CONTROLLED GYROSCOPIC TORQUE FOR AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20160018223A1
• Filed: 07/10/2015
• Published: 01/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Stryker, James A., Shrestha, Shikhar, Rivellini, Tommaso P.
• Granted Patent: US 10,310,602 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• 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 2203/013 Force feedback applied to a game
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• 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

Abstract

A mobile electronic device can include one or more gyroscopes that each produces a controlled gyroscopic torque. An event is detected by the mobile electronic device. Characteristics of gyroscopic torque to be transmitted to the mobile electronic device may be determined. The spatial orientation of the mobile electronic device is altered by generating gyroscopic torque or torques with the gyroscope.

Claims

1. A method for operating a mobile electronic device that includes a gyroscope and a display in an enclosure of the mobile electronic device, the method comprising:

detecting an event;

determining a characteristic of a gyroscopic torque to be transmitted to the mobile electronic device, wherein the characteristic of the gyroscopic torque is based on a characteristic of the event;

generating the gyroscopic torque with the gyroscope in accordance with the determined characteristic of the gyroscopic torque; and

transmitting a force corresponding to the gyroscopic torque through the enclosure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the gyroscopic torque is one or more of a magnitude of the gyroscopic torque, a direction of the gyroscopic torque, and/or a duration of application of the gyroscopic torque.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the event includes receiving a characteristic of torque feedback to be provided to a user based on an event occurring in an application program presented to the user on the display.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the characteristic of the torque feedback to be provided to the user comprises one of an event type and a duration of the event.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein generating the gyroscopic torque with the gyroscope comprises generating torques in two directions.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein generating the gyroscopic torque with the gyroscope comprises generating torques in three directions.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising rapidly accelerating or decelerating a gyroscope to generate a torque in one direction.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the event includes:

determining that the mobile electronic device is in free fall;

determining a spatial condition of the mobile electronic device during the free fall; and

predicting a damaging impact based on the determined spatial condition of the mobile electronic device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the spatial condition is an orientation of the mobile electronic device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the spatial condition is an angular velocity of the mobile electronic device.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the characteristic of the gyroscopic torque is determined so as to reorient the mobile electronic device during the free fall.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the characteristic of the gyroscopic torque is based on the determined spatial condition of the mobile electronic device and a target orientation.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the target orientation corresponds to a display plane of the display being substantially perpendicular to a ground plane.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the target orientation corresponds to an edge of the mobile electronic device being substantially parallel to a ground plane.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the target orientation is selected so as to reduce damage to the mobile electronic device resulting from the free fall.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the characteristic of torque feedback is further selected so as to counteract an angular velocity of the device.

17. A mobile electronic device, comprising:

at least one gyroscope in an enclosure of the mobile electronic device; and

a control system operably connected to the at least one gyroscope, wherein the control system is adapted to execute instructions that cause the mobile electronic device to;

detect an event;

determine a characteristic of a gyroscopic torque to be transmitted to the mobile electronic device, wherein the characteristic of the gyroscopic torque is based on a characteristic of the event; and

alter the spatial orientation of the mobile electronic device by causing the gyroscope to generate the gyroscopic torque in accordance with the determined characteristic of the gyroscopic torque.

18. The mobile electronic device of claim 17 further comprising a motion sensor operably coupled to the control system, wherein detecting the event includes detecting, with the motion sensor, that the mobile electronic device is in free fall.

19. The mobile electronic device of claim 17 further comprising an orientation sensor operably coupled to the control system, wherein the control system is further adapted to execute instructions that cause the mobile electronic device to:

determine, with the orientation sensor, an orientation of the mobile electronic device; and

determine the characteristic of gyroscopic torque to be transmitted to the mobile electronic device based on the determined orientation of the mobile electronic device and a target orientation.

20. A gyroscope module for altering the spatial orientation of a mobile electronic device, comprising:

at least one gyroscope coupled to a housing, wherein the housing is configured to be coupled to a mobile electronic device; and

a control system operably connected to the at least one gyroscope, wherein the control system is adapted to execute instructions that cause the gyroscope module to;

receive, from the mobile electronic device, an indication of an event;

determine a characteristic of a gyroscopic torque to be transmitted to the mobile electronic device, wherein the characteristic of the gyroscopic torque is based on a characteristic of the event; and

alter the spatial orientation of the mobile electronic device by causing the gyroscope to generate the gyroscopic torque in accordance with the determined characteristic of the gyroscopic torque.