Patent Description:
In a known technology related to a display system having a touch panel display, the posture of the user sitting on a seat in an automobile is detected, after which the touch panel display is moved within arm's reach of the user according to the detected posture (see <CIT>, for example).

<CIT> discloses an assembly of a graphical user interface in a transportation vehicle with a transportation vehicle seat to which a range is assigned and having a touchscreen wherein a first sub-region of the touchscreen is arranged within the range and a second sub-region is arranged outside of the range. The assembly includes a control unit by which a virtual operating surface with an application region and an information region are generated. The virtual operating surface is output on the touchscreen so the application region extends substantially over the first sub-region of the touchscreen and the information region extends substantially over the second sub-region of the touchscreen. During the output process, a first section of the virtual operating surface is displayed on the touchscreen.

<CIT> discloses a display control apparatus which includes a body information detector for determining a body type of a driver. A controller is configured to receive the body information and position information to reposition the graphical user interface area in an operating area where the driver can easily operate the screen.

<CIT> discloses an operator distinguishing device which has a display part, an operation part provided in a touch panel arranged in front of the display part, and a control part.

A touch panel display mounted in an automobile is often used to, for example, display visual content for appreciation, such as a movie, besides being used to accept the user's manipulation.

If the touch panel display is within arm's reach of the user while this type visual content for appreciation is displayed, the user may not view the visual content for appreciation comfortably because the distance is too short.

The present invention provides addresses the above problem with the object of providing a display system in which a touch panel display can be used more comfortably.

The invention relates to a display system according to the appended claims. Embodiments are disclosed in the dependent claims.

According to an aspect a display system, in the present invention, that displays a screen for a user has: a touch panel display that displays the screen and accepts a manipulation performed on the screen, a position at which to display the screen being variable; and a display control means for controlling a display of the screen on the touch panel display. The display control means decides whether the screen to be displayed has visual content for appreciation according to a predetermined criterion. When the screen to be displayed includes no visual content for appreciation, the display control means displays the screen at a suitable-for-manipulation position comparatively close to the user. When the screen to be displayed has visual content for appreciation, the display control means displays the screen at a suitable-for-manipulation position comparatively distant from the user. Particularly, this position is more distant from the user than when displaying the screen at a suitable-for-manipulation position comparatively close to the user.

According to an embodiment, the display system may be configured so that the display control means calculates, as the suitable-for-manipulation position, a position distant from the user by a distance suitable for viewing the visual content, included in the screen, for appreciation, the distance being obtained from the resolution and display size of the visual content for appreciation.

According to an embodiment, the display system may have a gesture detection means for detecting a gesture of the user with the screen displayed at the suitable-for-manipulation position, when the user is to perform a manipulation on the screen. When the gesture detection means detects the gesture with the screen displayed at the suitable-for-manipulation position, the display control means may move the position of the displayed screen to the suitable-for-manipulation position.

According to an embodiment, the display system may have a line-of-vision detection means for detecting the line of vision of the user with the screen displayed at the suitable-for-manipulation position, when the user gazes at a display object on the displayed screen, the display object being intended to accept the user's manipulation. When the line-of-vision detection means detects the line of vision with the screen displayed at the suitable-for-manipulation position, the display control means may move the position of the displayed screen to the suitable-for-manipulation position.

According to an embodiment, the display system may have a measurement means for geometrically measuring the body of the user. The display control means may calculate, as the suitable-for-manipulation position, a position, obtained from a geometrically measurement result from the measurement means, at which the user can easily perform a manual manipulation.

According to an embodiment, the display system may be configured so that when the screen to be displayed accepts a handwritten input, the display control means calculates, as the suitable-for-manipulation position, a position closer to the face of the user than when the screen to be displayed does not accept a handwritten input.

According to an embodiment, the display system may be configured so that the display control means displays the screen at the suitable-for-manipulation position in such a way that the more distant the position at which to display the screen is from the user, the larger the size of the screen is.

According to an embodiment of the display system, the screen including visual content for appreciation may be a screen including a moving picture.

According to an embodiment, the display system described herein may be a display system mounted in an automobile. The touch panel display may be a touch panel display on which the position at which to display the screen is variable in the front-back direction of the automobile.

According to an embodiment of the display system, a screen including no visual content for appreciation is displayed at a position comparatively close to the user, making it easy for the user to perform a manipulation on the screen. By contrast, a screen including visual content for appreciation is displayed at a position comparatively distant from the user. Therefore, the user can comfortably view the visual content for appreciation without being subject to stress that would otherwise be caused because the screen is too close to the user.

As described above, the present invention can provide a display system in which a touch panel display can be used more comfortably.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below by taking application to a vehicle-mounted system in an automobile as an example.

<FIG> illustrates the structure of a vehicle-mounted system.

As illustrated in the drawing, the vehicle-mounted system has a touch panel display <NUM>, a speaker <NUM>, an in-vehicle camera <NUM>, an input/output control unit <NUM>, a screen placement setting unit <NUM>, an in-vehicle monitoring system <NUM>, and a plurality of source devices <NUM>.

The source devices <NUM> are an audio visual (AV) player, a broadcast receiver, a car navigation device, and other devices. In the operation of each source device <NUM>, the touch panel display <NUM> is used to accept a display output and a user's manipulation through the input/output control unit <NUM>.

The touch panel display <NUM> has a display <NUM> and a touch panel <NUM> that detects the user's touch on the display screen of the display <NUM>.

Now, this embodiment will be described by taking, as an example, a case in which the touch panel display <NUM> is long in a horizontal direction, matching the front-back direction of the automobile, of the display area and is placed on the side surface of the automobile interior on the right side of the rear-right seat in the automobile, as illustrated in <FIG>.

The in-vehicle camera <NUM> is attached to, for example, the ceiling of the automobile interior, as illustrated in <FIG>. The in-vehicle camera <NUM> takes a picture of the state of the user sitting on the rear-right seat. The in-vehicle camera <NUM> may be an infrared camera and is preferably a stereo camera that can measure a three-dimensional position.

Referring again to <FIG>, the in-vehicle monitoring system <NUM> monitors various situation in the automobile interior from pictures taken by the in-vehicle camera <NUM>.

The in-vehicle monitoring system <NUM> also geometrically measures the body of the user sitting on the rear-right seat. In this geometrical measurement, the in-vehicle monitoring system <NUM> measures the position P1 of the user's eye, the position P2 of the user's shoulder, the position P3 of the user's waist, the position P4 of the user's elbow, and the position P5 of the user's hand, as illustrated in <FIG>. The position of the waist is substantially constant with respect to the surface of the seat, regardless of the user's body build. Therefore, the constant position may be set in advance as the position P3 of the waist.

The in-vehicle monitoring system <NUM> also calculates the length from the shoulder to the elbow, the length from the elbow to the hand, and the direction from the shoulder toward the waist, from the measured positions.

Referring again to <FIG>, the screen placement setting unit <NUM> accepts a screen placement setting request from the input/output control unit <NUM>, after which the screen placement setting unit <NUM> sets, as screen placement, a position at which to display the screen on the touch panel display <NUM> and the size of the screen to be displayed in the input/output control unit <NUM>. Operation for this screen placement setting will be described later in detail.

The input/output control unit <NUM> performs control to display a screen output from the relevant source device <NUM> on the touch panel display <NUM>, output a voice output from the relevant source device <NUM> to the speaker <NUM>, and accept, from the relevant source device <NUM>, the user's manipulation performed by using the touch panel display <NUM>.

When a switchover is made to select a screen to be displayed on the touch panel display <NUM> in response to the user's manipulation or the like, the input/output control unit <NUM> issues a screen placement setting request and accepts a screen placement setting from the screen placement setting unit <NUM>. The input/output control unit <NUM> then displays the selected screen at the position, on the touch panel display <NUM>, matching the screen placement set by the screen placement setting unit <NUM> and with the size matching the screen placement.

Operation performed by the screen placement setting unit <NUM> to set screen placement in the input/output control unit <NUM> will be described below.

<FIG> illustrates a procedure for screen placement setting processing performed by the screen placement setting unit <NUM>.

As illustrated in the drawing, if the screen placement setting unit <NUM> accepts, in screen placement setting processing, a screen placement setting request from the input/output control unit <NUM> (Yes in step <NUM>), the screen placement setting unit <NUM> issues a screen information request to the input/output control unit <NUM> and acquires screen information (step <NUM>).

When the input/output control unit <NUM> issues a screen placement setting request during the selection of a screen to be displayed on the touch panel display <NUM>, if the input/output control unit <NUM> receives a screen information request from the screen placement setting unit <NUM>, the input/ output control unit <NUM> submits information about the selected screen to the input/output control unit <NUM> as screen information. Screen information includes the size of the screen and information about content included in the screen. Information about content includes the type of each piece of content and its attributes. As types of content, there are a moving picture, a still picture, a slideshow, a virtual manipulator, text, and a handwritten input acceptance box. When content is a moving picture, still picture, or slideshow, the display size of the content and its resolution are included as the attributes of the content. The input/output control unit <NUM> is notified of screen information about the selected screen from the source device <NUM> from which the selected screen is output. However, the input/output control unit <NUM> may analyze the structure of the selected screen and may be notified of screen information. Alternatively, the input/output control unit <NUM> may set screen information in advance for each type of screen to be output from the relevant source device <NUM>.

Next, when the screen placement setting unit <NUM> acquires screen information (step <NUM>), the screen placement setting unit <NUM> decides, from content information included in the screen information, whether visual content for appreciation is included in the selected screen (step <NUM>). Visual content for appreciation is a type of visual content intended for appreciation. When, in step <NUM>, the content information indicates that a moving picture is included in the screen, the screen placement setting unit <NUM> decides that visual content for appreciation is included in the screen. However, only when the included moving picture has a display size larger than a predetermined value or a ratio with which the included moving picture occupies the screen is larger than a predetermined value, the screen placement setting unit <NUM> may decide that visual content for appreciation is included in the screen.

When the display system displays a slideshow as well, the screen placement setting unit <NUM> may decide that visual content for appreciation is included in the screen when a slideshow is included, besides when a moving picture is included. In this case as well, only when the included slideshow has a display size larger than a predetermined value or a ratio with which the included slideshow occupies the screen is larger than a predetermined value, the screen placement setting unit <NUM> may decide that visual content for appreciation is included in the screen.

When the display system displays a still picture for appreciation, such as a photo, as well, the screen placement setting unit <NUM> may decide that visual content for appreciation is included in the screen only when a still picture has a screen size larger than a predetermined size and also has a resolution higher than a predetermined value.

Alternatively, types of screens to be output from source devices <NUM> may have been stored in correspondence to indication as to whether the screen is intended to submit visual content for appreciation. When the correspondence indicates that the type of selected screen is intended to submit visual content for appreciation, the screen placement setting unit <NUM> may decide that visual content for appreciation is included in the screen.

If visual content for appreciation is not included in the selected screen (No in step <NUM>), the screen placement setting unit <NUM> performs suitable-for-manipulation placement calculation processing (step <NUM>).

<FIG> illustrates a procedure for this suitable-for-manipulation placement calculation processing.

As illustrated in the drawing, in suitable-for-manipulation placement calculation processing, the screen placement setting unit <NUM> first calculates, as a standard elbow position, a position distant from the position of the shoulder, the position being measured by the in-vehicle monitoring system <NUM>, by an amount equal to the length from the shoulder to the elbow in the direction from the shoulder toward the waist (step <NUM>). This standard elbow position is equivalent to the position of the elbow when the user is in a standard posture in which the user's upper arm is along the body. However, the elbow position measured by the in-vehicle monitoring system <NUM> may be calculated as the standard elbow position without alteration. When the rear-right seat has an armrest and the user is in a posture in which the elbow is on the armrest or in the standard posture, the position of the elbow on the armrest, the position being measured by the in-vehicle monitoring system <NUM>, is calculated as the standard elbow position without alteration.

The screen placement setting unit <NUM> then sets a position in the vertical direction, the position being <NUM> above the standard elbow position in the vertical position, as a reference vertical position (step <NUM>). This reference vertical position is substantially the same as the position of the elbow in the vertical position when the elbow is slightly raised upward from the standard posture in which the user's upper arm is along the body.

The screen placement setting unit <NUM> also sets a position in the front-back direction, the position being ahead of the standard elbow position in the front-back direction by an amount equal to the length from the elbow to the hand and then <NUM> behind the position ahead of the standard elbow position (step <NUM>), as a reference front-back position. This reference front-back position is substantially the same as the position of the hand in the front-back direction when the user slightly raises the elbow upward from the standard posture in which the user's upper arm is along the body and then naturally stretches the arm forward and up.

Next, the screen placement setting unit <NUM> decides whether a handwritten input acceptance box is included in the selected screen, according to the acquired screen information (step <NUM>). The handwritten input acceptance box refers to an area, on the screen, where a handwritten input is accepted from the user.

If no handwritten input acceptance box is included (No in step <NUM>), the screen placement setting unit <NUM> sets, as a screen position, a position located in the display area on the touch panel display <NUM>, the position being equivalent to a front-back vertical position, the front-back position of which is the reference front-back position and the vertical position of which is the reference vertical position (step <NUM>). Then, the process proceeds to step <NUM>.

If a handwritten input acceptance box is included (Yes in step508), the screen placement setting unit <NUM> checks whether the vertical eye's position, which is being measured by the in-vehicle monitoring system <NUM>, is above the vertical center position of the touch panel display <NUM> (step <NUM>). If the vertical eye's position is not above the vertical center position (No in step <NUM>), the screen placement setting unit <NUM> sets, as the screen position, a position located in the display area on the touch panel display <NUM>, the position being equivalent to a front-back vertical position, the front-back position of which is the reference front-back position and the vertical position of which is the reference vertical position (step <NUM>). Then, the process proceeds to step <NUM>.

If the vertical eye's position is above the vertical center position of the touch panel display <NUM> (Yes in step <NUM>), the screen placement setting unit <NUM> sets, as the screen position, a position located in the display area on the touch panel display <NUM>, the position being equivalent to a front-back vertical position, the front-back position of which is the reference front-back position and the vertical position of which is <NUM> above the reference vertical position (step <NUM>). If the position <NUM> above the reference vertical position is above the vertical eye's position, however, the screen placement setting unit <NUM> sets, as the screen position, a position located in the display area on the touch panel display <NUM>, the position being equivalent to a front-back vertical position, the front-back position of which is the reference front-back position and the vertical position of which is the vertical eye's position.

Then, the process proceeds to step <NUM>.

The reason why, as described above, the screen position when a handwritten input acceptance box is included in the screen is <NUM> above the screen position when no handwritten input acceptance box is included is to bring the handwriting position closer to the face so that a handwriting operation by the user is eased.

After the screen position has been set in step <NUM> or <NUM> and the process proceeds to step <NUM>, the screen placement setting unit <NUM> sets a screen size according to distance between the set screen position and the eye's position measured by the in-vehicle monitoring system <NUM> so that the longer the distance is, the larger the screen size is within a range in which the screen fits in the display area on the touch panel display <NUM>.

The screen placement setting unit <NUM> sets the set screen position and screen size as suitable-for-manipulation placement (step <NUM>). Then, the process returns to screen placement setting processing.

<FIG> will be referenced again. After having performed suitable-for-manipulation placement calculation processing in step <NUM>, the screen placement setting unit <NUM> sets suitable-for-manipulation in the input/output control unit <NUM> as screen placement (step <NUM>). Then, the process returns to processing starting from step <NUM>.

If visual content for appreciation is included in the selected screen (Yes in step <NUM>), the screen placement setting unit <NUM> sets, as the screen position, a position in the display area on the touch panel display <NUM>, the position being suitable for viewing visual content, included in the screen, for appreciation, according to the eye's position measured by the in-vehicle monitoring system <NUM> and to the display size and resolution, which are attributes, of the visual content for appreciation (step <NUM>). The position suitable for viewing visual content for appreciation is, for example, the position at which the distance between the eye and the screen is n times the vertical size of the visual content for appreciation. The screen placement setting unit <NUM> sets the number n of n times according to the resolution so that the lower the resolution of the visual content for appreciation is, the larger the number n is.

The screen placement setting unit <NUM> sets the set, as screen placement, screen position and original screen size in the input/output control unit <NUM> (step <NUM>). The original screen size, which is the size of the original screen, is of a type in which the resolution and display size of the displayed visual content for appreciation remain unchanged.

After having set screen placement in step <NUM>, the screen placement setting unit <NUM> monitors whether a screen placement setting request has been received from the input/output control unit <NUM> (step <NUM>) and whether a manipulation gesture has occurred (step <NUM>).

The manipulation gesture is a type of gesture performed by the user sitting on the rear-right seat to attempt to manipulate the screen displayed on the touch panel display <NUM>. In step <NUM>, the screen placement setting unit <NUM> decides that a manipulation gesture has occurred when, for example, the hand's position that is being measured by the in-vehicle monitoring system <NUM> has moved through a predetermined distance or more toward the displayed screen.

If a screen placement setting request has been received (Yes in step <NUM>), the process returns to processing starting from step <NUM>.

If a gesture has occurred (Yes in step <NUM>), the screen placement setting unit <NUM> performs suitable-for-manipulation placement calculation processing illustrated in <FIG> to calculate suitable-for-manipulation placement (step <NUM>), and sets the set suitable-for-manipulation placement in the input/output control unit <NUM> as screen placement (step <NUM>). Then, the process returns to processing starting from step <NUM>.

When suitable-for-manipulation placement is set as screen placement in step <NUM>, the input/output control unit <NUM> changes the position and size of the displayed screen according the set screen placement. As a result, the displayed screen moves to a position, closer to the user, at which the user can perform manipulation easily, in response to the user's operation to attempt to perform manipulation.

This completes the description of screen placement setting processing performed by the screen placement setting unit <NUM>.

In the in-vehicle monitoring system <NUM>, the screen placement setting unit <NUM> may detect the line of vision of the user sitting on the rear-right seat from a picture taken by the in-vehicle camera <NUM>. Then, processing in step <NUM> in screen placement setting processing may be to monitor the occurrence of the line of vision of the user who gazes at a display object, in the displayed screen, intended to accept the user's manipulation, instead of or together with monitoring a manipulation gesture.

The display object intended to accept the user's manipulation is a display object that accepts the user's manipulation, the display object being one of display objects, which are part of elements constituting the screen. Examples of this type of display object include a handwritten input acceptance box and a virtual manipulator such as a button or key.

When, in step <NUM>, the screen placement setting unit <NUM> monitors the occurrence of the line of vision of the user who gazes at a display object intended to accept the user's manipulation, instead of monitoring a manipulation gesture, if the screen placement setting unit <NUM> detects the occurrence of the line of vision in step <NUM>, the process proceeds to step <NUM>. If not, the process returns to step <NUM>. When, in step <NUM>, the screen placement setting unit <NUM> monitors the occurrence of the line of vision of the user who gazes at a display object intended to accept the user's manipulation, together with monitoring a manipulation gesture, if the screen placement setting unit <NUM> detects the occurrence of either of a gesture and the line of vision in step <NUM>, the process proceeds to step <NUM>. If the screen placement setting unit <NUM> detects the occurrence of neither a gesture nor the line of vision, the process returns to step <NUM>.

This completes the description of operation performed by the screen placement setting unit <NUM> to set screen placement in the input/output control unit <NUM>.

In this operation performed by the screen placement setting unit <NUM>, when the screen includes no visual content for appreciation, a screen <NUM> is displayed at a position, close to the user, at which the user can manipulate the screen <NUM> with a natural operation, as illustrated in <FIG>.

<FIG> illustrates screen placement when the screen <NUM> includes no handwritten input acceptance box. <FIG> illustrates screen placement when the screen <NUM> includes a handwritten input acceptance box <NUM>. As illustrated in these drawings, when the screen <NUM> includes the handwritten input acceptance box <NUM>, the screen <NUM> is positioned slightly close to the face, making it easy for the user to enter a handwritten input.

When the screen <NUM> includes visual content for appreciation, the screen <NUM> is displayed at a position slightly distant from the user so that the position is suitable for viewing visual content for appreciation, as illustrated in <FIG>.

The visual content for appreciation in <FIG> is included in the screen <NUM> with the same display size and at the same position on the screen <NUM>. However, <FIG> illustrates screen placement when the visual content for appreciation has high resolution, and <FIG> illustrates screen placement when the visual content for appreciation has low resolution. As illustrated in these drawings, according to the resolution of visual content included in the screen <NUM> for appreciation, the screen <NUM> is placed so that the distance from the user to the screen <NUM> is suitable for viewing the visual content, having the resolution, for appreciation. The position at which the screen <NUM> is placed varies with the resolution. Placement of the screen <NUM> including visual content for appreciation is set depending on not only the resolution of the visual content for appreciation but also the display size, as described above.

This completes the description of the embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, as described above, a screen including no visual content for appreciation is displayed at a position comparatively close to the user, making it easy for the user to perform a manipulation on the screen. By contrast, a screen including visual content for appreciation is displayed at a position comparatively distant from the user. Therefore, the user can comfortably view the visual content for appreciation without being subject to stress that would otherwise be caused because the screen is too close to the user.

The above embodiment has been described for a case in which a single touch panel display <NUM> is placed only on the side surface of the automobile interior on the right side of the rear-right seat in the automobile. However, the number of touch panel displays <NUM> and their placement can have various aspects.

For example, the touch panel display <NUM> may be placed on the side surface of the automobile interior on the left side of the rear-left seat. Alternatively, touch panel displays <NUM> may be placed on the side surface of the automobile interior on the right side of the rear-right seat and the side surface of the automobile interior on the left side of the rear-left seat, one for each side surface.

Alternatively, the touch panel display <NUM> that is long in a horizontal direction, matching the front-back direction of the automobile, of the display area may be disposed, for example, between the rear-right seat and rear-left seat of the automobile as illustrated in <FIG>.

In this case as well, when the screen <NUM> includes no visual content for appreciation, the screen <NUM> is displayed on the touch panel display <NUM> so that the screen <NUM> is placed at a position, close to the user, at which the user can naturally manipulate the screen <NUM>, as illustrated in <FIG>. When the screen <NUM> includes the handwritten input acceptance box <NUM>, the screen <NUM> is displayed so that it is brought slightly closer to the user, who is using the touch panel display <NUM>, in the left-right direction as illustrated in <FIG>, than when the screen <NUM> includes no handwritten input acceptance box <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG>. This makes it easy for the user to enter a handwritten input.

When the screen <NUM> includes visual content for appreciation, the screen <NUM> is displayed at a position more distant from the user as illustrated in <FIG>, the position being suitable for the user to view the visual content for appreciation, than when the screen <NUM> includes no visual content for appreciation as illustrated in <FIG>. According to the resolution and display size of visual content for appreciation, the visual content being included in the screen <NUM>, the screen <NUM> is displayed so that the distance from the user to the screen <NUM> is suitable for viewing the visual content, having the resolution and display size, for appreciation. The position at which the screen <NUM> is displayed varies with the resolution and display size.

Claim 1:
A display system that displays a screen (<NUM>) for a user, the system comprising:
a touch panel display (<NUM>) configured to display the screen (<NUM>) and accept a manipulation performed on the screen (<NUM>), a position at which to display the screen (<NUM>) being variable; and
a display control means configured to control a display of the screen (<NUM>) on the touch panel display (<NUM>);
characterized in that the display control means decides whether the screen (<NUM>) to be displayed has visual content for appreciation according to a predetermined criterion; if the screen (<NUM>) to be displayed includes no visual content for appreciation, the display control means displays the screen (<NUM>) at a suitable-for-manipulation position comparatively close to the user; if the screen (<NUM>) to be displayed has visual content for appreciation, the display control means displays the screen (<NUM>) at a suitable-for-manipulation position comparatively distant from the user.