Method and apparatus for activating a hardware feature of an electronic device

• US 10,057,484 B1
• Filed: 12/19/2016
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Lombardi, Michael J., Pierce, Amber M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Berardesca, Paul
• Application Number:
  US15/384,088
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/00 Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6812 based on additional sensors, e.g. acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's

Abstract

A method and apparatus for activating a hardware feature of an electronic device includes the electronic device detecting 302 a predetermined motion of the electronic device and measuring 304, in response to detecting the predetermined motion, an orientation of the electronic device. The method further includes the electronic device activating 306, based on the orientation, a hardware feature from a plurality of selectable hardware features of the electronic device, wherein each selectable hardware feature can be activated based on different orientations of the electronic device.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a first camera located on a first side of the electronic device at a first height above a bottom of the electronic device;

a second camera located on a second side of the electronic device at a second height above the bottom of the electronic device, wherein the second height is different than the first height;

a first sensor configured to detect an orientation of the electronic device;

a second sensor comprising a set of contact sensors on at least one edge of the electronic device, the second sensor configured to detect whether the electronic device is being held with a first grip or second grip different than the first grip; and

a processing element operationally coupled to the first and second sensors and the first and second cameras, the processing element configured to;

select, based on the second sensor detecting the first grip on the at least one edge of the electronic device, the first camera; and

select, based on cumulative sensor data of the first sensor detecting the orientation and the second sensor detecting the second grip on the at least one edge of the electronic device, the second camera.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first grip is a palm grip and the first camera is a forward-facing camera of the electronic device, wherein the second grip is a fingertip grip and the second camera is a rearward-facing camera of the electronic device, and wherein a display of the electronic device is on the first side of the electronic device.

3. A method performed by an electronic device for activating a hardware feature of the electronic device, the method comprising:

detecting, based at least in part on a first sensor, an orientation of the electronic device;

detecting, based at least in part on a second sensor, whether the electronic device is being held with a first grip or a second grip different than the first grip;

activating, based on the second sensor detecting the first grip, a first hardware feature from a plurality of selectable hardware features of the electronic device; and

activating, based on cumulative sensor data of the first sensor detecting the orientation and the second sensor detecting the second grip, a second hardware feature from the plurality of selectable hardware features of the electronic device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a first selectable hardware feature of the plurality of selectable hardware features is a first camera on a first side of the electronic device and a second selectable hardware feature of the plurality of selectable hardware features is a second camera on a second side of the electronic device opposite the first side.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the first grip is a palm grip on a second side of the electronic device, and the first selectable hardware feature is a forward-facing camera of the electronic device, wherein the second grip is a fingertip grip on edges of the electronic device, and the second selectable hardware feature is a rearward-facing camera of the electronic device, and wherein a display of the electronic device is on the first side of the electronic device.

6. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

detecting, based at least in part on a first sensor, an orientation of the electronic device;

detecting, based at least in part on a second sensor whether the electronic device is being held with a first grip or a second grip different than the first grip;

activating, based on the second sensor detecting the first grip, a first hardware feature from a plurality of selectable hardware features of the electronic device; and

activating, based on cumulative sensor data of the first sensor detecting the orientation and the second sensor detecting the second grip, a second hardware feature from the plurality of selectable features of the electronic device.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein a first selectable hardware feature of the plurality of selectable hardware features is a first camera on a first side of the electronic device and a second selectable hardware feature of the plurality of selectable hardware features is a second camera on a second side of the electronic device opposite the first side.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the first grip is a palm grip on a second side of the electronic device, and the first selectable hardware feature is a forward-facing camera of the electronic device, wherein the second grip is a fingertip grip on edges of the electronic device, and the second selectable hardware feature is a rearward-facing camera of the electronic device, and wherein a display of the electronic device is on the first side of the electronic device.