Patent Application
20080043207
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. In this regard, directional terminology, such as “top,” “under,” etc., is used with reference to the orientation of the Figure(s) being described. The components of the present invention can be positioned in a number of different orientations. As such, the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting. On the other hand, the drawings are only schematic and the sizes of components may be exaggerated for clarity. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless limited otherwise, the terms “connected,” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections. Similarly, “adjacent to” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass directly and indirectly “adjacent to”. Therefore, the description of “A” component “adjacent to” “B” component herein may contain the situations that “A” component is directly “adjacent to” “B” component or one or more additional components is between “A” component and “B” component. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions will be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive. Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.
Referring to
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sensing scope 122 of the sensor module 120 may be distributed to cover all the buttons 112 of the button module 110, such that the light source 114 is turned on when users approach any one of the buttons 112. In this way, users can easily identify the precise locations of the buttons 112. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sensing scope 122 of the sensor module 120 may be distributed to cover all the buttons 112 of the button module 110 and an area outside the button module 110, such that users can identify the precise locations of the buttons 112 more rapidly.
During operation of the projector 200, users may want to adjust, pause or stop, the projector 200 due to some unexpected or special conditions. At this time, users may control the projector 200 through the user operation interface 100 again. However, users can not clearly identify the buttons 112 of the user operation interface 100 without sufficient illumination, since the projector 200 is operated in dark environment. In this embodiment, when the projector 200 is operated in dark environment and hands of users approach the sensing scope 122 of the sensor module 120, the light source 114 disposed under the buttons 112 is immediately turned on to provide sufficient illumination for the buttons 112. Therefore, the users can easily identify location of the buttons 112 and correctly operate the projector 200. In other words, when the hands of the users are sensed by the sensor module 120 having the sensing scope 122, the light source 114 disposed under the buttons 112 can be turned on immediately such that users can operate the projector 200 correctly.
As described above, the sensor module 120 of the embodiment may be a reflective type photo-sensor 310 or an IR temperature sensor 320, for example.
Except for the reflective type photo-sensor 310 or the IR temperature sensor 320, other types of sensor module 114 may also be used in the present invention. The light source 114 disposed under the button 112 may be a light emitting diode (LED), a lamp, or other illumination devices. Additionally, the buttons 112 of the button module 110 may be click buttons or touch buttons.
It is noted that the user operation interface 100 used in the projector 200 of this embodiment is merely described for illustration, the user operation interface 100 of the present invention may applied to other apparatuses working in dark environment.
Sine a sensor module is utilized in the user operation interface, the projector of the present invention can be used by users in dark environment without any inconvenient. When the projector is operated in dark environment and hands of users approach the sensing scope of the button module, the hands of the users is sensed by the sensor module. At this time point, the light source disposed under the buttons is turned on to provide sufficient illumination. Therefore, the users can easily operate the projector in dark environment.
The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form or to exemplary embodiments disclosed. Accordingly, the foregoing description should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Obviously, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in this art. The embodiments are chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its best mode practical application, thereby to enable persons skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use or implementation contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents in which all terms are meant in their broadest reasonable sense unless otherwise indicated. Therefore, the term “the invention”, “the present invention” or the like is not necessary limited the claim scope to a specific embodiment, and the reference to particularly preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention does not imply a limitation on the invention, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The invention is limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The abstract of the disclosure is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract, which will allow a searcher to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure of any patent issued from this disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Any advantages and benefits described may not apply to all embodiments of the invention. It should be appreciated that variations may be made in the embodiments described by persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims. Moreover, no element and component in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element or component is explicitly recited in the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95129852 | Aug 2006 | TW | national |
