WO2018065197A1

WO2018065197A1 - System and method for positioning cursor on oled display devices

Info

Publication number: WO2018065197A1
Application number: PCT/EP2017/073452
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mehmet Emin CEPNI; Cengiz Berkay; Osman Osman; Mustafa Ilker Uzun; Ibrahim Ipek
Original assignee: Arcelik Anonim Sirketi
Priority date: 2016-10-07
Filing date: 2017-09-18
Publication date: 2018-04-12
Also published as: TR201614091A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a an OLED image display device having a display panel comprising a plurality of LED elements, said OLED image display device panel further comprising light sensing units in the manner that the coordinates of a laser spot created by a laser pointer integrated into a remote control pointed at a position with respect to said OLED image display device are detectable by said light sensing units in response to light shining thereon. The detected coordinates are used for positioning of a cursor on the display.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR POSITIONING CURSOR ON OLED DISPLAY DEVICES

The present invention relates to a system and method for positioning a cursor on OLED display devices using a laser pointer device.

It is well-known that swiftly changing the position of a cursor on a wide screen while using the menus, running and using applications, browsing web pages remains an issue for Smart TVs.

Despite the development of a variety of hardware to ensure correct positioning of the cursor on wide TV screens, these hardware do not provide an efficient solution to this problem. It is desirable to have the same speed and flexibility as using a pointing device, typically a mouse, connected to a desktop or laptop computer while using a Smart TV; however, available remote controls cannot provide this service. While connecting a mouse to the TV via USB ameliorates this issue, it is undesirable to use a secondary hardware along with the remote control.

Various remote controls have been developed to solve this problem. Although moving the cursor using the arrow keys on the remote control can provide high resolution cursor positioning, it is cumbersome to move the cursor from one point to another using this method. Another alternative are gyro sensing remote controls; however it is troublesome to correctly position the cursor using these devices. Currently, remote controls comprising touch sensors are seen as the most viable alternative. Still, these remote controls cannot provide the desired performance because touchpads are rarely used on notebooks as the cursor is usually controlled by an external mouse. There is a need in the art for a new hardware that is incorporated into the remote control and a display device that can be triggered by said remote control.

Among others, a prior art publication in the technical field of the invention may be referred to as US20090309834, which discloses an apparatus for controlling a computer system or a display system by a wireless optical device, such as a laser pointer. The invention comprises a monitor, a camera for sensing an image on said monitor and a processor for receiving the sensed image from the camera, detecting and calculating the position of the laser spot with respect to said sensed image and controlling as aspect of the image based on the position of said spot. To avoid interference from ambient light, the invention makes use of an optical bandpass filter placed in front of the camera lens and a software that is designed to disregard stationary illumination on the screen. The ‘click’ function of a mouse is recreated by the user extinguishing the laser within an active area on the screen. Other examples in the prior art may be referred to as US9064451B2, US2006132400A1 and US7683881.

The present invention, on the other hand, addresses the situation where cursor positioning on an OLED display device is achieved using a laser pointer and LEDs of OLED panels or sensing circuits integrated into said panels.

The present invention aims to provide an efficient way of positioning a cursor on the OLED panel of a display device, such as a Smart TV, with a high resolution. The invention also aims to provide a method for swiftly moving the cursor from one point to another on an OLED display.

The invention provides a simple hardware alternative to using gyro or touch sensors on remote controls for cursor positioning.

Establishing communication between remote control and TV is rendered unnecessary with the invention, allowing the cursor control to be faster and more responsive.

Likewise, need to use an external mouse connected to the TV via a USB port to be able to efficiently use the cursor on an OLED display is avoided.

The present invention provides a system and method for positioning a cursor on OLED display devices using a laser pointer device, as provided by the characterizing features defined in Claim 1.

Primary object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for positioning a cursor on OLED display devices using a laser pointer and LEDs of OLED panels or sensing circuits integrated into said panels.

The present invention proposes an OLED image display device having a display panel comprising a plurality of LED elements with and without detection circuitry in the manner that the coordinates of a laser spot created by a laser pointer integrated into a remote control pointed at a position with respect to said OLED image display device is detectable by said LED elements with detection circuitry operating in dual mode so as to be shut down and switched from drive mode to sensor mode for a predetermined time duration in response to a control signal by a remote control.

Accompanying drawings are given solely for the purpose of exemplifying a system for positioning a cursor on OLED display devices, whose advantages over prior art were outlined above and will be explained in brief hereinafter.

The drawings are not meant to delimit the scope of protection as identified in the Claims, nor should they be referred to alone in an effort to interpret the scope identified in said Claims without recourse to the technical disclosure in the description of the present invention.

Fig. 1 demonstrates positioning of the cursor on an OLED panel image display device by a remote control according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 demonstrates drive and sensor modes of a LED element selectively coupled to a power source (S) and an amplifier (A) to detect generated voltage (V) in response to a laser beam on the OLED panel image display device according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 demonstrates a simplified circuit diagram where the change in drive current of a LED is detected through an amplifier by applying constant voltage according to the present invention.

Fig. 4 demonstrates a plurality of LED elements with detection circuitry disposed among LED elements without detection circuitry according to the present invention.

The present invention proposes a system for positioning a cursor on OLED display devices using a laser pointer device. An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is typically a light-emitting diode (LED) where the light emitting layer is an organic film component to operate in response to an electric current.

In the case of an OLED image display device according to the present invention, the user is provided with an advanced cursor control means in the manner that a laser pointer integrated into a remote control is pointed at the position on the display where they want the cursor to be. The coordinates of the laser spot with respect to the display is determined as will be outlined hereafter.

According to the present invention, a low-power laser that is not hazardous is used. Preferably, infrared light is used so that no visible laser spot is formed on the display. The cursor is preferably moved from one position to another upon activating this feature on the remote control by pressing the designated button and pointing the laser pointer at the desired position on the display. The new position of the cursor can be preferably approved by a second function on the designated button.

As is known to the skilled worker, LEDs used in OLED panels emit light when a current is passed through them. In the opposite case, i.e. when light shines on the LEDs, they act as a photovoltaic sensor and generates a certain amount of power so that the position of a laser beam on the display can be determined.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, voltage produced by the LED is amplified by an amplifier to a detectable level. In order to use this function, the LEDs must switch from drive mode to sensor mode. When the user presses on the laser beam button on the remote control, the LEDs of the OLED panel are shut down and the LEDs are switched to sensor mode for a very short time. It is not necessary for all the LEDs in the panel to possess this measurement hardware. Depending on the radius of the laser beam and the desired resolution for cursor positioning, it will be sufficient for a small fraction of LEDs to possess this capability.

The voltage produced by the LED depends on the specific characteristics of the LEDs and laser light intensity in the setup. Typically, a voltage value in the range of LED forward voltage (2V – 3V), i.e. voltage drop across the diode if the voltage at the anode is more positive than the voltage at the cathode, can be generated, which is practically detectable and measurable. In view of the fact that LEDs in the OLED panel are too small, a large number of LEDs can be grouped to generate a detectable voltage.

According to the invention, during the sensor mode of the LED elements, a sensing duration that is less than 10 ms is sufficient for avoiding detection by human eye during position sensing of the laser light. Therefore, the principal function of the LEDs is not affected by the sensing operation. Therefore, only a certain number of LEDs in the OLED panel additionally comprises electronic components to sense the generated voltage when sensing mode is activated by the user.

Number and position of LEDs provided with detection circuitry on the OLED panel basically depends on the panel resolution, size and radius of the laser pointer light beam. It is noted that a sufficiently sensitive cursor positioning requires a lower radius laser beam and an increased number of LED elements with detection circuitry. It is established that in the case of a beam radius of 5 mm, 10 percent of the LED elements with detection circuitry being homogenously distributed on the OLED panel provides a sufficiently sensitive signal to effectuate correct positionment of the cursor. Considering a 1920x1080 resolution FHD (Full HD) panel, the number of LED elements with detection circuitry is given as 207.360. One LED in every ten disposed in vertical and horizontal alignments therefore comprises additional circuitry to detect generated voltage in response to pointed laser light. Typically, the basic circuit for detecting the generated voltage is composed of an amplifier in connection with an analog-to-digital converter as disclosed in US 20130194199.

According to a second embodiment of the present invention, the LED elements with detection circuity can be operated such that the position of a laser spot is determined by detecting the change in drive current of the LED when a light is shone on it. Drive current increases with increasing light intensity. When a constant voltage is used, the change in drive current of a LED is detected with the help of the amplifier. As before, it is not necessary for every LED on the panel to have this capability.

According to a third embodiment of the present invention, photovoltaic cells are placed among the LEDs. The amount of and distance between photovoltaic cells is again determined based on the radius of the laser beam and the desired resolution for cursor positioning. The position of the cursor is typically determined by detecting the response of photovoltaic cells when laser beam is directed at them. It is to be noted that ten percent density of light sensing units being homogenously distributed on the OLED panel can be further reduced to 5% in the case of photovoltaic cells in contrast to LED elements with detection circuitry (One photovoltaic cell in every twenty LED in vertical and horizontal lines).

In one embodiment of the present invention, an OLED image display device having a display panel comprising a plurality of LED elements is proposed.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, said OLED image display device panel comprises light sensing units in the manner that the coordinates of a laser spot created by a laser pointer integrated into a remote control pointed at a position with respect to said OLED image display device is detectable by said light sensing units in response to light shining thereon.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, said light sensing units are LED elements with detection circuitry or photovoltaic cells.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, at least one of said LED elements with detection circuitry or photovoltaic cells are disposed in every ten LED elements in vertical and horizontal alignments.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, said light sensing units are LED elements with detection circuitry operated in the manner that they are shut down and switched from drive mode to sensor mode for a predetermined time duration in response to a control signal by a remote control.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, voltage produced by said LED elements with detection circuitry is amplified by an amplifier to a predetermined level.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of LED elements with detection circuitry is grouped to generate a signal amplifiable by said amplifier.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, during the sensor mode of the LED elements with detection circuitry, a sensing duration that is less than 10 ms is used.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, light sensing units are homogenously distributed on the OLED panel in vertical and horizontal alignments.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the LED elements with detection circuity are operated such that the position of a laser spot is determined by detecting the change in drive current of the LED when a light is shone on it.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, in the case a constant voltage being used, change in drive current of LED elements with detection circuity is detected by means of an amplifier.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, photovoltaic cells are disposed in every twenty LED elements in vertical and horizontal alignments.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the laser pointer integrated into the remote control creates infrared light laser.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the laser spot created by the laser pointer integrated into the remote control is movable from one position to another upon activating on said remote control by pressing a designated button.

Therefore, an efficient way of positioning a cursor on the OLED panel of a display device is provided whereby swiftly and practically moving the cursor from one point to another on the OLED display is possible.

Claims

An OLED image display device having a display panel comprising a plurality of LED elements, characterized in that;

said OLED image display device panel comprises light sensing units in the manner that the coordinates of a laser spot created by a laser pointer integrated into a remote control pointed at a position with respect to said OLED image display device is detectable by said light sensing units in response to light shining thereon.
An OLED image display device as in Claim 1, characterized in that said light sensing units are LED elements with detection circuitry or photovoltaic cells.
An OLED image display device as in Claim 2, characterized in that at least one of said LED elements with detection circuitry or photovoltaic cells are disposed in every ten LED elements in vertical and horizontal alignments.
An OLED image display device as in Claim 2 or 3, characterized in that said light sensing units are LED elements with detection circuitry operated in the manner that they are shut down and switched from drive mode to sensor mode for a predetermined time duration in response to a control signal by a remote control.
An OLED image display device as in Claim 4, characterized in that voltage produced by said LED elements with detection circuitry is amplified by an amplifier to a predetermined level.
An OLED image display device as in Claim 5, characterized in that a plurality of LED elements with detection circuitry is grouped to generate a signal amplifiable by said amplifier.
An OLED image display device as in Claim 4, 5 or 6, characterized in that during the sensor mode of the LED elements with detection circuitry, a sensing duration that is less than 10 ms is used.
An OLED image display device as in Claim 4, 5 or 6, characterized in that light sensing units are homogenously distributed on the OLED panel in vertical and horizontal alignments.
An OLED image display device as in Claim 2, characterized in that the LED elements with detection circuity are operated such that the position of a laser spot is determined by detecting the change in drive current of the LED when a light is shone on it.
An OLED image display device as in Claim 9, characterized in that in the case a constant voltage being used, change in drive current of LED elements with detection circuity is detected by means of an amplifier.
An OLED image display device as in Claim 2, characterized in that photovoltaic cells are disposed in every twenty LED elements in vertical and horizontal alignments.
An OLED image display device as in Claim 1, characterized in that the laser pointer integrated into the remote control creates infrared light laser.
An OLED image display device as in any preceding Claim, characterized in that the laser spot created by the laser pointer integrated into the remote control is movable from one position to another upon activating on said remote control by pressing a designated button.