Portable Electronic Apparatus Having More Than one Display Area, and a Method of Controlling a User Interface Thereof

• US 20110065479A1
• Filed: 11/28/2008
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Nader, Ali
• Application Number:
  US12/741,104
• Publication Number:
  US 20110065479A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1692 the I/O peripheral being a secondary touch screen used as control interface, e.g. virtual buttons or sliders
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A portable electronic apparatus having first and second display areas is presented. The apparatus has an orientation sensor that provides an orientation sensor output signal indicative of a spatial orientation of the apparatus. The apparatus also has a display controller coupled to the first and second display areas and to the orientation sensor. The display controller is responsive to the orientation sensor output signal to selectively control the first display area and the second display area.

Claims

1. A portable electronic apparatus having first and second display areas, an orientation sensor configured to provide an orientation sensor output signal indicative of a spatial orientation of said apparatus, and a display controller coupled to said first and second display areas and to said orientation sensor, said display controller being responsive to said orientation sensor output signal to selectively control said first display area and said second display area by maintaining one of said first and second display areas in a first display state, and another of said first and second display areas in a second state, said second display state being a state with less display activity than said first display state;

determining, from said orientation sensor output signal, a movement of said portable electronic apparatus; and

, in response, causing said one of said first and second display areas to switch from said first display state to said second display state, and said other of said first and second display areas to switch from said second display state to said first display state, the portable electronic apparatus further comprising;

an image processor associated with said display controller, said image processor being configured to investigate a captured image of a surrounding of said other of said first and second display areas for any presence in said captured image of an object in the form of a face of one or more human individuals by executing a face detection algorithm in order to detect the presence of a user of said portable electronic apparatus, and to indicate such presence in an image processor output signal,

wherein said display controller is responsive also to said image processor output signal for the selective control of said first display area and said second display area, wherein said display controller is configured, after the determining of a movement of said portable electronic apparatus, to;

verify that said image processor has detected a face in said captured image and thus indicates presence of said user at said other of said first and second display areas; and

perform said causing of said other of said first and second display areas to switch from said second display state to said first display state, only upon an affirmative result from said verification by said image processor.

2. A portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said orientation sensor comprises an accelerometer capable of sensing at least one of a static acceleration and a dynamic acceleration of said portable electronic apparatus.

3. A portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further having a memory, said display controller being configured to read from said memory a previous orientation of said apparatus, determine from said orientation sensor output signal a current orientation of said apparatus, and selectively control said first display area and said second display area based on a difference between said previous orientation and said current orientation of said apparatus.

4. A portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display controller is further adapted to compare the determined movement of said portable electronic apparatus to a threshold and to perform said causing to switch between first and second display states for said first and second display areas only if the determined movement exceeds said threshold.

5. A portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display controller is further adapted to perform said causing to switch between first and second display states by:

first causing said other of said first and second display areas to switch from said second display state to said first display state;

then maintaining, during a transition time period, both of said first and second display areas in said first display state; and

finally, after said transition time period has lapsed, causing said one of said first and second display areas to switch from said first display state to said second display state,

wherein said transition time period is a function of a speed of said determined movement of said portable electronic apparatus.

6. A portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display controller is adapted, after having performed said causing to switch between first and second display states, to:

receive a sequence of captured images of said surrounding of said portable electronic apparatus;

determine an angular change in the appearance of the face of said user, as detected in the sequence of captured images; and

control said other of said first and second display areas to switch from a first angular display mode to a second angular display mode.

7. A portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, embodied as a mobile terminal.

8. A portable electronic apparatus according to claim 7, said mobile terminal being a mobile telephone for a mobile telecommunications system.

9. A method of controlling a user interface of a portable electronic apparatus having first and second display areas, the method comprising:

determining a spatial orientation, or change in spatial orientation, of said apparatus; and

selectively controlling said first display area and said second display area in response to the determined spatial orientation, or change in spatial orientation, of said apparatus by;

maintaining one of said first and second display areas in a first display state, and another of said first and second display areas in a second state, said second display state being a state with less display activity than said first display state;

determining a movement of said apparatus from the determined spatial orientation, or change in spatial orientation, of said apparatus; and

, in response,

causing said one of said first and second display areas to switch from said first display state to said second display state, and said other of said first and second display areas to switch from said second display state to said first display state;

wherein the method further comprises;

receiving a captured image of a surrounding of said other of said first and second display areas;

investigating said captured image for any presence therein of an object in the form of a face of one or more human individuals by executing a face detection algorithm in order to detect the presence of a user of said portable electronic apparatus;

verifying, after the determining of a movement of said portable electronic apparatus, that a face has been detected in said captured image and thus indicates presence of said user at said other of said first and second display areas; and

performing said causing of said other of said first and second display areas to switch from said second display state to said first display state, only upon an affirmative result from said verifying.

10. A method according to claim 9,

wherein said determining involves:

determining a current orientation of said apparatus; and

reading a stored previous orientation of said apparatus, and

wherein said first display area and said second display area are selectively controlled based on a difference between said previous orientation and said current orientation of said apparatus.

11. A method according to claim 9, further involving comparing the determined movement of said apparatus to a threshold and performing said causing to switch between first and second display states for said first and second display areas only if the determined movement exceeds said threshold.

12. A method according to claim 9, wherein said causing to switch between first and second display states comprises:

causing said other of said first and second display areas to switch from said second display state to said first display state;

calculating a transition time period as a function of a speed of said determined movement of said portable electronic apparatus;

maintaining, during said transition time period, both of said first and second display areas in said first display state; and

after said transition time period has lapsed, causing said one of said first and second display areas to switch from said first display state to said second display state.

13. A method according to claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, after said causing to switch between first and second display states, a sequence of captured images of said surrounding of said portable electronic apparatus;

executing said face detection algorithm to detect faces in said sequence of captured images;

determining an angular change in the appearance of the face of said user, as detected in the sequence of captured images; and

controlling said other of said first and second display areas to switch from a first angular display mode to a second angular display mode.