Flexible information handling system and display configuration management

• US 10,156,871 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2017
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Yulin, Hong, Jung-Hwan, Lyles, Justin C., Aurongzeb, Deeder M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Adediran, Abdul-Samad A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hermann, Kirk W
• Application Number:
  US15/411,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20180210514A1
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1669 Detachable keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1679 for locking or maintaining the movable parts of the enclosure in a fixed position, e.g. latching mechanism at the edge of the display in a laptop or for the screen protective cover of a PDA G06F1/1681 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683
• 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

Abstract

A portable information handling system with rotationally coupled housing portions having an OLED film display disposed over the housing portions automatically predicts a housing rotational configuration based at least in part upon end user touches detected at the housing portions. An orientation manager controls hinge positions for hinges that rotationally couple the housing portions to each other to coordinate movement of the housing portions to a desired predicted rotational configuration, such a planar tablet configuration, a folded configuration, or a clamshell configuration.

Claims

1. A portable information handling system comprising:

a housing having rotationally coupled portions;

a processor disposed in the housing and operable to execute instructions to generate visual information;

a memory disposed in the housing and interfaced with the processor, the memory operable to store the information;

a display disposed in the housing over the rotationally coupled portions and interfaced with the processor and the memory, the display operable to present the information as visual images, the display comprising a flexible film that folds responsive to rotation of the rotationally coupled portions;

a graphics processor interfaced with the display and operable to process the visual information to generate pixel information, the pixel information defining the visual images for presentation on the display;

plural sensors integrated in the housing, the sensors detecting end user interactions with the housing;

plural locks disposed in the housing and operable to selectively restrict the rotation of the housing rotationally coupled portions relative to each other; and

an orientation manager interfaced with the plural sensors and the plural locks, the orientation manager applying detected inputs of the end user to predict a desired rotational configuration of the housing and to operate the plural locks in response to coordinate rotational movement of the housing rotationally coupled portions to the desired rotational configuration of the housing;

wherein the orientation manager differentiates pressure directed towards a front and rear face of each of the housing rotationally coupled portions to predict the desired housing rotational configuration.

2. The portable information handling system of claim 1 wherein the plural sensors include at least:

plural touch sensors that detect touch locations of the end user at the rotationally coupled portions; and

plural accelerometers that detect the orientation of the rotationally coupled portions.

3. The portable information handling system of claim 2 wherein the plural sensors further comprise pressure sensors disposed in the plural locks and operable to detect force applied to move the rotationally coupled portions at each of the plural locks.

4. The portable information handling system of claim 2 further comprising:

a peripheral keyboard sized to rest on the display at a predetermined one of the rotationally coupled portions;

a biasing mechanism biasing the peripheral keyboard to remain in the predetermined one of the rotationally coupled portions; and

wherein the plural sensors include the biasing mechanism operable to sense proximity of the keyboard in a predetermined location.

5. The portable information handling system of claim 1 wherein the desired housing rotational configuration comprises one of a planar configuration or clamshell configuration.

6. The portable information handling system of claim 1 wherein the orientation manager differentiates orientation relative to gravity at the rotationally coupled housing portions to predict the desired housing rotational configuration.

7. The portable information handling system of claim 1 further comprising a display manager interfaced with the orientation manager and the display, the display manager automatically presenting the visual information content at display portions associated with the rotationally coupled housing portions based upon the predicted desired housing rotational configuration.

8. A method for managing rotational orientation of portable information handling system housing portions, the method comprising:

detecting end user touches at plural of the housing portions;

detecting the orientation of each of the housing portions relative to gravity;

in response to the detecting of the end user touches, analyzing the touches and the orientation relative to gravity to predict a desired rotational configuration of the housing portions; and

regulating relative rotational motion between the housing portions to coordinate establishment of the desired rotational configuration of the housing portions.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein:

the detecting of the end user touches further comprises differentiating end user touches at front and rear faces of the housing portions; and

analyzing the end user touches further comprises applying the end user touches of the front and rear faces of the portable information handling system housing portions to determine a desired relative rotation of the housing portions.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the desired housing portion rotational configuration comprises one of a planar configuration or a clamshell configuration.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

detecting a keyboard placed on a display disposed over one of the portable information handling system housing portions; and

in response to the detecting the keyboard, predicting a clamshell configuration of the portable information handling system housing portions.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the regulating the relative rotational motion between the portable information handling system housing portions further comprises adjusting friction at a hinge that rotationally couples first and second ones of the portable information handling system housing portions to each other.

13. A portable information handling system display comprising:

an OLED film disposed over a housing, the housing having plural housing portions that rotate relative to each other, the OLED film flexing during rotation of the plural housing portions to conform to the housing;

plural sensors disposed in the plural housing portions, the plural sensors operable to detecting end user touches at the plural housing portions;

an orientation manager interfaced with the plural sensors, the orientation manager applying the detected end user touches to predict a desired rotational configuration of the housing and, in response, to coordinate rotational movement of the plural housing portions to the desired rotational configuration of the housing; and

a peripheral keyboard sized to rest on the portable information handling system display at one of the plural housing portions, the orientation manager detecting proximity of the peripheral keyboard to the display and applying the detected proximity to predict the desired rotational configuration of the housing.

14. The portable information handling system display of claim 13 wherein desired rotational configuration of the housing comprises one of a folded configuration or a planar configuration.

15. The portable information handling system display of claim 13 further comprising:

the plural housing portions having at least three housing portions rotationally coupled to each other by hinges; and

a lock associated with each of the hinges, each of the locks interfaced with the orientation manager, the orientation manager adapting each of the locks to coordinate rotational movement of the plural housing portions to the desired rotational configuration of the housing.

16. The portable information handling system of claim 14 wherein the desired rotational configuration of the housing with the peripheral keyboard proximate the portable information handling system display comprises a clamshell orientation.

17. The portable information handling system of claim 16 further comprising a display manager adapting content of the portable information handling system display based upon the desired rotational configuration of the housing.

18. A method for managing rotational orientation of portable information handling system housing portions, the method comprising:

detecting end user touches at plural of the portable information handling system housing portions;

detecting a keyboard placed on a display disposed over one of the portable information handling system housing portions;

in response to the detecting end user touches and the detecting a keyboard, analyzing the end user and keyboard touches to predict a desired rotational configuration of the portable information handling system housing portions to be a clamshell rotational configuration; and

regulating relative rotational motion between the portable information handling system housing portions to coordinate establishment of the clamshell rotational configuration.