Dynamic user control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10539860-B2
Application number	US-201715691297-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2017
Priority date	Aug 30, 2016
Publication date	Jan 21, 2020
Grant date	Jan 21, 2020

Abstract

A wall controller is provided. The wall controller includes a projection screen having an input device and a projector, wherein the projector has an optical axis that is non-orthogonal to the projection screen. The wall controller includes a housing having the projector at an end of the housing. The housing is dimensioned to fit the end of the housing through an aperture in a first wall, fit the end into a wall space between the first wall and a second wall, and fit a majority of another end of the housing into the aperture until the projection screen is parallel to a surface of the first wall and a front portion of the projection screen is flush with, recessed in or extends from the surface of the first wall.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wall controller, comprising:
a projection screen having an input device;
a projector arranged to project a digital image onto the projection screen from the projector, the projector having an optical axis that is non-orthogonal to the projection screen; and
a housing having the projection screen mounted thereto at a first end of the housing, the housing having the projector at a second end of the housing, the housing dimensioned to fit the second end of the housing through an aperture in a first wall, fit the second end into a wall space between the first wall and a second wall, and fit a majority of the first end of the housing into the aperture until the projection screen is parallel to a surface of the first wall and a front portion of the projection screen is flush with, recessed in or extends from the surface of the first wall, with the aperture dimensioned to fit the first end of the housing or the front portion of the projection screen.

2. The wall controller of claim 1 , wherein the projection screen having an input device comprises: a rotatable front screen mounted to a touchscreen that is affixed to the first end of the housing so that the projected digital image appears on the projection screen or the input device, when viewed from a front of the projection screen having the input device.

3. The wall controller of claim 1 , further comprising:
a mirror mounted in an interior of the housing so as to reflect a beam from the projector onto the projection screen and the input device.

4. The wall controller of claim 1 , further comprising:
a base ring mountable to the aperture in the first wall such that the second end of the housing fits through the base ring and the first end of the housing fits into the base ring; and
a lock ring that fits into the base ring and locks the first end of the housing into the base ring and the lock ring with the lock ring flush to the first wall or having a majority of the lock ring below a front surface of the first wall.

5. The wall controller of claim 1 , further comprising:
the projector mounted off-axis relative to the projection screen having the input device and configured to have a non-reflected beam aimed at the projection screen.

6. The wall controller of claim 1 , wherein the projection screen includes a rotatable input device affixed to a rotatable cylindrical rim having an arc shaped reflective outer edge.

7. The wall controller of claim 1 , wherein an overall length of the housing from the first end to the second end is greater than an overall depth of the housing, so as to accommodate a beam path from the projector to the projection screen.

8. A wall controller, comprising:
a projection screen having an input device with a shaped, reflective outer edge;
a projector arranged to project a digital image onto the projection screen or the input device; and
the projector mountable behind a wall having an aperture to which the projection screen is mountable such that a first portion of the digital image is visible from a front of the projection screen and the input device, and a second portion of the digital image is reflected outward and backward from the shaped, reflective outer edge onto a surface of the wall from which the projection screen extends.

9. The wall controller of claim 8 , wherein the projection screen comprises:
a transparent or translucent touchscreen in fixed relation to the projector;
a rotatable front screen in front of the transparent or translucent touchscreen; and
the reflective outer edge attached to the rotatable front screen at a boundary thereof and surrounding a boundary of the transparent or translucent touchscreen.

10. The wall controller of claim 8 , further comprising:
the input device having a light pipe rim, with the shaped, reflective outer edge on a curved outer portion of the light pipe rim such that a third portion of the digital image illuminates the light pipe rim.

11. The wall controller of claim 8 , further comprising:
the digital image having the first portion as an inner, circular region, the second portion as a ring-shaped region surrounding the first portion, and a further portion as dark field surrounding the ring-shaped region.

12. The wall controller of claim 8 , further comprising:
a projector controller coupled to the projector and configured to animate at least the first portion and the second portion of the digital image.

13. The wall controller of claim 8 , wherein the shaped, reflective outer edge is at least one of curvilinear, faceted, ringed, plated, painted, concave, or radially symmetric.

14. The wall controller of claim 8 , wherein the second portion of the digital image reflected onto the front surface of the wall appears as an image, on the wall, at least partially surrounding the projection screen.

15. A wall controller, comprising:
a transparent or translucent touchscreen with a rotatable transparent or translucent front screen that overlaps the transparent or translucent touchscreen;
a projector arranged to project a digital image onto the transparent or translucent touchscreen or the rotatable transparent or translucent front screen, the projector mountable behind a wall having an aperture to which the wall controller is mountable; and
the transparent or translucent touchscreen configured to sense a finger positioned at an edge of, and rotating, the rotatable transparent or translucent front screen.

16. The wall controller of claim 15 , further comprising:
a bearing coupling the rotatable front screen to the transparent or translucent touchscreen, the bearing mounted behind the transparent or translucent touchscreen to a skirt of the projection touchscreen and a skirt of the front screen.

17. The wall controller of claim 15 , wherein the transparent or translucent touchscreen comprises:
a first transparent or translucent disk of a first diameter and having a first cylindrical rim;
a capacitive sensing film on a front surface of or inside the first transparent or translucent disk;
a second transparent or translucent disk of a second diameter greater than the first diameter and having a second cylindrical rim; and
the second cylindrical rim surrounding and coupled to the first cylindrical rim by a ring-shaped bearing, with the second transparent or translucent disk concentric to, rotatable relative to, and in front of the first transparent or translucent disk and the capacitive sensing film.

18. The wall controller of claim 15 , further comprising:
a front surface of the front screen having an inner region arranged for finger sliding surrounded by an outer region for finger placement to rotate the front screen, the outer region having texturing for finger gripping.

19. The wall controller of claim 15 , wherein the digital image fills the transparent or translucent touchscreen and the front screen and stays at a fixed orientation to the transparent or translucent touchscreen as the front screen rotates.

20. The wall controller of claim 15 , further comprising:
the transparent or translucent touchscreen further configured to sense a finger press or finger slide in a region of the rotatable transparent or translucent front screen other than the edge.

21. The wall controller of claim 15 , wherein the transparent or translucent touchscreen is configured to detect rotation of the front screen solely by sensing the finger positioned at the edge of and rotating the front screen that overlaps the transparent or translucent touchscree

Assignees

• Kinestral Tech Inc

Inventors

• Dubois Antoine
• Bogdan John
• Nagel Paul
• Henricksen Craig
• Coffin Stephen
• Barnum Wally

Classifications

• G03B21/28

  Reflectors in projection beam {(in illumination beam G03B21/2066)} · CPC title

• G06F3/167

  Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback · CPC title

• H04N9/3185

  Geometric adjustment, e.g. keystone or convergence (optical or mechanical adjustment of convergence H04N9/317; using scanning means H04N3/22; optical or mechanical adjustments of projectors not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/14) · CPC title

• G06F3/016

  Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user · CPC title

• G02F1/163

  Operation of electrochromic cells, e.g. electrodeposition cells; Circuit arrangements therefor · CPC title