Electronic apparatus capable of adjusting display direction and display-direction adjusting method thereof

• US 20070032886A1
• Filed: 03/17/2006
• Published: 02/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quanta Computer
• Original Assignee: Quanta Computer
• Inventors: Tsai, Hsin-Feng
• Granted Patent: US 7,353,069 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/17
• 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 1/1684 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 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

Abstract

An electronic apparatus capable of adjusting display direction and display-direction adjusting method thereof are disclosed. The electronic apparatus includes a sensing unit, a processing unit, and a display unit. The sensing unit is for outputting a sensing signal according to a placement status of the electronic apparatus. The processing unit is for generating a control signal according to the sensing signal. The display unit is for adjusting display direction under the control of the control signal.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus capable of adjusting display direction, comprising:

a sensing unit, for outputting a sensing signal according to a placement status of the electronic apparatus;

a processing unit, for generating a control signal according to the sensing signal; and

a display unit, for adjusting display direction under the control of the control signal.

2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensing unit is an accelerometer.

3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sensing unit comprises:

a first sensor, for sensing magnitude of a first force applied to the electronic apparatus in a first direction; and

a second sensor, for sensing magnitude of a second force applied to the electronic apparatus in a second direction;

wherein the first direction is vertical to the second direction;

wherein the accelerometer outputs the sensing signal according to the magnitude of the first force and the second force.

4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a look-up table, wherein the look-up table has a plurality of parameters, the parameters correspond to the placement statuses of the electronic apparatus, the processing unit determines the display direction of the electronic apparatus according to a correspondence parameter of the parameters corresponding to the placement status of the electronic apparatus.

5. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a look-up table and a relationship table, wherein the look-up table has a plurality of parameters, the processing unit as in an initial state determines the display direction of the electronic apparatus according to a correspondence parameter of the parameter corresponding to the placement status of the electronic apparatus;

wherein when the electronic apparatus changes the placement status, the processing unit determines the display direction of the electronic apparatus by looking up the relationship between a first status of the electronic apparatus before the placement-status change and a second status of the electronic apparatus after the placement-status change via the relationship table.

6. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the electronic apparatus changes the placement status, the processing unit determines the display direction of the electronic apparatus according to the relationship between a first status of the electronic apparatus before the placement-status change and a second status of the electronic apparatus after the placement-status change.

7. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit comprises:

a peripheral controller, for outputting a first signal according to the sensing signal;

a system controller, for outputting a driving signal according to the first signal; and

a display controller, for outputting the control signal to control the display direction of the display unit according to the driving signal.

8. The electronic apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the peripheral controller comprises an analog to digital converter (ADC).

9. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit comprises:

a micro-controller, for outputting a second signal according to the sensing signal;

a peripheral controller, for outputting a third signal according to the second signal;

a system controller, for outputting a driving signal according to the third signal; and

a display controller, for outputting a control signal to control the display direction of the display unit according to the driving signal.

10. The electronic apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the micro-controller comprises an analog to digital converter.

11. A display-direction adjusting method, applied to an electronic apparatus, the electronic apparatus comprising a sensing unit, a processing unit and a display unit, the display-direction adjusting method comprising:

determining placement status of the electronic apparatus by the sensing unit;

outputting a sensing signal to the processing unit according to the placement status of the electronic apparatus by the sensing unit;

generating a control signal according to the sensing signal by the processing unit; and

adjusting the display direction of the display unit according to the control signal.

12. The display-direction adjusting method according to claim 11, wherein the step of determining placement status of the electronic apparatus by the sensing unit comprises using an accelerometer to determine the placement status of the electronic apparatus.

13. The display-direction adjusting method according to claim 12, wherein the step of using an accelerometer to determine the placement status of the electronic apparatus comprises:

using a first sensor to sense magnitude of a first force applied to the electronic apparatus in a first direction; and

using a second sensor to sense magnitude of a second force applied to the electronic apparatus in a second direction;

wherein the first direction is vertical to the second direction;

wherein the accelerometer outputs the sensing signal according to the magnitude of the first force and the second force.

14. The display-direction adjusting method according to claim 11, wherein the electronic apparatus comprises a look-up table, the look-up table has a plurality of parameters, the parameters correspond to the placement statuses of the electronic apparatus, and the processing unit determines the display direction of the electronic apparatus according to a correspondence parameter of the parameters corresponding to the placement status of the electronic apparatus.

15. The display-direction adjusting method according to claim 11, wherein the electronic apparatus has a look-up table and a relationship table;

wherein the look-up table has a plurality of parameters, the processing unit as in an initial state determines the display direction of the electronic apparatus according to a correspondence parameter of the parameter corresponding to the placement status of the electronic apparatus;

wherein when the electronic apparatus changes the placement status, the processing unit determines the display direction of the electronic apparatus by looking up the relationship between a first status of the electronic apparatus before the placement-status change and a second status of the electronic apparatus after the placement-status change via the relationship table.

16. The display-direction adjusting method according to claim 11, wherein when the electronic apparatus changes the placement status, the processing unit determines the display direction of the electronic apparatus according to the relationship between a first status of the electronic apparatus before the placement-status change and a second status of the electronic apparatus after the placement-status change.

17. The display-direction adjusting method according to claim 11, wherein the step of generating the control signal according to the sensing signal by the processing unit comprises:

using a peripheral controller of the processing unit to output a first signal according to the sensing signal;

using a system controller of the processing unit to output a driving signal according to the first signal; and

using a display controller of the processing unit to output a control signal to control the display direction of the display unit according to the driving signal.

18. The display-direction adjusting method according to claim 17, wherein the step of using the peripheral controller outputs the first signal comprises using an analog to digital converter.

19. The display-direction adjusting method according to claim 11, wherein the step of generating the control signal according the sensing signal by the processing unit comprises:

using a micro-controller of the processing unit to output a second signal according to the sensing signal;

using a peripheral controller of the processing unit to output a third signal according to the second signal;

using a system controller of the processing unit to output a driving signal according to the third signal; and

using a display controller of the processing unit to output a control signal to control the display direction of the display unit according to the driving signal.

20. The display-direction adjusting method according to claim 19, wherein the step of using the micro-controller outputs the second signal comprises using an analog to digital converter.