Portable electronic device for changing menu display state according to rotating degree and method thereof

• US 7,486,323 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2005
• Issued: 02/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Woo-jong, Choi, Sang-on, Lee, Woo-jong
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho; Tuan V
• Application Number:
  US11/067,207
• Publication Number:
  US 20050190281A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,436 Days
• Field of Search: 348/333.02, 348/333.12, 348/239, 348/207.99
• US Class Current: 348/333.12
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/30 Earth-inductor compasses
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• 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: H04M 1/0241 using relative motion of the body parts to change the operational status of the telephone set, e.g. switching on/off, answering incoming call
• 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 video pick device for displaying a menu in a fixed position regardless of its rotation state. The photographing device comprises a geomagnetic sensor for detecting a predetermined output value corresponding to a geomagnetism; a display unit for displaying a predetermined menu through a display panel; and a control unit for checking the output value detected by the geomagnetic sensor to determine a pickup position, and controlling the display unit to have a display state of the menu changed in response to the determined pickup position. Accordingly, the menu display state on the display panel is changed in response to respective pickup positions to be displayed with the same form in a fixed direction with respect to the surface of the earth.

Claims

1. A photographing device comprising:

a geomagnetic sensor, including an X-axis fluxgate and a Y-axis fluxgate, which detects output values of the X and Y-axes corresponding to a geomagnetism;

a display unit which displays a predetermined menu through a display panel; and

a control unit which checks the output values detected by the geomagnetic sensor to determine a pickup position, and controls the display unit to change a display state of a menu in response to the determined pickup position;

wherein the control unit determines that the pickup position is in a left horizontal pickup direction if the output value of the Y-axis is greater than the output value of the X-axis and a first predetermined threshold value.

2. The photographing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the geomagnetic sensor comprises:

a geomagnetism detection module which includes the X-axis fluxgate which outputs an electrical signal and the Y-axis fluxgate, which is orthogonal to the X-axis fluxgate and which outputs an electrical signal;

a signal processing unit which converts the electrical signals output from each of the X and Y-axis fluxgates to the respective output values of the X and Y-axes and outputs said respective output values; and

a geomagnetism calculation unit which normalizes the respective output values of the X and Y-axes to values within respective predetermined ranges.

3. The photographing device as recited in claim 2, wherein the control unit determines that there exists a pickup position corresponding to a predetermined condition if magnitudes of the normalized output values of the X and Y-axes meet the predetermined condition.

4. The photographing device as recited in claim 3, wherein the control unit uses the magnitudes of the normalized output values of the X and Y-axes as the condition under respective pickup positions which are extracted, in advance, by measuring output values of the X and Y-axes while changing the pickup positions of the photographing device.

5. The photographing device as recited in claim 4, wherein the geomagnetic sensor is mounted so as to have the X-axis fluxgate and the Y-axis fluxgate formed in a pickup direction of the photographing device and in a direction perpendicular to the pickup direction of the photographing device, respectively.

6. The photographing device as recited in claim 5, wherein the control unit determines that the pickup position is in a longitudinal pickup direction if the normalized output value of the Y-axis is greater than the normalized output value of the X-axis and the output value of the X-axis is smaller than a second predetermined threshold value.

7. The photographing device as recited in claim 6, wherein the control unit determines that the pickup position is in a right horizontal pickup direction if the normalized output value of the X-axis is greater the normalized output value of the Y-axis and the normalized output value of the Y-axis is smaller than a third predetermined threshold value.

8. The photographing device as recited in claim 1, wherein the control unit changes a position and an angle of the menu display to correspond to the change of the pickup position, so that the menu is displayed with a same form on the display panel in a fixed direction with respect to a surface of the earth.

9. A portable electronic device comprising:

a geomagnetic sensor which includes an X-axis fluxgate and a Y-axis fluxgate, and detects a output values of the X and Y-axes corresponding to a geomagnetism;

a control unit which checks the output values detected by the geomagnetic sensor, and determines that there is an inclination corresponding to a predetermined condition if the output value meets the predetermined condition; and

a display unit which displays a predetermined menu on a display panel, and changes a display state of the menu in response to the inclination to display the menu with a same form on the display panel in a fixed direction with respect to a surface of the earth;

wherein the control unit determines that the pickup position is in a left horizontal pickup direction if the output value of the Y-axis is greater than the output value of the X-axis and a predetermined threshold value.

10. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 9, wherein the geomagnetic sensor comprises:

a geomagnetism detection module which includes the X-axis fluxgate which outputs an electrical signal and the Y-axis fluxgate, which is orthogonal to the X-axis fluxgate and outputs an electrical signal;

a signal processing unit which converts the electrical signals output from the X and Y-axis fluxgates to the respective output values of the X and Y-axes and outputs said respective output values; and

a geomagnetism calculation unit which normalizes the output values of the X and Y-axes to values in respective predetermined ranges.

11. A method for displaying a menu of a photographing device having a display panel, an X-axis fluxgate, and a Y-axis fluxgate, the method comprising:

(a) using the X and Y-axes fluxgates to detect output values of the X and Y-axes corresponding to a geomagnetism;

(b) checking whether the output values of the X and Y-axes meets a predetermined condition to determine a pickup position of the photographing device; and

(c) displaying a predetermined menu on the display panel, and changing a display state of the menu in response to the pickup position to display the menu with a same form on the display panel in a fixed direction with respect to the surface of the earth;

wherein (b) comprises;

determining that the pickup position is in a left horizontal pickup direction if the output value of the Y-axis is greater than the output value of the X-axis and a predetermined threshold.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein (a) comprises:

detecting electrical signals corresponding to a geomagnetism from the X-axis fluxgate and the Y-axis fluxgate;

converting the electrical signals to the output values of the X and Y-axes and outputting said output values; and

normalizing the output values of the X and Y-axes to values in respective predetermined ranges.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein (b) further comprises using magnitude information of the normalized output values of the X and Y-axes as the condition under respective pickup positions which are extracted, in advance, by measuring the output values of the X and Y-axes while changing the pickup position of the photographing device.