Electronic device and method for controlling state of components therein according to angle between cover and main body thereof

• US 8,296,095 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2010
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Chu, Yung-Hung
• Primary Examiner(s): Raymond, Edward
• Application Number:
  US12/756,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20110015894A1
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: 702/151, 702/150, 702182-185
• US Class Current: 702/151
• 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

Abstract

An electronic device includes a cover, a main body, a plurality of components, each has an on working state and an off working state respectively corresponding to an angle range, an angle measuring apparatus, a presetting unit to preset a relationship between the on and of working states of each component and corresponding angle ranges; a memory for storing the relationship as a table, an angle measuring unit to detect current angle value between the main body and the cover; a state determining unit to determine the angle range which the detected current angle value is in; a determining unit to determine whether a current working state of the components is same as the determined working state; and an updating unit to record the determined working state as an updated working state when they are not same.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a cover,

a main body rotatably connected with the cover,

a plurality of components received in the cover or the main body, wherein each of plurality of components has an on working state and an off working state, the on and off working states of each of the plurality of components respectively correspond to an angle range between the cover and the main body,

an angle measuring apparatus to measure an angle between the cover and the main body,

a presetting unit configured to preset a relationship between the on and of working states of each of the components and the corresponding angle ranges between the main body and the cover;

a memory for storing the relationship as a table;

an angle measuring unit configured to control the angle measuring apparatus to detect a current angle value between the main body and the cover;

a state determining unit configured to determine the angle range which the detected current angle value is in, and thereby determining the corresponding working state of each of the components according to the table;

a determining unit configured to determine whether a current working state of the each of the components is the same as the determined working state; and

an updating unit configured to record the determined working state as an updated working state of each of the components when the current state of each of the components is different from the determined working state.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the angle measuring apparatus comprises a first sensor and a second sensor, the first sensor is disposed on the main body for sensing angle α

between the main body and ground, the second sensor is disposed on the cover for sensing angle β

between the cover and ground, thereby the current angle value is calculated by the angle α and

the angle β

.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the first sensor and the second sensor are G-sensors.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the angle measuring apparatus comprises one infrared emitter disposed on the cover, one infrared receiver disposed on the main body, and the infrared emitter and the infrared receiver are disposed on one cross-section, a distance h between the infrared emitter and the receiver is measured in real time, a distance a between the infrared emitter and an axis of an axle connecting the cover and the main body is predetermined when the infrared emitter is disposed, and a distance b between the infrared receiver and the axis is predetermined when the infrared receiver is disposed, and the current angle value is calculated by a, b and h.

5. A method for controlling an electronic device, the electronic device comprising a cover, a main body rotatable connected with the cover, and a plurality of components received in the cover or the main body, wherein each of plurality of components has an on working state and an off working state, the on and off working states of each of the plurality of components respectively correspond to an angle range between the cover and the main body, the method comprising:

presetting a relationship of the working states of on and off between the one and off components and corresponding angle ranges between the main body and the cover;

storing the relationship as a table;

detecting a current angle value between the main body and the cover;

determining the angle range which the detected current angle value is in, and thereby determine the working state of each of the components according to the table;

determining whether the current working state of each of the components is the same as the determined working state; and

recording the determined working state as the updated working state of each of the components when the current state of each of the components is different from the determined working state.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

controlling the components to turn on/off according to the respective updated working states using a determining unit of the electronic device.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

keeping the components to keep on/off according to the respective current working states when the current state of each of the components is the same as the determined working state.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

disposing a first sensor on the main body for sensing angle α

between the main body and ground, a second sensor on the cover for sensing angle β

between the cover and ground; and

calculating the current angle value by the angle α and

the angle β

.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

disposing one infrared emitter on the cover, one infrared receiver on the main body such that the infrared emitter and the infrared receiver are on one cross-section;

measuring a distance h between the infrared emitter and the receiver in real time;

obtaining a distance a between the infrared emitter and an axis of an axle connecting the cover and the main body which is predetermined when the infrared emitter is disposed, and a distance b between the infrared receiver and the axis which is predetermined when the infrared receiver is disposed; and

calculating the current angle value is by a, b and h.