera by estimating a position of a face of the user with respect to the display.

13. Method according to claim 8, wherein estimating the display movement makes use of at least one of a gyroscope, one or more accelerometers, or electronic compass.

14. Method according to claim 8, including regularly repeating the step of estimating the initial position of the user and thereafter the steps of estimating the display movement and controlling the display content based on the display movement and the initial position of the user.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a computer program comprising instructions configured, when executed on a computer, to cause the computer to carry out the method according to claim 8.

15. Method for controlling a portable electronic apparatus including a display configured to display content, the method including steps of

at a first moment,

estimating an initial position of a user with respect to the display;

during an interval of time after the first moment,

estimating the movement of the display, and

controlling the display content based on the display movement and the initial position of the user,

further including, before estimating the initial position of the user, steps of

determining whether a plurality of users are present in front of the display, and,

if a plurality of users are present in front of the display, selecting one of the users for the step of estimating the initial position of the user, and

wherein selecting one of the users is based on at least one of

determining a user'"'"'s face which is the closest to the display;

determining a user'"'"'s face which is the biggest as seen from the display;

determining a user'"'"'s face which is the closest to a perpendicular originating from the center of the display;

determining a user'"'"'s face which is the closest to the center of the field of view of a camera of the apparatus;

or

determining that the face of one of the users is recorded in the apparatus.