Apparatus and method for automatic display control in mobile terminal

• US 9,508,307 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2014
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Dong Sub, Choi, Moon Hyuk, Ban, Seong Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): McDowell, Jr., Maurice L
• Application Number:
  US14/163,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20140139438A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1671 Special purpose buttons or auxiliary keyboards, e.g. retractable mini keypads, keypads or buttons that remain accessible at closed laptop G06F1/1666 takes precedence
• 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 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• 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 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• 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: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders

Abstract

An apparatus and method for automatically controlling screens displayed on two display units installed in a mobile terminal are provided, in which, an event is identified, if an event occurs, and on and off states of the display units are controlled, if the event is identified as a control operation of the display units corresponding to a user'"'"'s key input. If the event is identified as a control operation of the display units corresponding to an operation of a sensor, the display units are automatically controlled corresponding to rotation of the mobile terminal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

acquiring, by a sensing unit, a motion information value associated with an electronic device;

extracting, from the motion information value, operation control information for at least one of a first display operatively coupled to the electronic device and a second display operatively coupled to the electronic device; and

changing an activation state of at least one of the first display and the second display, based on the operation control information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the activation state comprises:

activating one of the first display and the second display; and

displaying a screen of a function corresponding to the one of the first display and the second display.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the screen of the function is customized to a size of the one of the first display and the second display.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the activation state comprises:

activating the first display and the second display; and

simultaneously displaying a screen corresponding to a function on the first display and the second display.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the activation state comprises:

activating the first display and the second display; and

displaying a first screen corresponding to a first function on the first display, and displaying a second screen corresponding to a second function on the second display, based on the motion information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the activation state comprises:

activating the first display and the second display; and

displaying a first screen corresponding to a first function on the first display, and displaying a second screen corresponding to a second function on the second display, based on user input.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting image data to at least one of the first display and the second display, according to a specification of at least one of the first display and the second display.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensing unit includes at least one of an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising changing a location of a screen corresponding to a function according to the changed activation state.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a first display; and

a controller operatively coupled to the first display, the controller being configured to acquire, from a sensing unit, a motion information value associated with the apparatus, extract, from the motion information value, operation control information for at least one of the first display and a second display operatively coupled to the apparatus, and change an activation state of at least one of the first display and the second display, based on the operation control information.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller changes the activation state by activating one of the first display and the second display, and displaying a screen of a function corresponding to the one of the first display and the second display.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the screen of the function is customized to a size of the one of the first display and the second display.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller changes the activation state by activating the first display and the second display, and simultaneously displaying a screen corresponding to a function on the first display and the second display.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller changes the activation state by activating the first display and the second display, and displaying a first screen corresponding to a first function on the first display, and displaying a second screen corresponding to a second function on the second display, based on the motion information.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller changes the activation state by activating the first display and the second display, and displaying a first screen corresponding to a first function on the first display, and displaying a second screen corresponding to a second function on the second display, based on user input.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to automatically control the activation states of the first display and the second display, according to the operation control information.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, controls the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

acquiring, by a sensing unit, a motion information value associated with an electronic device;

extracting, from the motion information value, operation control information for at least one of a first display operatively coupled to the electronic device and a second display operatively coupled to the electronic device; and

changing an activation state of at least one of the first display and the second display, based on the operation control information.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein changing the activation state comprises:

activating one of the first display and the second display; and

displaying a screen of a function corresponding to the one of the first display and the second display.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein the screen of the function is customized to a size of the one of the first display and the second display.