U.S. patent application number 12/974173 was filed with the patent office on 2011-04-14 for self-orienting display.
This patent application is currently assigned to Microsoft Corporation. Invention is credited to Scott Manchester.
Application Number | 20110084984 12/974173 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 33131136 |
Filed Date | 2011-04-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110084984 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Manchester; Scott |
April 14, 2011 |
SELF-ORIENTING DISPLAY
Abstract
A self-orienting display senses the characteristics of an object
and automatically rotates and reformats a display image in
accordance with those characteristics. In one embodiment, the
object is the display device, such as a hand held device, that
provides the display image. As the display device is rotated, the
display image is automatically oriented to either a landscape
orientation or a portrait orientation. Characteristics may be
sensed by mechanical sensors, electrical sensors, optical sensors,
acoustic sensors, gyroscopic sensors, or a combination thereof.
Sensors may be positioned on the display device, a person, or a
combination thereof. The display images may include graphic display
images, textual display images, videos display images, and
functional control buttons (e.g., functional displayed
representations of control buttons such as play, rewind, stop,
scroll). The self-orienting display may also include an
authenticator that authenticates a user.
Inventors: |
Manchester; Scott; (Redmond,
WA) |
Assignee: |
Microsoft Corporation
Redmond
WA
|
Family ID: |
33131136 |
Appl. No.: |
12/974173 |
Filed: |
December 21, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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10412042 |
Apr 11, 2003 |
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12974173 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
345/649 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G09G 5/32 20130101; G09G
2320/0606 20130101; G09G 2354/00 20130101; G09G 2340/0492 20130101;
G09G 5/37 20130101; G09G 2340/14 20130101; G06F 1/1626 20130101;
G06F 1/1684 20130101; G06F 2200/1614 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
345/649 |
International
Class: |
G09G 5/00 20060101
G09G005/00 |
Claims
1. A method of reorienting a display image portion of a display
image rendered by a display device, the method comprising:
rendering a first viewing perspective of the display image portion;
sensing an object other than the display device; sensing a
reorientation of the object; and responsive to sensing the
reorientation of the object, reorienting the display image portion
from the first viewing perspective to a second viewing perspective,
wherein the display image portion is rendered by the display device
as it is reoriented from the first viewing perspective to the
second viewing perspective.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein reorienting the display image
portion comprises rotating the display image portion.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the display image portion is
rotated about an axis that is parallel with respect to a plane of
the display image.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the reorientation of the object
comprises activation of a button on the display device.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the button is a second display
image portion of the display image comprising a display
representation of a functional control.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the object comprises a portion of
a body of a viewer of the display device and reorientation of the
object comprises repositioning of the object with respect to the
display image.
7. A system for reorienting a display image portion of a display
image rendered by a display device, the system comprising: a sensor
portion configured to sense a reorientation of an object other than
the display device and provide a sensor signal indicative of the
reorientation; and a display processor configured to: receive the
sensor signal; determine a second viewing perspective for the
display image portion based upon the sensor signal; reorient the
display image portion from a first viewing perspective to the
second viewing perspective; and render the display image portion on
the display device as it is reoriented.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein reorienting the display image
portion comprises rotating the display image portion.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the display image portion is
rotated about an axis that is parallel with respect to a plane of
the display image.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the reorientation of the object
comprises activation of a button on the display device.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the button is a second display
image portion of the display image comprising a display
representation of a functional control.
12. The system of claim 7, wherein the object comprises a portion
of a body of a viewer of the display device and reorientation of
the object comprises repositioning of the object with respect to
the display image.
13. A computer readable storage medium having program code stored
thereon that when executed by a processor causes a display device
to reorient a display image portion of a display image rendered by
the display device, the program code comprising: a sense object
code segment that causes one or more sensors to sense a
reorientation of an object other than the display device; a
determine orientation code segment that causes the processor to
determine a second viewing perspective for the display image
portion based upon the sensed reorientation; and an orient code
segment that causes the display device to reorient the display
image portion from a first viewing perspective to the determined
second viewing perspective, wherein the display image portion is
rendered by the display device as it is reoriented.
14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein
reorienting the display image portion comprises rotating the
display image portion.
15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the
display image portion is rotated about an axis that is parallel
with respect to a plane of the display image.
16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the
reorientation of the object comprises activation of a button on the
display device.
17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the
button is a second display image portion of the display image
comprising a display representation of a functional control.
18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the
object comprises a portion of a body of a viewer of the display
device and reorientation of the object comprises repositioning of
the object with respect to the display image.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/412,042 filed Apr. 11, 2003, which is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention generally relates to displays and more
specifically relates to systems and methods that automatically
orient displays.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Display devices are becoming smaller and more portable.
Display devices such as flat liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and
plasma displays are relative thin and light weight. These light
weight, smaller displays are more easily maneuvered than many of
the bulkier cathode ray tube (CRT) displays. Due to the increased
maneuverability of these displays, viewers are more likely to turn
or rotate the display. This is also applicable to the plethora of
available hand held display devices such as personnel digital
assistants (PDAs), cell phones, and games, just to name a few. As
the cost of these display devices continues to decrease, and the
increasing number of smart devices which incorporate these displays
increases, more and more users will be using these products to
accommodate a variety of needs.
[0004] However, a problem with current display devices is that the
display image becomes difficult to read/see when the display device
is turned or rotated. For example, as a hand held PDA is rotated
90.degree., the display image appears tilted and can be difficult
to interpret, or a viewer watching television may decide to lie
down, which also makes the display image on the television appear
tilted. Furthermore, some multipurpose devices are better suited to
display specific display types in specific formats, such as text in
traditional portrait orientation and video in landscape
orientation.
[0005] A display device which overcomes these problems is
desired.
SUMMARY
[0006] A method for orienting a display image includes sensing at
least one characteristic of an object and determining the
orientation of the object from at least one of the sensed
characteristic(s). An image display is oriented relative to the
determined orientation of the object. A system for implementing
this method includes a sensor portion and a display processor. The
sensor portion senses at least one characteristic of an object and
provides a sensor signal indicative of the characteristic(s). The
display processor receives the sensor signal and determines the
orientation of the object from the sensor signal. The display
processor also orients a display image relative to the determined
orientation of the object.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The foregoing and other objects, aspects and advantages will
be better understood from the following detailed description with
reference to the drawings, in which:
[0008] FIG. 1 is an illustration of a self-orienting display
comprising a display device, a display image, a sensor, and
optional control buttons in accordance with an exemplary embodiment
of the present invention;
[0009] FIG. 2A is an illustration of a rotated display device not
possessing a self-orienting capability;
[0010] FIG. 2B is an illustration of rotated self-orienting display
device showing the oriented display image portions and control
buttons in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention;
[0011] FIG. 3 is an illustration of rotated self-orienting display
device showing the oriented display image rotated to achieve an
arbitrary orientation in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of
the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 4 is an enlarged illustration of a control button
comprising an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs) in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 5 is an illustration of liquid crystal display (LCD)
control buttons in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention;
[0014] FIG. 6 is an enlarged illustration of a control button that
is automatically oriented by gravity in accordance with an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 7 is an enlarged illustration of a control button that
is automatically oriented by gravity in accordance with another
exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 8 is an illustration of a self-orienting display
showing a viewer viewing the display image, and multiple sensors
positioned on the display device, in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 9 an illustration of a self-orienting display showing a
viewer viewing the display image, and multiple sensors positioned
on the viewer, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention;
[0018] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of self-orienting
display system comprising a sensor portion, a display processor, a
display portion, and an authenticator, in accordance with an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and
[0019] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for
orienting a display in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of
the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] A self-orienting display in accordance with the present
invention senses the orientation of an object and automatically
orients a display image in accordance with the orientation of that
object. As described herein, self-orienting includes automatically
rotating, along any number of axes, and formatting. An exemplary
embodiment of this self-orienting display comprises a monitor that
automatically orients the display image provided by the monitor to
either a landscape orientation or a portrait orientation in
response to the orientation of the monitor. However, this is just
one of many envisioned embodiments. For example, the display image
may be rotated in response to an audio command, such as "rotate",
or the display image may be rotated in response to depression of a
switch on the display device. Various embodiments of the
self-orienting display include various embodiments of the object,
the sensors, the format of the display image, and functions
performed by the self-orienting display. For example, objects may
include the display device that provides the display image, a
person viewing the display image, an object within visual and/or
acoustic range of the self-orienting display, or a combination
thereof. The display device may be any appropriate device having
the capability to provide a display image, such as a monitor, a
hand held device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular
telephone having a display, a game device having a display, or a
portable computer, for example. Various embodiments of sensors
include mechanical sensors, electrical sensors, optical sensors,
acoustic sensors, gyroscopic sensors, or a combination thereof.
Example sensors include mercury switches, infrared detectors,
motion detectors, ultrasonic detectors, cameras, and microphones.
Furthermore, sensors may be positioned on the display device, a
person, or a combination thereof (e.g., mercury switches attached
to the display device and gyroscopic sensor attached to a headset
of a viewer of the display image). Various embodiments of the
display image include graphic display images, textual display
images, videos display images, and functional control buttons
(e.g., functional displayed representations of control buttons such
as play, rewind, stop, scroll), for example. A more detailed
description of these various embodiments is provided below.
[0021] FIG. 1 is an illustration of a self-orienting display 100
comprising a display device 12, a display image 14, a sensor 16,
and optional control buttons 18. The self-orienting display 12 may
be in the form of any appropriate display device capable of
providing the display image 14. Examples of appropriate display
devices 12 include cathode ray tube (CRT) displays, plasma
displays, light emitting diode (LED) displays, flat panel displays,
projection displays, wireless devices (e.g., cellular devices
including telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable
computers; and devices communicating via an optical link, such as
an infrared link), hand held devices (e.g., hand held games or game
controllers), televisions, radios, or alarm clocks, just to name a
few.
[0022] The sensor 16 may comprise any type of sensor capable of
sensing the orientation of the display device 12 and/or another
object (e.g., a person viewing the display image 14). Examples of
appropriate sensors include mechanical sensors, electrical sensors,
optical sensors, acoustic sensors, gyroscopic sensors, or a
combination thereof. Some specific types of sensors 16 include
mercury switches, infrared detectors, motion detectors, ultrasonic
detectors, cameras, and microphones, or a combination thereof. Note
some types of sensors fall into more than one category. For
example, a mercury switch may be considered a mechanical sensor and
an electrical sensor, or an ultrasonic sensor may be considered an
acoustic sensor and an electrical sensor. The sensor 16 may include
a single sensor or a plurality of sensors. The sensor 16 may be
positioned at various locations on the display device 12 or may be
positioned at a single location. For example, sensors 16 may be
placed at the corners of the display device 12. Furthermore,
sensors 16 may be positioned on the display device, a person, or a
combination thereof.
[0023] The display image 14 may be in the form of a graphic display
image, a textual display image, a video display image, and a
functional control button 18, or a combination thereof. The display
image 14 may comprise display image portions, such as display image
portions 14a and 14b. As depicted in FIG. 1, a graphic/video
display type is provided by the display image portion 14a and a
text display type is provided by the display image portion 14b. For
example, the display image portion 14a may depict a video and the
display image portion 14b may depict email headers/text. It is to
be understood that this depiction is exemplary, and not intended to
be limited thereto. For example, the display image 14 may not be
partitioned into portions, the display image 14 may be portioned
into a plurality of portions, the display image portions may
overlap, the display image portions may provide any combination of
display types, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments of the
self-orientating display, the control buttons are implemented as
display image portions (described in more detail below). It is to
be understood, therefore, that reference to display image 14,
display image portion 14a, and/or display image portion 14b, may
also be appropriately interpreted to refer to the control buttons
18 when implemented as display portions. For example, a description
of rotation and formatting techniques to be applied to the display
image 14 also applies to the control buttons 18 implemented as
display portions.
[0024] The control buttons 18 may comprise any appropriate type of
control device capable of controlling functions related to the
display image 14 and/or the display device 12. In one embodiment,
the control buttons 18 comprise liquid crystal display (LCD)
buttons with a protective overlay (e.g., a touch switch). In
another embodiment, each control button 18 comprises an array of
light emitting diodes (LEDs). In yet another embodiment, each
control button 18 comprises a thin disc or the like, formed in a
desired shape (e.g., triangle) contained within the liquid. In
still another embodiment, the control buttons 18 are weighted such
that a portion of each button is always oriented towards the
greatest gravitation force. The control buttons 18 control various
aspects of the display image 14 and/or the display device 12.
Functions controlled by the control buttons 18 may include, for
example, playback, pause, stop, rewind, enable/disable back
lighting, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, the control
buttons 18 may include an orientation button that, when activated,
orients the display image 14. For example, one of the control
buttons 18 may switch the display image 14 between landscape
orientation and portrait orientation each time the button is
depressed/touched. In another example, the orientation control
button may rotate the display image 14 a predetermined number of
degrees each time it is depressed/touched. The control buttons 18
are optional. Thus, various embodiments of the self-orienting
display in accordance with the present invention may or may not
comprise control buttons.
[0025] FIG. 2A is an illustration of a rotated display device not
possessing a self-orienting capability. FIG. 2B is an illustration
of rotated self-orienting display device 12 showing the oriented
display image portions 14a, 14b, and control buttons 18. The
display devices shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B are rotated 90 degrees
with respect to the display device 12 shown in FIG. 1. Comparing
FIG. 2A with FIG. 2B, the display image portion 14a of FIG. 2B is
rotated by 90.degree. with respect to the equivalent display image
portion shown in FIG. 2A. The display image portion 14b of FIG. 2B
is also rotated by 90.degree. with respect to the equivalent
display image portion shown in FIG. 2A. The control buttons 18 of
FIG. 2B are also rotated by 90.degree. with respect to the
equivalent control buttons of FIG. 2A. The rotation of the control
buttons 18 is most clearly illustrated by comparing buttons 18a and
18b of FIG. 2B with the equivalent control buttons of FIG. 2A.
Portions of the display image 14, such as display image portions
14a and 14b, along with the control buttons 18, which may also be a
display image portion, are rotated and reformatted to conform to
the rotated image space of the display device 12. Rotation and
formatting may be accomplished by any appropriate technique. For
example, a raster scan display image may be rotated by simply
transposing the horizontal and vertical deflection values.
Formatting may then be accomplished to fit the rotated image within
the available display image space to reduce any distortion. For a
display utilizing pixels, each array of pixels may be transposed
and formatted. Examples of algorithms/techniques for reformatting
displays include scaling, stretching, and the ability to
dynamically update resolution.
[0026] In one embodiment of the present invention, the display
image 14 is oriented with respect to the orientation of the display
device 12. As the display device 12 oriented as shown in FIG. 1 is
rotated, the display image 14 is automatically oriented, such that
the appearance of the display image 14 appears to remain
approximately stable regardless of the orientation of the display
device 12. Thus, if a viewer prefers landscape mode, she can rotate
the display device 12 to achieve the orientation shown in FIG. 1.
If the viewer prefers portrait mode, she can rotate the display
device 12 to achieve the orientation shown in FIG. 2B. Note that
even though the appearance of the display image 14, relative to a
viewer, remains approximately constant, the display image 14 is
actually oriented (rotated and formatted) in response to the
orientation of the display device 12.
[0027] In another embodiment, the relative orientation between the
display image 14 and a viewer (See FIG. 8 for depiction of a viewer
36) is approximately constant. Thus, if a viewer tilts her head,
the display image 14 is tilted in the same direction, such that the
orientation between the viewer and the display image 14 is
approximately constant (fixed). As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2B, the
display image 14 is rotated to achieve a landscape orientation or a
portrait orientation. However, orientation of the display image 14
is not limited thereto.
[0028] FIG. 3 is an illustration of rotated self-orienting display
device 12 showing the oriented display image 14 rotated to achieve
an arbitrary orientation. The display image 14 of FIG. 3 is
automatically rotated such that the relative orientation between a
viewer is approximately constant, regardless of the amount by which
the display device 12 is rotated. Orientation of the display image
14 and/or the control buttons 18 is not limited to rotation in a
single dimension (e.g., plane). The display image 14 may be
oriented in one, two, or three dimensions, as indicated by the
three dimensional set of axes 15. For example, a three dimensional
depiction on the display image 14 may be rotated horizontally,
vertically, or a combination thereof as the display device 12 is
rotated, such that the relative orientation between a viewer and
the display image 14 remains approximately the same.
[0029] In another embodiment, the three dimensional display image
14 is oriented to provide a desired perspective to the viewer. This
may be accomplished by the viewer simply turning and/or shifting
her head to view the desired perspective, turning the display
device 12 to view the desired perspective, or a combination
thereof. As explained in more detail below, sensors 16 can be
positioned on the viewer 36 and/or on the display device 12 to
sense the orientation of the viewer and/or display device 12. For
example, assume the three dimensional display image 14 is a cube
and the display device 12 is a hand held display device. Also
assume the viewer is viewing a front side of the cube. If the
viewer desires to view the left side of the cube, she may simply
rotate the hand held display device (e.g., to the right) to view
the left side of the cube. She may also turn her head (e.g., to the
right and/or shift her head to the left), as if the cube were
physically in front of her and she positioned herself to look at
the left side.
[0030] As mentioned above, various embodiments of the control
buttons 18 are envisioned. FIG. 4 is an enlarged illustration of a
control button 18b comprising an array of light emitting diodes
(LEDs). An exemplary control button 18b is expanded to show the
array of LEDs utilized to display the shape corresponding to the
control function performed by the button. The control button 18b
comprises a triangle shaped image, which may signify play, for
example. The LEDs may be various colors. Upon the orientation of
the display device 12 being sensed, the image of control buttons
18, including 18b, are rotated accordingly. In one embodiment, the
array of LEDs is symmetric, thus allowing the control button image
to be rotated between landscape and portrait mode by transposing
the array of LEDs.
[0031] FIG. 5 is an illustration of liquid crystal display (LCD)
control buttons 18. The control buttons 18 in FIG. 5 comprise LCD
portions for displaying the shape corresponding to the control
function performed by the button. As shown in FIG. 5, the LCD
portions are covered with an appropriate overlay 20 to protect the
LCD portions and to provide a surface which can be
touched/depressed to utilize the control buttons 18. Upon the
orientation of the display device 12 being sensed, the LCD image of
control buttons 18 are rotated accordingly.
[0032] FIG. 6 is an enlarged illustration of a control button 18b
that is automatically oriented by gravity, wherein the control
button comprises a liquid portion 22 having a shaped disc 24
contained therein. The exemplary control button 18b is
automatically oriented by gravity when the display device 12 is
rotated. The control button 18b of FIG. 6 comprises a liquid
portion 22 contained within the control button 18b. Within the
liquid portion 22 is contained disc 24 formed in a shape
corresponding to the control function performed by the button. The
disc 24 is triangular shaped, indicating the play function, for
example. The disc 24 is suspended in the liquid portion 22. As the
display device 12 is rotated the disc 24 automatically rotates,
thus resulting in self-orientation of the control button 18b. In
one embodiment, the disc 24 is weighted such that a specific
portion 28 of the disc 24 is always pointed in the direction of the
strongest gravitational pull (e.g., down). The arrow 28 depicts a
portion of the disc 24 that is heavier (more mass) such that the
portion 28 is always facing "down" (toward the strongest
gravitational attractive force). In another embodiment, the disc 24
contains an air bubble 26 (or other appropriate gas of liquid
portion) such that the portion with the lesser mass is always
facing "up" (away from the direction of the strongest gravitation
pull). The bubble 26 may be any portion comprising a gas or a
liquid that is less dense than the liquid in the liquid portion 22.
Other types of control buttons 18 that are automatically oriented
by gravity are envisioned.
[0033] FIG. 7 is an enlarged illustration of a control button 18b
that is automatically oriented by gravity, wherein the control
button 18b comprises bearing 34. Self-orientation of the control
button 18b of FIG. 7 is achieved via gravity in a similar manner as
described above with respect to FIG. 6. However, the disc 24 is
contained within the control button 18b by bearings, or the like,
which allow the disc 24 to freely rotate. Again the control button
18b shown in FIG. 7 may comprise a weighted portion 28, a less
dense portion 26, or a combination, similar to the control button
18b shown in FIG. 6. Also, other mechanisms for providing a
self-orienting display that is automatically oriented via gravity.
For example, the control buttons 18 may be attached to spindles or
axles that allow the control buttons 18 to freely rotate.
[0034] FIG. 8 is an illustration of a self-orienting display
showing a viewer 36 viewing the display image 14, and multiple
sensors 16a, 16b, and 16c positioned on the display device 12. As
mentioned above, the sensors 16 may comprise any appropriate type
and combination of sensors capable of sensing the orientation of an
object. Examples of which include known types of devices such as
mercury switches, gyroscopic sensors/devices, gravity
switches/devices, optical detectors (e.g., infrared detectors),
acoustic sensors/devices (e.g., ultrasonic devices, acoustic
microphones), electrical sensors/devices, magnetic devices/sensors,
and cameras. The sensors 16 may be positioned on the display device
12 and/or on the viewer 36. Thus, the sensors 16 may be positioned
on an object, wherein the object may comprise the display device
12, the viewer 36, another object within sensing range of the
sensors 16, or a combination thereof.
[0035] For purposes of explaining the following exemplary
embodiment, the sensors 16 positioned on the display device 12 in
FIG. 8 are a camera 16a, an acoustic sensor (e.g., microphone) 16b,
and mercury switches 16c. The camera 16a may comprise any
appropriate type of camera, such as a camera utilizing a charge
coupled device (CCD), or an infrared camera (e.g., night vision),
for example. The camera 16a senses the orientation of the viewer's
36 head. In response to the sensed orientation of the viewer's 36
head, the display image 14 is automatically oriented by any of the
techniques/devices described herein.
[0036] To facilitate automatic self-orientation, in one embodiment,
the relative orientation between the display image 14 and the
object is initialized. This may include initialization of the
relative orientation between the display image 14 and the display
device 12, the relative orientation between the display image 14
and the viewer 36, or a combination thereof. For example, the
relative orientation between the viewer 36 and the display image 14
is initialized. To generate the initial relative orientation, the
viewer 36 may position herself in front of the display image 14,
such that she is within sensing range of the sensors 16 (e.g.,
optical range of the camera 16a and/or audio range of the
microphone 16b). While observing her depiction on the display image
14, the viewer may position her head to align the depiction to be
centered in the display image 14, for example. Once the viewer is
satisfied that the relative orientation is as desired, she may
initialize this relative orientation. All subsequent automatic
orientation will be with respect to the initial relative
orientation. Initialization may be accomplished by any appropriate
means, such as activating a switch, depressing a button (e.g., a
control button 18), giving an audible command, waiting a period of
time, or a combination thereof. In one exemplary embodiment, the
viewer gives an audio command, such as "align". The microphone 16b
receives this audio command, and transduces the audio command into
a sense signal. This sense signal is utilized to establish the
baseline relative orientation between the display image 14 and the
viewer 36. Thus, the viewer 36 may rotate the display device 12 to
either landscape of portrait orientation. The mercury switches 16c
senses the orientation of the display device 12, also providing a
sense signal. The sense signal provided by the mercury switches 16c
and the sense signal provided by the camera 16b during
initialization are utilized to establish the baseline relative
orientation. The sense signals are also utilized to orient the
display image 14 as the display device 12 and/or the viewer 36
change orientation. Also, the display image 14 may be oriented via
an audio command, such as "rotate", in response to which the
display image 14 is rotated (e.g.,)90.degree.. It is to be
understood that various combinations of sensors 16, and placements
thereof are envisioned. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, sensors 16
may be positioned on the viewer 36.
[0037] In yet another embodiment, the viewer 36 is authenticated.
Authentication may be accomplished by analyzing the sensed image,
which is sensed by the camera 16b, to determine if the viewer is
authorized to use the display device 12. The sensed image may
include a retinal scan, a finger print scan, or the like. The
sensed image is analyzed to determine if authorization is
appropriate. Any appropriate technique may be utilized to analyze
the sensed image. For example, the sensed image may be compared to
a stored representation of an authorized image, or the sensed image
may be analyzed for key features which distinguish an authorized
sensed image, or a combination thereof In another embodiment, the
viewer is authenticated by analyzing a sensed acoustic signal
received by the acoustic sensor 16c. The acoustic signal may
include a key phrase, such as the viewer's 36 name or a password.
The sensed acoustic signal is analyzed to determine if
authorization is appropriate. Any appropriate technique may be
utilized to analyze the sensed acoustic signal. For example, the
sensed acoustic signal may be compared to a stored representation
of an authorized acoustic signal, or the sensed acoustic signal may
be analyzed for key features which distinguish an authorized sensed
acoustic (e.g., acoustic signature), or a combination thereof.
[0038] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of self-orienting
display system comprising a sensor portion 40, a display processor
42, a display portion 44, and an optional authenticator 44. The
sensor portion 40 may comprise any combination of the sensors
described above. The sensor portion 40 senses at least one
characteristic of an object. For example, the object may be the
display device (e.g., display device 12) and characteristics may
include orientation of the display device; the object may be a user
(e.g., viewer 36) and the characteristic may include an image of a
portion of the user's body (e.g., retina, finger print); the object
may be a user and the characteristic may include a acoustic signal
provided by the user (e.g., voice), or a combination thereof The
sensor portion 40 provides a sensor signal 48 indicative of the
sensed characteristic (or characteristics) of the object. The
display processor 42 receives the sensor signal 48 and processes
the sensor signal 48 to determine the orientation of the sensed
characteristic(s). The display processor 42 provides an orientation
signal 50 indicative of the sensed characteristic(s). The display
portion 44 (e.g., the display device 12) receives the orientation
signal 50 and orients a display image (e.g., display image 14) in
accordance with the determined orientation. In one embodiment, the
self-orienting display system comprises the authenticator 46 for
authenticating the object by analyzing the sensed characteristic(s)
of the object. The authenticator 46 receives the sensor signal 48
and analyzes the sensed characteristic(s) using any of the analysis
techniques described above. This sense signal 48 and the
orientation signal 50 may be provided by any appropriate means,
such as electrically, acoustically, optically, electromagnetically,
or a combination thereof.
[0039] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for
self-orienting a display. The object is sensed at step 54. As
described above, the object may be a person, the display device, or
a combination thereof. The characteristic may include orientation
of the object, an image of a portion of the object (e.g., retina or
fingerprint), an acoustic signal (e.g., voice or clap), or a
combination thereof. The object may be sensed by any combination of
the sensors described above, such as optical sensors, mechanical
sensors, gravity sensors, gyroscopic sensors, electromagnetic
sensors, acoustic sensors, touch sensitive sensors (e.g., control
buttons 18), for example. At step 56, the object is authenticated
as described above. The step of authentication is optional. The
relative orientation between the object and the display image is
initialized at step 58. The step of initialization is also
optional. Initialization may be accomplished described above. At
step 60, the orientation of the object is determined utilizing the
sensed characteristic (or characteristics) of the object. The
display image is oriented with respect to the determined
orientation of the object at step 62. As described above, the
display image may be oriented to predetermined orientations, such
as portrait, landscape, rotation in a predetermined number of
degrees, or a combination thereof. The display image may also be
oriented such that the orientation of the display image appears
approximately constant (e.g., fixed) regardless of the orientation
of the object. For example, a display image will appear to rotate
and/or tilt in the opposite direction of the rotation and/or tilt
of the display device.
[0040] A method for self-orienting a display image as described
herein may be embodied in the form of computer-implemented
processes and system for practicing those processes. A method for
self-orienting a display image as described herein may also be
embodied in the form of computer program code embodied in tangible
media, such as floppy diskettes, read only memories (ROMs),
CD-ROMs, hard drives, high density disk, or any other
computer-readable storage medium, wherein, when the computer
program code is loaded into and executed by a computer, the
computer becomes a system for practicing the invention. The method
for self-orienting a display image as described herein may also be
embodied in the form of computer program code, for example, whether
stored in a storage medium, loaded into and/or executed by a
computer, or transmitted over some transmission medium, such as
over the electrical wiring or cabling, through fiber optics, or via
electromagnetic radiation, wherein, when the computer program code
is loaded into and executed by a computer, the computer becomes a
system for practicing the invention. When implemented on a
general-purpose processor, the computer program code segments
configure the processor to create specific logic circuits.
[0041] Although illustrated and described herein with reference to
certain specific embodiments, the system and method for orienting a
display as described herein are nevertheless not intended to be
limited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications may be
made in the details within the scope and range of equivalents of
the claims and without departing from the spirit of the
invention.
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