ELECTRONIC WATCH CAPABLE OF ADJUSTING DISPLAY ANGLE OF SCREEN CONTENT THEREOF

• US 20120242626A1
• Filed: 03/09/2012
• Published: 09/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: MiTAC International Corporation (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: MiTAC International Corporation (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Hu, Wei-Han
• Application Number:
  US13/416,631
• Publication Number:
  US 20120242626A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/184
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 3/001 Electromechanical switches for setting or display in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/00 Input or output devices integrated in time-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04897 Special input arrangements or commands for improving display capability

Abstract

An electronic watch includes an input interface, a processor, and a display interface. The input interface receives an input and generates a setting command that corresponds to the input. The processor is operable to generate screen content, to determine a display angle corresponding to the setting command, and to rotate the screen content according to the display angle. The display interface is operable to display the screen content received from the processor in a manner that the screen content is rotated relative to the display interface by the display angle.

Claims

1. An electronic watch comprising:

an input interface for receiving an input and for generating a setting command that corresponds to the input;

a processor coupled electrically to said input interface and operable to generate screen content, to determine a display angle corresponding to the setting command received from said input interface, and to rotate the screen content according to the display angle thus determined; and

a display interface coupled electrically to said processor and operable to display the screen content received from said processor in a manner that the screen content is rotated relative to said display interface by the display angle;

wherein display of the screen content is rotated and is maintained with the display angle until said processor determines a new display angle corresponding to a new setting command received from said input interface.

2. The electronic watch as claimed in claim 1, wherein said input interface includes a rotary knob, said rotary knob having a rotation axis that is transverse to a display plane of said display interface,

wherein, when said rotary knob is rotated by a first angle in a first direction, said input interface generates the setting command corresponding to rotation of said rotary knob, and said processor rotates the screen content in the first direction according to the display angle corresponding to the setting command, and

wherein, when said rotary knob is rotated by a second angle in a second direction opposite to the first direction, said input interface generates the setting command corresponding to rotation of said rotary knob, and said processor rotates the screen content in the second direction according to the display angle corresponding to the setting command.

3. The electronic watch as claimed in claim 2, wherein said rotary knob is formed with a plurality of graduations, and wherein rotation of said rotary knob by one graduation in either of the first and second directions results in said processor rotating the screen content in the corresponding one of the first and second directions by a unit angle corresponding to one graduation.

4. The electronic watch as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a storage unit for storing a look-up table that defines relations between the setting command and the display angle, said processor being coupled electrically to said storage unit and accessing said storage unit to determine the display angle that corresponds to the setting command received from said input interface.

5. The electronic watch as claimed in claim 4, wherein said processor is operable under an angle setting mode, in which said processor controls said display interface to display a display angle menu thereon, said display angle menu containing a plurality of display angle options available for user selection,

said input interface includes at least one select button that is user operable to select one of the display angle options shown on said display interface when said processor is operated under the angle setting mode and to generate the setting command that corresponds to the selected one of the display angle options, and

said processor accesses said storage unit to determine from said look-up table the display angle that corresponds to the setting command received from said input interface and to rotate the screen content according to the display angle thus determined.

6. The electronic watch as claimed in claim 1, wherein said processor is operable under an angle setting mode, in which said processor controls said display interface to display a virtual rotary knob thereon,

said input interface includes a transparent touch panel that is disposed on said display interface and that is operable to detect a gesture action thereon,

said processor recognizes the setting command corresponding to the gesture action at the position of said virtual rotary knob displayed by said display interface, and

display of the screen content is rotated and is maintained with the display angle after said processor ceases to operate under the angle setting mode.

7. The electronic watch as claimed in claim 1, wherein said processor is operable under an angle setting mode,

said input interface includes a transparent touch panel that is disposed on said display interface and that is operable to detect a gesture action thereon,

said processor recognizes the setting command corresponding to the gesture action at the position of said transparent touch panel, and

display of the screen content is rotated and is maintained with the display angle after said processor ceases to operate under the angle setting mode.

8. The electronic watch as claimed in claim 1, wherein said processor is further operable to adjust at least one of character display position and character size of the screen content according to the display angle such that the screen content adjusted by said processor is displayed at a central area of a display plane of said display interface.