Portable electronic device, display direction switching method, and recording medium

• US 20040157647A1
• Filed: 02/02/2004
• Published: 08/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Takahashi, Akira
• Application Number:
  US10/768,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20040157647A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/021 using combined folding and rotation motions combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence

Abstract

A portable electronic device includes a display, rotation detection unit, and coordinate rotation/transformation module. The display displays an image in a predetermined display direction. The rotation detection unit detects the displacement of a housing which stores the display, from a predetermined posture position by rotation. When the current posture position of the housing obtained from the rotation displacement detected by the rotation detection unit is the first posture position rotated through a predetermined angle from the predetermined posture position in a predetermined direction, the coordinate rotation/transformation module rotates the image so as to display it in the first display direction rotated through 90° from the predetermined display direction in the predetermined direction. A display direction switching method and recording medium are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device characterized by comprising:

display means (1) for displaying an image in a predetermined display direction;

rotation detection means (11) for detecting a displacement of a housing (20) which stores said display means, from a predetermined posture position by rotation; and

coordinate rotation/transformation means (3) for, when a current posture position of the housing obtained from the rotation displacement detected by said rotation detection means is a first posture position rotated through a predetermined angle from the predetermined posture position in a predetermined direction, rotating the image so as to display the image in a first display direction rotated through 90°

from the predetermined display direction in the predetermined direction.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein when the current posture position of the housing (20) is determined to be a second posture position rotated through a predetermined angle from the predetermined posture position in a direction opposite to the first posture position, said coordinate rotation/transformation means (3) rotates the image so as to display the image in a second display direction rotated through 90°

from the predetermined display direction in the direction opposite to the first display direction.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said rotation detection means (11) is formed by gyro means for detecting an acceleration applied to the housing (20).

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein said gyro means (11) is arranged adjacent to said display means (1).

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein

the portable electronic device further comprises image size determination means (15) for determining, on the basis of an aspect ratio of video obtained from a video stream supplied as the image, which of two display directions including the predetermined display direction of the video and the first display direction rotated through 90°

from the predetermined display direction in the predetermined direction increases a display area on a screen, and

said coordinate rotation/transformation means rotates the image so as to display the video in the first display direction when determination by said image size determination means represents the first display direction.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein a screen of said display means has a rectangular shape long in a portrait direction.

7. A portable electronic device characterized by comprising:

display means (1) for displaying an image in a predetermined display direction;

image size determination means (15) for determining, on the basis of a detection result obtained from a video stream supplied as the image, which of two display directions including the predetermined display direction of video and a first display direction rotated through 90°

from the predetermined display direction in a predetermined direction increases a display area on a screen; and

coordinate rotation/transformation means (3) for rotating the image so as to display the video in the first display direction when determination by said image size determination means represents the first display direction.

8. A device according to claim 7, wherein the screen of said display means has a rectangular shape long in a portrait direction.

9. A method of switching a display direction of a portable electronic device which displays an image in a predetermined display direction, characterized by comprising:

the first step of detecting a displacement of a housing (20) of the portable electronic device from a predetermined posture position by rotation; and

the second step of determining a current posture position of the housing on the basis of the rotation displacement detected in the first step,

the second step including the third step of rotating the image so as to display the image in a first display direction rotated through 90°

from the predetermined display direction in a predetermined direction, on the basis of determination that the current posture position of the housing is a first posture position rotated through a predetermined angle from the predetermined posture position in the predetermined direction.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the second step further includes the fourth step of rotating the image so as to display the image in a second display direction rotated through 90°

from the predetermined display direction in a direction opposite to the first display direction, on the basis of determination that the current posture position of the housing is a second posture position rotated through a predetermined angle from the predetermined posture position in a direction opposite to the first posture position.

11. A method according to claim 9, wherein the rotation displacement detected in the second step includes a change in acceleration applied to the housing.

12. A method according to claim 9, wherein

the display direction switching method further comprises

the fifth step of detecting an aspect ratio of video obtained from a video stream supplied as the image, and

the sixth step of determining, on the basis of the aspect ratio of the video detected in the fifth step, which of the predetermined display direction of the video and the first display direction rotated through 90°

from the predetermined display direction in the predetermined direction increases a display area on a screen, and

the sixth step includes the seventh step of rotating the image so as to display the video in the first display direction on the basis of determination that the display area on the screen increases in the first display direction.

13. A method of switching a display direction of a portable electronic device which displays an image in a predetermined display direction, characterized by comprising:

the first step of detecting an aspect ratio of video obtained from a video stream supplied as the image; and

the second step of determining, on the basis of the aspect ratio of the video detected in the first step, which of the predetermined display direction of the video and a first display direction rotated through 90°

from the predetermined display direction in a predetermined direction increases a display area on a screen,

the second step including the third step of rotating the image so as to display the video in the first display direction, on the basis of determination that the display area on the screen increases in the first display direction.

14. A recording medium which records a program for switching a display direction of a portable electronic device that displays an image in a predetermined display direction, characterized in that the recording medium records a program which causes a computer of the portable electronic device to execute

the first process of detecting a displacement of a housing (20) of the portable electronic device from a predetermined posture position by rotation;

the second process of determining a current posture position of the housing on the basis of the rotation displacement detected in the first process; and

the third process of rotating the image so as to display the image in a first display direction rotated through 90°

from the predetermined display direction in a predetermined direction, on the basis of determination that the current posture position of the housing is a first posture position rotated through a predetermined angle from the predetermined posture position in the predetermined direction.

15. A medium according to claim 14, wherein the program further includes a program which causes the computer of the portable electronic device to execute the fourth process of rotating the image so as to display the image in a second display direction rotated through 90°

from the predetermined display direction in a direction opposite to the first display direction, on the basis of determination that the current posture position of the housing is a second posture position rotated through a predetermined angle from the predetermined posture position in a direction opposite to the first posture position.

16. A medium according to claim 14, wherein the program further includes a program which causes the computer of the portable electronic device to execute

the fifth process of detecting an aspect ratio of video obtained from a video stream supplied as the image,

the sixth process of determining, on the basis of the aspect ratio of the video detected in the fifth process, which of the predetermined display direction of the video and the first display direction rotated through 90°

from the predetermined display direction in the predetermined direction increases a display area on a screen, and

the seventh process of rotating the image so as to display the video in the first display direction on the basis of determination that the display area on the screen increases in the first display direction.

17. A recording medium which records a program for switching a display direction of a portable electronic device which displays an image in a predetermined display direction, characterized in that the recording medium records a program which causes a computer of the portable electronic device to execute

the first process of detecting an aspect ratio of video obtained from a video stream supplied as the image,

the second process of determining, on the basis of the aspect ratio of the video detected in the first step, which of the predetermined display direction of the video and a first display direction rotated through 90°

from the predetermined display direction in a predetermined direction increases a display area on a screen, and

the third process of rotating the image so as to display the video in the first display direction, on the basis of determination that the display area on the screen increases in the first display direction.