METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SENSING FLEXING OF A DEVICE

• US 20150334224A1
• Filed: 01/04/2013
• Published: 11/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Rouvinen, Jarkko
• Granted Patent: US 9,942,387 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders

Abstract

A method, apparatus and computer program for receiving first orientation signals indicative of orientation of a first portion of a body of an apparatus, which body is capable of being flexed during use of the apparatus at least by any of: bending; and twisting; the body having the first portion and a second portion that move with respect to each other when the body is being flexed; receiving second orientation signals indicative of orientation of the second portion of a body of an apparatus; and determining motion of at least one of the first portion and second portion based on the first orientation signals and the second orientation signals.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a body configured to be capable of being flexed during use of the apparatus at least by any of;

bending; and

twisting;

the body comprising a first portion and a second portion that move with respect to each other when the body is being flexed;

the first portion comprising a first orientation sensor configured to produce first orientation signals indicating a current orientation of the first portion;

the second portion comprising a second orientation sensor configured to produce second orientation signals indicating a current orientation of the second portion;

the apparatus further comprising at least one processor configured to;

determine motion of at least one of the first portion and second portion based on the orientations of the first portion and of the second portion as indicated by the first orientation signals and the second orientation signals.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first orientation sensor and the second orientation sensor comprises a gyroscope.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first orientation sensor and the second orientation sensor comprises a magnetometer.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first orientation sensor comprises a first camera unit.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a display having a display direction to which the display is configured to display information;

wherein the first camera unit is directed to an opposite direction than the display direction.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second orientation sensor comprises a second camera unit.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first camera unit and the second camera unit are directed to opposite directions when the body is in an non-flexed configuration.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to process the orientation signals received from a camera unit by identifying one or more image objects in signals produced by the camera unit at two different moments of time and by identifying relative movement of the identified one or more image objects.

9. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the determining of the motion of the first portion and second portion comprises determining mutual motion of the first portion and second portion.

10. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first and second portions are located at opposite edges of the body.

18. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the second orientation sensor comprises a second camera unit.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first camera unit and the second camera unit are directed to opposite directions when the body is in a non-flexed configuration.

11. A method, comprising:

receiving first orientation signals indicative of a current orientation of a first portion of a body of an apparatus, which body is capable of being flexed during use of the apparatus at least by any of;

bending; and

twisting;

the body comprising the first portion and a second portion that move with respect to each other when the body is being flexed;

receiving second orientation signals indicative of a current orientation of the second portion of a body of an apparatus; and

determining motion of at least one of the first portion and second portion based on the orientations of the first portion and of the second portion as indicated by the first orientation signals and the second orientation signals.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining of the motion of at least one of the first portion and second portion comprises determining mutual motion of the first portion and second portion.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second portions are located at opposite edges of the body.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the first and second portions are located at opposite edges of the body.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor configured to

receive first orientation signals indicative of a current orientation of a first portion of a body of an the apparatus, which body is capable of being flexed during use of the apparatus at least by any of;

bending; and

twisting;

the body comprising the first portion and a second portion that move with respect to each other when the body is being flexed;

receive second orientation signals indicative of a current orientation of the second portion of a body of the apparatus; and

determine motion of at least one of the first portion and second portion based on the orientations of the first portion and of the second portion as indicated by the first orientation signals and the second orientation signals.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

receiving first orientation signals indicative of a current orientation of a first portion of a body of the apparatus, which body is capable of being flexed during use of the apparatus at least by any of;

bending; and

twisting;

the body comprising the first portion and a second portion that move with respect to each other when the body is being flexed;

receiving second orientation signals indicative of a current orientation of the second portion of the body of the apparatus; and

determining motion of at least one of the first portion and second portion based on the orientations of the first portion and of the second portion as indicated by the first orientation signals and the second orientation signals.

16. A memory medium comprising a computer program that comprises:

code for receiving first orientation signals indicative of a current orientation of a first portion of a body of an apparatus, which body is capable of being flexed during use of the apparatus at least by any of;

bending; and

twisting;

the body comprising the first portion and a second portion that move with respect to each other when the body is being flexed;

code for receiving second orientation signals indicative of a current orientation of the second portion of the body of the apparatus; and

code for determining motion of at least one of the first portion and second portion based on the orientations of the first portion and of the second portion as indicated by the first orientation signals and the second orientation signals;

when the computer program is run on a processor;

wherein the memory medium is a non-transitory memory medium.

17. (canceled)