Providing Support for Display Articulation-Related Applications

• US 20140071147A1
• Filed: 09/10/2012
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Trethewey, James R., Putzolu, David M., Hammond, Kelly
• Granted Patent: US 10,078,900 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/581
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1615 with several enclosures having relative motions, each enclosure supporting at least one I/O or computing function constructional details of portable telephones comprising a plurality of mechanically joined movable body parts H04M1/0206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0261 in the context of movement of objects on the screen or movement of the observer relative to the screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0464 Positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• 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

Abstract

A method of providing display articulation support to a main processor of a computing device is disclosed. The method may include receiving display articulation data from a sensor at a sensor controller. The method may also include formatting, via the sensor controller, the display articulation data. The method may also include providing, via a single channel interface between the sensor controller and the main processor, the display articulation data to an operating system executed by the main processor. The method may also include communicating, via a driver executed by the operating system, the display articulation data to an application executed by the operating system.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a sensor controller communicatively coupled to a plurality of sensors to gather display articulation data, the sensor controller to generate formatted display articulation data and provide the formatted display articulation data to a driver, wherein the driver is executed by an operating system to enable the sensor controller to communicate the formatted display articulation data to an application executed by the operating system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the display articulation data comprises one or more of:

a lid state indicator;

a display visibility indicator;

a physical sensor indicator;

an orientation lock switch indicator;

a display angle of inclination indicator;

a display angle of rotation indicator; and

a display percent of extension indicator.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the display articulation data comprises data from articulation detection hardware.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the display articulation data comprises data from articulation detection hardware and at least one additional sensor.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises an accelerometer, a gyrometer, or a magnetometer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor controller comprises a sensor controller hub.

7. A computing device, comprising:

a processor to receive display articulation data from at least one sensor, wherein the at least one sensor is to collect display articulation data;

a computer-readable medium that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, direct the processor to;

receive display articulation data from the sensor that collects display articulation data;

format the display articulation data; and

provide the formatted display articulation data to at least one driver of an operating system executed by the processor.

8. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the display articulation data comprises one or more of:

a lid state indicator;

a display visibility indicator;

a physical sensor indicator;

an orientation lock switch indicator;

a display angle of inclination indicator;

a display angle of rotation indicator; and

a display percent of extension indicator.

9. The computing device of claim 7, wherein formatting comprises expressing data in an abstract format compliant with an HID specification.

10. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the display articulation data is combined with data from at least one additional sensor.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the additional sensor comprises an accelerometer, a gyrometer, or a magnetometer.

12. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the driver provides the display articulation data to an application executed by the operating system.

13. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the driver provides the display articulation data to the operating system, the operating system combines the display articulation data with data from at least one additional sensor, and the operating system acts directly in response to the data.

14. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the driver provides the display articulation data to the operating system, the operating system combines the display articulation data with data from at least one additional sensor, and the operating system delivers the combined data to an application executed by the operating system.

15. A method, comprising:

receiving display articulation data from a sensor at a sensor controller;

formatting, via the sensor controller, the display articulation data;

providing the display articulation data to an operating system executed by a processor; and

communicating, via a driver executed by the operating system, the display articulation data to an application executed by the operating system.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the sensor comprises articulation detection hardware.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the sensor comprises articulation detection hardware and one or more of accelerometer, gyrometer, and magnetometer.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the display articulation data comprises one or more of:

a lid state indicator;

a display visibility indicator;

a physical sensor indicator;

an orientation lock switch indicator;

a display angle of inclination indicator;

a display angle of rotation indicator; and

a display percent of extension indicator.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising combining data from articulation detection hardware with data from at least one additional sensor.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the additional sensor comprises an accelerometer, a gyrometer, or a magnetometer.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the data is combined within the sensor controller.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the data is combined within the application executed by the operating system.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising the user providing instructions as to whether to combine the data in the sensor controller or in the application.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the user provides the instructions using an orientation GUI control.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the orientation GUI control is located within the application.

26. The method of claim 15, wherein formatting comprises expressing data in an abstract format consistent with an HID specification.

27. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored therein that, in response to being executed on a computing device, cause the computing device to:

receive display articulation data from a sensor communicatively coupled to the computer-readable medium;

format the display articulation data; and

provide the display articulation data to an application on an operating system via a device driver.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, the instructions further causing the computing device to combine data from articulation detection hardware with data from at least one additional sensor.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the data from the articulation detection hardware is combined with data from the additional sensor within the sensor controller.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the data from the articulation detection hardware is combined with data from the additional sensor within the application.