METHOD FOR CONTROLLING ROTATION OF SCREEN AND TERMINAL AND TOUCH SYSTEM SUPPORTING THE SAME

• US 20130113836A1
• Filed: 11/08/2012
• Published: 05/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LIM, Choongkwon, SHIN, Seokin
• Granted Patent: US 9,785,202 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/659
• 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 1/1694 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 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• 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

Abstract

A method for controlling rotation of a screen according to a user request regardless of an orientation state of the terminal is provided. The terminal for supporting screen rotation control, includes a sensor unit including a sensor for confirming a horizontal state of the terminal and a sensor for collecting angular velocity information of the terminal, a controller for confirming the horizontal state of the terminal based on sensing information of the sensor unit, and for confirming a rotated state or a rotation change state of the terminal in a corresponding horizontal state when the terminal is arranged in the horizontal state, and a display unit for outputting a screen having a different output direction according to the rotated state or the rotation change state of the terminal.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a rotation of a screen of a terminal, the method comprising:

determining whether the terminal is arranged in a horizontal state;

checking a rotated state or a rotation change state of the terminal in the horizontal state or when the terminal is arranged in the horizontal state; and

changing a screen output orientation of a display unit of the terminal according to the rotated state or the rotation change state of the terminal in the horizontal state,

wherein the checking of the rotated state or the rotation change state of the terminal comprises;

collecting angular velocity information according to rotation of the terminal based on x, y, and z axes with respect to the horizontal state; and

determining a counterclockwise rotation or a clockwise rotation of the terminal according to analysis of the angular velocity information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the terminal is arranged in a horizontal state comprises:

collecting acceleration information according to movement of the terminal;

determining whether the acceleration information indicates a range of 90°

of a gravitational acceleration; and

determining whether the terminal is in the horizontal state according to the determination result.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initializing the angular velocity information after determining the rotation of the terminal; and

determining rotation of the screen to a corresponding direction when the accumulated angular velocity information is equal to or greater than the predetermined angle.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising changing from the horizontal state or prohibiting from entering into the horizontal state when angular velocity information greater than a preset value is detected from at least one of the x and y axes in the collected angular velocity information.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

collecting geomagnetic information of the terminal; and

double-checking a rotated state of the terminal in the horizontal state based on the geomagnetic information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the changing of the screen output form of the display unit comprises at least one:

changing the screen orientation to a landscape mode or a transverse mode according to a rotating direction of the terminal; and

maintaining the landscape mode or the transverse mode of the screen outputted on the display unit according to the rotating direction of the terminal.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the maintaining of the landscape mode or the transverse mode of the screen comprises one of:

outputting information such that a transverse mode of a first direction in which information is outputted from an upper side to a lower side or a transverse mode of a second direction in which the information is outputted from the lower side to the upper side is outputted on the display unit when the terminal is rotated in a counterclockwise direction at an angle greater than a predetermined angle; and

outputting the information such that a transverse mode of the first or second direction is outputted on the display unit when the terminal is rotated in a clockwise direction at an angle greater than the predetermined angle.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the changing of the landscape mode or transverse mode of the screen comprises:

checking the screen orientation before entering the horizontal state or a currently displayed state of the terminal; and

supporting such that a screen of an output direction other than the screen state right before entering the horizontal state or the currently displayed screen is outputted on the display unit when the terminal is rotated at an angle greater than a predetermined angle.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

contacting the display unit with a touch pen;

differently defining a writing setting value of the touch pen according to a terminal screen output direction of the horizontal state; and

applying a writing setting value according to the defining to a touch event generated according to the contact of the touch pen.

10. A terminal for supporting screen rotation control, the terminal comprising:

a sensor unit including a sensor for confirming a horizontal state of the terminal and a sensor for collecting angular velocity information of the terminal;

a controller for confirming the horizontal state of the terminal based on sensing information of the sensor unit, and for confirming a rotated state or a rotation change state of the terminal in the horizontal state when the terminal is arranged in the horizontal state; and

a display unit for outputting a screen having a different output direction according to the rotated state or the rotation change state of the terminal.

11. The terminal of claim 10, wherein the controller accumulates the collected angular velocity information based on x, y, and z axes, and determines a rotation of the terminal in a corresponding direction when the accumulated angular velocity information is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle in one direction, and

initializes the angular velocity information after determining the rotation of the terminal, determines rotation of the terminal in the corresponding direction when the accumulated angular velocity information obtained from the collected angular velocity information after the initialization is equal to or greater than the predetermined angle.

12. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller changes the horizontal state of the terminal or prohibits the terminal from entering into the horizontal state when angular velocity information greater than a preset value is detected from at least one of the x and y axes in the collected angular velocity information.

13. The terminal of claim 10, wherein the sensor unit further comprises a geomagnetic sensor collecting geomagnetic information of the terminal for double-checking a rotating state of the terminal in the horizontal state.

14. The terminal of claim 10, wherein the display unit changes an orientation of the screen from a landscape mode to a transverse mode or from the transverse mode to the landscape mode according to a rotating direction of the terminal, or

maintains a landscape mode or a transverse mode according to the rotating direction of the terminal.

15. The terminal of claim 14, wherein the display unit supports such that a landscape mode of a first direction in which information is outputted from an upper side to a lower side or a landscape mode of a second direction in which the information is outputted from the lower side to the upper side is outputted on the display unit when the terminal is rotated in a counterclockwise direction at an angle greater than a predetermined angle;

and

supports such that a transverse mode of the first or second direction is outputted on the display unit when the terminal is rotated in a clockwise direction at an angle greater than the predetermined angle.

16. The terminal of claim 14, wherein the controller checks a screen state right before entering the horizontal state or a currently displayed screen of the terminal;

and

supports such that a screen of an output direction other than the screen state right before entering the horizontal state or the currently displayed screen is outputted on the display unit when the terminal is rotated at an angle greater than the predetermined angle.

17. A touch system supporting screen rotation control, the system comprising:

a touch pen; and

a terminal including an acceleration sensor for confirming a horizontal state of the terminal and a gyro sensor for collecting angular velocity information of the terminal, and applying different writing setting values according to a rotated state or a rotation change state of the terminal in a corresponding horizontal state when the terminal is arranged in the horizontal state.

18. The touch system of claim 17, wherein the terminal applies a first writing setting value having at least different one of a thickness and a color of a line, a dotted line, or a font with respect to a touch event generated by the touch pen according to a landscape mode or a transverse mode of the terminal in the horizontal state, or

applies a second writing setting value different from the first writing setting value in one of the landscapes mode or the transverse mode of the terminal in the horizontal state and applies an eraser setting value in another mode.