ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING SCREEN ORIENTATION THEREOF

• US 20140184504A1
• Filed: 12/01/2013
• Published: 07/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (WuHan) Co., Ltd. (Foxconn Technology Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (WuHan) Co., Ltd. (Foxconn Technology Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: YANG, MIN, HUNG, JIAN-HUNG, WANG, XIN-SHU
• Application Number:
  US14/093,497
• Publication Number:
  US 20140184504A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• 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 1/1694 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

Abstract

A method for controlling a screen orientation for an electronic device is provided. The method comprises generating a sensing signal when an edge of the electronic device is held by a user, determining a screen display mode according to the sensed signal, determining a direction of a gravity vector from a center of gravity of the electronic device, determining a right-side-up display orientation according to the determined direction of the gravity vector, and displaying a screen in the right-side-up orientation under the determined screen display mode. An electronic device using the method for controlling the screen orientation is also provided.

Claims

1. An electronic comprising:

a cover comprising four edges, two of which are short edges parallel to each other and the other two of which are long edges parallel to each other;

a display unit;

a plurality of detection modules, each of which associates with and is arranged under an edge of the cover, and is configured for generating a sensing signal when the associated edge is held by a user;

a gravity sensing module, configured for determining a direction of a gravity vector from the center of gravity of the electronic device;

a processing unit, comprising;

a mode control module, configured for determining a screen display mode according to the sensing signals;

an orientation control module, configured for orienting the screen display in a right-side-up orientation according to the sensed direction of the gravity vector from the center of gravity of the electronic device; and

a display control module, configured for controlling the display unit to display the screen in the oriented screen display orientation under the determined screen display mode.

2. The electronic device as described in claim 1, wherein the quantity of the plurality of detection modules is four, and each of the detection modules is adjacent to a corresponding edge of the electronic device, and extends along a direction of the corresponding edge of the electronic device.

3. The electronic device as described in claim 1, wherein the screen display mode comprises a landscape mode and a portrait mode.

4. The electronic device as described in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of detection module comprises a pressure sensor, and the plurality of detection modules generate sensing signals in response to pressures applied on the associated edges.

5. The electronic device as described in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of detection module comprises a light sensor, and the plurality of detection modules generate sensing signals when an intensity of the ambient light on the associated edges falls below a predetermined value.

6. A method for controlling a screen orientation for an electronic device, the method comprising:

generating a sensing signal when an edge of the electronic device is held by a user;

determining a screen display mode according to the sensing signal;

determining a direction of a gravity vector from the center of gravity of the electronic device;

orienting the screen display in a right-side-up orientation according to the sensed direction of the gravity vector from the center of gravity of the electronic device; and

displaying a screen of the electronic device in the oriented screen display orientation under the determined screen display mode.

7. The method as described in claim 6, further comprising sensing a pressure applied on the associated edge to determine if the edge of the electronic device is being held by a user.

8. The method as described in claim 6, further comprising determining whether the intensity of the ambient light on the associated edge falls below a predetermined value to determine if the edge of the electronic device is being held by a user.