SENSING RELATIVE ORIENTATION OF COMPUTING DEVICE PORTIONS

• US 20190310720A1
• Filed: 04/04/2018
• Published: 10/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: ANGELEVSKI, Stefan, LUKYANTSEV, Dmitry N.
• Granted Patent: US 11,169,577 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• 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 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• 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: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel 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 1/0243 using the relative angle between housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions

Abstract

Examples are disclosed that relate to determining the relative orientation of computing device portions that are rotatable relative to one another. One example provides a computing device comprising a first portion comprising a first three-dimensional orientation sensor system, a second portion comprising a second three-dimensional orientation sensor system, the second portion being rotatable relative to the first portion, a logic machine, and a storage machine holding instructions executable by the logic machine to receive data from the first three-dimensional orientation sensor system indicating a three-dimensional orientation of the first portion, receive data from the second three-dimensional orientation sensor system indicating a three-dimensional orientation of the second portion, determine a relative orientation between the first portion and the second portion based on the three-dimensional orientation of the first portion and the three-dimensional orientation of the second portion, and adjust a function of the computing device based on the relative orientation.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

a first portion comprising a first three-dimensional orientation sensor system;

a second portion comprising a second three-dimensional orientation sensor system, the second portion being rotatable relative to the first portion;

a logic machine; and

a storage machine holding instructions executable by the logic machine to

receive data from the first three-dimensional orientation sensor system indicating a three-dimensional orientation of the first portion, and data from the second three-dimensional orientation sensor system indicating a three-dimensional orientation of the second portion;

determine a relative orientation between the first portion and the second portion based on the three-dimensional orientation of the first portion and the three-dimensional orientation of the second portion; and

adjust a function of the computing device based on the relative orientation.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first portion comprises a first display, and wherein the second portion comprises a second display.

3. The computing device of claim 2, wherein the instructions executable to adjust the function of the computing device are executable to adjust an output of one or both of the first display and the second display based on the relative orientation.

4. The computing device of claim 2, wherein the instructions executable to adjust the function of the computing device are executable to adjust a power state of one or both of the first display and the second display based on the relative orientation.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first three-dimensional orientation sensor system and the second three-dimensional orientation sensor system each includes an accelerometer and a gyroscope.

6. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the first three-dimensional orientation sensor system and the second three-dimensional orientation sensor system each includes a magnetometer.

7. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising a sensor configured to output an indication that the first portion and the second portion are in a predetermined relative orientation.

8. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the instructions are further executable to, responsive to receiving the indication from the sensor, determine an offset between the data from the first three-dimensional orientation sensor system and the data from the second three-dimensional orientation sensor system, wherein the relative orientation is determined based further on the offset.

9. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the instructions are further executable to determine a sign for the relative orientation.

10. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the predetermined relative orientation comprises a closed configuration.

11. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the data indicating the three-dimensional orientation of the first portion includes a first Euler angle, and wherein the data indicating the three-dimensional orientation of the second portion includes a second Euler angle.

12. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the data indicating the three-dimensional orientation of the first portion includes a first quaternion, and wherein the data indicating the three-dimensional orientation of the second portion includes a second quaternion.

13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the instructions executable to determine the relative orientation are executable to determine a third quaternion based on the first quaternion and the second quaternion.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein determining the relative orientation includes utilizing an offset when determining the third quaternion.

15. On a computing device, a method, comprising:

receiving data from a first three-dimensional orientation sensor system indicating a three-dimensional orientation of a first portion of the computing device;

receiving data from a second three-dimensional orientation sensor system indicating a three-dimensional orientation of a second portion of the computing device, the second portion being rotatable relative to the first portion;

determining a relative orientation between the first portion and the second portion based on the three-dimensional orientation of the first portion and the three-dimensional orientation of the second portion; and

adjusting a function of the computing device based on the relative orientation.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first portion comprises a first display, wherein the second portion comprises a second display, and wherein adjusting the function of the computing device includes adjusting an output of one or both of the first display and the second display based on the relative orientation.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining an offset between the data from the first three-dimensional orientation sensor system and the data from the second three-dimensional orientation sensor system, and wherein the relative orientation is determined based further on the offset.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the data indicating the three-dimensional orientation of the first portion includes a first quaternion and the data indicating the three-dimensional orientation of the second portion includes a second quaternion, wherein determining the relative orientation includes determining a third quaternion based on the first quaternion and the second quaternion, and wherein determining the relative orientation includes determining an angle between the first portion and the second portion based on the third quaternion.

19. A computing device, comprising:

a first portion comprising a first display and a first three-dimensional orientation sensor system;

a second portion comprising a second display and a second three-dimensional orientation sensor system, the second portion being rotatable relative to the first portion;

a logic machine; and

a storage machine holding instructions executable by the logic machine to

receive from the first three-dimensional orientation sensor system data indicating a three-dimensional orientation of the first portion, and from the second three-dimensional orientation sensor system data indicating a three-dimensional orientation of the second portion;

determine a relative orientation between the first portion and the second portion based on the three-dimensional orientation of the first portion and the three-dimensional orientation of the second portion; and

adjust an output of one or both of the first display and the second display based on the relative orientation.

20. The computing device of claim 19, wherein the instructions are further executable to determine an offset between the data from the first three-dimensional orientation sensor system and the data from the second three-dimensional orientation sensor system, and wherein the relative orientation is determined based further on the offset.