PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING SCREEN PROTECTION FUNCTION OF THE PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20120254646A1
• Filed: 12/16/2011
• Published: 10/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: LIN, LE
• Granted Patent: US 8,832,481 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/323
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• 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: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

In a method for controlling a screen protection function of a portable electronic device, the portable electronic device includes a gravity sensor, a display screen, and a storage system. The gravity sensor detects a horizontal vector and a vertical vector of a gravitational acceleration of the portable electronic device, and a tilt angle of the portable electronic device is calculated according to the horizontal vector and the vertical vector. The method activates a screen protection program of the portable electronic device to control the display screen to enter into a power saving mode if the tilt angle exceeds a preset tilt angle range stored in the storage system, and terminates the screen protection program to control the display screen to enter into a normal display mode if the tilt angle does not exceed the preset tilt angle range.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a gravity sensor and a display screen;

a storage system and at least one processor; and

one or more programs stored in the storage system and executed by the at least one processor, the one or more programs comprising;

a parameter setting module that sets a tilt angle range for placement of the portable electronic device, and stores the tilt angle range in the storage system;

a tilt angle detection module that detects a horizontal vector and a vertical vector of a gravitational acceleration of the portable electronic device using the gravity sensor, and calculates a tilt angle of the portable electronic device according to the horizontal vector and the vertical vector; and

a screen protection control module that determines whether the tilt angle exceeds the preset tilt angle range, and activates a screen protection program of the portable electronic device to control the display screen to enter into a power saving mode if the tilt angle exceeds the preset tilt angle range, or terminates the screen protection program to control the display screen to enter into a normal display mode if the tilt angle does not exceed the preset tilt angle range.

2. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the tilt angle of the portable electronic device is calculated according to an inverse trigonometric function of the horizontal vector and the vertical vector.

3. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the gravity sensor is a voltage sensor, a capacitive sensor, or an inductive sensor.

4. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the power saving mode is defined as a display mode of the display screen that works in a low power state when the display screen is free.

5. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the normal display mode is defined as a display mode of the display screen for normally displaying information of the portable electronic device when the display screen is being used.

6. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is selected from the group consisting of a notebook, a tablet device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a mobile phone.

7. A method for controlling a screen protection function of a portable electronic device, the portable electronic device comprising a gravity sensor and a display screen, the method comprising:

setting a tilt angle range for placement of the portable electronic device, and storing the tilt angle range in a storage system of the portable electronic device;

detecting a horizontal vector and a vertical vector of a gravitational acceleration of the portable electronic device using the gravity sensor;

calculating a tilt angle of the portable electronic device according to the horizontal vector and the vertical vector;

determining whether the tilt angle exceeds the preset tilt angle range; and

activating a screen protection program of the portable electronic device to control the display screen to enter into a power saving mode if the tilt angle exceeds the preset tilt angle range;

or

terminating the screen protection program to control the display screen to enter into a normal display mode if the tilt angle does not exceed the preset tilt angle range.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the tilt angle of the portable electronic device is calculated according to an inverse trigonometric function of the horizontal vector and the vertical vector.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the gravity sensor is a voltage sensor, a capacitive sensor, or an inductive sensor.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the power saving mode is defined as a display mode of the display screen that works in a low power state when the display screen is free.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the normal display mode is defined as a display mode of the display screen for normally displaying information of the portable electronic device when the display screen is being used.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein the portable electronic device is selected from the group consisting of a notebook, a tablet device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a mobile phone.

13. A non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a portable electronic device, cause the processor to perform a method for controlling a screen protection function of the portable electronic device, the portable electronic device comprising a gravity sensor and a display screen, the method comprising:

setting a tilt angle range for placement of the portable electronic device, and storing the tilt angle range in a storage system of the portable electronic device;

detecting a horizontal vector and a vertical vector of a gravitational acceleration of the portable electronic device using the gravity sensor;

calculating a tilt angle of the portable electronic device according to the horizontal vector and the vertical vector;

determining whether the tilt angle exceeds the preset tilt angle range; and

activating a screen protection program of the portable electronic device to control the display screen to enter into a power saving mode if the tilt angle exceeds the preset tilt angle range;

or

terminating the screen protection program to control the display screen to enter into a normal display mode if the tilt angle does not exceed the preset tilt angle range.

14. The storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the tilt angle of the portable electronic device is calculated according to an inverse trigonometric function of the horizontal vector and the vertical vector.

15. The storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the gravity sensor is a voltage sensor, a capacitive sensor, or an inductive sensor.

16. The storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the power saving mode is defined as a display mode of the display screen that works in a low power state when the display screen is free.

17. The storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the normal display mode is defined as a display mode of the display screen for normally displaying information of the portable electronic device when the display screen is being used.

18. The storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the portable electronic device is selected from the group consisting of a notebook, a tablet device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a mobile phone.