Electronic apparatus, control program, and control method

• US 9,075,454 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2012
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Ishidera, Nobutaka, Ohkusa, Mutsumi
• Primary Examiner(s): FARAGALLA, MICHAEL A
• Application Number:
  US13/711,708
• Publication Number:
  US 20130120256A1
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• 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 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/36 characterised by the display of a graphic pattern, e.g. using an all-points-addressable [APA] memory

Abstract

A control unit changes a display orientation of a display screen according to a tilt direction of a display unit when a display orientation detection unit detects the display orientation of the display screen coincides with, among orientations in which the display screen is allowed to be displayed, an orientation closest to a vertical downward direction in a state where the detected display orientation of the display screen is not changed according to the tilt direction of the display unit. The display orientation detection unit detects the display orientation of the display screen displayed on the display unit. A tilt detection unit detects the tilt direction of the display unit, which displays information, in relation to the vertical downward direction.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a tilt sensor configured to detect a tilt of a predetermined downward direction of a display, which displays information, from a vertical downward direction; and

a processor configured to perform a procedure including;

acquiring, from the tilt sensor, a detection result of the tilt and detecting a downward direction of a graphic content displayed on a display screen of the display; and

setting a changeable mode where the downward direction of the graphic content is changed according to the detection result of the tilt when the downward direction of the graphic content is detected to coincide with, among orientations in which the graphic content is allowed to be displayed, an orientation closest to the vertical downward direction in a fixed mode where the downward direction of the graphic content is not changed according to the detection result of the tilt.

2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a memory configured to store control information, wherein:

the procedure further includes;

generating the control information which indicates a downward direction of the graphic content most recently changed according to the detection result of the tilt and storing the generated control information in the memory; and

making a transition to the fixed mode when the detected downward direction of the graphic content does not coincide with the downward direction of the graphic content indicated by the stored control information.

3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the procedure further includes making a transition to the fixed mode when a mode transition operation for making a transition to the fixed mode is received in the changeable mode.

4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the procedure further includes changing the downward direction of the graphic content when a change operation for changing the downward direction of the graphic content is received.

5. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a memory configured to store detected tilt information which indicates a history of angles indicating tilt directions detected by the tilt sensor at a predetermined number of past time points, wherein

the procedure further includes making a transition to the changeable mode when, based on the stored detected tilt information, the angles are determined to have exceeded a predetermined threshold a predetermined number of times or more.

6. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a memory configured to store detected tilt information which indicates a history of angles indicating tilt directions detected by the tilt sensor at a predetermined number of past time points, wherein

the procedure further includes making a transition to the fixed mode when, based on the stored detected tilt information, the angles are determined not to have exceeded a predetermined threshold.

7. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a memory configured to store application information having a rotation resume flag which indicates whether to resume, at closing of a corresponding application, changing the downward direction of the graphic content, wherein

the procedure further includes changing the downward direction of the graphic content according to the detection result of the tilt at the closing of the application when the rotation resume flag of the application information has been enabled.

8. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the procedure further includes changing the downward direction of the graphic content according to the detection result of the tilt at time of return from power-saving mode.

9. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the procedure further includes changing the downward direction of the graphic content according to the detection result of the tilt when a transition is made from logoff mode to logon mode.

10. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the procedure further includes changing the downward direction of the graphic content according to the detection result of the tilt when a user switch is performed.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, the computer program causing a computer to perform a procedure comprising:

acquiring a detection result of a tilt of a predetermined downward direction of a display, which displays information, from a vertical downward direction and detecting a downward direction of a graphic content displayed on a display screen of the display; and

setting a changeable mode where the downward direction of the graphic content is changed according to the detection result of the tilt when the downward direction of the graphic content is detected to coincide with, among orientations in which the graphic content is allowed to be displayed, an orientation closest to the vertical downward direction in a fixed mode where the downward direction of the graphic content is not changed according to the detection result of the tilt.

12. A control method comprising:

detecting a tilt of a predetermined downward direction of a display, which displays information, from a vertical downward direction and detecting, by a processor, a downward direction of a graphic content displayed on a display screen of the display; and

setting, by the processor, a changeable mode where the downward direction of the graphic content is changed according to the detection result of the tilt when the downward direction of the graphic content is detected to coincide with, among orientations in which the graphic content is allowed to be displayed, an orientation closest to the vertical downward direction in a fixed mode where the downward direction of the graphic content is not changed according to the detection result of the tilt.