Method and apparatus for rotatable display

• US 5,134,390 A
• Filed: 07/18/1989
• Issued: 07/28/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Sakamoto, Tatsuya, Kouno, Youji, Kishimoto, Kazutomo, Okumura, Masahiro, Masimo, Tamon
• Primary Examiner(s): Oberley, Alvin E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chow, Doon Yue
• Application Number:
  US07/381,306
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: 340/727, 340/724, 248/923, 248/919, 248/918, 248/917-923, 74/204, 358/150, 358/249, 358/254, 358/194, 315/8, 315/85, 318/466
• US Class Current: 345/659
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1601 Constructional details related to the housing of computer displays, e.g. of CRT monitors, of flat displays constructional details related to flat displays integrated in a portable computer, e.g. laptop, handheld computer G06F1/1637; constructional details related to television receivers H04N5/64
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1611 CRT monitor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 1/00 Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with cathode-ray tube indicators; General aspects or details, e.g. selection emphasis on particular characters, dashed line or dotted line generation; Preprocessing of datacathode-ray oscilloscopes G01R13/20; radar display arrangements G01S7/04; display of digital non-picture data in television systems H04N7/0255
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/391 Resolution modifying circuits, e.g. variable screen formats
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 248/917 Video display screen support

Abstract

In a filing system having a storage device for storing image information and a display with a rectangular screen for visually displaying the stored image information, the screen is arranged to be positioned at an upright position or at a lateral position, with a motor. The switch between two positions of the screen is effected upon instruction input from a keyboard, or in accordance with the information representative of the screen position which is stored beforehand in the storage device for each of the image information. The screen is also provided with a tilting mechanism which is released while the screen rotates. There is compensate circuit compensating for a positional displacement of a displayed image caused by a difference of earth magnetism between two positions of the screen.

Claims

1. A display apparatus, comprising:

a display means having a display screen of a predetermined shape for visually displaying information on said display screen in an environment of a magnetic field;

means for rotatably supporting said display means;

rotating means for rotating said display means by a predetermined angle relative to the magnetic field and positioning said display means;

compensating means for compensating a positional displacement of displayed information caused by the magnetic field when said display means is rotated;

said rotating means rotating said display means between two rotated positions oriented at 90°

with respect to each other;

means providing a control signal corresponding to the rotated position of said display means;

said compensating means, in response to the said control signal, providing a fixed delay to at least one of the horizontal and vertical sync signals which are used for synchronization of image formation to be displayed on said display means only when said display means is in one of said rotated positions;

said rotating means rotates said display means between said rotated positions in response to a mode signal indicating vertical or horizontal display;

automatic means responsive to the information means for generating said mode signal; and

means for storing image data together with a mode indicator unique to the image data, and said automatic means generating the mode signal in response to the mode indicator stored with and unique to the image data being displayed on the display screen.

2. A display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said rotating means includes driving means for driving and rotating said display means.

3. A display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said compensating means includes detecting means for detecting the rotated position of said display means relative to the magnetic field, and for adjusting the display position of information on said display screen in accordance with the rotated position of said display means.

4. A display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said compensating means provides the fixed delay for each of the horizontal sync and vertical sync signals in only the one rotated position.

5. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said compensating means further includes means for adjusting the delay for different environment magnetic fields.

6. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said rotating means rotates said display means between said rotated positions in response to a mode signal indicating vertical or horizontal display;

and further including user input means for selectively inputting said mode signal.

7. A display apparatus, comprising:

display means having a rectangular display screen with longer and shorter sides for visually displaying information on said display screen;

means for supporting said display means at a first position with said longer side being aligned in the vertical direction and at a second position with said longer side being aligned in the horizontal direction;

a motor;

means for transmitting a driving force from said motor to said supporting means only up to a maximum overload force equal to a predetermined amount of external force applied to said display means preventing rotation;

means for issuing a rotation command instructing rotation of said display means;

control means for controlling activation of said motor in response to the rotation command from said means for issuing to rotate said display means;

said display means having a center of gravity and an arcuate surface extending for at least 90 degrees substantially concentric with the center of gravity;

said means for transmitting including a wheel peripherally and frictionally engaging said arcuate surface and being rotatable about an axis parallel to the axis of said arcuate surface, and gearing drivingly interconnecting said motor and said wheel;

said arcuate surface extending for substantially 360 degrees;

said means for supporting including said arcuate surface and a plurality of fixed axis rollers rotatable about fixed axes parallel with said axis and rotatably engaging said arcuate surface at points spaced peripherally around said arcuate surface;

said means for supporting including a stationary base, opposed support arms extending upwardly from said stationary base, and horizontally aligned rotatable bearing members on said support arms; and

said display means including complimentary rotatable bearing members operatively engaging with said bearing members of said support arms for supporting said display means for tilting relative to said stationary base about a horizontal tilt axis.

8. A display apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said means for transmitting is a rotatable friction slip coupling having an overload slippage force equal to the maximum overload force.

9. A display apparatus according to claim 7, including timer means for monitoring the rotation command and issuing a time over command when the rotation command has been issued for longer than a fixed period of time;

and said control means deactivating said motor in response to said time over command notwithstanding the issuing the rotation command.

10. A display apparatus according to claim 9, further including means issuing a position signal indicating when said display means is at said first position and indicating when said display means is at said second position;

and said timer means resetting in response to said position signals only indicating that said display means is at said first position or at said second position.

11. A display apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said display means further includes a cam eccentric with respect to said arcuate surface and rotatable with said display means;

and follower means mounted on said base to engage said cam when said display means rotates between said first and second positions for driving said display means about the tilt axis in one direction towards a neutral tilt position.

12. A display apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said display means further includes another cam eccentric with respect to said arcuate surface and rotatable with said display means;

and another follower means mounted on said base to engage said another cam when said display means rotates between said first and second positions for driving said display means about the tilt axis in a second direction opposite to said one direction towards the neutral tilt position.

13. A display apparatus, comprising:

display means having a rectangular display screen with longer and shorter sides for visually displaying information on said display screen;

means for supporting said display means at a first position with said longer side being aligned in the vertical direction and at a second position with said longer side being aligned in the horizontal direction;

wherein said means for supporting includes a stationary base, opposed support arms extending from said stationary base, and horizontally aligned rotatable bearing members on said support arms;

said display means including complimentary rotatable bearing members operatively engaging with said bearing members of said support arms for supporting said display means for tilting relative to said stationary base about a horizontal tilt axis;

a cam eccentric with respect to said arcuate surface and rotatable with said display means; and

follower means mounted on said base to engage said cam when said display means rotates between said first and second positions for driving said display means about the tilt axis in one direction towards a neutral tilt position.

14. A display apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said display means further includes another cam eccentric with respect to said arcuate surface and rotatable with said display means;

and

another follower means mounted on said base to engage said another cam when said display means rotates between said first and second positions for driving said display means about the tilt axis in a second direction opposite to said one direction towards the neutral tilt position.

15. A display apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said means for supporting fixes a distance H between a fixed horizontal reference and the lower of said sides to be equal in both the first position and the second position.

16. An information filing system, comprising:

display means having a rectangular display screen with longer and shorter sides for visually displaying information on said display screen;

means for supporting said display means at a first position with said longer side being aligned in the vertical direction or at a second position with said longer side being aligned in the horizontal direction, and mounting said display means for rotation between said first and second position;

means for inputting image information for creating a specific image on the display screen;

means for storing the image information input by said input means and a position flag unique to the specific image indicating a selected one of the first and second positions;

means for reading the image information and position flag from said means for storing;

means responsive to the information of the read position flag for automatically rotating said display means to one of said first and second positions as determined by the position flag unique to the specific image;

means for selecting the orientation of the read image information displayed on said display screen between first and second orientations rotated 90 degrees with respect to each other in accordance with the position flag unique to the specific image indicating one of said first and second positions;

control means for generating a character code including guidance information for an operator;

means for effectively rotating the character code 90 degrees with respect to said display screen in accordance with the position flag unique to the specific image; and

means for superimposing the character code with the image information on said display screen.

17. An information filing system according to claim 16, wherein said display control means includes display magnification conversion means for converting a display magnification of the character code, converts the magnification of the character code in accordance with the display mode, and mixes the character code with the image information.

18. An information filing system according to claim 16, wherein said display control means includes display position determining means for determining the display position of the character code in accordance with the position flag, and mixes the character code with the image information.

19. An information filing system according to claim 16, further including means for magnifying only that portion of the character code that has guidance information for the operator to increase its horizontal extent in proportion to the increase in screen width when the display means is rotated from said first position to said second position.

20. A display apparatus according to claim 19, wherein that portion of the character code providing the guidance information displays as a function bar extending horizontally on the display screen for substantially the full width of the display screen in each of said first and second positions.