Information processing apparatus and information processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9823815-B2
Application number	US-201514601485-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2015
Priority date	Mar 7, 2014
Publication date	Nov 21, 2017
Grant date	Nov 21, 2017

Abstract

There is provided an information processing apparatus including a line-of-sight position acquisition unit configured to acquire a line-of-sight position of a user, a state control unit configured to perform a transition to an active state in response to a first operation performed by the user, the active state being capable of selecting an object by the user through a line of sight of the user, and a processing unit configured to determine an object corresponding to the acquired line-of-sight position as a selected object in response to a second operation performed by the user subsequent to the first operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:
a line-of-sight position acquisition unit configured to acquire a line-of-sight position of a user;
a state control unit configured to
perform a transition from an inactive state to an active state in response to a first operation performed by the user, the active state being capable of selecting an object by the user through a line of sight of the user, and the inactive state characterized in that the object is not displayed on a display screen, and
control, in the inactive state, a display of a guidance object at an absolute position on the display screen where the object would be displayed in the active state; and

a processing unit configured to determine an object corresponding to the acquired line-of-sight position as a selected object in response to a second operation performed by the user subsequent to the first operation,
wherein the line-of-sight position acquisition unit, the state control unit, and the processing unit are each implemented via at least one processor.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first operation is performed by a user and includes an operation for allowing an operation device to perform a transition from a state of not being operated to a state of being operated, the operation device being configured to obtain a binary detection value corresponding to the state of being operated and the state of not being operated, and
wherein the state control unit, in an inactive state incapable of selecting an object by the user through a line of sight of the user, performs a transition to the active state upon detection of a detection value based on the first operation.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the first operation allows the operation device to perform a transition from the state of not being operated to the state of being operated,
wherein the second operation is performed by the user and allows the operation device in the state of being operated to perform a transition to the state of not being operated,
wherein the state control unit performs a transition to the active state upon detection of a first detection value of the operation device corresponding to the state of being operated, and
wherein the processing unit determines an object corresponding to the line-of-sight position as a selected object upon detection of a second detection value of the operation device corresponding to the state of not being operated after the active state is set.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the first operation and the second operation allow the operation device to perform a transition from the state of not being operated to the state of being operated and then perform a transition from the state of being operated to the state of not being operated,
wherein the state control unit performs a transition to the active state upon detection of a combination of a first detection value of the operation device corresponding to the state of being operated and a second detection value of the operation device corresponding to the state of not being operated, and
wherein the processing unit determines an object corresponding to the line-of-sight position as a selected object upon detection of the combination of the first detection value and the second detection value after the active state is set.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first operation is a selection start operation performed on an operation device from which an at least ternary detection value is obtained, the at least ternary detection value being defined as respectively corresponding to a state of not being operated, a state of being subjected to the selection start operation of an object, and a state of being subjected to a selection determination operation of an object, and
wherein the state control unit, in an inactive state incapable of selecting an object by the user through a line of sight of the user, performs a transition to the active state upon detection of a third detection value of the operation device corresponding to the state of being subjected to the selection start operation.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the second operation is the selection determination operation performed on the operation device, and
wherein the processing unit determines an object corresponding to the line-of-sight position as a selected object upon detection of a fourth detection value of the operation device corresponding to the state of being subjected to the selection determination operation after the active state is set.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the state control unit performs a transition from the active state to the inactive state upon detection of a second detection value of the operation device corresponding to the state of not being operated after the active state is set.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processing unit adjusts a parameter relating to the determined object based on a third operation performed by the user subsequent to the second operation, the third operation being used to adjust a parameter corresponding to the selected object.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein the third operation is performed on an operation device in which the first operation and the second operation are performed, and
wherein the processing unit adjusts the parameter based on a fifth detection value of the operation device corresponding to the third operation.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9 ,
wherein the operation device is a rotary-type selector including a mechanism for obtaining a binary detection value or a mechanism for obtaining an at least ternary detection value and a mechanism for obtaining a detection value in response to a rotary operation,
wherein the first operation and the second operation are operations performed by the user on the mechanism for obtaining a binary detection value or the mechanism for obtaining an at least ternary detection value of the rotary-type selector, and
wherein the third operation is a rotary operation on the mechanism for obtaining a detection value in response to the rotary operation of the rotary-type selector.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the processing unit adjusts the parameter by adjusting an operation function of the information processing apparatus.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the line-of-sight position acquisition unit acquires the line-of-sight position of the user in the active state.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the state control unit performs a transition to the active state by allowing the object to be displayed on the display screen.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processing unit prevents the selected object from being determined when there is no object corresponding to the acquired line-of-sight position, and
wherein, when the selected object is prevented from being determined, the state control unit performs a transition from the active state to an inactive state incapable of selecting an object by the user through the line of sight of the user.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the state control unit performs a transition from an active

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Yasuda Ryouhei
• Noda Takuro

Classifications

• B60K35/22

  Display screens · CPC title

• G06F3/0304

  Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means (constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042) · CPC title

• G06F3/04842

  Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60K35/00

  Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles · CPC title

• B60K37/06

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic