Displaceable display arrangement

• US 6,433,791 B2
• Filed: 08/10/1999
• Issued: 08/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Smar Research Corp.
• Original Assignee: Smar Research Corp.
• Inventors: Caldeira, Gilmar M., Selli, Basilio
• Primary Examiner(s): Saras, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): AWAD, AMR A
• Application Number:
  US09/371,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20020000997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 Days
• Field of Search: 345/121, 345/126, 345/168, 345/169, 345/173, 345/139, 345/204, 345/563, 345/659, 345/537, 345/205, 345/214, 345/649, 361/680-683
• US Class Current: 345/659
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/165 the additional display being small, e.g. for presenting status information
• 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 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04

Abstract

A displaceable display and a method for controlling an output of a display unit are disclosed. The display arrangement includes a circuit board, a display unit, a detector and a controller. The display unit communicates with the circuit board. The display unit is capable of rotating with respect to the circuit board and being placed in at least one particular orientation with respect to the circuit board. The detector automatically detects the particular orientation of the display unit with respect to the circuit board. The circuit board transmits signals to the controller and the controller routes the signals to output of the display unit as a function of the particular orientation.

Claims

1. A display arrangment, comprising:

a circuit board having a driving circuit;

a hard-wired display for displaying characters, the display having a top portion, the display being removably attached to the circuit board and being rotatable into any of a plurality of orientations with respect to the circuit board;

a detector for detecting a current orientation of the display with respect to the circuit board; and

a controller for routing signals to the display from the circuit board based on the detected orientation of the display such that characters displayed on the display maintain a constant orientation with respect to the top portion of the display regardless of the orientation of the display with respect to the circuit board.

2. The display arrangement of claim 1, wherein the circuit board is coupled to a Fieldbus line from which it receives power and data.

3. The display arrangement of claim 2, wherein the circuit board is coupled to field sensing devices via the Fieldbus line.

4. The display arrangement of claim 3, wherein the ciruit board transmits information received from a field sensing device to the display.

5. The display arrangement of claim 1, wherein the controller routes signals without using mathematical operations to convert display coordinates.

6. The display arrangement of claim 1, wherein the display is removably embedded in a surface of the circuit board.

7. The display arrangement of claim 1, wherein the detector and the controller are disposed on the circuit board.

8. The display arrangement of claim 1, wherein the display includes a display screen.

9. The display arrangement of claim 8, wherein the display includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen.

10. The display arrangement of claim 1, wherein the display includes a plurality of contacts, with at least two of the contacts being interconnected and forming a short circuit therebetween,

wherein the detector detects the orientation of the display by determining the location of the short circuit.

11. The display arrangement of claim 10, wherein the at least two interconnected contacts are adjacent to each other.

12. The display arrangement of claim 1, wherein the display includes a plurality of contacts having pads for facilitating an electrical connection between the plurality of contacts of the display and the circuit board.

13. The display arrangement of claim 12, wherein the pads include a plurality of conductive channels to enable the plurality of contacts to electrically connect with the circuit board, each of the conductive channels being at least partially surrounded by an insulating material.

14. The display arrangement of claim 1, wherein the display includes a housing, the housing having a coupling mechanism including a hook, wherein the housing is mounted on the circuit board by engaging the hook and removed by disengaging the hook.

15. The display arrangement of claim 14, wherein when the circuit board is engaged by the hook, the hook latches to at least one of a bottom portion of the circuit board and a recess of the circuit board adapted to cooperate with the hook.

16. The display arrangement of claim 15, wherein the housing includes a plurality of coupling notches and a plurality of decoupling notches which enable an external took to access the coupling mechanism and to force the coupling mechanism to pivot, the external tool accessing the coupling mechanism via a first notch of the coupling notches to engage the hook with the circuit board, the external took accessing the coupling mechanism via a second notch of the decoupling notches to disengage the hook from the circuit board.

17. The display arrangement of claim 1, wherein the driving circuit of the circuit board controls and provides power to the display.

18. The display arrangement of claim 17, wherein the driving circuit includes a microprocessor.

19. The display arrangement of claim 11, wherein the controller includes a multiplexing arrangement having a plurality of inputs, at least one select line, and output lines, the inputs receiving the signals, the at least one select line providing a selection signal corresponding to the detected orientation of the display and determining which input is selected to be provided to the output lines, the output lines being coupled to the display.

20. A display arrangement, comprising:

a circuit board having a driving circuit;

a hard-wired display for displaying characters, the display having a top portion, the display being removably attached to the circuit board and being rotatable into any of a plurality of orientations with respect to the circuit board;

a detector for detecting a current orientation of the display with respect to the circuit board; and

a controller for routing signals to the display from the circuit board based on the detected orientation of the display such that characters displayed on the display maintain a constant orientation with respect to the top portion of the display regardless of the orientation of the display with respect to the circuit board,

wherein the circuit board receives power and data along a single wire.

21. The display arrangement of claim 20, wherein the single wire is a FieldBus line.

22. The display arrangement of claim 21, wherein the circuit board is coupled to field sensing devices via the Fieldbus line.

23. The display arrangement of claim 22, wherein the ciruit board transmits information received from a field sensing device to the display.

24. The display arrangement of claim 20, wherein the controller routes signals without using mathematical operations to convert display coordinates.

25. The display arrangement of claim 20, herein the display is removably embedded in a surface of the circuit board.

26. A method for providing an output of a hard-wired display removably attachable and rotatable with respect to a circuit board, the circuit board having a driving circuit, characters displayed on the display having a fixed alignment with respect to a top portion of the display, the method comprising:

determining an unaligned condition of the display, the display being in a first orientation with respect to the circuit board in the unaligned condition;

manually rotating the display to a second orientation with respect to the circuit board;

detecting the second orientation of the display with respect to the circuit board; and

rerouting signals from the circuit board to the display to display the characters in the fixed alignment with respect to the top portion of the display while the display is in the second orientation with respect to the circuit board.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the display is manually rotated to restore the top portion of the display to a topmost position.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the display includes a plurality of contacts, the method further comprising:

detecting the orientation of the display by determining the location of a short circuit between at least two of the contacts of the display.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

multiplexing the signals for routing to the display using at least one select line, data on the select line corresponding to the detected orientation of the display.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

fastening the display to the circuit board using mechanical means.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the mechanical means include a hook adapted to cooperate with a matching recess in the circuit board.