Apparatus and method for controlling a display based on a manner of holding the apparatus

• US 9,134,764 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tokutake, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Gebreyesus, Yosef
• Application Number:
  US14/135,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20150177788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: 257/59, 257/72, 257/79, 257/88, 257/E21.584, 257/E29.095, 438/104, 438/653, 345/156, 345/157, 345/158, 345/633
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1649 the additional display being independently orientable, e.g. for presenting information to a second user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• 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

Abstract

A device includes a display panel configured to display one or more interfaces. The device includes one or more motion sensors. The device includes circuitry configured to determine, based on an input from the one or more motion sensors, a tilt angle of the device. The circuitry is configured to select, based on the determined tilt angle, an interface, of the one or more interfaces, and to control the display panel to display the selected interface.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a display panel configured to display one or more interfaces;

one or more motion sensors; and

circuitry configured to

determine, based on an input from the one or more motion sensors, a tilt angle of the device;

select, based on the tilt angle, an interface, of the one or more interfaces; and

control the display panel to display the selected interface.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein:

the circuitry is configured to determine, based on the input from the one or more motion sensors, a display orientation of the device, and

the circuitry is configured to select the interface based on the tilt angle and the display orientation.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein:

the circuitry is configured to determine an arrangement of icons based on the determined tilt angle, and

the circuitry is configured to control the display panel to display the arrangement of icons.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein:

the arrangement of icons corresponds to the selected interface, and

the circuitry is configured to display the arrangement of icons within the selected interface based on the determined tilt angle.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is configured to select the interface, of the one or more interfaces, based on a previously determined correspondence between the selected interface and the determined tilt angle, and

the correspondence is generated by acquiring, from the one or more motion sensors, data corresponding to the tilt angle when an application corresponding to the interface is executed, and associating the interface with the acquired data corresponding to the tilt angle.

6. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

one or more position sensors configured to determine a current location of the device, wherein

the circuitry is configured to select the interface based on the determined tilt angle and the current location of the device.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein

the circuitry is configured to determine an operating context of the device based on inputs from at least one of the one or more motion sensors and the one or more position sensors.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein

the operating context includes a behavior exhibited by a user at a time of determining the tilt angle.

9. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an audio input terminal configured to receive an audio jack, wherein

the circuitry is configured to determine when the audio jack is received by the audio input terminal, and

the circuitry is configured to select the interface, of the one or more interfaces, based on the determined tilt angle and the determination result of whether the audio jack is received by the audio input terminal.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein

when the interface, of the one or more interfaces, includes a plurality screens that may be selected for display on the display panel, a range of tilt angles is associated, by the circuitry, with each screen of the plurality of screens, and

the circuitry is configured to display a screen, of the plurality of screens, based on a comparison between the determined tilt angle and the range of tilt angles associated with each screen.

11. A method of controlling a display panel configured to display one or more interfaces, the method comprising:

determining, based on an input from one or more motion sensors, a tilt angle of the display panel;

selecting, based on the determined tilt angle, an interface, of the one or more interfaces; and

controlling the display panel to display the selected interface.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

determining, based on the input from the one or more motion sensors, a display orientation of the display panel, wherein

the interface is selected based on the tilt angle and the display orientation.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

determining an arrangement of icons based on the determined tilt angle; and

controlling the display panel to display the arrangement of icons.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein:

the arrangement of icons corresponds to the selected interface, and

the display panel displays the arrangement of icons within the selected interface based on the determined tilt angle.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein

the interface, of the one or more interfaces, is selected based on a previously determined correspondence between the selected interface and the determined tilt angle, and

the correspondence is generated by acquiring, from the one or more motion sensors, data corresponding to the tilt angle when an application corresponding to the interface is executed, and associating the interface with the acquired data corresponding to the tilt angle.

16. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

determining, based on an input from one or more position sensors, a current location of the display panel, wherein

the interface is selected based on the determined tilt angle and the current location of the display panel.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

determining an operating context of the display panel based on inputs from at least one of the one or more motion sensors and the one or more position sensors.

18. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

determining when an audio jack is received by an audio input terminal included on the display panel, wherein

the interface, of the one or more interfaces, is selected based on the determined tilt angle and the determination result of whether the audio jack is received by the audio input terminal.

19. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

associating, when the selected interface includes a plurality screens that may be selected for display on the display panel, a range of tilt angles with each screen of the plurality of screens; and

displaying a screen, of the plurality of screens, based on a comparison between the detected tilt angle and the range of tilt angles associated with each screen.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored therein that when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform a method of controlling a display panel configured to display one or more interfaces, the method comprising:

determining, based on an input from one or more motion sensors, a tilt angle of the display panel;

selecting, based on the determined tilt angle, an interface, of the one or more interfaces; and

controlling the display panel to display the selected interface.