ELECTRONIC APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CONTROL THEREOF

• US 20140043259A1
• Filed: 05/20/2013
• Published: 02/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: PARK, Seung-joon
• Granted Patent: US 9,298,296 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1618 the display being foldable up to the back of the other housing with a single degree of freedom, e.g. by 360° rotation over the axis defined by the rear edge of the base enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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 1/0241 using relative motion of the body parts to change the operational status of the telephone set, e.g. switching on/off, answering incoming call
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0243 using the relative angle between housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/288 taking into account the usage mode, e.g. hands-free, data transmission, telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/367 Power values between minimum and maximum limits, e.g. dynamic range
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An electronic apparatus and a control method therefor provide an apparatus that includes a first body that includes a display part, a second body that includes a touchpad to change a sensing sensitivity, a hinge part to connect the first body and the second body and to rotate 360 degrees, and a controller to change an operation mode of the electronic apparatus according to an angle of the first body and the second body, and to increase the sensing sensitivity of the touchpad so that the touchpad detects human body contact when the first body and the second body form a preset angle.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a first body comprising a display part;

a second body comprising a touchpad to change a sensing sensitivity;

a hinge part to connect the first body and the second body and to rotate 360 degrees; and

a controller to change an operation mode of the electronic apparatus according to an angle of the first body and the second body, and to increase the sensing sensitivity of the touchpad so that the touchpad detects human body contact when the first body and the second body form a preset angle.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller changes the operation mode of the electronic apparatus to a tablet mode when the first body and the second body form a first preset angle, and changes the operation mode of the electronic apparatus to an electronic notebook mode when the first body and the second body form a second preset angle.

3. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller changes at least one of an operating frequency of the electronic apparatus and a rotation speed of a cooling fan of the electronic apparatus, when the touchpad of the increased sensing sensitivity detects the human body contact.

4. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless communication part to communicate with an external device using an antenna,

wherein the controller decreases a power of the antenna when the touchpad of the increased sensing sensitivity detects the human body contact.

5. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller provides a preset User Interface (UI) to the display part when the touchpad of the increased sensing sensitivity detects the human body contact.

6. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a vibration part,

wherein the controller controls the vibration part to vibrate during a preset time, when the touchpad of the increased sensing sensitivity detects the human body contact.

7. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touchpad adjusts a sensing threshold of a touchpad capacitance which varies according to an approach of the human body, to change the sensitivity.

8. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a first body comprising a display part;

a second body comprising a touchpad capable of changing a sensing sensitivity;

a hinge part to connect the first body and the second body; and

a controller to change the sensing sensitivity of the touchpad to detect contact of a human body, according to an angle of the first body and the second body.

9. The electronic apparatus of claim 8, wherein the controller detects the human body contact by increasing the sensing sensitivity of the touchpad, when the first body and the second body form a first preset angle.

10. The electronic apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller changes at least one of an operating frequency of the electronic apparatus and a rotation speed of a cooling fan of the electronic apparatus, when the touchpad of the increased sensing sensitivity detects the human body contact.

11. The electronic apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

a wireless communication part to communicate with an external device using an antenna,

wherein the controller decreases a power of the antenna, when the touchpad of the increased sensing sensitivity detects the human body contact.

12. The electronic apparatus of claim 8, wherein the touchpad adjusts a sensing threshold of a touchpad capacitance which varies according to an approach of the human body, to change the sensitivity.

13. A control method of an electronic apparatus which includes a first body that includes a display part, a second body that includes a touchpad to change a sensing sensitivity, and a hinge part to connect the first body and the second body and to rotate 360 degrees, the method comprising:

detecting an angle of the first body and the second body;

changing an operation mode of the electronic apparatus according to the angle of the first body and the second body; and

increasing the sensing sensitivity of the touchpad so that the touchpad detects human body contact, when the first body and the second body form a preset angle.

14. The control method of claim 13, wherein the operation to change the operation mode comprises:

changing the operation mode of the electronic apparatus to a tablet mode, when the first body and the second body form a first preset angle; and

changing the operation mode of the electronic apparatus to an electronic notebook mode, when the first body and the second body form a second preset angle.

15. The control method of claim 13, further comprising:

changing at least one of an operating frequency of the electronic apparatus and a rotation speed of a cooling fan of the electronic apparatus, when the touchpad of the increased sensing sensitivity detects the human body contact.

16. The control method of claim 13, further comprising:

decreasing a power of an antenna of the electronic apparatus, when the touchpad having the increased sensing sensitivity detects the human body contact.

17. The control method of claim 13, further comprising:

providing a preset User Interface (UI) to the display part, when the touchpad of the increased sensing sensitivity detects the human body contact.

18. The control method of claim 13, further comprising:

controlling a vibration part of the electronic apparatus to vibrate during a preset time, when the touchpad of the increased sensing sensitivity detects the human body contact.

19. The control method of claim 13, wherein the touchpad adjusts a sensing threshold of a touchpad capacitance which varies according to an approach of the human body, to change the sensitivity.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having a program, that when executed by a computer, carries out a method of controlling an electronic apparatus that includes a first body having a display part, a second body having a touchpad capable of changing a sensing sensitivity, and a hinge part to connect the first body and the second body and to rotate 360 degrees, the method comprising:

detecting an angle of the first body and the second body;

changing an operation mode of the electronic apparatus according to the angle of the first body and the second body; and

increasing the sensing sensitivity of the touchpad so that the touchpad detects human body contact, when the first body and the second body form a preset angle.

21. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a hinged display-touchpad arranged to rotate 360 degrees and having a preset angle formed by a display coupled to a touchpad by a hinge; and

a controller to detect the preset angle formed by the display with the touchpad, to change an operation mode of the electronic apparatus according to the preset angle formed by the display with the touchpad, and to increase a sensing sensitivity of the touchpad so that the touchpad detects human body contact when the display and the touchpad form the preset angle.

22. A control method of an electronic apparatus which includes a first body that includes a display part, a second body that includes a touchpad to change a sensing sensitivity, and a hinge part to connect the first body and the second body and to rotate about 360 degrees, the method comprising:

detecting an angle of the first body and the second body;

changing a sensing sensitivity of the touchpad according to the detected angle; and

repeatedly determining whether the electronic apparatus has contacted a human body until contact with a human body occurs; and

executing a preset control operation according to the detected angle.

23. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a tablet having a first body connected to a second body by a hinge where the first body is rotated to form a preset angle of about 360°

with the second body; and

a controller to detect the preset angle formed by the first body with the second body, to set an operation mode of the electronic apparatus according to the preset angle formed by the first body with the second body, and to increase a sensing sensitivity of the second body so that the second body detects human body contact when the first body and the second body form the preset angle.

24. An electronic apparatus comprising:

an electronic notebook or book having a first body connected to a second body by a hinge where the first body is rotated to form a preset angle between about 30 degrees and about 180 degrees with the second body; and

a controller to detect the preset angle formed by the first body with the second body, to set an operation mode of the electronic apparatus according to the preset angle formed by the first body with the second body, and to increase a sensing sensitivity of the second body so that the second body detects human body contact when the first body and the second body form the preset angle.

25. The electronic apparatus of claim 24, wherein the preset angle is an angle between about 60 degrees and about 180 degrees so that the operation mode of the electronic apparatus is a clamshell mode.