This application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2007-0090561 filed on Sep. 6, 2007 and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2008-0075103 filed on Jul. 31, 2008 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control apparatus and method, and more particularly, to a control apparatus, which includes a measurement module measuring the motion of the control apparatus due to an external force and a signal generation module generating a signal corresponding to the measured motion to control the state of a display device, and a control method.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to the prior art with respect to a method of controlling a display device using a control apparatus such as a remote controller, a user has to push direction key buttons within the control apparatus for several times for execution, which is inconvenient. Hence, there is a need for controlling a display apparatus by moving the control apparatus in all directions (right, left, up and down) or rotating the control apparatus but without manipulating key buttons.
An input apparatus using operation of a person measures movements of all directions (right, left, up and down) or intuitively controls movements of a pointer on the screen of the display device, thereby improving inconvenience of a control apparatus according to the prior art.
Aspects of the present invention provide a control apparatus and method, in which an inertial sensor, etc. included in the control apparatus measures the motion of the control apparatus and generates a signal corresponding to the measured motion to control and adjust the state of a display device.
However, aspects of the present invention are not restricted to the one set forth herein. The above and other aspects of the present invention will become more apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains by referencing the detailed description of the present invention given below.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control apparatus including: a measurement module which measures a motion of the control apparatus due to an external force; and a signal generation module which generates a signal corresponding to the measured motion, wherein the signal is transmitted to a display device to adjust a state of the display device according to the signal.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method including: measuring a motion of a control apparatus due to an external force; generating a signal corresponding to the measured motion; transmitting the signal to a display device and adjusting a state of the display device.
The above and other aspects and features of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings, in which:
Advantages and features of the present invention and methods of accomplishing the same may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments and the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the present invention will only be defined by the appended claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.
Hereinafter, a control apparatus and method according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.
When the control apparatus 100 is operated by a user or an external force, the measurement module 110 measures the motion direction of the control apparatus 100 and the distance traveled by the control apparatus 100. In this case, the motion of the control apparatus 100 includes a change in posture or position by translation and rotation. In addition, the distance traveled by the control apparatus 100 includes the distance horizontally traveled by the control apparatus 100 and the distance rotated by the control apparatus 100, which will be described in detail later with reference to
The measurement module 110 includes a conventional inertial sensor that is widely used. The inertial sensor may include an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, a gyro sensor, and a terrestrial magnetic sensor. The measurement module 110 may further include a magnetic sensor, a vision sensor, an infrared sensor, a pressure sensor, and a sonar sensor. The inertial sensor may measure the angular velocity, angular acceleration, acceleration, etc. of the control apparatus 100 and calculate the motion direction of the control apparatus 100 and the distance traveled by the control apparatus 100.
As an exemplary embodiment, the measurement module 110 may include a yaw gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor. The measurement module 110 may use the acceleration sensor to calculate a value (a roll value) of the distance rotated by the control apparatus 100 about an X-axis and a value (pitch value) of the distance rotated by the control apparatus 100 about a Y-axis and use the yaw gyro sensor to calculate a value (a yaw value) of the distance rotated by the control apparatus 100 about a Z-axis. Here, X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis can be arbitrarily set. For example, when a control apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment is mounted, the direction vertical to the surface can be set to Z-axis, the direction toward a display to be controlled by the control apparatus can be set to X-axis, and the direction vertical to both X-axis and Z-axis can be set to Y-axis. Hereinafter, it is assumed that X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis are set as above.
In an embodiment, the value of the distance rotated about the X-axis and the value of the distance rotated about the Y-axis may be calculated as follows by using the three-axis acceleration sensor. On the X- and Y-axes that are horizontal to a ground surface, if acceleration in the direction of the X-axis is a_x and if acceleration of gravity is “g,” a pitch θ is given by θ=arcsin(a_x/g).
In addition, if it is supposed that a pitch is already occurred, when acceleration in the direction of the Y direction is a_y, a vertical component of acceleration of gravity is g·cos θ. Therefore, a roll φ is given by φ=arctan(a_y/a_z)
After the measurement module 110 measures the motion direction of the control apparatus 100 and the distance traveled by the control apparatus 100, the signal generation module 120 generates a signal that reflects the measurements. A specific value is given to the signal according to the motion direction and the distance traveled. The signal that reflects the specific value controls and adjusts the state of a display device. That is, the signal is transmitted to the display device to control the state of the display device. The state of the display device may include screen brightness of the display device, sound volume of the display device, screen position of the display device, content control (i.e., rewind and fast-forward) and selection of content replayed or displayed in the display device, selection of a menu displayed in the display device, screen enlargement movement and screen stabilization, which will be described in detail later with reference to
The signal generation module 120 may be included in the measurement module 110. As described above, the inertial sensor may generate a signal. Here, a specific value, which corresponds to the motion direction and the distance traveled, may be assigned according to given specifications of the inertial sensor, and a signal that reflects the specific value may be generated.
Once the signal generation module 120 generates a signal, the transmission/reception module 130 transmits the generated signal to the display device and receives a signal generated by the display device.
The key setting module 150 enables a user to select a screen brightness control mode, a sound volume control mode, a screen position control mode, a content control mode, a content selection mode, a menu selection mode, a screen enlargement movement mode, a screen stabilization mode, or the like.
In the content control mode, the user may rewind or fast forward contents, which are being reproduced, in order to search for a desired scene. In the content selection mode, the user may select desired contents from contents stored in the display device and reproduce the selected contents. According to an embodiment, representative images of contents may be displayed on the display device. Thus, in the content selection mode, the user may select at least one content from contents, which precede or follow contents currently being reproduced, based on the representative images.
The above modes are a mere embodiment of the present invention. Thus, other functions (i.e., modes) can be added as desired.
After selecting the screen brightness control mode, the user may control the screen brightness of the display device by using the control apparatus 100 as described above. After selecting the sound volume control mode, the user may control the sound volume of the display device by using the control apparatus 100 as described above.
After selecting the screen position control mode, the user may control the screen position of the display device by using the control apparatus 100 as described above. After selecting the content control mode, the user may choose to rewind or fast forward contents, which are being reproduced, by using the control apparatus 100 as described above.
After selecting the content selection mode, the user may select desired contents to view by using the control apparatus 100 as described above.
After selecting the menu selection mode, the user may select a menu displayed in the display screen by using the control apparatus 100 as described above.
After selecting the screen enlargement movement mode, the user may move the current screen to a screen connected to four directions (right, left, up and down) by using the control apparatus as described above.
After selecting the screen stabilization mode, the user may stabilize a trembling screen due to external vibrations by using the control apparatus as described above.
A specific method of selecting the above modes will be described later with reference to
The key setting module 150 may set the screen position control mode by default. The transmission/reception module 130 may transmit or receive signals in a wired or wireless manner. In particular, the transmission/reception module 130 may have a Bluetooth chip that can use a local area wireless communication technology such as Bluetooth.
The control module 140 controls and manages the measurement module 110, the signal generation module 120, the transmission/reception module 130, and the key setting module 150 included in the control apparatus 100. When the user sets a specific mode by using the key setting module 150, the control module 140 generates a signal corresponding to the set mode in order to control the measurement module 110 and the signal generation module 120.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the control apparatus 100 may be loaded in a remote controller and a pointing device. In an embodiment, system may be implemented with a display device (such as a projector, a monitor or a television (TV)) and, and the control apparatus 100 may be used to control the screen brightness, sound volume and screen position of the display device.
Referring to
After the user selects any one of the above modes, if the control apparatus 100 is operated by the user or an external force, the motion of the control apparatus 100 is measured (operation S210). As described above, an inertial sensor measures the motion of the control apparatus 100. Thus, a specific value is determined based on specifications of an inertial sensor used by the control apparatus 100. Controlling the screen brightness, screen position and sound volume of the display device and the content control mode, the content selection mode and the menu selection mode will be described later with reference to
After the motion of the control apparatus 100 is measured, the signal generation module generates a signal corresponding to the measured motion (operation S220). The generated signal has a value assigned according to the motion direction of the control apparatus 100 and the distance traveled by the control apparatus 100. The signal that reflects the assigned value controls and adjusts the state of the display device.
Once the signal is generated, it is transmitted to the display device to control the state of the display device (operation S230). In response to the received signal that reflects the specific value, the display device controls and adjusts its screen brightness, screen position, sound volume and the like.
If the user selects the screen brightness control mode, the display device displays its adjusted screen state. Then, the user may readjust the screen state of the display device by using the control apparatus 100. When the user selects the screen position control mode, the display device may display its adjusted screen state. Then, the user may readjust the screen state of the display device by using the control apparatus 100.
When the user selects the sound volume control mode, the display device may inform its adjusted sound volume through its speaker. Then, the user may readjust the sound volume of the display device by using the control apparatus 100. When the user selects the content control mode, the display device may search for a scene desired by the user by using functions such as rewind and fast-forward. After selecting the content selection mode, the user may select desired contents from contents stored in the display device and reproduce the selected contents. The user may readjust the above modes by using the control apparatus 100 to adjust and select contents. After selecting the menu selection mode, the user may select a menu displayed in the display. After selecting the screen enlargement movement mode, the user may move the current screen to a screen connected to four directions (right, left, up and down). After selecting the screen stabilization mode, the user may stabilize a trembling screen due to external vibrations.
In addition, the control apparatus 100 may receive from the display device a signal indicating whether the display device has received a signal sent by the control apparatus 100 and indicating whether the display device has adjusted its state in response to the signal received from the control apparatus 100 and may readjust the state of the display device based on the signal received from the display device.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, system may be implemented with a display device (such as a projector, a monitor or a TV) and the control apparatus 100 may be used to control the screen brightness, sound volume and screen position of the display device.
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to
Referring to
When it is set to the screen brightness control mode (not illustrated), if the control apparatus 100 rotates about Z-axis, the screen brightness of the display device can be increased.
When it is set to the sound volume control mode, if the control apparatus 100 rotates about Z-axis, the sound volume of the display device can be increased.
Referring to
When it is set to the screen brightness control mode, if the control apparatus 100 rotates about the axis in the direction opposite to the direction in which the control apparatus 100 rotates in
When it is set to the sound volume control mode, if the control apparatus 100 rotates about the axis in the direction opposite to the direction in which the control apparatus 100 rotates in
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
In an exemplary embodiment, if the control apparatus 100 rotates in a counterclockwise direction based on X-axis, the user can move to contents that precede the contents currently being reproduced. If the control apparatus 100 rotates in a clockwise direction, the user can move to contents that follow the contents currently being reproduced.
Referring to
In an exemplary embodiment, if the control apparatus 100 rotates in a counterclockwise direction, the display device executes the rewind mode. If the control apparatus 100 rotates in a clockwise direction, the display device executes the fast-forward mode.
Referring to
As an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, if the control apparatus 100 rotates in a counterclockwise direction, the menu left to the currently-selected menu can be selected, and if the control apparatus 100 is rotates in a clockwise direction, the menu right to the currently-selected menu can be selected.
When it is set to the screen enlargement movement (not illustrated), if the control apparatus rotates about Z-axis, the current screen can be moved to a screen connected to the right and the left sides.
As an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, if the control apparatus 100 rotates in a counterclockwise direction, the current screen can be moved to a screen connected to the left side, and if the control apparatus 100 rotates in a clockwise direction, the current screen can be moved to a screen connected to the right side.
Further, if the control apparatus 100 rotates about Y-axis, the current screen can be moved to a screen connected to the upper and downward sides.
As an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, if the control apparatus 100 rotates in a counterclockwise direction, the current screen can be moved to a screen connected to the upper side, and if the control apparatus 100 rotates in a clockwise direction, the current screen can be moved to a screen connected to the downward side.
Further, though not illustrated, if it is set to the screen stabilization mode, the trembling screen due to the external vibrations is stabilized. In the present embodiment, when the control apparatus 100 is built in a display unit such as a screen of a mobile device, if the screen trembles due to unnecessary movements of the display unit by external vibrations, the screen is moved in a direction opposite to the movement direction for stable viewing.
As described above, X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis mentioned above in
Further, when rotating the control apparatus, with respect to the screen brightness, sound level, screen position, content adjustment, content selection and menu selection, the speed of the state change can be adjusted depending on the rotation angle or speed. For example, if the rotation angle is close to 20 degrees, it is possible to replay content at the double rate, and if the angle is close to 40 degrees, it is possible to replay content at the quadruple rate. Also, it is possible to implement analog-type sentiment by changing the state to be proportional to the rotation angle or speed of the control apparatus. Further, if the rotation speed of the control apparatus is high, the selected menu can be quickly converted, and if the rotation speed of the control apparatus is low, the selected menu can be slowly converted.
As described above, in a control apparatus and method according to the present invention, since motion (a change in the position) of the control apparatus is measured, the screen of a display device can be quickly keystoned.
In addition, the screen brightness, sound volume, video replay speed, screen enlargement and screen stabilization of the display device can be quickly adjusted by measuring the motion of the control apparatus.
While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims. The exemplary embodiments should be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined not by the detailed description of the invention but by the following claims, and all differences within the scope will be construed as being included in the present invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10-2007-0090561 | Sep 2007 | KR | national |
10-2008-0075103 | Jul 2008 | KR | national |