Orientation Control

Abstract

A method can include operating a 3-axis accelerometer having two axes that define a plane and an axis perpendicular to the plane to provide an acceleration value along each of the axes and orienting output to a display in either a portrait format or a landscape format based on comparing the acceleration values for the two axes that define the plane to a threshold that depends on the acceleration value for the axis perpendicular to the plane. Various other apparatuses, systems, methods, etc., are also disclosed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 operating a 3-axis accelerometer having two axes that define a plane and an axis perpendicular to the plane to provide an acceleration value along each of the axes; and   orienting output to a display in either a portrait format or a landscape format based on comparing the acceleration values for the two axes that define the plane to a threshold that depends on the acceleration value for the axis perpendicular to the plane.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the threshold increases with respect to an increase in the acceleration value for the axis perpendicular to the plane. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the threshold comprises a linear relationship with respect to the acceleration value for the axis perpendicular to the plane. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the threshold comprises a non-linear relationship with respect to the acceleration value for the axis perpendicular to the plane. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the threshold comprises a constant value for an acceleration value for the axis perpendicular to the plane greater than an upper limit. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the threshold comprises a constant value for an acceleration value for the axis perpendicular to the plane less than a lower limit. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the threshold depends on a time derivative of acceleration. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the time derivative comprises a time derivative of acceleration for the axis perpendicular to the plane. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the acceleration value for the axis perpendicular to the plane corresponds to an angle with respect to gravity. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the threshold depends directly on the angle of the plane with respect to gravity. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising locking the format responsive to a determined rate of change in acceleration greater than a predetermined rate. 
     
     
         12 . One or more computer-readable media comprising processor-executable instructions to instruct a device to:
 read data from a 3-axis accelerometer;   adjust an orientation change limit based on read data for a first axis;   compare read data for a second axis to read data for a third axis; and   output an orientation control signal based on the orientation change limit and the comparison of read data for a second axis to read data for a third axis.   
     
     
         13 . The one or more computer-readable media of  claim 12  wherein the instructions to instruct a device to output an orientation control signal comprise instructions to instruct the device to render information to a display in a portrait format orientation or a landscape format orientation. 
     
     
         14 . The one or more computer-readable media of  claim 12  wherein the instructions to instruct a device to adjust an orientation change limit comprise instructions to instruct the device to determine a change in at least one magnitude of acceleration with respect to gravity. 
     
     
         15 . The one or more computer-readable media of  claim 12  further comprising processor-executable instructions to instruct the device to render information to a display in an orientation controlled by the orientation control signal and wherein the first axis comprises an axis perpendicular the display. 
     
     
         16 . A communication device comprising:
 a planar display;   circuitry to measure an angle of a vector perpendicular to the planar display with respect to gravity and to measure an angle of rotation of the planar display;   circuitry to adjust a threshold based on the measured angle of the vector perpendicular to the planar display; and   circuitry to orient output to the planar display in a first orientation or a second orientation based on a comparison of measured angle of rotation of the planar display to the threshold.   
     
     
         17 . The communication device of  claim 16  comprising a rectangular planar display wherein the first orientation and the second orientation comprise a portrait orientation and a landscape orientation. 
     
     
         18 . The communication device of  claim 16  further comprising an operating system wherein the circuitry to orient output to the planar display comprises circuitry to instruct the operating system. 
     
     
         19 . The communication device of  claim 16  further comprising an operating system and an application wherein the circuitry to orient output to the planar display comprises circuitry to instruct the application. 
     
     
         20 . The communication device of  claim 16  wherein the circuitry to measure comprises a 3-axis accelerometer.