Electronic device and cradle therefore

• US 10,279,481 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2016
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, So Hee, Shin, Won Ho, Kwak, No San, Roh, Kyung Shik, Park, Joong Kyung, Yoon, Suk June
• Primary Examiner(s): Moyer, Dale
• Application Number:
  US15/248,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20170165843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/245 by locating a pattern; Special marks for positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/161 Detection; Localisation; Normalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

An electronic device to be put on a cradle may include a housing including a part in a hemispherical shape and physically coming into contact with the cradle in an arbitrary position when the electronic device is put on the cradle, a display arranged on another part of the housing, a camera module to obtain an image in a direction that the display faces, a sensor module to sense an orientation of the electronic device; and a processor to determine a target orientation of the electronic device based on the obtained image, and create control data to change the orientation of the electronic device based on the sensed orientation and the target orientation of the electronic device.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a housing provided separately from a cradle without an electric contact with the cradle and rotatably placeable on the cradle;

a display provided on the housing;

a camera module configured to obtain an image in a direction that the display faces;

a sensor module configured to sense an orientation of the housing; and

a processor configured to determine a target orientation of the housing based on the obtained image, and transmit wirelessly, to the cradle, control data to change the orientation of the housing based on the sensed orientation and the target orientation of the housing,

wherein, by an operation of the cradle based on the control data, the display provided on the housing faces a user.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control data includes at least one of information regarding the orientation of the housing, information regarding the target orientation, information regarding speed of the housing, and information regarding acceleration of the housing.

3. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a communication module,

wherein the processor is further configured to send the control data to the cradle using the communication module.

4. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing comes into contact with an operation leg included in the cradle when the housing is placed on the cradle, and the orientation of the housing is changed by the operation leg.

13. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless power receiver configured to receive wireless power from the cradle when the housing is placed on the cradle.

14. The electronic apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to control the wireless power receiver to receive the wireless power from the cradle based on a signal output from the sensor module.

5. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a housing provided separately from a cradle without an electric contact with the cradle and rotatably placeable on the cradle;

a display provided on the housing;

a camera module configured to obtain an image in a direction that the display faces;

a sensor module configured to sense an orientation of the housing;

a driver provided in the housing and configured to rotate the housing around at least one of a first axis and a second axis; and

a processor configured to determine a target orientation of the housing based on the obtained image and control the driver to change the orientation of the housing based on the sensed orientation and the target orientation of the housing,

wherein the display provided on the housing faces a user.

6. The electronic apparatus of claim 5, wherein the driver comprises:

a first motor configured to rotate the housing around the first axis; and

a second motor configured to rotate the housing around the second axis.

7. The electronic apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first axis is perpendicular to the second axis.

8. The electronic apparatus of claim 6, wherein the driver comprises:

a first shaft configured to transfer rotation of the first motor to the second motor; and

a second shaft configured to transfer rotation of the second motor to the housing.

9. The electronic apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first shaft rotates around the first axis, and the second shaft rotates around at least one of the first and second axes.

10. The electronic apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first motor is held in a fixed position by a magnet when the housing is placed on the cradle.

11. The electronic apparatus of claim 6, wherein the second motor is rotated around the first axis when the housing is placed on the cradle.

12. The electronic apparatus of claim 6, wherein the housing is rotated around at least one of the first and second axes when the housing is placed on the cradle.

15. The electronic apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a wireless power receiver configured to receive wireless power from the cradle when the housing is placed on the cradle.

16. A method for controlling an electronic apparatus including a housing, the method comprising:

sensing an orientation of the housing in a cradle, the housing being provided separately from the cradle without having an electric contact with the cradle and the housing rotatably placeable on the cradle;

obtaining an image in a direction that a display provided on the housing faces;

determining a target orientation of the housing based on the obtained image; and

creating control data to change the orientation of the housing based on the sensed orientation and the target orientation of the housing,

wherein the display provided on the housing faces a user.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the control data includes information regarding the orientation of the housing and information regarding the target orientation.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

sending the control data to the cradle using a communication module.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

controlling a driver of the electronic apparatus to change the orientation of the housing based on the control data.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving wireless power from the cradle when the housing is placed on the cradle.